Upping The Ante

In one of Australia’s most picturesque and serene settings, the sleepy morning was sparked into full blown BMX mayhem to the soundtrack of 20inch tires buzzing the huge walls of the Red Bull Dirt Pipe at speeds approaching 60km/h.

Within minutes of the first warm up runs going down, it was evident that the pipe was running way smoother and faster than day one. And remarkably, the pipe required relatively little maintenance in comparison to the usual competition dirt jump set up. Partly due to the highway building heavy machinery enlisted to sculpt the beast. And of course, thanks to the incredible hard yards put in by the Red Bull Dirt Pipe crew in the lead up to the event.

The few remaining riders that were still to ride the Pipe made their way down the sections, amidst the ‘veterans’ from day one who were already stepping up their game.

The big guns, Corey Bohan and Heath Pinter took to the Pipe like ducks to water. Within the space of two runs, both were unleashing the fireworks they are so renowned for, showcasing their versatility on all sections of the pipe. As the day progressed, all riders were upping the ante, firing off bigger tricks and nailing original lines through the Pipe in a constant game of one-upping the last rider through. Daniel Donges smoked everyone in the big air stakes, clicking big turndowns high over the pipe's decks. Which, with some simple maths, equated to him sailing around 30 feet above the bottom of the transitions...

In true dirt tradition, many a train was run down the pipe throughout the day. In what was simply amazing to watch, riders followed each other closely in what became a snake like procession from the roll in to the very bottom. With its massive size and speed, the Red Bull Dirt Pipe was fairly lenient on the 30 invited riders, only two riders going down hard enough to leave them unable to finish the day's session with minor injuries.

With the Pipe in amazing form and the riders coming to grips with the sheer speed and size of Australia's best kept BMX secret, The final day and its all-or-nothing 3 hour jam will showcase just what is possible when the impossible bringing together of BMX and snowboarding is made a reality.