Some 1,700 dirt bike and ATV riders will converge on Aonia Pass this weekend for the second stop on the CanAm Grand National Cross Country Series. (Photo by Charlie Burke) Aonia Pass Motocross Park has already begun to fillwith dirt bike and ATV cross-country riders of all ages - and their families -- for the season's first race weekend as bigtime off-road racing comes to back to town.

Aonia is hosting the second stop on the CanAm Grand National Cross Country Series, the largest off-road racing series in the nation, says Racer Productions spokesman Jason Weigant. Riders compete for over $2.8 million in series prizes and contingency money in the 13-round series.

The nearly three-hour long GNCC races Saturday and Sunday will lead more than 1,700 dirt bike and ATV racers through Aonia's 11-mile track strewn with trees, hills, mud, dirt, rocks and motocross sections. GNCC races are tests of both survival and speed.

With family members in support of the racers, the crowd may be as large as 7,500 at the track, making Aonia briefly the largest city in the county.

Tourism Director Ashley Barnett said that she and Chamber officerswould be visiting the track to encourage racers and their families to visit Wilkes County businesses and attractions throughout the week.

"They're really discovering Washington now, and we're seeing more families come shop and have dinner in Washington on race weekends," she said.

Races in previous years have brought a solid boost in sales for most local restaurants, hotels, grocery stores, and other retailers, Barnett said.

The racers' website now has new information on Washington-Wilkes, including lodging and tourism information.

With help from ATV maker CanAm, the GNCC Series will return to television in August on the cable network Versus, formerly the Outdoor Life Network, which is found on Comcast Cable channel 61 in Washington.

The GNCC series was the brainchild of the late Dave Coombs, whose Racer Productions, of Morgantown, West Virginia, now produces the national racing series under the leadership of his widow Rita Coombs and her staff.

Racers have already begun to arrive at Aonia's camping and motor home area from the series' first stop in Vero Beach, Fla. By Friday, the fields around the track will be filled with a sea of motorhomes, trucks, and trailers. This is the sixth annual Maxxis General GNCC, and previous races have drawn the largest number of racers in the history of the series, with nearly 1,700 riders competing.

Spectators can check out the Aonia Pass action from dozens of vantage points ranging from trails snaking through deep woods to water crossings that become mudbaths. Spectator passes run $15 for the entire weekend, with access to the pro pit area included. Children six and under are admitted free.

On both days, youth riders race at 8 a.m., beginner riders race at 10 a.m., and the top amateurs and the pros race at 1 p.m.

Sunday's motorcycle pro race will last a full three hours, which will make physical conditioning and fitness a major factor as the riders bounce over rough terrain at high speed for the duration of the event.