Bubba wins Red Bull Straight Rhythm

James Stewart wins Red Bull Straight Rhythm | Marvin Musquin 250cc victor

Nearly 14,000 fans braved the heat at Auto Club Raceway at Fairplex in Pomona to witness Red Bull Straight Rhythm. Red Bull also dubbed this event “evolution of supercross”, which featured 32-riders racing head-to-head on a one-of-a-kind 1/2 mile-long, “unwound” track with no turns.

The straight course isolated more than 80 jumps, challenging riders to focus on maintaining top speed while also reading the difficult terrain directly in front of them – and while racing against another rider just a few feet away.

In the end, it was James Stewart taking the Open Class victory while Marvin Musquin held strong in the 250cc Class for the top spot.

As the best-of-three bracket format event progressed, there were some incredible matchups, from Travis Pastrana (returning to motocross for the first time since 2009) versus Josh Hansen to a face-off between GEICO Honda teammates Justin Bogle and Jordon Smith.

One of the most anticipated matchups – by both the fans and the two riders themselves – was between the Stewart brothers – Malcolm and James. They met in the semi finals, where James beat his younger brother in two close races to move to the finals. There he met Justin Brayton, who he also defeated in two straight races to win the Open Class title. Brayton took second, with Malcolm Stewart taking the final step on the podium.

“What Red Bull did with this event was great,” said Open Class winner James Stewart. “They thought outside the box and I hope this event is here to stay. It was a lot harder than I thought it’d be,” said James Stewart. “On every run today, the guys rode faster and faster. There were places where I didn’t think I could make up time, but somehow, I made it up where I needed to. I can’t wait to watch it on TV.”

Crowd favorite and action sports superstar Travis Pastrana, who made his return to motocross after a five-year hiatus on a custom 500cc two stoke bike, lost to Josh Hansen in the first round, but did win the second race (out of three), and celebrated in typical Pastrana style – hitting a backflip over the last jump.

In the 250cc Class Final, Musquin had two dominant runs over Justin Hill for the top honors, with Jessy Nelson bringing home third place.

“Consistency was the key,” said Marvin Musquin. “I felt like I was doing good each run, but it was pretty stressful – you don’t want to make any mistakes because you know the other guy is right next to you. It’s close racing and I think the fans really loved it, and the riders loved it and I can’t wait for next year.”