When you drive into tiny Walton, Ontario you are greeted with rural beauty and a sign welcoming you to ‘Motocross Town’.

In an era when dirt bikers (or any other type of motor sports enthusiasts) are increasingly viewed by critics as abusers of nature, the town of Walton and the Lee farm has proved them wrong. “Walton Raceway is much more than the TransCan, 'An Annual Celebration of Canadian Motocross” says Chris Lee. “Its success has been driven by a consistent vision of sustainability and growth.”

Successfully mixing economic viability with environmental and social responsibility is a tough call. What Chris Lee and his team have done to make it happen works well as a guideline for other racing promoters in any discipline, in any location. “At every opportunity we have engaged our local community in hosting visitors to our park to maximize local economic opportunities and to foster spin-offs,” Lee explains. “We actively support local tourism and economic development organisations. Our marketing programs, training programs, facility development and competitions are geared to family participation and encouraging healthy participation.”

Jan Hawley, Economic Development Officer for the municipality of Huron East, had this to say about TransCan and what it means to the surrounding area. “To have an international event of this calibre, in a community the size of Walton, is huge. I understand from Chris (Lee) that the numbers are up, which aligns itself with the figures we have been tracking at our tourism centre. People are still travelling. What is significant about motocross is that they are coming from across Canada and even outside the country. That’s big. We are setting up a satellite office at TransCan, now that we fully understand the magnitude of this event. We will have moved out of our Main Street office in Seaforth so we can be right onsite. With that many people coming we want to welcome them, not only to the motocross races but also to other attractions in our municipality and beyond. Our county has so much to offer, and our goal is to encourage people to spread the word and maybe even stay a bit longer in Huron County.”

The Walton TransCan facility, already one of the most beautiful motocross venues in Canada, continues to improve not only as a racing venue but also as an environmentally friendly and pleasant place for families to visit. Part racetrack and part campground, Lee proudly boasts, “Over the last 35 years we have planted 88,000 trees on the host property. Walton Raceway itself has evolved from cow pasture to a park-like state, with wetlands, ponds and a diversity of trees and shrubs attracting a variety of bird and animal species. As part of our environmental action plan we have, for the past decade, hand sorted all collected garbage generated on site and re-directed recyclables, as well as maintained rigorous standards for hazardous waste management.”



(1)Chris Lee talks with Jan Hawley, Huron East Economic Development Officer, and Laura Bower, tourism Ambassador. Huron County is thrilled to have all the racers, their families, and spectators pour into TransCan year after year.

(2) All the motor homes and racers rolling into Walton spell money for Huron County

(3) Walton Ontario, officially Motocross town

(4) The Walton racing facility strives to maintain a balance between environment and economics

(5) Welcome to the Lee farm!

(6) The Lee family has made constant improvements to spectator safety and comfort

(7) Race fans of all ages give Walton a thumbs up for providing an excellent racing venue

Text and photos by Dan Paris
For DMX
7/29/09