Red Bull Day In The Dirt 20: The Best Bits

What began as a small gathering 20 years ago, Red Bull Day In The Dirt has grown into one of the largest events on the west coast, drawing thousands of spectators and riders from all across the U.S. and this year’s event was nothing short of epic.

Nearly every class was sold out and “the fastest party in town” delivered good times over the course of the Thanksgiving weekend. Friday began with Happy Hour practice and a short SoCal Reunion race followed by the 805 Friday Night Drag Races; which led into the weekend’s racing, Hell On Wheels TT race, and the rad barn party where the Boogie Knights played for a packed house. If you missed this year, you missed the best DITD yet. Scroll through this huge Fasthouse Story to relive all the memories.

OLD BIKES AND PREMIX

Every year, the weekend racing opens with the vintage bikes taking to the track before the FMF Two-Stroke Revival Race. Both races are some of the most entertaining of the weekend, and there really is nothing like the smell of premix in the morning.

805 BEER FRIDAY NIGHT DRAGS

Friday night marks the start of the good times with the 805 Beer Drags. It’s a run-what-ya-brung good ol’ fashion good time. Most of the racers just threw on a helmet and boots, swung a leg over their bike, and held it wide open through the pits, racing buddies to the checkered flag. This year’s race was a little more organized than last year’s, however, the overall winner was still a little unclear.

HELL ON WHEELS TT FLAT TRACK

Even after the racing on the main track is over, there is always something going down at Day In The Dirt. Following Saturday’s racing, Meatball and the Hell On Wheels crew throw a TT race followed by a flat track. Each race draws a plethora of different and interesting bikes, including Hooligan machines and just about any type of vintage bike you can imagine.

BARN PARTYING

The Saturday night Barn Party is usually packed, but this year’s party was one for the books. Boogie Knights played a lengthy set for the packed barn and brought the house down with their energetic performance. And after 20 years of parties, this year’s was easily the best yet.

COUP DE GRACE

It has always been the punctuation mark at the end of the long weekend, and the Coup de Grace survival race was just that. This year’s race lasted an hour and a half and was won by Fasthouse rider Derek Kelly. For his efforts, Kelly was awarded a one-off painting by artist Chase Lock, which took weeks to create.