By Kelly Morgan,Staff Writer
A first-ever snocross race will be held today at Hemond’s Moto-X Park.

MINOT – Snocross racer Robyn Smith jammed his sled around a tight corner, straightened out, then opened the throttle and launched off a steep ramp, pushing forward as he cleared two jumps, touched the ground for a few seconds, then popped airborne again, floating.

With eyes wide open, his mother, Tara Gallagher, took everything in. She wasn’t afraid, although she would later note that most everyone “gets hurt at some point.”

But at this moment on Saturday, she beamed and cheered alongside a handful of men who were watching her son, 18, cruise the track for practice.

Smith, of Jay, was riding in preparation for the first-ever snocross race at Hemond’s Moto-X Park, which will be held today.

With four years of experience under his belt and near-weekly attendance at races on the Rock Maple Racing SnoX circuit, it didn’t take him long to adjust.

“I told you I could make him do it” one of the men declared after Smith cleared the jumps, holding out his palm as if Gallagher had lost a bet. She laughed, and started talking about how much fun she has at the races.

It’s a family affair she said. Her 11-year-old daughter, Kaitlyn Smith, also competes, and usually her husband and their 3-year-old attend.

They have a trailer fitted with sleeping quarters and a refrigerator, with room for the sleds in the back.

Gallagher said she’s become accustomed to packing the trailer with food and gear on Fridays and traveling off every weekend to a race site, where her family parks next to other circuit regulars. So accustomed, in fact, that it’s almost a letdown when the season is over. “It’s a long time apart from April to December,” she said.

Coming in off the track and removing his helmet, Smith said racing can be dangerous. He’s broken his collarbone and bruised his legs so badly he couldn’t walk. He’s thought twice about leaving the semipro field and going the next step to pro, and seems to be leaning toward spending more time on the business degree he’s now working toward in college.

But for now he will finish out the season, racing with the continued support of sponsors like Wallingford Equipment Co. in Auburn.

Racing sleds can cost as much as $10,000, track owner Mike Hemond noted. Many racers rely on sponsors to compete.

Nick Bosse of Greene races thanks to the help of sponsors including Holeshot Motorsports of Litchfield. When asked whether snocross can get dangerous with such heavy sleds being whipped around tracks he grinned. “Oh yeah,” he said, “A lot of people get scared of it.”

But Bosse is working on progressing from the sport racing class to semipro, unintimidated.

Deanna Emery, 23, of Gorham, was hanging out with the Holeshot team Saturday and contemplating racing. She’s a trail rider who frequently goes to watch the Maple Rock races.

“It’s exciting, she said,” racers flying around the track behind her and the smell of gas fumes rising in the air. “People always complain about winters in Maine, but it’s not bad if you find something like this to do.”

The Hemond family hopes to see the snocross event grow, and already has other races planned for Feb. 19 and March 19.

It took an unexpected $10,000 to get this weekend’s event set up. When there was no snow in the field where a track was planned, Mike Hemond, 20, who had dreamed up the snocross, got on the phone with K & K Excavating just in time to arrange hauling snow in from the Auburn Mall parking lot.

“It took about 600 20-yard truck loads,” he said.

He borrowed a Snow Cat from Lost Valley to groom the track, and planned to pay the groomer with the help of Wallingford Equipment.

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