Boulder City man chasing an Endurocross dream

By Case Keefer (contact)

Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009 | 5:02 p.m.

Alex Smith could be justifiably furious. He could be rethinking every minor mistake and replaying every moment of his EnduroCross race from two weekends ago.

No one would blame him.

Smith missed qualifying for EnduroCross nationals by less than one second in the race at the Orleans Arena on July 25. Instead of dwelling, however, Smith is energized.

"It's definitely disappointing, but I can't complain," Smith said. "It was my first time so it was a blast. I'm actually pretty happy just to have come that close."

Smith, a 20-year old from Boulder City, usually competes in outdoor off-road motocross races. He agreed to enter his first EnduroCross competition when Champion Motorsports owner and veteran racer Eric Hallgath asked him to.

The experience was unlike anything Smith had ever tried before. Hallgath described EnduroCross as "an outdoor race indoors."

Massive obstacles lined the course including logs, waterfalls, boulders and monster truck tires. There was no shortage of potential gaffes to be made.

"It was probably the hardest race I've done — with endurance, balance and all that stuff," Smith said. "It has a lot of luck involved because there are so many little mistakes you can make."

But Smith excelled for the most part and just missed the cut of 20 riders who are automatically entered into November's national finals at the Orleans. A Las Vegas rider, Matt Gosner, also narrowly missed qualifying by a little more than a second. Hallgath planned to compete in EnduroCross, but surgery forced him to back out.

Hallgath still sponsored Smith in the race and said he was proud with the results.

"Alex is young, fast and an up-and-comer," Hallgath said. "He's turning into a main competitor. He's a top semi-pro."

Hallgath saw this coming. About a year ago, Hallgath spotted Smith racing at a local Grand Prix.

Immediately, Smith's speed caught Hallgath's eye. Smith ended up winning the race and Hallgath approached him afterwards.

Before long, the two realized they were practically neighbors.

"I figured out he lived in Boulder City right next to me," Smith said. "So we said, 'we should ride together sometime.'"

Now, they also prepare for races and work out together. Smith is generally regarded as one of the fastest riders in Southern Nevada. Smith said Hallgath deserved some credit for his constant improvement.

"He gave me every opportunity I needed to win," Smith said.

Smith said he wasn't sure when his next race would be. He's enjoying his involvement in motocross, but is in no hurry to become a full-time professional.

He won't avoid EnduroCross races in the future. In fact, Smith said the experience at the Orleans would be beneficial.

"Next time, I'll be able to know what to get myself ready for and how to prepare my body for it," Smith said. "I'll know how to ride those obstacles because it's not an everyday thing."

Perhaps, that will be enough to shed an extra second on his time.

Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or at [email protected].