LEGENDS AND HEROES HONOREE - ST LOUIS SUPERCROSS JANUARY 2020
About Ed Schultz-
In the late 1960s, the thrill of motorcycling was spreading across the country, and Ed Schultz had indeed caught the bug. While riding his street bike to work at McDonnell Douglas, Ed noticed that they were sponsoring clubs for all types of hobbies. He thought a club for the motorcycle enthusiast would be a good fit for the company, and they agreed. He became the Charter President of the MDC Motorcycle Club. The club multiplied, and by the end of the first year, there were more than 800 members. Not just for street bikes but off-road enthusiasts as well. For the sum of $1 per year, yes, one dollar, club members could ride their dirt bikes on 500 acres of property that Ed was able to lease.
Opportunity struck when Ed found some other property that was sitting idle. Working with the property owner, Mississippi Valley Raceway was born. Not one to sit idle, Ed felt there was a need for a motocross track closer to the St Louis area. It needed to be challenging enough to host both amateur and professional races and have enough room for the spectators that the growing sport of motocross was bringing in. He found forty acres of the type of property he needed in St Peters, MO, and Cycle World USA was developed.
Once opened for racing, Cycle World USA would host races every two weeks, and racers from all across the Mid-West would come to compete. Names like Randy and Gary Shekell, Craig Mueller, Jay Clark, Pat Hagarty, Morris Wright, Kelly Bowen, Mark Yocum, Mark McDaniel, Paul Niehaus, Rod Korzep and Julie Fizer were all top competitors at the time.
In addition to the local races, the professional facility earned Cycle World USA the opportunity to host AMA Nationals in the summer and the famous Trans-AMA races in the fall. Legendary racers like Roger DeCoster, Pierre Karsmakers, Gerrit Wolsink, Marty Smith, Bob Hannah, Brad Lackey, Tony DiStefano, Broc Glover, and more saw success on the Cycle World USA track.
The last professional event at the facility was in the fall of 1978. Approximately 15,000 spectators saw the spectacular event with marching bands, skydivers, fireworks, and of course, great racing. Yamaha’s Bob Hannah won the 500 International Class, and Kawasaki mounted Mickey Boone won the 250 Support class.
Shortly following this event, Ed suffered a mild stroke and could no longer operate the facility. It was closed in 1978.
“I may have closed Cycle World USA in 1978, but the memories and spirit of motocross still lives.” - Ed Schultz
