Motocross
Top 10 Red Bull Straight Rhythm moments
In celebration of this year's Red Bull Straight Rhythm on October 15, it's time to take a look at some of the best moments from past years.
After the final gates drop of the season, not all riders disappear for a bit of R&R. Many take their mad skills to California for Red Bull Straight Rhythm—a head-to-head competition on an action-packed, half-mile straight-line motocross course.
For cycle enthusiasts feeling withdrawal symptoms, Red Bull Straight Rhythm provides scintillating two-stroke battles between established stars and up-and-coming riders in a competition guaranteed to entertain the most avid fan.
If you missed the first six contests or simply care to whet your appetite before the showdown at sundown in Huntington Beach on October 15, here are 10 of the best moments from past Red Bull Straight Rhythm events.
01
Red Bull Straight Rhythm 2015
2015—Defending champion James Stewart found his rhythm through the whoops in the finale to beat Ken Roczen for the win and hold the title. In his Red Bull Straight Rhythm debut, Roczen posted the quickest qualifying time, but Bubba blew by him at the finish.
02
Red Bull Straight Rhythm 2016
2016—After stepping up to the Open Class from a perfect performance in the 2014 Lites, Marvin Musquin ripped through four flawless rounds, including besting Ryan Dungey in the final. Musquin offered a celebratory heel-clicker for the fans after crossing the finish line for the championship.
2016—While it lacked the sound and smell of a combustion engine, Josh Hill competed in the 250 class with his Alta Motors Redshift MX electric motorcycle. He qualified fifth, knocked out Kyle Cunningham in the quarterfinals but just missed the podium after falling short to Mitchel Oldenburg.
03
Red Bull Straight Rhythm 2017
2017—Gared Steinke struck a blow for the privateers in the 2017 competition when he upset Ryan Villopoto in their head-to-head matchup in the battle of the bumps on the technical half-mile track. An early mistake in the run cost the favored Villopoto dearly, and he never recovered, suffering elimination from the competition. Steinke went on to win the two-stroke shootout.
04
Red Bull Straight Rhythm 2018
2018—Shane McElrath celebrated with a happy dance in his skeleton firesuit after holding off Ryan Dungey in the 250-class finals of the 2018 competition. McElrath took a slight lead early in the run and maintained it throughout, but the finals came down to the whoops near the end of the track. McElrath got through the tricky section flawlessly to seal the victory.
2018—Carson Brown claimed the 125-class title in 2018 by half a bike-length over AJ Catanzaro, who was riding a throwback bike honoring his hero, James “Bubba” Stewart, with a period-correct replica setup. It took a perfect run through the closing whoops section for Brown to hold off a charging Catanzaro, who had charmed the crowd with his “porpoise” celebration on the dirt after a comeback victory over Luke Renzland in the semifinals.
05
Red Bull Straight Rhythm 2019
2019—Travis Pastrana earned his reputation as the consummate daredevil in motorsports in the 2019 competition. In the first run of the Maxxis 500-cc Showdown finals, Pastrana executed a backflip and an amazing run through the whoops to beat Tyler Bowers to the finish line. Pastrana wasn’t as fortunate in the second two runs, and Bowers emerged as the champion.
2019—On his charge to the 250-cc-class championship in 2019, Ken Roczen fell behind early in his semifinal confrontation against Josh Hansen. But Roczen made up the difference with a remarkable run through the final section of whoops and beat Hansen to the finish line by half the width of his front wheel. Roczen would go on to beat top-seeded Brandon Hartranft in the final.