Abbotsford motocross and off-road race champion Geoff Nelson has an apt personal motto:

"If you're not scared you're not going fast enough," he says with a laugh.

Nelson, a reigning champ of the 2010 and 2011 Canadian Enduro Champions E3, twotime silver medalist from International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) Event and more, is coming to the Vancouver Motorcycle Show starting today at Tradex.

Nelson will be showcasing his speed and technical skills in the KTM Enduro-X events throughout show that runs Jan. 19 to 22.

Enduro-X racing, a mix between Supercross and Extreme Enduro, is an adrenaline-fueled, obstacle-filled race that is not just about going fast or having the best bike.

Geoff, who has been on dirt bikes and racing since he was a kid, is relatively new to the sport, participating in the EnduroX at Montreal Supercross in 2009 and 2010.

The sport's popularity is skyrocketing in U.S. and growing in Canada, said the newfound enthusiast.

The advantage of Enduro-X is that it packs the speed, thrill and technicality of off-road racing into a closed environment to the benefit of spectators, said Nelson, who rides a KTM 300 two-stroke bike.

"They bring a 100-kilometre course inside and condense it all into a minute lap," he said.

"There are a bunch of man-made obstacles that are difficult to navigate, and you ride through them as fast as you can without crashing."

Nelson, who demonstrated Enduro-X at the motorcycle show at Tradex a couple of years ago, said the crowd loves the sport.

"It's pretty action-packed," he said. "It brings people in who might be interested in the sport, but may not have off-road bikes."

Indoors and out, Nelson considers himself fortunate to never have suffered any serious racing injuries.

"I've sprained some fingers and broke some ribs but I haven't broken a leg or anything. Knock on wood."

At 27 years, Nelson finds he's becoming the elder statesman of the circuit.

"I'm getting to be the old guy now," he says with a laugh.

But that's not blunting his competitive edge, even during the what's only a demonstration match at Tradex.

"It's called a demo but we're gonna be riding as fast as we can," he said.

"Our season hasn't started yet, so it's a good opener to see what you have to improve on, and what the other riders are bringing to the table.

"Even though we say it's a fun ride, it's a race. It's always a race."

RBaker@abbotsfordtimes.com