Chasing glitzy enduro, off-road and motocross nationals around the country is fun. The carnival atmosphere, big trucks and big crowds are awesome to see! But those huge events are just the tip of this giant iceberg we call dirt biking. The heart and soul of Canadian dirt bike racing is at all the little tracks spattered across the country. Paris Speedway, at the Paris, Ontario fairgrounds, is just such a track.

Every Friday night Paris Speedway hosts an unbelievable variety of racing on its short dirt oval. You name it, they race it. They have very competitive classes for everything from go-karts to minibikes to ATVs to full on dirt track and speedway bikes. It’s an awesome scene, with a laid back, down to earth atmosphere that is fun and even refreshing! The fact Paris Speedway provides some of the closest, most exciting racing around is the icing on the cake!

Shelley Gamm braved the challenging lighting conditions this past Friday night to shoot this photo essay for Offroadmotorcycles.ca.

Don’t have the latest, greatest wonder-bike? Don’t worry. Just ride!

We aren’t big into ATVs at Offroadmotorcycles.ca, but we have to admit watching them race is fun!

Go fast, turn left: the short dirt oval course at Paris is slippery and very difficult to ride well.

The wheel to wheel action in the Kart class is pretty awesome to watch!

Checking for traffic: the full-sized ATVs are crazy-fast and kick up a huge amount of roost.

Even the little guys get their chance to shine under the lights.

The Baja bikes are not only the biggest class at Paris, they’re also the most fun to watch!

When he isn’t busy helping Offroadmotorcycles.ca evaluate test bikes, Ryan Rainville burns around in fast circles on his YZ450F dirt tracker.

Steve Simms is one of the most well-respected tuners in Canadian Pro Motocross. He’s quickly learning to become a good flat track racer!

Robin Reimer is not only one of the friendliest guys around, he’s also a great all-around rider. He simply rips on a dirt bike, anywhere he rides!

This is one kid who is very proud of his dad! You can find out more about the fun racing scene at Paris Speedway by visiting http://www.parisspeedway.ca/