Throttle and Dirt: How a Carlsbad Family Built New Mexico’s Motocross Oasis

By R. Gabriel Villalobos

The morning light, softened by overcast clouds, stretches across the sky on the north side of town. A man traverses the perimeter of a mile-long motocross track, ensuring that the sprinkler system is hitting its marks. Water spigots placed all along the track darken stretches of dirt as the fresh smell of moist earth signals the track’s readiness.

The man is Darwin Bratcher, who was born and raised in Carlsbad. As he worked on the track to prepare it for the day, his wife, Terry, shared their story.

The first thing you notice is the sound. Even before the dust cloud comes into view, the high-pitched whine of dirt bike engines tears through the quiet of the southeastern New Mexico plains. Just northeast of Carlsbad, where mesquite and oil fields dominate the landscape, the Bratcher Motocross Track has become an unlikely haven for riders across the region.

Terry Bratcher, a 63-year-old nurse with deep roots in Eddy County, watches from the shade of a makeshift canopy as riders launch off jumps on the mile-long track.

“That one’s Seth,” she says, pointing to a rider in a blue jersey sailing six feet above a berm. “Broke his back a few years ago. Still rides every weekend.”

From Backyard Dream to Regional Destination

The track’s story is pure Southeast New Mexico. When Terry’s twin grandsons kept pestering for a place to practice after their first race in Tularosa, she turned to local connections. Thunderstone, a Carlsbad-based company, donated dirt. 4 Elements Oilfield Services lent trucks. A track designer from Hatch helped shape the jumps.

“We’re lucky to have the oil and gas industry here,” Terry said. “Those boys know how to move earth and make things happen.” The result: a professional-grade track built in just six weeks on family land.

The Riding Brotherhood

For local riders like Ronnie Higgins, 20, the track fills a crucial gap. “Before this, we’d have to drive to Moriarty or Texas to find decent practice,” says the Carlsbad mechanic, who began racing at age four. “Now they come to us.”

The track has become a weekend pilgrimage for oilfield workers and mechanics like Seth Thompson and Cooper Kirkpatrick, who make the drive from Artesia.

“You finish your shift at the pump shop, wash up, and head straight here,” says Kirkpatrick.

He confessed that they have to think about getting back to work after the weekend, though. The competitive fire that once fueled their drive on the racetrack has given way to a more easygoing love for the ride.

Not everyone who shows up is a battered veteran of the circuit. In the middle of the morning, in walks the littlest rider of the lot. Maverick Schoonmaker takes his place amidst the towering riders and spectators surrounding him. At the tender age of four, Maverick rides with the confidence of a stuntman. He has even earned sponsorship.

More Than Just a Track

What makes Bratcher’s different becomes clear as afternoon practice winds down. Riders gather around a battered pickup truck, sharing stories of close calls and comparing suspension setups. A father from Hobbs helps his daughter adjust her bike’s clutch. Terry circulates, checking on the riders.

“It’s not just about the racing,” says Terry as her granddaughter—now ranked third nationally in quad racing—coaches a younger rider. “It’s about keeping kids out here doing something positive.”

As the sun circles slowly toward the mountains in the distance, the last bikes circle the track. The bikes that have been flying over mounds of earth get loaded into trailers or pickup beds.

The dust settles, but the energy remains. For this corner of New Mexico, the Bratcher track has become more than dirt and jumps—it’s the heartbeat of a riding community that just needed a place to call home.