Rekluse (Z Start clutch), Nite Rider (H.I.D. helmet light system), Rhino Lift (a stand), Fox Racing (various gear and bags), Cycra Racing (various products), Steve Hengeveld (signed gear), Yamaha (cool watches) and Beaverton Honda/Yamaha (gear bags).
A big, new addition to the 24-Hour family was having Red Bull as a partner, making the 2006 Dirt Rider Torture Test the best yet. The company spared nothing in its hospitality, supplying mass quantities of Mexican food for lunch and dinner, heaters, tables and chairs, bean bags, video games, music and-oh, yeah-all the Red Bull you could want for everyone in pit area. Its tent made a great hub in the pits and really helped keep everyone going throughout the event.
Every major manufacturer had a presence at our test, and there was also strong support and representation from Bridgestone, Dunlop, Maxxis and Michelin, Smith Sport Optics and Scott USA, along with a majority of the off-road motorcycle industry apparel and aftermarket manufacturers.
The infamous and sleepless Conga Line made a return to the test to provide a night shift for the many KTM entries. After he caught one test bike parked alongside a boxvan in the pits, Lewis quipped that the desert rats are like a bunch of girls going to the restroom: They won't go out alone. That cost a couple of the KTMs a few hours on the meter and ultimately some laps and mileage.
The CourseOnce again, we selected the Hungry Valley SVRA to conduct the test, and staged out of the I-5MX track in the special events area. The track was prepped and open but was not part of the final 32-mile loop. Virtually all of the trails out of the special events area are fully maintained, fast and wide routes easily traversed with a quad, so the beginning and end of the loop was predictably fast and easy but very scenic, with a fair amount of elevation change. Once into the main valley of the park, much of which is designated as open riding area, we were able to use the terrain to suit bikes. When you look in every gully, crack and crevice for single-track trail, you'll find it. Most folks would expect that a 32-mile loop in an SVRA would take no longer than an hour, but we located enough tight and twisting trail to make the 16 miles in the open area take approximately an hour by itself, with most riders completing the entire loop in 1hour 45 minutes to 2 hours! The loop kept things interesting for heroes and provided a memorable if eye-opening experience for average riders.
An optional endurocross section was built in the pit area, consisting of K-rail, tractor tires and dirt. The section became optional after it became apparent some people weren't going to necessarily get over without risk of injury.
As an event, DR's 24-Hour is socially as strong as ever and intense enough to reassert itself as the standard in off-road testing. When this year's test results are published in the June issue, they should be interesting at the least and informative at the most. We're proving that bikes are a lot tougher than in the past and running 24 hours isn't really an issue anymore, even with ridiculously modified machines. But it is sure is fun to try and push them, even if it is us who gets the workout.