Lake Elsinore will be roaring this weekend from the blistering tailpipes of dirt bikes to the wailing electric guitars of high-powered rock bands.

The ear-blasting activity centers on the city's minor-league baseball stadium, The Diamond, where the Lake Elsinore Storm's entertainment division will host motocross races from morning through afternoon Saturday and Sunday, and where a rock festival will be held Saturday night.

The 2009 version of the annual Lake Elsinore Grand Prix is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 a.m. Saturday with races among various classes of drivers and bikes lasting almost continuously, concluding with UTV cross divisions starting at 3:30 p.m.

The racing resumes the next day at 7:30 a.m., and winds up at 2:30 p.m. with the Harvey Mushman 100 Miles presented by Lucas Oil Products.

The name of that competition is intended to link this weekend's Grand Prix with the lineage of races launched in the late 1960s when Hollywood star Steve McQueen raced under the alias Harvey Mushman through the streets and trails of Lake Elsinore.

The Storm took over this year's races with the goal of restoring the Lake Elsinore Grand Prix's tradition to its former glory after the races faltered in popularity in previous years when the longtime promoter backed out and they were confined to an off-road racing track.

The races this weekend feature a sprawling 7.2-mile track with the start and finish line outside The Diamond. The track will take riders on an odyssey over dirt paths and roads, around hills and through canyons between the stadium and the outskirts of downtown Lake Elsinore. To accomplish that, several street segments will be subject to closure from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on both days, the major ones being Lakeshore Drive between Main and Center streets; Avenue 6 between Franklin and Mill streets; Mill between Avenue 6 and Avenue 9; Avenue 9 between Park and Mill; and Pete Lehr Drive by the stadium. A complete listing is on the city's Web site at www.lake-elsinore.org.

Storm General Manager Dave Oster said the focus in his organization's first year of staging the event is to present a venue that will be attractive to the participants and keep them coming back.

"I know everybody's excited about returning to the hills of the traditional race," he said. "They're excited about the inclusion of the stadium, with its facilities. The word on the street is if we run a good race, it could put it back on the map and bring it back to its glory years."

When asked if he had expected when becoming general manager of a minor-league baseball team that he would wind up putting on motorcycle races, Oster said, "Absolutely not."

However, since taking over management of The Diamond's operations from the city, the Storm has increasingly turned its attention to other promotions when the stadium is not being used by the team.

Another one of those promotions occurs inside the stadium Saturday night with Rockfest, featuring the bands Warrant, Great White, Adler's Appetite, The Gilby Clarke Band and Pretty Boy Floyd. Doors are scheduled to open for the show beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Oster said the concert is proving to be a good complement to the races, and Grand Prix entrants will be entitled to one free ticket for the show, which costs $25 for general admission and $100 for VIP tickets, according to the Storm's promotional Web site.

"The response we've heard is the riders are happy they've got some other things going on besides the race itself," he said.

Also, he said, The Storm will host an introductory party for the riders on Friday night in the stadium's Diamond Club.

He said about 600 entries have been submitted for the races, with more expected to come. He doesn't know what to expect as far as spectators, who are admitted free. There will be designated viewing areas for spectators and food and drink vendors at The Diamond.

He is hoping the experience gained from organizing this year's Grand Prix will contribute to a grander event next year. Despite a late start in promoting the races, the Storm was able to pull together some sponsors, including Lucas Oil Products, the Lake Elsinore Hotel & Casino, Rockstar Energy Drink and Temecula Motorsports as well as the city.

"We were limited in the time and resources we could put into this," Oster said. "We put a lot of energy into the course to make sure it's done well, so the riders enjoy that part. The marketing and promotion for other (Grand Prix) events will come as we go further with this. Right now, we hope the race is acceptable to all the riders."

For information on race entries and fees, and tickets to Rockfest, go to www.stormentertainmentonline.com or call 951-245-4487.

Call staff writer Michael J. Williams at 951-676-4315, ext. 2635.