BOONE — Since the age of six, Tommy Clowers has been involved in motocross and has competed all across the country. With a weekend away from major competitions, he visited Boone to showcase his skills.

Clowers, 30, of Ramona, Calif., came to Boone to do an exhibition at the “Boone-Ba-La” motocross event at the Seven Oaks Recreation Area Saturday. He is a professional freestyle motocross rider and is the three-time defending champion at the Summer X Games “Step-Up” competition.

“Step-Up,” an event Clowers is known for, is the high jump of motocross. The rider speeds toward a ramp and attempts to hurdle his or her bike over an elevated bar.

In 2000, Clowers entered the Guinness Book of Records with a jump of 35 feet in a “Step-Up” competition.

“The control Tommy [Clowers] has with his bike is unbelievable,” said David Ellis of Camp Point, Ill. “It was definitely worth the drive.”

In addition to Clowers’ exhibition, officials at Seven Oaks Recreation Area said there were about 400 riders competing in pit bike supercross and motocross races.

The practice rides began Saturday morning when the sun shone, and the light breeze kept the the day cool. The clouds came in, but the rain held off as Clowers impressed the crowd during practice runs and then amazed them in his freestyle exhibition.

Rain soaked the ground overnight, but the event continued as scheduled Sunday morning. After giving the ground a few hours to dry out, riders started practicing mid-morning and the Iowa District 22, AMA Motocross races began around noon.

The event was the second of its kind at the Boone course.

After being contacted by a motocross agent in Minnesota, Seven Oaks decided to turn some of their ski hills into a motocross course because the hills were said to be perfect for a winding course with large hills. In 2002, one of the first motocross events in the Midwest brought nearly 1,200 fans to the recreation area.

Last year’s one-day event was considered a big step for motocross in its attempt to gain fans nationwide. This year, the event lasted two days and brought an abundance of 5,000 spectators.

Online Exclusive:View a slideshow of the Boone Motocross competition.