Brick, New Jersey’s own Brandon Hartranft made his debut with the Troy Lee Designs KTM team this weekend at the Red Bull Straight Rhythm event. Against a deep field, Brandon was the fastest qualifier and finished second overall for the night behind Honda’s Ken Roczen.
Great job Brandon.
Images and text below courtesy © Red Bull Media House
All images © Chris Tedesco/Red Bull Content Pool
Red Bull Straight Rhythm returned for its sixth year and once again served as a time machine direct to the 1990s as the retro themed event celebrated the “Golden Era of Motocross.”
Originally notable for its unique format – an evolution of the sport of supercross, where riders race dirt bikes head-to-head on a ½ mile “unwound” straight track with no turns – the event has built off of that premise and transformed into a celebration of years gone by, with riders racing 20-year-old two-stroke dirt bikes and donning vintage-inspired gear. As the event takes place at the end of the supercross/motocross race calendar with no race series points at stake, the event is just a great time – for riders and spectators alike.
Held at Fairplex in Pomona, Ca, the event featured only two-stroke motorcycles – older technology machines that have a fervent fanbase even though they are no longer used in professional racing. Racing was broken up into three classes by engine size – 250cc and 125cc – and operated on a single-elimination bracket, with racing a best-of-three format. In addition, a special one-off exhibition race featured action sports hero Travis Pastrana racing Tyler Bowers on massive 500cc bikes. Pastrana, true to form, couldn’t help himself from throwing backflips on every run of the race.
Once the dust settled (literally), it was Ken Roczen, who was perfect throughout the night – never losing a matchup, taking the 250cc title. In the 125cc class, Joey Crown lived up to his name, racing his way to the top step of the podium. And in the most anticipated and exciting match of the night, Tyler Bowers edged out Travis Pastrana in the Maxxis 500cc Showdown.
Maxxis 500cc Showdown
Tyler Bowers defeats Travis Pastrana
250 Class Results
1. Ken Roczen 2. Brandon Hartranft 3. Josh Hansen
125 Class Results
1. Joey Crown 2. Michael Leib 3. AJ Catanzaro
