RAPID CITY - Alex McPherson already possesses one of the essential qualities of a good motocross rider.

He can't sit still.

The 9-year-old Pinedale Elementary School third-grader has proven himself to be plenty fast with just 15 months of competitive motocross experience.

This weekend Alex will compete in the Toyota Arenacross American Motorcyclist Association amateur motocross series event at the Denver Colliseum, joining other young riders from across the region looking to add to their racing resumes under a brighter spotlight.

"Sometimes it helps to get out of your element," said Todd McPherson of Rapid City, Alex's dad. "Just to see where you're at."

Alex is more succinct.

"I'm just looking forward to going," he said, getting antsy just sitting for a few minutes to answer a reporter's questions Wednesday.

Alex has been going since he started racing just a year ago last November in the Pee Wee Open class at the Black Hills Arena Racing Winter Indoor Series.

Alex got into riding small 50cc machines with a cousin and decided to try his hand at motocross. His first foray was in the Black Hills Arena Racing Indoor Winter Series at the Pennington County Events Center.

"He kept saying 'I don't know, Dad, I don't know,' before that first race," Todd recalled.

Then on the start, Alex overcooked the first big jump and landed hard.

"I thought I had broken my ankle," Alex said.

He recovered and went on to finish the year with the BHAR, then moved to the South Dakota Motocross Association's outdoor series.

He dominated the Pee Wee Open class, winning all but two of the stops on the 2007 schedule, and also finished ninth in the 65cc (age 7-9) class.

He is currently second in the Mini Non-Comp class and third in the 65 (7-9) class in this year's BHAR Indoor Series.

This isn't Alex's first taste of higher-level competition. He finished fifth and 10th at an AMA national at Thunder Valley Motocross in Lakewood. Colo., last summer.

"I would have gotten seventh," Alex recalled, the disappointment still evident in his voice. "But a girl pushed me into a rut."

Todd and Alex hope this weekend's trip to Colorado will take them another step.

Riders at AMA amateur national events can draw the eye of factory teams looking for future stars of the sport. Another goal is to be one of just 42 riders in each class nationwide to qualify for the AMA National Amateur Championships at Loretta Lynn's Ranch in Hurricane Hills, Tenn.

Alex's eye is already focused on a career as a pro rider.

"I want to be a Supercross rider like Ricky Carmichael," Alex said.

Along with Carmichael, a 16-time Supercross and 250 Motocross national champion, McPherson mentions American Honda factory rider David Millsaps, of Cairo, Ga, and 2004 Supercross champion Chad Reed, of Tampa, Fla., as his favorite pro riders.

Alex said he likes math and also plays basketball for Pinedale. Ha also participates in the YMCA after-school fitness program that he says has helped him physically while racing.

Alex and older sister Cassie also participate in Little Britches rodeo, but Alex is fully focused on motocross.

"It has consumed him. It's all he thinks about," said Todd. "He's always watching DVD's of motocross and videos that we shoot of him racing."

Racing at the Toyota Arenacross starts today, with amatuer and pro competition continuing through Sunday.