Maely's Ranch Is History
MAELY’S RANCH IS HISTORY
When Ken Maely, the man behind dirt-track racing's steel shoes and the operator of a practice track unique in the sport, died late in 2003, there was hope that his ranch, as he always thought of the track and shops, could carry on. It wasn’t to be.
Several speedway racers took on the track’s operation and maintenance and even staged a race series during the winter, with classes for speedway and kids and-assuming enough riders showed up-flat track.
They built it, so to speak, and the riders came, but one day in late spring, Mrs. Maely told them they had to leave. The estate was being parceled out. (The details are private, but there’s an understanding that Maely’s property is being divided eight ways.) The payments for the track weren’t enough to cover the insurance and, meanwhile, housing tracts to the west and north had escalated the value of the land to the point that the offers couldn’t be refused. So in July, everything went on the block. The water truck, the tractors and graders, the cars and rows of derelict motorcycles, Maely’s secret engine shop with test gear, even the molds for sandcasting speedway engines-all was up for bid and was hauled away.
All part of life, one supposes, but those of us who knew and appreciated the man and his work expect never to see his like again. -Allan Girdler
