The half-mile long, “unwound” track that debuted at the inaugural Red Bull Straight Rhythm lived up to its billing. The track, built at Auto Club Raceway at Fairplex in Pomona, California, featured more than eighty jumps in a straight line, and challenged some of the best riders in the world. With its unique format—thirty-two riders going head-to-head—RBSR brought plenty of intrigue to the inaugural event. It also brought questions, though, mainly how long the laps—or runs—would be.
With times ranging between 49 and 54 seconds, each lap—or run—was similar to an average lap at a typical supercross. We’ve broken down the lap charts by round—four per class—and ranked the top ten times of those rounds in order from 1 to 10. There were plenty of interesting storylines that developed throughout the day, which we’ve covered in the charts below.
(Have a favorite moment or a surprise time? Drop us a line in the comments below.)
Open Round 1
- Malcolm Stewart’s 50.221 in his first race of the day, and the fastest lap of Round 1, would have only been the sixth fastest lap in Round 2. It’s apparent that as the track came together and riders got more comfortable, speeds greatly increased. These guys were stepping up with each round.
- Eight of the ten fastest laps recorded were under 51 seconds.
- Josh Hansen, Justin Brayton, and Shane McElrath all advanced to Round 2 without having a lap within the ten fastest. Kyle Chisholm, whose 50.808 was sixth fastest, did not advance to Round 2.
- A large part of why Chisholm didn’t advance is because Kyle Partridge set second and third fastest laps of Round 1. If there’s one rider who really seems to excel in this format, it’s Partridge.
- Partridge had ice in his veins in the final race, setting the second fastest (50.409) time of the Round 1 in the winner-take-all scenario. Chisholm’s 50.895 in the final race was very fast but wasn’t enough to advance.
- Travis Pastrana, like the aforementioned Hansen, did not have a fast lap inside the top ten—he did have a backflip, though, which is way cooler anyway. Since it was one of the most publicized head-to-head races of the first round, we broke down the duel, which you can check out below.
| Travis Pastrana | Josh Hansen | |
| Race 1 | 51.913 | 51.774 |
| Race 2 | 52.081 | 52.743 |
| Race 3 | 51.621 | 51.258 |
- It’s interesting how these two pushed each other. Pastrana logged a much faster time in losing the third race than winning the second one. But Hansen minimized the mistakes and went one step better.
| Rank | Rider | Best Time | Race No | Win/Loss |
| 1 | Malcolm Stewart | 50.221 | 1 | Win |
| 2 | Kyle Partridge | 50.409 | 3 | Win |
| 3 | Kyle Partridge | 50.427 | 1 | Win |
| 4 | Malcolm Stewart | 50.596 | 2 | Win |
| 5 | James Stewart | 50.620 | 2 | Win |
| 6 | Kyle Chisholm | 50.808 | 2 | Win |
| 7 | Dean Wilson | 50.822 | 2 | Win |
| 8 | James Stewart | 50.922 | 1 | Win |
| 9 | Josh Hill | 51.029 | 2 | Win |
| 10 | Josh Hill | 51.032 | 1 | Win |
Open Round 2
- Once again it was Malcolm atop the charts in Round 2. What’s more impressive, though, is that he also set the second fastest time of the round with a 43.205 in race 2.
- Malcolm, along with older brother James, were the only two riders to dip under 50 seconds in the round. In both of his Round 2 runs, Malcolm was under 50 seconds, while James hit the mark in his first race but tailed off with a 50.414 in run 2.
- Josh Hill and Kyle Partridge had the only two laps inside the top ten that failed to advance. Hill lost 2-0 to eventual third-place finisher Malcolm Stewart, while Partridge was dropped 2-0 by eventual runner-up Justin Brayton.
