There were thrills and spills aplenty as Buenos Aires played host to Red Bull's King of the Mini Bikes on October 1. The race was hosted in Recoleta, one of the city's more sophisticated neighbourhoods, whuch is home to the final resting place of Evitaas as well as many of the best museums and galleries the city has to offer.
On this particular afternoon, however, holidaymakers and local porteños were treated to the sight of hard-fought battles on miniature bicycles. Although the stabilisers were left on, navigating the circuit was hardly child's play. Of the 45 participants, only a handful managed to remain on their saddles as the field was gradually whittled down.
The most spectacular tumble of the day came courtesy of contestant number 37, Pedro Gatica. After getting a good lane draw, Gatica used his advantage to lead the pack as they approached the bend, but there his luck ended. His feet became tangled up in his mini bike, he hit the ground and was piled into by the three riders behind him.
"I think I scored the best accident of the day,” Gatica joked. “It was an experience, that's for sure. Even though I'm still lying on the ground, at least I can laugh with my friends."
As the event moved from the opening rounds through to the business end, more and more participants saw their challenges come to an end where Gatica took his spill. With the 100m course starting on the crest of a footbridge, the riders built up impressive speed before hitting the left-to-right dogleg in the track. It was on this bend that the races were won and lost.
But the only real spanner in the works came from mechanic Cristian Apollonio Zekl. He was kept on his toes with running repairs to the mini bikes between races.
“I'm enjoying my time here,” Zekl said from the pitlane. “It's certainly very different than my usual day's work."
In the early rounds, rider number 17 Alvaro Stocker seemed to have the right idea and breezed through to the semis. Aldana Diz Romero was one of two female riders to join him, showing that the boys in the field had no divine right to become Buenos Aires' King of the Mini Bikes.
Unfortunately for Alvaro and Aldana, they were both found wanting in their semi-final heats as the intensity of the event reached even greater heights.
The spectacle proved irresistible to passers-by finishing their day's work as well as the law students filtering out from the nearby Facultad de Derecho. The only law governing the King of the Mini Bikes was gravity, and it was to rear its head again in the final.
All eyes were on the footbridge as preparations were made for the final race. If the riders needed any more inspiration for the revolutions of their mini bike wheels, they could glance at the 3m face of Che Guevara etched into the concrete of the bridge.
The field had eventually come down to the final four of Gonzalo Diaz, Sebastian Orozco, Lucas Duarte and Patricio Dietrich. The prize waiting for one of them at the finish line was a personalised Red Bull motorised bicycle.
It was Orozco who got the best start and led heading into the bend. Behind him, Diaz and Dietrich were pushing hard, but with their eyes firmly on the prize, both were unseated as they collided. Orozco must have been aware of the crash, but didn't look back as he hit the pedals and wheeled across the line in first place.
Duarte avoided the pile-up on the bend to take second place while Dietrich dusted himself down and rolled over in third. The grand prize of the motorised bicycle and the consolation packs of Red Bull were dished out by local BMX legend Ricky Roich. The retired vert freestyler has competed all over the world and recognised the spirit and determination of the day´s riders.
“To push yourself to the maximum takes guts,” said the former pro rider. “These people left their blood on the bends today and everybody impressed me.”
Gustavo Cherro/Red Bull Photofiles
Comments
Add a comment