MOSES LAKE — It didn't take long for racers to take to their starting positions Saturday afternoon at the Larson Recreation Center. A line of helmet-capped BMX racers charged with momentum out the starting gate, and broke through a streamer strung across the track to officially dedicate the center's BMX track with a lap around the approximately 1,200-foot-long facility.

"I think it's pretty cool," racer Cody Clark said of the track, echoing the sentiment of many of his fellow teens from atop the starting gate. The track is one of the largest in the state, and sanctioned for racing from the American Bicycle Association, for which racers can accrue points as part of ABA competition.

"This year the city has just come in for us and we have a beautiful facility," track operator William Rutherford said.

In remarks dedicating the track, Moses Lake Mayor Ron Covey said the city has heard from racers throughout the Northwest that the new track is one of the best in the state of Washington.

Rutherford told gathered participants they had been part of a long journey to get the project completed. Moses Lake Parks Superintendent Roland Gonzales added the city learned quite a bit in completing the project, and said he hoped riders enjoyed the facility for years to come.

The Moses Lake BMX organization requested funding for the project in February of 2004, which has also since seen support from the 2004 Moses Lake Self Help Program, the Moses Lake Sand Scorpions, Mick Hansen, Desert Rock Excavation and the ABA. The track is operated by the city's Parks and Recreation Department.

The BMX organization and Parks and Recreation Department held the facility's first race last November, but a starting gate and tower have since been added to the track, which will be part of the ABA's eastern Washington circuit.

"We're excited to have a full venue this year," Rutherford said. "We're drawing people from all over the state and Idaho."

Saturday's was the second race for the track this year, which held its first two weeks ago. Rutherford said the organization had hoped to race last year, but said they are ecstatic to have it open and have a full schedule this year. He cited the 33 scheduled races the track would host this year, which he called great for a first-year track.

"We're just really excited to see how far we've come, and what a great facility we have now," Rutherford said.

To see a complete schedule of races, go to the BMX organization's Web site at www.moseslakebmx.org.