Hundreds of the top amateur dirt bike and ATV cross-country riders and their families will be arriving at Aonia Pass Motocross this weekend for the Maxxis General GNCC.

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.

Local riders are invited to race the event, as GNCC racing offers classes for riders of all skill and experience levels. Riders can sign up at the track. Four-wheel ATVs race on Saturday and dirt bikes race Sunday. The amateur racer entry fee is $40.

The General GNCC is the second stop on the 2009 CanAm Grand National Cross Country Series, the nation's largest off-road racing series, says Racer Productions spokesman Jason Weigant. "Many racers consider the General a test of both survival and speed. The top pro racers make a lucrative living in the sport, reigning in salaries and endorsements, as well as a share of a $130,000 purse and over $3 million in contingency."

The nearly three-hour long GNCC races Saturday and Sunday will lead more than 1,500 dirt bike and ATV racers through Aonia's 12-mile track strewn with trees, hills, mud, dirt, rocks, and motocross sections, Weigant said.

The General is the first major event of the season. On March 27- 28 Aonia Pass MX will once again host a Southeast Region Area Qualifier for the Loretta Lynn's Amateur National Championships, bringing hundreds of amateur motocrossers of all ages trying to qualify for "The Lorettas, " the 2009 AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships at Loretta Lynn's Dude Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tenn.