Anyone in the California area who's been involved in the dirt bike scene has likely crossed paths with Steve Bonecutter.
His body repair shop, Bonecutter Body Shop, has been a locally-owned and operated business in town since 1995. Since 2013, the Bonecutter family also has operated Bonecutter Beta, a dirt bike showroom and sales area.
But for anyone who's ever gone woods racing with the Bonecutters, it's less likely that they've literally crossed paths. There's a couple reasons for that.
For one, they're fast. Steve, his wife, Missy, son, Wyatt, and daughter, Tayler, are all avid woods riders. They ride year-round and have all won several championships along the way.
Also, the trails in the woods can get so narrow that riders often end up being single-file for long stretches of track. A typical trail can seem like a tunnel of trees where standard 32-inch handlebars need to be cut down in order to fit through.
With the average trail being a 6-10 mile loop in the woods through trees, rocks, creeks and roots, Missouri's natural terrain offers some of the best woods riding in the country.
"If you've ever hiked or mountain biked, just think about going through those trails as fast as you can on a dirt bike," Steve said. "You don't really have time to look at the scenery, but you get to ride in some awesome places."
The Ozarks are a major destination for competitive woods riding, but this year alone, the Bonecutters have been to Texas and Oklahoma, and will also travel to Louisiana, Florida, Georgia and Pennsylvania. Their next big national event is this weekend, where Steve and Wyatt will head to Forest Hill, Louisiana.
Dirt bikes were always a hobby for Steve, but as his kids grew older, it became something more competitive. Wyatt and two other local riders race AA/Pro under the Bonecutter Beta brand.
Typically, an AA/Pro racer is a locally-sponsored rider that races in national events. Sponsors tend to be parts or tire shops.
In a standard woods race, AA/Pros will start from the front of the pack while the rest of the group files in behind, in order of class and expertise. Pros can rip through the woods at 20 mph while other riders average between 10-15 mph.
As for crashing, it happens, but usually nothing too severe. Riders who crash tend to just leave the track with cuts, scrapes, bruises and blisters.
"Crashing is just part of it," Steve said. "It's a dangerous sport. You'll feel it the next day. But hopefully adrenaline keeps you going, so that you don't really notice."
Classes take off one minute apart, to avoid overcrowding on the trail. With most individual races, the goal is to get around the track as many times as possible during the two-hour time limit.
However, there are team races. Steve's team recently won a five-man, 24-hour endurance race.
For Steve, it's all tied in with the business. Bonecutter Beta is a sponsor for every Missouri series and the family takes a box truck with inventory with them to tracks. For the Midwest Off Road Events (MORE) series, they're invited to set up a booth.
Of course, the Bonecutters' largest customer base is fellow riders. The only new bikes in the shop are manufactured by Beta, an Italian brand. However, they also do trade-ins and have plenty of used inventory available.
"Trail racing is what sells our bikes," Steve said. "Ninety percent of the bikes we sell go do it. You couldn't ask for a better profession. To do this and be able to go out and ride and sell bikes. It's great."