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The smell of two-stroke motor oil hung heavy in the midday air, as 23-year old Rob Krause cranked the throttle of his orange KTM 250 motorcycle. A giant rooster tail of dirt sprayed from his back tire as he picked up speed toward the nearly 10-foot-tall ramp, all the while his engine whining like a horde of angry insects.

Silence fell over the large crowd of spectators as Krause left the earth and seemingly defied gravity to perform a Superman seat-grab, a move which entails the rider holding one hand on the handlebar, one hand on the seat, and throwing the rest of his body horizontally behind the motorcycle, all while flying through the air at a height of 40 feet.

Krause pulled it off, and as he landed the crowd erupted into a chorus of claps, cheers and whistles. In Saturday's Kenai Peninsula Racing Lions Motocross Cities Race No. 6, all the riders were celebrities, but the freestyle motocross riders -- like Krause -- were arguably the rock stars of the weekend event.

"These kids are awesome. Going off the ramp is sketchy enough, but doing what they're doing is crazy," said spectator Ron Chenault, of Kenai, in regard to the freestyle riders who performed during the halftime show.

For those not in the know, Perry Johnson, organizer of the freestyle show, explained what it is the riders -- all members of a local freestyle motocross club called Dirt Napp Krew -- do when performing.

"Freestyle motocross is insanity on a motorcycle. It's basically putting yourself in a risky situation for the fun of it, or if you're looking for the cheesy definition, it's aerial acrobatics on dirt bikes," he said.

Johnson's definition seemed accurate, as on Saturday riders performed numerous tricks, such as -- to describe just a couple -- putting both of their legs through their arms and over the handlebars, or letting go of the handlebars with both hands, to spread their arms like a bird, then landing without touching the handle bars or crashing.

The danger of these tricks did not escape the audience, which held its collective breath every time a bike launched into the air. They knew, and Johnson said, no matter how good a rider is, eventually an accident will happen.

"It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. Your body will connect with the ground at some point," he said.

For Krause, this point was about halfway through Saturday's exhibition, when he crashed on a landing and bent the rim of his front tire. But he was fortunate in that only his pride was hurt, particularly since he was riding as a dedication to Jeff Vincent, a 19-year-old friend who recently lost his life in an auto accident.

"You never really want to hit the dirt. I just got a little over-stoked, but it's all part of it. You gotta pay to play," he said.

Drennen Swenson, 22, of Kasilof, rode his red Honda 125 in the halftime exhibition, and while he had a perfect run on Saturday, he said he has had a serious crash in the past.

"I broke my leg in '06," he said.

Swenson was in recovery for eight months, but he said mentally it took even longer to heal from the accident.

"I struggled with it for quite some time, but I just started with smaller ramps and smaller gaps between them to get back in tune with the bike. With time and practice, you eventually overcome it," he said.

Daniel Gentry, 22, of Soldotna, rode a yellow Suzuki 125 in the exhibition, and he said the mental aspect is one of the most challenging aspects of the sport.

"You just have to put all your fears behind you and just go for it, because if you're afraid, or you half-attempt something, that's when you get hurt," he said.

Gentry said he focuses on the positive aspects of the sport instead.

"I look forward to just being in the air. You just feel so free," he said.

Gentry's wife, Melissa, said she tries to have the same attitude, but it is difficult to watch her husband -- and the father of their 2-year-old child -- perform such dangerous aerial acrobatics.

"I'm supportive because he loves it, but it's hard to watch sometimes. I (gasp) on every trick, but I just try to stay positive," Melissa said.

Due to alternative sporting events, such as the X-Games, to name one of the largest, freestyle motocross is fast becoming a mainstream sport in many places, but Alaska is slightly behind in this regard, according to Johnson.

"We're challenged by the short riding season. We only have a few months' riding weather here," he said.

As such, few freestyle motocross riders from Alaska compete on a national level, particularly when compared against the number of riders of other motorized sports -- such as snowmachiners -- who do compete, and frequently win, nationally.

"We want to change all that," Johnson said, and stated that was largely the reason for organizing the Dirt Napp Krew, currently made up of six riders. He wants to grow the sport locally, so more professional riders can develop from this area.

"We want to introduce more people to freestyle motocross and give riders here a little more exposure. We might even be able to get a permanent set-up here at the raceway," he said.

Johnson said with more support, a local freestyle motocross competition -- scored on things such as style, level of trick difficulty, best use of the course and crowd reactions -- may also be a possibility.

"It would be fun to get something like that going in the future," he said.

Joseph Robertia can be reached at joseph.robertia@peninsulaclarion.com.