Inductees

The miles have added up over three decades. So have the scars, the lessons and the quiet resolve that separates those who simply ride from those who endure.

For Steve Leivan, dirt bike racing was never just about twisting a throttle and chasing a checkered flag. It was about surviving when your lungs burned, your forearms tightened and the course seemed determined to break you. It was about learning, sometimes the hard way, that championships are won as much in the final miles as in the first.

That mindset carried a Missouri kid from Eldon High School to the world stage and back again, building a résumé that spans nearly 30 years and places him among the most accomplished off-road racers the state has produced. And that’s why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is proud to induct Leivan with the Class of 2026.

Leivan, now 54 and a resident of Golden City, has compiled 36 regional overall championships and 18 amateur national titles. He earned a World Enduro Championship ranking of 38th in 2007 and stood on the podium in 16 of 19 Endurocross rounds in the Vet class from 2008-2010. In 2006, he brought home a silver medal from the International Six Days Enduro in New Zealand. He finished the grueling Red Bull Last Man Standing event in 2005, recorded top-five and podium finishes across National Hare Scrambles, National Enduro, OMA National and WORCS competitions, and completed the legendary Blackwater 100. Dirt Bike magazine selected him as one of the top 100 off-road riders.

“1995 was a big year for me,” Leivan said. “I won my (third) Missouri Hare Scrambles Championship and my (first) Black Jack Enduro Circuit Championship. In addition, I finished (fifth) overall in the National Hare Scrambles Championship. I don’t know if it was because of any single one of those accomplishments, or all of them collectively, but it got the attention of Yamaha, and I signed my first contract with them going into 1996. I rode for Yamaha for 15 years.”

That breakthrough validated years of grinding through Missouri woods and national circuits. It also opened the door to a long professional run with one of the sports’ premier manufacturers.

“The other big ‘moment’ was finishing Last Man Standing in 2005,” Leivan said. “In the (three) years that event was held, I think only 16 or 17 people ever finished it. Making it to the finish line definitely got me some exposure, and I proved to myself how much I was willing to suffer to accomplish what I wanted to.”

Suffering, in off-road racing, is often part of the job description. Courses like Blackwater 100 and Last Man Standing are notorious for brutal terrain and relentless attrition.

“Offroad racing is a lot about endurance,” he said. “There are obviously plenty of other factors, but ultimately being able to make good decisions under pressure when you’re in the red zone, is key. It took me many failures to learn this and understand the importance of being strong and solid in the late stages of a race. As I later heard, the difference between good riders and great riders is that great riders don’t get tired. I’m not sure that’s exactly right, but the trick is to not let your competitors know that you’re tired.”

At the International Six Days Enduro in New Zealand, Leivan not only competed against the world’s best but stood on the podium with a silver medal.

“There is definitely a special feeling when you hear ‘your’ National Anthem being played in a foreign country,” he said. “Ever since then, it’s had a different meaning to me.”

Today, Leivan’s impact extends beyond his own handlebars. Through Midwest Off Road Events, known as the MORE series, he promotes seven races across Missouri each year, along with the Off-Road Cup, a nine-hour, three-man team event that challenges riders in new ways.

“My dad always went by the motto ‘pay it forward,’” Leivan said. “I feel like it’s my obligation to do that and give back. Someone promoted races for me to go to that created lifelong memories (and lessons), so I think that I should do the same.”

From Eldon to New Zealand, from Yamaha contracts to Missouri woods, Leivan’s career has been defined by endurance, resilience and a willingness to suffer for something greater. In a sport that demands everything, he gave it — and then turned around to build opportunities for the next rider chasing a finish line through the trees.