The 12-year-old enjoys horseback riding, fashion and cosmetics. But on weekends, she’s a regular at MotoX Park East, a motocross track off of Buffalo Road. After slipping on her gloves, helmet and protective clothing, Chelsea cranks up her bike and hits the one-mile track. She takes a few warm-up laps before hitting at full speed and performing tricks, such as lifting her legs or letting go of the handle bars while soaring through the air.

Seeing the reactions of other riders is always a treat for Chelsea. “When I take my helmet off, the boys are like, ‘You’re a girl!’” she says. “They say ‘You got some skills,’ and I say ‘Thank you.’

“I think more women should get involved in motocross because men aren’t the only ones who can do this type of sport. As long as you’re careful, you should have a great time with it.”

Chelsea’s father, Stephen Craveiro, builds custom motorcycles and taught his daughter how to ride. It took Chelsea some time to learn how to work the clutch, but for the most part, she picked up quickly. Craveiro wants to build his daughter a customized motorcycle once she gets older.

“When she first started off, she was so depressed because she could not balance [the bike],” Stephen said. “I told her you have to keep at it. I think she has learned the more you do it, the better you will be. Now, she has grown into her strength and pushes herself.”

Normally, Chelsea has a riding partner at MotoX. Her friend and neighbor, 8-year-old Zelaya Sequeira, tags along. His father, Ricardo Sequeira, keeps a careful eye on Zelaya, who has a tendency to try more dangerous stunts than Chelsea. But Ricardo knows his son is in good hands beside Chelsea.

“When I was a kid, I always wanted a motorcycle, and I had to wait a long time to get one,” Sequeira said. “I remember when I got Zelaya a little Honda. He got on the bike and started it up. It was like, ‘Dad, look at me!’ Even today, the kids at the bus stop still don’t believe that he has a motorcycle.”

Zelaya has been riding motorcycles for four years. He and Chelsea also ride at a motocross track in Henderson but find the Archer Lodge track easier to maneuver. Neither has been seriously hurt while riding their motorcycles. Of course, they have wiped out a few times, but always get back on their bikes.

“It’s kind of scary once in a while,” Zelaya said of the sport. “It’s like being up in the air. It’s like I can fly. “

Other bikers, such as Roy Lyon, have been riding at MotoX since Shorty Parker opened the track 15 years ago. Lyon, of Clayton, has ridden in front of 59,000 people for the United States Hot Rod monster truck show, competed in races at the Archer Lodge park and been featured in newspapers.

“When you are on that track, you think about nothing but you and the track,” Lyon said. “You have no stress. You are not thinking about when you are going to pay the bills. It’s just you and the track.”

Racing does have a cost sometimes. Lyon’s brother crashed his motorcycle at MotoX, broke his back and is now paralyzed. But the incident did not even spark an ounce of fear in Lyon, who has sustained concussions, cracked a tailbone and broken ribs and a tooth.

And he keeps coming back to the sport he loves. “The thing that keeps me riding is the adrenaline rush,” Lyon said.

“The adrenaline rush, it’s addictive. I’ve tried to quit three or four different times, but I can’t quit. It’s more addictive than any kind of drug you can think of.”