- The times in Round 2 improved significantly. In Round 1, only eight of ten fastest times were under 51 seconds, and no one dropped below 50 seconds. In Round 2, all ten of the fastest laps were under 51 seconds, and the top three times were under 50 seconds.
| Rank | Rider | Best Time | Race No | Win/Loss |
| 1 | Malcolm Stewart | 49.205 | 2 | Win |
| 2 | Malcolm Stewart | 49.535 | 1 | Win |
| 3 | James Stewart | 49.671 | 1 | Win |
| 4 | Justin Brayton | 50.197 | 1 | Win |
| 5 | Justin Brayton | 50.209 | 2 | Win |
| 6 | Dean Wilson | 50.275 | 1 | Win |
| 7 | Dean Wilson | 50.354 | 2 | Win |
| 8 | James Stewart | 50.414 | 2 | Win |
| 9 | Josh Hill | 50.550 | 2 | Loss |
| 10 | Kyle Partridge | 50.602 | 2 | Loss |
Open Round 3
- Whether it was because of the mental edge James holds over Malcolm that Travis Pastrana alluded to—"James has a mental edge on Malcolm and he will not let his little brother beat him."—or if Malcolm just had two off runs is up for debate. But this is fact: James only beat Malcolm in regards to lap times in their head-to-head matchup. In every other round, Malcolm had the faster lap of the two. And in two of the four rounds, Malcolm’s two runs were faster than James’s fastest run.
- Either way you spin it, James topped the charts with his first run. Just as impressive, though, is that Malcolm had the fourth fastest time of the round in a loss. Let’s take a closer look at their head to head duel.
| James Stewart | Malcolm Stewart | |
| Race 1 | 49.137 | 49.398 |
| Race 2 | 49.592 | 49.846 |
- Dean Wilson also had a blazing run in a loss. In the second race between he and Justin Brayton, the new Red Bull KTM pilot ran a 49.330, just getting edged by Brayton’s 49.319. That one was practically a photo finish, and probably the closest all weekend.
- Again, Round 3 was far and away faster than Rounds 1 and 2. For example: Nine of the ten runs were under 50 seconds. In the previous two rounds, only three runs (combined) were under 50 seconds. Maybe the riders were learning the track, or maybe the ever-stiffer competition was making them push harder.
- Interesting stat: Two of the top four runs came in losses. Wilson set the third fastest time in his run 2 loss, while Malcolm had the fourth fastest in his run 1 loss.
| Rank | Rider | Best Time | Race No | Win/Loss |
| 1 | James Stewart | 49.137 | 1 | Win |
| 2 | Justin Brayton | 49.319 | 2 | Win |
| 3 | Dean Wilson | 49.330 | 2 | Loss |
| 4 | Malcolm Stewart | 49.398 | 1 | Loss |
| 5 | Justin Brayton | 49.551 | 3 | Win |
| 6 | James Stewart | 49.592 | 2 | Win |
| 7 | Malcolm Stewart | 49.846 | 2 | Loss |
| 8 | Dean Wilson | 49.857 | 1 | Win |
| 9 | Dean Wilson | 49.993 | 3 | Loss |
| 10 | Justin Brayton | 50.180 | 1 | Loss |
Open Round 4
- This fourth round included the James Stewart vs. Brayton battle for first and the Malcolm Stewart and Wilson race for third.
- For the third time in four rounds, Malcolm was the top dog. His 49.090 was also the fastest lap set all day.
- James nearly topped his younger brother in his last run—setting a 49.161—but came up just short.
- The final round was all about the winners, as James and Malcolm (both swept their final round matchups) set the four fastest times of the round.
| Rank | Rider | Best Time | Race No | Win/Lose |
| 1 | Malcolm Stewart | 49.090 | 2 | Win |
| 2 | James Stewart | 49.161 | 2 | Win |
| 3 | Malcolm Stewart | 49.369 | 1 | Win |
| 4 | James Stewart | 49.572 | 1 | Win |
| 5 | Dean Wilson | 49.597 | 2 | Loss |
| 6 | Dean Wilson | 49.858 | 1 | Loss |
| 7 | Justin Brayton | 50.014 | 2 | Loss |
| 8 | Justin Brayton | 50.125 | 1 | Loss |
250 Round 1
- Eventual winner Marvin Musquin was fast from the get-go on Saturday, setting the fastest two laps in the first round. His second run of 51.463 was just a tad better than his first, a 51.710.
- Both Darryn Durham and Nico Izzi advanced to Round 2 without having a run inside the top ten. Durham’s fastest run of Round 1 was a 52.746 in a win over Zack Freeberg, while Izzi had 52.791 in a win over Tevin Tapia.
