Friday, October 10, 2025
44.0°F

Ready to ride Motocross racers take to the track

Tom Hasslinger | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 15 years, 2 months AGO
by Tom Hasslinger
| August 7, 2010 9:00 PM

photo

<p>Donovan Lentz of Colville, WA rounds a hairpin corner on the motocross track at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds in Coeur d'Alene on Friday.</p>

COEUR d'ALENE - Watch out for the whoops.

Those are the back-to-back-to-back bumps motocross racers have to brace for on the racing track this weekend at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds.

"I'm scared about them," said Tori Leon, 12, a motocross rider in a Rathdrum family full of riders. "I'll probably go around them."

Or take the rollers on slowly.

But it's not just the whoops. Local racing hero and former professional rider Chaun McAlister has the racing course especially difficult this year. The annual weekend motocross event he puts on has brought in racers from across the region for around 30 years now, and this year's rides might seem a little rough with the more challenging course.

"Oh yeah," said Victor Leon, Tori's dad, about seeing his daughters racing on a difficult course. "Keeping it upright and not crashing, that's the goal. You get nervous, but I get to watch them."

McAlister has been putting on the show on his own for seven years. His mother is the one who started it around 30 years ago, as she needed an event for her boys to chase their passions.

"My dad was doing it before I was around, it was natural for me," the Coeur d'Alene native said about learning to dirt bike. "It's a family thing for me. My kids ride. My brother rides."

And, thanks to the race he has kept going, hundreds of other local riders have a place to ride, too. Around 125 raced Friday, and 130 or so are expected to compete today. The ages range from tots to pros. A pair of professional freestyle riders will put on a jump or two, too.

"I've done some riding before but nothing this extreme," said Darwin North, a racer from Smelterville about to take on the course. "Jumps and sharp corners and they're all banked."

The show wraps up tonight beginning at 7, but will be back in town during the North Idaho Fair.

And watch out for the whoops.

"It was brutal," said Bobby Kinservik, 24, from Post Falls, after his practice run on the rolling bumps. "I hope it breaks in before the race."

ARTICLES BY TOM HASSLINGER

August 31, 2013 7 a.m.

Hydro races return to area

COEUR d’ALENE — Lake Coeur d’Alene is shining like a diamond this weekend.

May 24, 2013 9 p.m.

Live After 5 to debut in downtown Cd'A

Free summer concert venue to entertain on Wednesday evenings

COEUR d'ALENE - Tyler Davis is a musician himself, but he says he won't take the stage.

Pushing aside the anger
February 2, 2013 8 p.m.

Pushing aside the anger

Darleen Haff was sixth woman admitted to UGM program in Cd'A

COEUR d'ALENE - Darleen Haff first kicked her drug habit by replacing cocaine with alcohol.