Motocross champ faces long ride

By: DAVE DOWNEY - Staff Writer | Wednesday, November 17, 2004 11:04 PM PST ∞

RIVERSIDE ---- Jeremy McGrath, the seven-time motocross champion who grew up in Murrieta, made a case Wednesday for why he should be able to ride motorcycles on his 94 acres near Aguanga. Neighbors urged county officials to reject his bid for a permit for a trail bike park and outdoor film studio.

No action was taken, however, during Wednesday's hearing before the Riverside County Planning Commission. Saying a trail bike park is inappropriate for a rural residential area such as his, planners said McGrath must seek a general plan amendment to change the zoning to open space recreation, meaning the off-road champion has to go back to the drawing board.

Although McGrath, 33, of Encinitas, suggested he had the right to ride on his land without special permits and zoning, he said he intended to abide by the county's rules and would file a new application, despite spending six months trying to obtain a different type of approval, a conditional use permit.

"I just want to have fun," McGrath said after the hearing, while signing an autograph in the hall outside the County Administrative Center auditorium. "And I want to set a good example. That's important to me."

McGrath was cited by county code enforcement officers earlier this year for riding motorcycles on his land without the Planning Department's approval, according to a staff report. Then he applied for the permit. In the meantime, he said, he has not been riding on the property west of Sage Road, north of Aguanga.

Ten people who live in the vicinity spoke out against the proposal Wednesday.

Dennis Galceran, who lives across Sage Road, said dust kicked up by motorcycles and their "hideous screaming noise" has been a constant nuisance for him and his wife, both of whom are artists. He said a trail bike park is not a good fit for the rural neighborhood.

Paraphrasing a quote from the O.J. Simpson trial, Galceran said, "If it doesn't fit, you must not permit."

Don Sccott of Aguanga said the dust and noise is more than just a nuisance.

"To me, it's a dreadful health concern," Sccott said.

On the other side of the issue, Meg Grossglass, a French Valley resident and spokeswoman for the Santee-based Off-Road Business Association, urged commissioners to grant the permit.

"We're not talking about your stereotypical 13-year-old on a motorcycle who's tearing up the earth. We're talking about Jeremy McGrath," Grossglass said.

For his part, McGrath, who says he's retired from racing and focusing on his film company that specializes in riding-technique videos, said he did not want to bother anyone.

"I want to be a good neighbor," McGrath said. "I want to ride on my property for my own use and pleasure. I have not requested a permit for any public use. I am not opening a race track."

The champion rider offered commissioners a glimpse into his childhood years in Murrieta, which he credited for much of his professional success.

"I was fortunate to live in a home on 5 acres, with a motorcycle track in my back yard, where I spent many enjoyable days with my friends, riding my bike," McGrath said. "I bought (about) 100 acres so that I can continue to enjoy the same pleasure I enjoyed as a youngster, and share that pleasure with my wife and friends ---- and hopefully, one day, with my children."

McGrath disputed critics' claim that he graded his property.

"The land I purchased had an established riding track on it, long before I ever came into the picture," he said.

He said the pictures opponents displayed during the hearing of graders on the property were equipment he uses to maintain the road onto his land and to smooth out berms that build up from motorcycle riding.

McGrath said he sprays water on the 19-acre course to control dust.

As for concerns about environmental damage, he said he is preserving 16 acres for endangered species of plants of animals.

"It's beautiful trees," he said. "I would never want to ride in there, anyway."

Contact staff writer Dave Downey at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2616, or ddowney@californian.com.