MOTOCROSS TRACK GRANTED REPRIEVE : CASTAIC MOTOCROSS TRACK TO STAY, FOR NOW.

Byline: Sherry Joe Crosby Daily News Staff Writer

Motocross racing will continue awhile longer at Castaic Lake, a result of pleas from business leaders who said their livelihoods depend upon the success of the 4-year-old track.

Los Angeles County park officials had planned to close the track by March 31 to make way for the reopening of a beach and swim area but are willing to extend the deadline to give promoter Shane Trittler more time to secure permits for an 80-acre site west of the park off Ridge Route Road.

``We have another spot we're looking at,'' Trittler said. ``They're going to help keep things going a little faster and keep the track at the lake a little longer.''

To win the reprieve, Trittler and his father, a Castaic Area Town Council member, called to their side fellow business people, motocross enthusiasts and fans.

``It's really cool to see that people do have a say,'' Shane Trittler said. ``If the people wouldn't have come out and supported'' the track, efforts to postpone the deadline would have failed.

The county Parks and Recreation Department decided to close the track after reopening a beach in Castaic Lake's lower lagoon. This summer, the park obtained a chlorination system to purify the water and make swimming safe.

Officials closed the beach in 1992 after high levels of bacteria made the water unsafe for swimmers. To accommodate the anticipated bathers, park officials plan to build a parking lot on the site of the motocross track.

Trittler said he hopes to move his operation by next summer to a vacant site in Castaic near the Golden State Freeway. In the meantime, he said, park officials might move his track to another location in the park to make way for the parking lot.

``They may move us around a little to accommodate the new parking lot,'' he said. ``They are going to work with us and help us out. Hopefully we can start moving things over (to the new location) next summer and start building the track and putting in new fences.''

At a Wednesday meeting, supporters of the track urged the county to keep open the operation, which attracts up to 300 motocross riders a week.

``This is our livelihood and it's important that there are places to go riding,'' said Jim Hale, president of AXO Sport, which provides protective apparel for motorcyclists and auto racing mechanics. ``When you take things away from people the tendency is to gravitate toward another sport. We would lose them to the beach or snow-boarding. It does effect our businesses.''

Business leaders said the track is the backbone of a $35 million local motocross industry that would suffer if the operation leaves the area.

``If they leave, it hurts me quite a bit,'' said Russ Wageman, president of Pit Pro, which sells used dirt bikes, equipment and apparel. ``In four years, we went from a box van and my garage to a 4,500-square-foot store and two box vans.''

If the operation closes, Wageman said it would increase his traveling expenses because he would be forced to do business at tracks outside Santa Clarita Valley.

Trittler said the park provides a safe haven for motocross enthusiasts who otherwise would ride in remote areas without safety precautions or medical help.

At the track, emergency medical technicians are on site and riders are required to wear safety gear and ride in the same direction to avoid accidents.

``It's a safer deal,'' Trittler said. ``You don't have people getting hurt in the hills. It's a much more controlled environment with medics there.''