Big Buck Racing (https://bigbuckracing.com/) isn’t something I’d normally cover on Carolina Epicurean, but the event was so impressive, it was held on a dear friends South Carolina farm property, and hey, there were some awesome food trucks on site.
A LITTLE BACKGROUND
My interest in bikes (motorcycles) goes back as far as I can remember. For a time my much older brother raced dirt bikes professionally. For practice he’d sometimes put me on the back of his bike for added weight (and fun) while he rode up and down hills and around obstacles in our yard. Then he chose a bike, based on it’s center of gravity and weight, for my post college great cross-country adventure. It was perfect, and my only transportation for a couple years while I lived in CA.
BIG BUCK, THE FARM
Our friend’s Union, SC multi-hundred acre farm has been in his family since the 1970’s. The name came about after years of he and his son hunting on the property. The ultimate goal being bringing home the “big buck”.
The “farm” property has lots of fields – and lots of woods – that the bikes ride through at high speed on mostly narrow trails. People come from all over, including other countries, to participate and watch the official GNCC (Grand National Cross Country) races. Rows and rows of huge RV’s, vans, and tents fill fields.
One of the problems with events like this is that they’re often in rural locations and lack Wi-Fi coverage. Big Buck solved the problem with WOW – Wide Open Wi-Fi. It worked great for me everywhere I went on the property.
Plans are in the works for opening up the property to other types of events, including music festivals. The property includes a natural amphitheater, which would be perfect!
THE FOOD
So much great food! Where to start? More importantly, when to STOP! All the trucks/vendors were new to me, so that was fun. Fifi’s Hibachi Burrito, Tilley’s Tennessee BBQ, Down South Water Ice, and others. As always, be sure to click gallery images for descriptive captions.
THE HILL CLIMB!
Probably the most popular spot on the course for watching riders is at the steep hill climb. Lots of people walk out to watch the action from great viewing spots. Some riders make it to the top. Some don’t. Some skip it altogether! If riders make the climb, they take some time off their circuit.
THE RACES, PROS, GEAR & MERCH
The next GNCC race at Big Buck is just days away, on April 1st. Just like the event I went to, this race will include ATV’s and Motorcycles. There are multiple categories of racers – Pro, Amateur, Youth, and more. And there are different rules for some of the groups, pro vs amateur for instance.
Racers line up at the start according to engine size (2 stroke, 4 stroke, cc’s), pro vs amateur, and rank. Each category/row begins from a “dead start”, meaning engines off until flagged to start.
There were quite a few Pro Riders and their support teams at this race. The support teams were serious with com head sets, white boards to hold up with info for their rider, backpacks full of emergency gear, water, etc. Most of them rode trail/mountain bikes to whatever key spots of the thirteen mile course they needed to be at for their rider. The Pros do the 13 mile circuit five times, making it a three hour race for them!
This particular race was the 2023 season opener. Quite a few pros were there, including the number one team from Japan! Honestly, I had no idea that some Pro cross country racers can make six figures a year. It’s a big deal.
Also a surprise to me were the rows of semi’s that opened up the sides of their trucks, exposing shops selling parts, tires, all kinds of gear, and merchandise. There was even one selling e-bikes.
If you’ve never seen an event like this, you’ll be amazed. It’s very family friendly. Even if you’re not into cross country racing, it’s a great way to spend time outside, checking out something that might be completely outside your wheel house. Get tickets for the April 1st, 2023 race HERE.
