The Red Bull Straight Rhythm visits the Pomona Fairplex this weekend. But first, Red Bull hosted a Straight Rhythm ride day preview (photo above) at nearby Milestone Raceway. Photography by Jean Turner
The Red Bull Straight Rhythm cometh, and riders like Ryan Dungey, James Stewart and even Travis Pastrana are sharpening their Supercross chops (minus the turns) in order to capture the top honors and the big payout at the newest Red Bull Signature Series event. It comes as no surprise that this innovative race stemmed from the creative mind of Eric Peronnard – the same promoter who originally brought us the U.S. Open of Supercross and AMA EnduroCross. Through his help, Red Bull is introducing racers and fans to the all-new concept at the Pomona Drag Strip at the Fairplex on Saturday, October 4.
As with any new event, Red Bull Straight Rhythm has piqued our interest, but also sparked plenty of questions surrounding the competition format. Fortunately we were able to catch up with Peronnard and hear more about the Straight Rhythm – where did it come from, who is involved, how will it work and what can we expect to see this weekend?
Tell us a little about the Straight Rhythm.
Red Bull is inventing a new form of racing just like they created X Fighters 10 or 12 years ago. It’s really exciting – it’s very promising. Everybody is really pumped about it because it’s refreshing.
This weekend will be the first official Straight Rhythm competition, but nearly a year ago we saw videos of guys riding a Straight Rhythm course. Where did those videos come from?
The videos were like the “test tube.” Red Bull was really curious about how people would react, and I have to say – including me – everybody was wondering, ‘is it going to be that cool?’ They got a secret location in California for 48 hours, built the track and invited a bunch of riders – Red Bull guys and some other riders. They invited me, they invited a couple observers and we spent 24 hours witnessing what could be the concept. Everybody was absolutely stoked. It was something that sounded cool in theory, but we were not sure [what it would be like in real life]. After doing it, everybody – riders, spectators and consultants like me – were loving it. That was exactly a year ago. Funny enough the show will happen the same weekend that we did the “test tube” in 2013.
You originally talked about something where riders would also turn around and come back, but is this a one-way thing?
It’s a one-way. We talked about a lot of ideas, but at the end of the day, Red Bull wanted to keep it pure and make it just a straight line. It’s really like a drag race for Supercross. It’s the easiest thing for people to understand. It’s like drag racing where you have a bracket format – 16 riders in each class.
There are going to be two different classes?
Yes. A lot of people did not realize that we have two classes. We have the 250 class and the 450 (Open) class. You’ll have 16 riders going for the win in each class. That’s going to create a lot of excitement, as well, because we’re going to see a lot of differences between the 250 and 450 techniques. When we did the test tube, it turned out to be as exciting in the 250s as it was in 450s. Another reason to look forward to it!
How do you design the course so that technique is still the key and it’s not just about pinning it to the finish?
We are building the track with a lot of speed breaks, so we’re not going to let guys just shift up and get in fifth gear for half a mile. It’s going to be acceleration, a lot of braking, we’ll have what we call in Supercross terms like vertical chicanes where racers have to really slow down; they have to recollect themselves and restart again. It’s going to be very interesting to watch. It’s not going to be a drag race; it’s going to be drag, brake, drag, brake. (laughs)
That’s interesting, because that’s what turns would normally do in a Supercross race.
Exactly. We have Dane Herron and Jason Baker building the track – two world-class track builders. Those guys know what they’re doing. It’s as simple as that.
Without any turns to worry about, are guys running different set ups for this kind of racing?
It’s actually much easier and much simpler for setup because you don’t have to combine the setup for turning and for rhythm section or whoops. That kind of brings a little bit of purity to the setup where it’s not a compromise. It’s purely to take hits and jumps.
Is the Red Bull Straight Rhythm only for Red Bull riders?
Absolutely not. It’s one of the first conversations I had with Red Bull. They were 100% supportive and they said, “Absolutely! Everybody is invited.” Everybody has been invited. Sadly, it has been a little bit complicated because of the silly season. A lot of riders are changing teams at this time of the year and contracts expire at the end of September usually so it made it complicated in some situations. You don’t walk away from a contract on October 1 and test a bike the 2nd and go racing the 3rd. Between Red Bull and I, we share the same philosophy on that level. We’re not going to ask something that would be unsafe.
Tell us about some of the participants!
The big surprise is Travis Pastrana. The first eight guys are Ryan Dungey, James Stewart, Dean Wilson, Shane McElrath, Brett Metcalfe, Josh Hansen, Josh Hill and Malcolm Stewart. Those are the top guys that were announced. (See sidebar for the full 16-rider roster.)
Did it take a lot of coaxing to get Travis Pastrana to come out of “retirement?”
No. Travis didn’t need to be talked in anything. He loved the concept from the get-go and that was not even a sell. Travis just said “This is a race for me. I’m in.” He’s going completely a different way because he’s bringing a 500cc Suzuki RM two-stroke on top of that. He’s calling it RM-Zilla. Just to see that could be worth the trip!
Open Class Entrants:
1. James Stewart
2. Ryan Dungey
3. Dean Wilson
4. Brett Metcalfe
5. Josh Grant
6. Justin Brayton
7. Malcolm Stewart
8. Shane McElrath
9. Kyle Partridge
10. Kyle Chisholm
11. Ryan Morais
12. Jake Canada
13. Josh Hill
14. Josh Hansen
15. Travis Pastrana
16. Grant Langston
250 Class Entrants (so far):
1. Marvis Musquin
2. Justin Hill
3. Zach Bell
4. Jessy Nelson
5. Nico Izzi
6. Ryan Surratt
7. Jordan Smith
8. Darryn Durham
Red Bull Straight Rhythm Facts:
• Watch it live on the web at www.RedBull.com.
• Straight Rhythm will air on NBC as part of the Red Bull Signature Series. The broadcast is scheduled for December 20. Visit www.RedBullSignatureSeries.com for more info.
• Over $100,000 is up for grabs! The winner of each class takes home $20 grand!
• The course is 3000 feet long (0.57 mi).
• Straight Rhythm is the same weekend as the Lucas Oil Off-Road Expo at the Pomona Fairplex. Show-goers will get a discount on Red Bull Straight Rhythm admission.
• Red Bull Straight Rhythm is from 3:00 to 5:30 on Saturday afternoon.
• An autograph session will precede the show; fans can come early to meet the racers.
• Tickets are $20 each. Children 5 and younger are free.
• Visit RedBull.com/StraightRhythm to buy tickets.
The Show Format:
• Each class is broken down into brackets: First Qualifiers, Quarter Finals, Semi Finals, 3rd Place Final and Finals.
• Each pair to face off will race three times. The best of three runs advances to the next bracket.
• The fastest qualifier between the two will get his choice of sides. Lanes are reversed for the second run, and the winner of the second run chooses his side for the third run.
