Thursday 5 June 2014

Dirt Quake USA Mini Report





From Thor at See See Motorcycles. Photos by Dustin Aksland...

Legendary Flat track racer, Kenny Roberts once said something like "Castle Rock is one of the only tracks where the fence surrounding the track protects the riders from the fans." Blatantly alluding to the free form style we cultivate here in the great North West.

Fun was the the name of the game, and the anthem heard over and over and over again last weekend at the first American Dirt Quake event, A race invented by Sideburn magazine to demystify the participation and spectating of flat track racing. 

The idea was simple... Have a motorcycle? Come race. Come have fun. The puzzle pieces already existed so it was no challenge to assemble them. Mt. St. Helens Motorcycle Club maintaining the track and track workers, See See Motorcycles having a good handle of local riders interested in giving the track a try, and Sideburn Magazine providing some coverage and promotion. 

A rare weekend of nice weather aided in the record setting turn out for a Sunday event. Pretty much most of the 5 acre lot was full up with campers, tents, cars, and bikes. Over 85 participants racing in 5 unconventional classes and 1 modern pro race, also including the very first dirt snowmobile race! 

We had journalists from all over the world. Easyrider's lead photographer Michael Lichter was doing a story on the event. We used the hash tag #dqusa which collected over 975 photo posts that can be seen here. http://themotoattic.com/pages/dirtquake_gallery 

All n' all it was a huge success. Everyone who came out had a memorable experience that will not be soon forgotten. Its all in part that your support helped us throw such an amazing event. 

Thanks, first and foremost, to the Mt St Helens Motorcycle Club for their dedication to racing and keeping the Castle Rock track going year after year. Also all the dedicated folks that volunteer for scoring and helping with running the track. 

Thanks to Sideburn Magazine and DTRA for their dedication to promoting flat track racing and the great idea. 

Huge Thanks to Harley Davidson for many years of dirt track champions and helping us afford the track expenses. Also Columbia Harley Davidson for track support. See See Motorcycles for assembling the puzzle providing on the ground support promoting and organizing the event. 

Thanks to:
The Moto Attic for hosting the swap meet.
Sizzle Pie for the drivable slice of pizza.
Poler for the camp gear and Koozies.
Stumptown for keeping us caffeinated.
Rainier Beer for the good times.
Throttled Films for documenting the whole thing. (coming soon)
RSD for the support
Icon 1000 for the safety gear and support.
Biltwell for stoking out all the participants and support.
Bell for providing at track support.
Moto Factory for the amazing mosh pit burnout and support.
Iron And Resin for the T-shirts.
Lowbrow for the goodies.
Zaeta for a good race and support.
Dustin Aksland for some great photos.
100% for a Clear Vision of everything while racing.
Adi Gilbert for the poster artwork
The Vicious Cycles for Saturday night's show.

And special thanks to the folks who came out and supported the whole deal. EXCITED for next year! Stay posted for review video by Throttled Films. 

If this looks like fun, remember Dirt Quake III happens in the UK on July 18-19. Advance tickets are just £10.

6 comments:

Chris said...

that looks fantastic. And The Vicious Cycles? Well Jeal

Nick said...

Looks great fun, and lovely weather

Hairy Larry said...

Don't know if local racer Rick Burchett (#14 in saturdays races...)reads this...but thanks again for inviting a couple of total strangers from California to your house to use your garage and tools, and actually helping us R and R the rear tire and chain...then letting me tear up the grass on your lawn while testing our work. The locals were the best...Cheers, as our English friends say! (And Sammy Halbert says I can't believe everything about your stories about him...)

Hale True said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

It was my pleasure to help you out , hope you all had a great time ! ( yes my friend Sammy halbert is awesome racer and a great trainer )

Anonymous said...

And yes I believe I won the heats and mains on my twin , great time to remember .