Red Bull Straight Rhythm Remains Retro In 2019

Red Bull Straight Rhythm returns for its sixth year on October 5 at the Fairplex in Pomona, California. And for the second consecutive year, Straight Rhythm will be two-stroke only, with riders channeling the spirit of the '90s in both machinery and dress.

Last year, Shane McElrath took the top step in the 250 class, beating out Ryan Dungey in the final. Ryan Villopoto rounded out the podium in third. In the 125 class, Carson Brown took top honors followed by AJ Catanzaro in second and Luke Renzland in third.

Specific details on the 2019 race and its participants are fairly sparse, with information leaking mainly from riders’ social media profiles. Red Bull is in on the action too, sharing tidbits through a fun web series called the “ ’90s Moto Show” with Dave Despain and Kevin Kelly. You can check out one of the episodes below.

What we know for certain is that 500cc machines will be on track this year, with Tyler Bowers and Travis Pastrana eyeing each other up for a showdown. Most of the other riders are prepping 250cc and 125cc machines, however, it’s unclear if there’ll be a full 500 class or just a one-off race.

Ken Roczen recently made the announcement that he's in, piloting a 2006 Honda CR250 formerly raced by Jeremy McGrath. It's also the last two-stroke bike to holeshot a Supercross main event, which happened at the race in Phoenix in 2006. Cole Seely is also in on a Honda CR250R, which he's been building up over the past few months. You can follow his progress on his personal YouTube channel here.

Dungey is reportedly returning on a KTM 250 SX and Villopoto is also planning to line up again. The two went head to head in the semi-finals last year, with Dungey coming out on top 2-0.

Cooper Webb will make his Straight Rhythm debut in 2019, and we know that Ryan Sipes and AJ Catanzaro both plan to be in the mix as well. Chad Reed is also working to be a part of the action.

Beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess who will be on the line come race day. More information is bound to trickle out as we get closer to the event.

You can get tickets for the event now, with general admission starting at $30 until September 30. After that, the price goes up to $35. Podium Club tickets run $160 until September 30, then go up to $175 the week of the event. If you're nowhere near Southern California in early October, then catch the action on Red Bull TV October 5. Complete details can be found here: redbull.com/us-en/events/straight-rhythm.