From the age of 12, Danny Erdeljac has had a passion for motocross. Over 50 years later he is now the owner of the legendary Rio Bravo Motocross Park. Rio Bravo Motocross Park first opened in 1972 and in 1973, hosted the International Trans AMA race where the American’s first beat the European’s in the sport of motocross. The track quickly became a popular local track where Danny, his brother Jimmy, and other friends grew up riding. Over the years, families that rode out at Rio in the 70’s have been able to bring their own kids to ride at the very track they rode as a kid. As of 2014, Rio has 3 generations of riders.
In the late 90’s and early 2000’s, Rio started to get neglected. Unpaid taxes built up and Rio Bravo was on the verge of being sold off for parts. In 2008, Danny bought Rio Bravo in order to save the legendary
track he grew up riding on. Being the owner of a Motocross track wasn’t something he had on his list of things to do. Danny is also a professional engineer and the owner of Studio Works LLC, a Video Production and 3D Animation Company that specializes in engineering applications. At first, Danny thought, “I just bought a motocross track. I’m going to restore this place to the kind of track I want and if other people like it, lucky for them.” The concept for Danny’s Rio Bravo is to preserve the legendary
track layout, make it the type of track that is challenging and fun but doesn’t have bad consequences for coming up too short on a jump. He also wanted the track to offer amenities that would appeal to the
whole family and not just the rider. At first, he wasn’t sure how most people would respond to his approach but as it turns out, what he wanted in a track was also what thousands of other people wanted too. It’s safe to say now that Danny’s approach is a huge success.
Danny’s vision for the future of Rio Bravo is to have a place where the new generation of kids can hang out in a positive environment. Rio Bravo is a labor of love fueled by the appreciation he gets from thousands of people! May the legendary Rio Bravo Motocross Park continue into the next generation!