Straight Rhythm Is The Evolution Of Supercross + Video

Troy Siahaan
by Troy Siahaan

The appeal of Supercross is the jumps, whoops, and all-out race to see who can get through them the fastest. However, all that turning left and right can get in the way of a straight-up dogfight. In its infinite wisdom, in 2013 Red Bull introduced the Straight Rhythm concept. Here, a Supercross course is “unwound,” resulting in a straight-line drag race between two riders featuring nothing but a half-mile rhythm section.

The Straight Rhythm exhibition received an astoundingly positive reception, and now Red Bull is making it a reality. On October 4, 2014, Red Bull will be staging the first official Straight Rhythm race at Auto Club Raceway at the Fairplex in Pomona, California. The innovative format will pit a field of 32 riders against each other in a head-to-head, best-of-three bracket format.

From Red Bull:

By isolating the whoops, triples, doubles, table tops and step on/offs, riders must focus exclusively on reading the terrain directly in front of them, correctly judging their speed for precise distance and control. “It’s all about rhythm,” says James Stewart, “so if you mess up once, you’ve got a half-mile to get it back, but you almost have to be perfect. One mistake and it’s a wrap.”

Judging by the video below, Straight Rhythm looks to be a new and exciting form of racing that even the casual fan will be able to follow and enjoy. The full rider list and ticket info will be available soon.

Troy Siahaan
Troy Siahaan

Troy's been riding motorcycles and writing about them since 2006, getting his start at Rider Magazine. From there, he moved to Sport Rider Magazine before finally landing at Motorcycle.com in 2011. A lifelong gearhead who didn't fully immerse himself in motorcycles until his teenage years, Troy's interests have always been in technology, performance, and going fast. Naturally, racing was the perfect avenue to combine all three. Troy has been racing nearly as long as he's been riding and has competed at the AMA national level. He's also won multiple club races throughout the country, culminating in a Utah Sport Bike Association championship in 2011. He has been invited as a guest instructor for the Yamaha Champions Riding School, and when he's not out riding, he's either wrenching on bikes or watching MotoGP.

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