BOYERS — Fathers and sons do it.

So do couples and entire families, some for generations.

Dirt bike racing is as popular as ever and the regional competition — the America Woods Racing Championship Series — makes a stop at the Fantasy Whitetail course in Boyers this weekend.

ATV races will be held Saturday while the dirt bikes will compete on Sunday.

“The age range is anywhere from 4 to 70,” said Amy Stiller, who joins husband Steve in running the AWRC series. “We’re expecting about 500 racers out there over those two days.”

That’s par for the course for this 10-race series which began May 16 and will wrap up Oct. 11.

The AWRCS covers the tri-state area and has already made a series stop in Parker. The series will hold races in Clintonville Aug. 29-30.

“It’s a family-oriented series. We’ve gotten support from numerous families all over the area,” Stiller said.

Mike McCarren, 58, of Butler, has been racing for 45 years. His son, Van, 23, has been competing since was 6.

Both will be racing Sunday in Boyers.

“My dad’s raced all over the world,” Van McCarren said. “When I was 4, my parents put me on a dirt bike and told me to go as fast as I could go.”

His father laughs at that notion.

“It is funny because most parents would tell their kid just the opposite,” he said. “It wasn’t quite like that. There’s a lot of training involved and safety measures taken.

“But we’ve been doing this America Woods series since it started (in the 1990s) and it’s been a very competitive local series. It’s well organized and a lot of the top riders from the Eastern United States participate in it.”

The Fantasy Whitetail course winds through the woods. A raced is based on time, not distance. Stiller said a race runs for two hours plus one more lap.

A pro rider can complete a lap in 20 to 30 minutes, she said.

Mike McCarren has competed for the United States in international competitions in Poland, Finland and the Czech Republic. He was one of 25 to 30 dirt bike riders in the country to earn spots on those teams through qualifying sessions.

He competes in the super senior class in the AWRC — for age 50 and older — and still faces plenty of competition.

“There’s always 15 to 20 riders in that class at every race,” he said.

Van is a 2011 Knoch graduate who competed in soccer, track, cross country and swimming in high school.

Now dirt bike racing is his game.

“It’s fun, an exciting atmosphere and it keeps me busy,” he said. “I race 25 to 30 weekends a year.

“This isn’t cheap, though. There’s gas we put into the motor home to get to tracks, entry fees, maintaining the bike ... We pretty much replace the tires every other race. When you get better traction, you hopefully race better.”

McCarren recently graduated from Penn State with computer background in information technology and security risk analysis.

Scott Deal of Petrolia raced off and on for 15 years. Now his son, 9-year-old Ryan, competes in the 65cc peewee class.

Ryan won his last AWRC race at Seven Springs and is among the top three in points overall this season.

He won the points title in his division last year.

“Dirt bike racing has been part of my family for more than 40 years,” Deal said. “I had uncles and cousins racing back in the 1970’s.

“Why did I stop racing? Life. Things get in the way. I just got too busy.”

Ryan began racing when he was 6 — the same age as his father when he started.

“We make a weekend of it at the races,” Deal said. “It’s a nice atmosphere because everyone’s so friendly. There’s a group of 10 to 15 people we meet up with and camp with every (race) weekend.”

Bill Zavidny, 29, of Cabot, has only been racing for six years. His wife, Amanda, began facing shortly thereafter. She is a fifth-grade teacher in Slippery Rock.

“I couldn’t afford it, otherwise I would have started earlier,” Zavidny said. “This is something I’ve always wanted to do.

“I used to scan the Butler Eagle daily, waiting for a $300 used dirt bike to pop up for sale. I eventually bought a fixer-upper and I’ve been hooked ever since.”

Zavidny races in the B class, his wife in the women’s youth division. Both have won faces. Zavidny won his race in Parker by six and a half minutes.

“Racing families are all good-hearted people,” he said. “Whether you’re a racer or spectator, these events are fun to be at for that reason. People bend over backwards to help you out.

“It takes heart, time and money to do this. For us, it’s more than worth it.”

Saturday’s ATV schedule features mini’s (ages 4-9) racing at 9 a.m., youth (ages 9-13) at 10 a.m. and adults from noon on. Sunday follows the same schedule for dirt bikes.

The races usually conclude by 5 p.m.