While San Diego prepares to kick things into high gear this weekend for Supercross, one local teenager who grew up going to the event is ready to compete at his home stadium for the event on Saturday.
Bringing energy and speed to Petco Park, Supercross is described as “the most competitive and high-profile off-road motorcycle racing championship on the planet.” It’s exactly why Alpine native Dilan Schwartz decided to join the sport.
“Basically, I came every year that they had it just to watch all my local heroes riding and I always looked up to them,” the class rider told NBC 7. “And now, I’m down here on the starting line racing against them.”
The 19-year-old East County native got his start at just 3 years old. The sport is close to his family since he got to watch his cousin ride.
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“It’s crazy to think that when I was a kid, I looked up to those guys so much and now I’m down here and I never really realized it, but they’re thinking the same thing about us,” he said.
Schwartz said Supercross’ stop in San Diego will mark his first time competing at Petco Park. It will also be the first time in two years the event returns to America’s Finest City. Last year, it was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Spokesperson Sean Brennen said it’s thrilling to be in front of fans again – but they also have a lot of safety protocols in place. For that reason, some things will be a bit different this year but the fun, high-energy will remain.
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“As a championship, we have to ensure that our athletes are safe and healthy through 17 rounds of Supercross,” Brennen explained. “So, there are some things like autograph signings and things like that that we aren’t doing. We’re still doing contactless shopping, and things like that. But the biggest thing is that we are back, we are racing, and the fans are able to be here with us, cheering all of our athletes on.”
The event anticipates more than 25,000 fans will be in attendance in San Diego and to accommodate them, the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) is increasing its frequency on the Green, Orange and UC San Diego Blue Line.
Supercross will begin at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Petco Park. For more information on the event, click here.