- The first 250 round featured only three runs under 52 seconds. In contrast, every 450 run inside the top ten was under 52 seconds in Round 1.
| Rank | Rider | Best Time | Race No | Win/Loss |
| 1 | Marvin Musquin | 51.463 | 2 | Win |
| 2 | Marvin Musquin | 51.710 | 1 | Win |
| 3 | Jessy Nelson | 51.859 | 2 | Win |
| 4 | Justin Hill | 52.041 | 2 | Win |
| 5 | Jessy Nelson | 52.223 | 1 | Win |
| 6 | Justin Bogle | 52.481 | 2 | Win |
| 7 | Justin Hill | 52.526 | 1 | Win |
| 8 | Justin Bogle | 52.564 | 1 | Win |
| 9 | Chris Blose | 52.673 | 2 | Win |
| 10 | Jordon Smith | 52.719 | 2 | Win |
250 Round 2
- Justin Bogle set the best time of the day in his third run against GEICO Honda teammate Jordon Smith. The soon-to-be SX rookie held his own in the final run, though, setting the second fastest lap (50.643) of the round in the loss.
- Bogle and Smith had an epic duel on Saturday. Six of the eight fastest laps set in the round came from their race, with the first and second coming from their final race! Let’s look at them head to head.
| Justin Bogle | Jordon Smith | |
| Race 1 | 51.558 | 51.425 |
| Race 2 | 51.139 | 51.756 |
| Race 3 | 50.588 | 50.643 |
- Times did improve in Round 2, with three riders setting times under 51 seconds (Bogle, Smith, and Marvin Musquin) and all top-ten times coming in under 52 seconds.
- Justin Hill was the only rider to advance to Round 3 without have a time inside the top ten. His fastest was a 51.875 in a race 2 win over Nico Izzi.
- Three of the fastest laps in the top ten came from losses. Jordon Smith had the second and sixth fastest laps of the round come in losses, while Bogle set the eighth fastest lap in a race 1 loss.
| Rank | Rider | Best Time | Race No | Win/Loss |
| 1 | Justin Bogle | 50.588 | 3 | Win |
| 2 | Jordon Smith | 50.643 | 3 | Loss |
| 3 | Marvin Musquin | 50.994 | 2 | Win |
| 4 | Justin Bogle | 51.139 | 2 | Win |
| 5 | Marvin Musquin | 51.424 | 1 | Win |
| 6 | Jordon Smith | 51.425 | 1 | Win |
| 7 | Justin Bogle | 51.558 | 1 | Loss |
| 8 | Jordon Smith | 51.756 | 2 | Loss |
| 9 | Jessy Nelson | 51.769 | 1 | Win |
| 10 | Jessy Nelson | 51.851 | 2 | Win |
250 Round 3
- Marvin Musquin was back at the top of the charts in Round 3. His 50.789 was the third fastest lap of the day through three rounds.
- Bogle was fast again in a loss in Round 3, setting the fourth quickest time in a race 2 defeat against Justin Hill.
- For the second straight round, the top three laps were all under 51 seconds.
| Rank | Rider | Best Time | Race No | Win/Loss |
| 1 | Marvin Musquin | 50.789 | 2 | Win |
| 2 | Justin Hill | 50.902 | 1 | Win |
| 3 | Marvin Musquin | 50.905 | 1 | Win |
| 4 | Justin Bogle | 51.059 | 2 | Loss |
| 5 | Justin Hill | 51.230 | 2 | Win |
| 6 | Jessy Nelson | 51.281 | 1 | Loss |
| 7 | Jessy Nelson | 52.557 | 2 | Loss |
| 8 | Justin Bogle | 53.194 | 1 | Loss |
250 Round 4
- Musquin still wasn’t able to top Bogle’s Round 2 time of 50.588 in the final. His 50.767 would stand as the third fastest lap of the day behind Bogle and Jordon Smith’s 50.643 in Round 2.
- Four of the top six quickest times came in the fight for third between Jessy Nelson and Justin Bogle.
- For the third straight round, the top three laps all came in under 51 seconds.
| Rank | Rider | Best Time | Race No | Win/Loss |
| 1 | Marvin Musquin | 50.767 | 2 | Win |
| 2 | Marvin Musquin | 50.909 | 1 | Win |
| 3 | Jessy Nelson | 50.942 | 2 | Win |
| 4 | Justin Bogle | 51.124 | 2 | Loss |
| 5 | Jessy Nelson | 51.198 | 1 | Win |
| 6 | Justin Bogle | 51.255 | 1 | Loss |
| 7 | Justin Hill | 51.259 | 1 | Loss |
| 8 | Justin Hill | 51.579 | 2 | Loss |
