On November 12, 2005, under the nocturnal skies above North Texas, only one worthy rider will earn the newly-coveted "Last Man Standing" title. Featuring 200 of the top off-road motorcycle riders in the nation in a multi-stage, elimination competition, the inaugural Red Bull Last Man Standing turns off-road motorcycle racing into a classic Texas-style shootout.
Located northwest of Dallas/Fort Worth along the Texas-Oklahoma border, the Red River Motorcycle Trails near Bulcher, Texas offer the most merciless terrain in North America. The organizers of Red Bull Last Man Standing have carved out a 40-mile loop that features steep, rocky uphill climbs, breathtaking descents, rocks the size of cars, trees so tight you can barely walk through them, 100 mph straight-aways, hard packed, perfect loamy dirt and sugar sand.
"It's every man for himself with a format never before seen in off-road racing," says Josh Whitaker of KTM North America, a leading manufacturer of off-road motorcycles. "The race combines gut-wrenching terrain with favorite elements from Enduro, Hare Scramble, Cross Country and Desert racing."
Red Bull Last Man Standing is comprised of four elimination stages (one lap each) and starts by pitting 200 invited riders on the 40-mile circuit. The first two 40-mile laps are run during the day, the second two laps at night - and in reverse. Only the top half of the riders move on after each lap until 25 are left for the fourth and final stage lap and the rider who wins is crowned "Last Man Standing," staking a claim to a majority share of $18,000 in total prize money.
The Start: 200 riders, side-by-side, line-up at the top of a plush, green valley. No lines, no trail, just pure virgin terrain lies ahead. Silent engines belie the madness about to begin. Across the valley a mile away, a signal fire is lit, engines roar to life and 200 riders launch into a bomb run down into the valley.
The Trails: Entering the trails brings some of the tightest, fastest, steepest, most technical and unforgiving terrain ever found. Constantly changing dirt brings the red clay of the Southeast, the hard packed light colored sand/dirt mix of the West, the black and hard dirt from the North Central and the rocks and dark loamy dirt from the Northeast.
The Night: Only the best at the top of their game will advance to the night laps and face an entirely new challenge. The direction is reversed and darkness changes everything. The uphill climb from before becomes a downhill into a dark abyss. The sharp left becomes an unexpected right. Creek beds with steep sides turn into dark alleys with walls closing in.
The Finish: In the end, it's a test of skill, endurance, and mental toughness. It's not just a race to the end; it's a race to survive. Because in the end, there is only one who will emerge as the best. There is only one Last Man Standing.
4 stage elimination laps
40 mile laps
2 laps run in daytime
2 laps run at nighttime
160 total miles
200 invited riders start first lap
100 riders start second lap
50 riders start third lap
25 riders start final lap
1 Last Man Standing
Only 200 riders, representing off-road racing series' from across the country, will be invited. In order to get an invitation, the rider must at least finish in the top 10 "AA"/Pro class in a national or regional off-road series or at least in the Top 10 semi-pro class in a national series. A select few wildcard riders will also be invited.
Invited series will include, but not be limited to, the following:
-Grand National Cross Country - GNCC (Cross Country)
-World Off-Road Championship Series -WORCS (Grand Prix)
-Off-Road Motorcycle and ATV Series - OMA National (Cross Country)
-AMA National Enduro Series (Enduro)
-AMA National Hare Scramble Series (Hare Scramble)
-Texas State Championship Enduro Series (Enduro)
-Texas Cross Country Racing Association (Cross Country)
-South Texas Off Road Motorcyclists (Hare Scramble)
-Black Jack Enduro Series (Enduro)
-Oklahoma Cross Country Racing Association (Cross Country)
-Arkansas Hare Scramble Series (Hare Scramble)
-Texas Off Road Organization (Hare Scramble)
-Southern Enduro Riders Association (Enduro)
-Rocky Mountain Enduro Circuit (Enduro)
-Florida Trail Riders (Enduro and Hare Scramble)
-South Eastern Enduro and Trailriders Association (Enduro and Hare
Scramble)
-North East Trail Riders Association (Enduro and Hare Scramble)
-AMA District 36 - Northern California (Enduro)
-AMA District 11 - Ohio (Enduro)
-AMA District 15 - Ohio (Enduro)
-East Coast Enduro Association (Enduro)
-Mid-South Hare Scramble Series (Hare Scramble)