While major sports leagues that closed their doors in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic are tentatively returning to the NHL, NBA, MLB, PGA and NASCAR, action sports are now joining them.
In his own vision of the “bubble” competition, the king of motocross Travis Pastrana, in collaboration with Nitro Circus, developed the Pastranaland Pit Bike Championship for motocross riders to come in combination for an in-person championship, held on their own field.
After months of closed competitive racing, Pastrana and Nitro Circus saw the opportunity to host a high-octane racing occasion with a style for action sports.
On the occasion, 11 groups of two racers compete on pitbikes on a tour specially designed by skilled Nitro Circus mechanic Hubert Rowland and located in Pastranaland, the legendary 65-acre hotel in Pastrana, Maryland.
“The last few months have been difficult for athletes and for the action sports industry, without a doubt. We all sought to ride and missed the excitement of the race,” Pastrana said.
“With Pit Bike Challenge, we want to relive this festival fireplace as we make it fun and exciting for enthusiasts to see at home as hitting us with bars on the track. Being able to do everything on my lawn makes it even more enjoyable!
Among the 11 is an all-female team made up of three-time world mountain bike champion Anneke Beerten, who alongside Tarah Gieger, the top female athlete honored in the history of the X Games. Together, they shape the cbdTM team.
Why pitmotorcycles? Starter bikes for young cyclists would possibly look tiny next to the 450cc motocross monsters seen in professional competitions, but in keeping with the spirit of Nitro Circus events, they presented a laughing challenge for racing veterans.
“Pitbikes are fun, no doubt,” Gieger says.
“You can’t be taken seriously when riding a motorcycle designed for a child who is learning to drive. This leads to some pretty crazy races, as speeds are slower than motocross racing in general. If you make a pass and nail as hard as you can, you know you won’t get hurt, no one’s going to hold back for any reason and that takes races to the edge of your seat.
Adding even more firewood to the fireplace for Gieger in the championship, she had to take on her husband, Nitro Circus favorite and qualified ATV driver Dustin “Dusty” Wygle.
“The competition opposed to Dusty in pitbikes is not something I’ve noticed happening. He comes from the middle of the pitbike, but I’m the driving force of the family. So it’s a smart combination for a lot of jokes between us,” Gieger says. “All you have to do is log in and see who went with the right to brag.
For her part, Gieger was delighted to team up with the only other woman on the 11-team field. He’s even sweeter than three-time world champion Beerten,
“Having a team of women worried about this race was fun,” Gieger said. “We knew we weren’t going to be the fastest, but being competitive was definitely a purpose for either of us.”
“It was an honor to be part of the team with Tarah,” Beerten says. “Tarah is a tough guy in everything, especially on an off-road motorcycle, and he’s been a wonderful inspiration to me.
Rather than just orchestrating the race, Pastrana himself took part in the action by meeting with his Motocross of Nations teammate Ryan Sipes.
After so many months of inactivity, all drivers, regardless of their progress in the championship, were simply satisfied with a track in a competitive environment.
“I started climbing the walls of my space after staying home for so long. So when I won the invitation, I was really excited to go to Pastranaland and put my helmet back on for the race,” Beerten says. “At this time of year, I usually live in a suitcase, but everything stopped because of the pandemic. Running in a controlled environment with everyone following Covid’s latest social estrangement regulations worked well, and everyone was super excited that the adrenaline went off. their elbows!
As for who wins, you just need to log in to get out.
The Pastranaland Pit Bike Championship will be broadcast on ET on Saturday, August 15 on ESPN2.
I’ve been writing about action sports and the Olympics for almost a decade, having the X Summer and Winter Games, the Summer and Winter Olympics, Dew Tour,
I’ve been writing about action sports and the Olympics for almost a decade, having done canopy the X Games summer and winter, the Summer and Winter Olympics, the Dew Tour, the World Championships, etc. I watch the industry from each and every angle, however, my favorite pieces to write are the profiles of the athletes who make those sports so fascinating. I am originally from New Hampshire, where I brushed my teeth as a snowboarder (and I cut my knees and elbows … many), and now I live in Chicago, a city that has a gold medal at my center despite its lack of elevation. Follow me on Twitter @MichelleBruton.