RedBud MX

RedBud MX at a glance

Location

Buchanan, Michigan

Type

motocross

Surface

natural terrain (loam/dirt)

Opened

1973

Owner

Ritchie family (Amy and Tim Ritchie)

Address

13638 Redbud Trail

Website

redbudmx.com

Track map and layout

RedBud is cut through rolling southwestern Michigan farmland and is famous among riders for having some of the best natural dirt on the Pro Motocross circuit, a loamy, high-traction soil that stays consistent even as the track rubbers in over a long race day. The signature feature is LaRocco's Leap, a huge step-up/step-down jump built in 1991 and named for Michigan native and factory Kawasaki rider Mike LaRocco, stretching roughly 120 feet and forcing riders to commit to a blind, high-speed launch. The rest of the layout mixes long uphill straights, off-camber turns cut into the hillsides, and a night-race short course used for the Fourth of July amateur program. RedBud also maintains a separate KTM Kids Track for younger riders on the same property.

Named corners and sections

• LaRocco's Leap. A roughly 120-foot step-up/step-down jump built in 1991 and named after Michigan pro Mike LaRocco; widely regarded as one of the most famous obstacles in American motocross.

Configurations

Events and race weekends

RedBud's marquee event is the RedBud National, the Pro Motocross Championship round held every Fourth of July weekend, one of the sport's most prestigious and best-attended stops. The property has also hosted the Motocross of Nations twice (2018 and 2022), the FIM's premier international team event, and ran rounds of the Traxxas TORC off-road truck series from 2011 to 2013. RedBud additionally hosts an AMA Amateur Regional National and ATVMX National Championship rounds, plus year-round club and practice riding.

Getting there and parking

RedBud sits in the far southwest corner of Michigan near the Indiana line, about 25 minutes from South Bend, Indiana, making South Bend International Airport the closest air option for fly-in visitors; Chicago O'Hare is a larger alternative roughly two hours west.

• South Bend International Airport (SBN) · about 30 min drive

The RedBud National does not sell out of general admission, but online advance tickets are cheaper than gate prices and online sales cut off Saturday morning of race weekend.

Hotels and camping near RedBud MX

Most out-of-town fans either camp on-site or base themselves in South Bend, Indiana, or Niles/Buchanan, Michigan, both a short drive from the gates; on-site camping is central to the RedBud National experience and fills up around the Fourth of July.

Where to look

South Bend, Indiana, and Niles/Buchanan, Michigan, both within about 20-30 minutes of the track; South Bend has the widest hotel selection.

Track days, driving experiences and lap records

RedBud is primarily a race facility rather than a public pay-to-ride park; open practice days are offered on a limited schedule around club events and are announced through the track's own channels rather than a fixed public program. There is no third-party track-day operator running regular sessions comparable to a road-course HPDE program.

Spectator guide

RedBud's hillside terrain lets fans watch large stretches of the circuit from grandstands, sloping grass hills, or trackside camping spots, and the Fourth of July National regularly draws well over 30,000 people. Shade is limited outside a few tree-lined areas, so most spectators bring their own EZ-Ups, umbrellas, and chairs for a hot midsummer weekend.

Seating

Multiple grandstand sections plus extensive natural hillside viewing around the circuit.

Best places to watch

The hillsides overlooking LaRocco's Leap and the uphill sections are consistently the most popular vantage points; trackside tailgate/camping spots offer close-up views but book up early.

Weather

• Jul: hot and often humid, highs typically in the mid-80s to low 90s°F

History of RedBud MX

Origins

The RedBud property was purchased in 1972 by Gene and Nancy Ritchie together with the Patterson and Miller families, who carved a motocross track out of the rolling farmland of southwestern Michigan and began holding local races in 1973 under the name Red Bud TNT (Track n Trail), a nod to the region's redbud trees and Buchanan's own nickname of Red Bud City. The track earned its first AMA National in 1974, won by Mike Hartwig, and by the late 1970s RedBud had settled into its now-traditional slot on the Fourth of July weekend, a date it has held almost every year since 1978.

LaRocco's Leap and a growing reputation

Through the 1980s and 1990s RedBud built a reputation among riders for having some of the best natural soil in the sport, a loamy, forgiving dirt that holds ruts and traction better than most national tracks. In 1991 the track added its most famous feature, a huge step-up jump that became known as LaRocco's Leap after Michigan-born factory rider Mike LaRocco, and the obstacle has since become one of the most photographed and talked-about jumps in American motocross, the site of numerous crashes and highlight-reel moments over three decades of Nationals.

Present day

Ownership passed to Gene and Nancy Ritchie's children, Amy and Tim Ritchie, who have continued to invest in the facility while preserving its old-school character. RedBud has hosted the FIM Motocross of Nations twice, in 2018 and 2022, cementing its status on the world stage alongside its role as a fixture of the American Pro Motocross Championship, and the Fourth of July National remains one of the best-attended and most anticipated rounds on the calendar, regularly drawing well over 30,000 fans to camp, tailgate, and watch racing across the property's hillsides.

Frequently asked questions

Other tracks nearby

• GingerMan Raceway · 39 mi · road course
• Chicagoland Speedway · 93 mi · oval
• Michigan International Speedway · 108 mi · oval
• The Milwaukee Mile · 118 mi · road course & oval
• Ironman Raceway · 133 mi · motocross
• Indianapolis Motor Speedway · 142 mi · road course & oval