Last weekend in beautiful Southern California, the Red Bull Straight Rhythm event took place in front of a very excited crowd. To make this year’s race even more interesting, only two-strokes were allowed to compete. With the two-stroke movement currently alive and well, this new format not only excited the fans and media but also got legendary riders like Ryan Dungey, Ryan Villopoto, Christophe Pourcel and Mike Brown interested in racing each other once again. So for the first time in years, fans were able to witness Ryan Dungey and Ryan Villopoto square off against each other as if it were 2013 all over again. In the end, though, it was young Troy Lee KTM rider Shane McElrath who eliminated Ryan Dungey in the final to win the 2018 Red Bull Straight Rhythm. It was another entertaining event, and this year having only two-strokes compete made it even more interesting. For this week’s Yamaha Motor Canada Behind the Lens we take a look at some photos courtesy of Red Bull.

With the setting California sun in the background, Carson Brown races to victory in the popular 125 class.

Riding a perfectly tuned KTM 250 two-stroke, Ryan Dungey made it to the final and almost won the 2018 Red Bull Straight Rhythm.