BELLE — Motocross will make its return at the 73rd Annual Belle Fair on Saturday after decades of being absent from the event list.
Joshua Gray of Shades of Gray Custom Paint and Design was instrumental in getting the sport back on the roster at this year’s festivities. Gray started riding when he was four-years-old and has been involved in the motocross sport all of his life.
“Anthony Valley on the fair board approached me and asked if I could help put this on,” said Gray. “They were looking to have some new entertainment for everybody. I got on the phone with my buddy Chris Frye and he’s going to be helping me build the track and promote the race.”
Frye is the owner of Highway 65 MX and has years of experience in organizing and promoting fair races, including competition at the Missouri State Fair. Gray and Frye will begin construction on the race track Friday night after the tractor pull.
“We will work all night on the track to have it ready for Saturday,” said Gray.
Gray said that he expects riders to show up at 2 p.m. on Saturday to get registered and that practice will begin at 4:30 p.m. The heat races will start at 6 p.m. and the main events will be held at 7:30 p.m.
There is no pre-entry for the motocross, but Gray estimates the number of riders showing up to participate could be between 120 and 180.
“With this being the first race we don’t really know the exact number,” Gray said. “The estimate is based on the amount of other fairs that we do, but with things
opening back up after COVID we are hoping for a big turnout. All the races I’ve been to nationwide have had record breaking crowds this year.”
Entry fees are $30 to race per class. There are divisions and classes ranging from four-year-olds up to 50-year-olds and encompasses all skill levels. Trophies will be 1st through 3rd place in each class. The pro-class racers will be competing for a $2,000 payout.
A pit bike race for adults will also be held. Adults will compete for a $500 purse on bikes that are designed for children.
Gray also announced that he has two special guests confirmed to attend the fair for this event: Brett Cue and Phil Smage.
Cue and Smage are professionals in the motocross world and will hold an autograph session with the time to be announced on the day of the race. Cue will also put on an intermission show for the crowd.
Smage has set three Guinness World Records and is a three-time X Games champion in snowskating, a hybrid between skateboarding and snowboarding.
“We are super pumped to be coming back to Belle,” said Gray. “I’m proud to be bringing the fair cross back to our hometown.”
This event is the first round of a three-round fair series. The second round will be held at the Cole County Fair and the final race will take place at the Missouri State Fair.