Ken Roczen Crowned Two-Stroke King at Red Bull Straight Rhythm
From neon kits, replica bikes and two stroke smoke, the 6th edition of Red Bull Straight Rhythm was the perfect combination of nostalgia and modern day racing.
The event followed the change of theme that begun last year, with only two-stroke bikes racing, and it drew one of the strongest rider fields yet. Travis Pastrana was back racing for the first time since the inaugural 2014 event, Ken Roczen, Ryan Villopoto, Ronnie Mac and Tyler Bowers also returned, and new faces included Cooper Webb and Jason Anderson, who was ultimately unable to race due to a bike issue.
Aside from the competitive racing, it was the replica bike looks and retro throwbacks that the riders were wearing that made the fans enjoy the racing that much more. Ultimately, Ken Roczen rode away with the win on the 2006 Honda CR250 that was raced to a Supercross championship by Jeremy McGrath.
“To bring this bike out of retirement and get the win feels amazing,” said Roczen. “This is only the second time I have raced this event, and to win with such a strong line up of riders here to race made the win that much sweeter. To see everyone in the pits scrambling to get the bikes ready and to have the support of the manufacturers to get these 2 stroke bikes race ready is something you don’t see everyday and it shows that we are passionate about racing. It is all about the fun of racing at the end of the day. I raced Jeremy McGrath’s bike from 2006, and he is the King, so it feels really amazing for me to get the bike out of retirement and get a win.”
One of the most anticipated races of the night was the Maxxis 500cc Showdown between Travis Pastrana on his 2006 500cc RmZilla and Tyler Bowers on his 1992 Kawasaki KX500. Pastrana, true to form, couldn’t help himself from throwing backflips on every run of the race, claiming they were the fastest way over a particularly technical section of the track. Bowers pulled ahead in the first race, with Pastrana finally staging a come-from-behind-win, complete with a mad dash in the whoops and photo finish at the line to the sound of thunderous applause. But he wasn’t as lucky on the next two races, as Bowers was able to beat him in both and ultimately take the overall win.
“That was so much fun,” said Pastrana. “Being here, just experiencing the thrill of racing, making people laugh and making fans cheer was awesome. Red Bull Straight Rhythm is so awesome because you’re bringing back two strokes and you’re bringing back so much nostalgia. The ‘90s, the early 2000s, those were the times that I shined, but really I just love every day that I can wake up, get on a motorcycle and ride something like this that’s so much fun. I think we made some new fans of racing today.”
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