Mike Pearcy (567) leads the way over Ed Key (1), eventual winner Brian Berney (56), Tim Morrissey (854), Steve Campisano (123), Steve Holmes (48) and Chuck McCabe (486) in a WERA B Production race at a dilapidated Mid-America Raceway in 1984. (Larry Lawrence photo)
Mid-America Raceway, located in the western St. Louis suburb of Wentzville, Missouri, hosted WERA/MCRA road races probably through the mid-1980s. This is a photo of a WERA B Production race at the track, probably in 1984, showing the pack heading through turn one.
Mike Pearcy (567) leads the way over Ed Key (1), eventual winner Brian Berney (56), Tim Morrissey (854), Steve Campisano (123), Steve Holmes (48) and Chuck McCabe (486).
Mid-America hosted AMA national road race in 1965, shortly after the track was built. The three-mile circuit was considered state-of-the-art when it was built. However looking at this photo, with the grass growing through the cracks, and surrounding rust-stained retaining wall, you can tell the track had fallen into disrepair by the mid-1980s.
In its final years of hosting motorcycle road races, huge chunks of pavement started coming up. In one particularly dangerous incident a fist-sized chuck of asphalt flew up in the air on the main straightway. It landed harmlessly, but had it flipped up and hit a rider at speed the consequences could have been serious.
The condition of the track led one rider to quip that Mid-America was the world’s longest paved motocross track.
Rider Files 
One of my father’s regular tracks when he was running WERA in the early 80’s. Alas, the land has been sold and they are building houses along the front straight. Wentzville is surrounding the old track, and swallowing it into suburbia.
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Bumpy but lots of fun… If I remember correctly the track used to bring in kegs of beer at the end of the day!! One time I remember they even brought in a hot tub on wheels!!!
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Alan,
The Hot Tub, I remember that! Ha, ha, ha fun days. MCRA was known for some serious partying.
And Steve – Thanks for the update on the track. It’s too bad, but it would have taken a lot to get that track up to current day standards. Millions.
Larry
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The hot tub that lead to one of the most infamous red flags in the history of club racing. A well meaning MCRA member worried about children playing around the tub drained it in the middle of Sundays races, flooding turn one. Speaking of turn one it was way exciting apexing right at the point of a concrete wall. Track knowledge was so important as the fast line bore absolutely no relation whatsoever to a normal line. The fast line was around the bumps, especially in the back section. Mid-America had one of the best layouts I’ve ever had the pleasure to ride. I miss that place.
Ed Key
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Anybody remember if Mike Pearcy was the guy who had his whole bike covered in duct tape? I’m pretty sure he was the one. The explanation was, it protected the original bodywork (we didn’t have all these aftermarket bodywork suppliers back then), so he could sell it when he was done. I saw him pitch it at Blackhawk, and the tape did it’s job. I’m sure it wasn’t much fun trying to get the adhesive off though, when he went to sell the bike.
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“Duct Tape” Mike & Rosa Pearcy (Suprise AZ now) was out of Terre Haute IN along with C.J. Eisman, Chuck Frost, Gary DeLong and Chuck Wiggins. Ned Harts uncle Dirk James promoted the WERA street race in Terre Haute which got many of us started racing. Wentzville was our favorite track and famous for party’s and camping out and the hot tub. You notice most of us were wide to avoid the “body oil” after the hot tub runoff dryed.
Also famous was the “dirt turn” which caused a red flag when earthworms would invade it. The only time I beat Mike racing was when it “rained”. Mike continued to club race at Firebird. We camped with the San Diego BMW club and road Palomar Mountain and Jillian for many years.
I believe Pearcy and Wiggins won a WERA Endurance race at IRP on a CBX with only (1) set of leathers between them.
Mike and I visit regularly and the “High Dirt” (Terre Haute) guys still get togeather at Laguna and Indy Motogp.
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Larry,
Ed is SO right!
That was a GREAT layout for a track. One of the best I ever raced at, a real challenge. Memorable points for me were…
That scary first turn concrete wall… Actually had concrete dust on my right shoulder several times… And the VERY short run from the start to the firt turn… As they were worried that if anyone had any speed at all going into the first turn for the first time, there would be carnage!
The two idential entries into a couple of the turns (down hill righ handers, I can’t remember the numbers), except one was a hair pin, and the other a sweaper… If you forgot where you were in the heat of battle, you could be in big trouble…
Run off areas that consisted of either embankments, or forest!!!
The back field turns, where as Ed says, you ran from flat patch of track to flat patch, trying to avoid the huge pot holes… (think Nelson Ledges, and multiply by 10!) I remember getting my butt whipped by a local guy one time on my ’75 Yamaha RD350B, he was on a YZ490 with street tires on it… He was the only one who could take a “racing line”, as his suspension swallowed up the holes and patches… Made for some interesting racing as we had TOTALLY different lines! :-)))
What else do I remember… Oh, the great last turn that looked up a steep hill going under a bridge, then flattened out to a LONG pit straight.
And yes, how could I ever forget the track where I won my first National, on my ’83 RD350LC!
It was a great and memorable venue, and if it could have been repaved (or even just patched) could have gone on for longer. It was a fantastic “Riders” track… Where, as I recall, my early hero Ed Key, won many races!
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As Ed commented with the hot tub incident, there was oil and soap and stuff in the water that left a residue on the track after it dried. I remember running an endurance race there on a Honda CB400F in 100 degree heat and 100% humidity on that bumpy track. The longest 6 hours of my life. That was a great track.
Hi Ed.
Hi Brian
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I still have to shake my head at some of the tracks raced back in those days.
Does anyone recall the WERA Terre Haute street race?
Larry
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Hey there Ken!
How are you mate? Hope all is well… Drop me a line brianberney@hotmail.com let me know how life is!
Cheers mate!
BrianB.
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Larry,
Remember the Terre Haute WERE National well. I was Motocrossing then and that was my first real exposure to road racing. Man coming out on First St. with the railroad tracks on the outside had to be scarey! Hell, looking at old pic’s of Wentzville makes me shake my head but back then I never gave it a second thought. It was always hammer down….C.J Eisman
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CJ
I would love to see photos of that Terre Haute street race. That’s wild, but the race is legend around Indiana.
Off the subject, but did you know or have you heard of a Bill Brandon from Terre Haute? He won the overall at the Alligator Enduro back in the ’60s.
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Wow this is amazing hearing from all these long lost voices. Key, Berney, Essex, among others that were my heros during my novice year ’84, and onward. Brian taught me a fabulous lesson in ’85. If you are not on the gas or on the brakes you are not racing. Since both he and I rode FZ750s in ’85 (my first expert year), I rarely saw him. On this particular weekend at Blackhawk I was not in one of his races I was watching the entrance to the carosel, here comes Brian off the kink wide open engine howling. I was dumb struck. Why wasn’t I doing that. I had been coasting from the exit of the kink to the entrance of the carosel. That was good for several tenths off my lap time. Thanks Brian!
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Larry,
I’m still digging for T.H. National photos. I think it was Bill Branam. He was an older guy we used to ride in the river bottoms with when we were younger.He was friends with many of the older guys I rode with. I’ll ask a buddy of mine He would know.
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Ed Key is right I was there..The Hot Tub caused a big problem in turn one, probably because to many adult beverages were consumed and everyone wanted in the tub!…Good times..But crazy.
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