UTV rally in Piedmont could grow

First-time event opens Friday afternoon and runs through Monday, Sept. 3

By Bill Harlan, Journal staff | Saturday, September 01, 2007

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When Jesse Jurrens created this weekend's first Black Hills UTV Rally, he had a couple of ulterior motives.

"We're trying to plant the seed to build an event over the next four or five years," Jurrens said Thursday.

He also hopes his Top 50 Rally Park in Piedmont, built for the Sturgis motorcycle rally, can be used the rest of the year as an event center and commercial trailhead for off-road riding in the Black Hills National Forest.

"UTV," by the way, loosely stands for "utility vehicle." A UTV is a heavier version of the hugely popular ATV, or all-terrain vehicle.

UTVs have been used mostly for business - on farms and ranches, for example - but now, they're being used for recreation, Jurrens said.

His long-term plan for the Top 50 Rally Park includes a tunnel under the Interstate 90 service road (S.D. Highway 79) to give off-road riders access to trails in the Black Hills National Forest west of Piedmont. The trail from the Top 50 to the national forest would cross a half-mile of private land, but a section line with a 66-foot right of way already provides public access.

Still, Jurrens will need permission from the state Department of Transportation for the tunnel.

He'll also need to work with the Forest Service, with Meade County, the new city of Piedmont and other neighbors.

He's invited officials from a number of agencies to attend the opening ceremony of the rally at 8 a.m. Saturday at the Top 50, which is west of I-90, just south of Exit 44.

"I'm trying to prove a point, more than anything," Jurrens said.

Several points, actually:

* That Piedmont should be a gateway to off-roading in the Black Hills.

* That off-roading events could attract hundreds or even thousands of riders to local campgrounds and businesses.

* That commercial operators can work with public agencies to improve access to trails on public lands.

"I need everyone to understand how this could be good for the area," he said.

His idea comes at an opportune time.

On Sept. 10, the Forest Service will roll out the first version of its proposal for a system of trails and trailheads for off-roading in the Black Hills. New rules could be in place by the end of 2008 that will restrict off-roading to designated trails.

At 32, Jurrens already has made a name for himself as founder of Independent Cycle Inc., a Deadwood Avenue business that employs a couple dozen people making Legend Air Suspensions and other products for motorcycles.

He opened the Top 50 Rally Park in time for last year's Sturgis rally, but his goal is to keep the park open "almost year round."

The UTV rally this weekend, which opens Friday afternoon and runs through Monday, Sept. 3, will feature vendors, competitions, demonstration rides, trail rides, equipment shows and other events. Click here for a schedule.

Jurrens said more than 100 UTV riders had pre-registered, thanks to advertising in national magazines. He expects several hundred participants, but he says similar rallies in other states draw thousands. "Ten- or fifteen-thousand off-roaders could fill up some campgrounds," he said.

Contact Bill Harlan at 394-8424 or bill.harlan@rapidcityjournal.com