WATCH THE VIDEO: Insane 3 Hour Mini Bike Enduro Race is a Nonstop CRASH AND BURN!! | 2022 GPS 180
Three hours of mini bike racing on a grueling 3.5 mile rocky race track. Bikes hold up astoundingly well considering the terrain, but the competition is fierce! Some built an awesome full suspension racing mini bike, and racers do their absolute best on this mini bike race trail.
by Janaki Jitchotvisut from https://www.rideapart.com
Only about half the bikes that started this race made it to the finish line.
When you see the number 180, what’s the first thing you think of? For many, it’s a complete reversal—you’re going in exactly the opposite direction from which you came. If you’re Go Power Sports, though, it’s a three-hour enduro race run entirely on minibikes in the wilds of its Texas grounds.
The guys behind the Cars and Cameras YouTube channel participated in both 2021 and 2022. Naturally, the most recent 2022 run was all about improving on mistakes made last year. I mean, that’s what all racers do, isn’t it? Overall, the experience did go a bit better, but there were definitely some hiccups that could be improved upon for 2023.
About 60 or so bikes (give or take) lined up to compete on the day, divided into three different classes. There was a junior class, for young racers. There were also two separate classes for riders with full suspensions, and hardtail riders (who were allowed to have front suspensions). The Cars and Camera crew, in their infinite wisdom, built their full-suspension entry and got it together just one day prior to race day.
While the bike and riders did pretty well, considering, as you’ll see throughout the video, building a bike the day before you plan to race it may not necessarily go how you planned. Although the team was hoping to get on the podium this year, unfortunately, that didn’t end up happening thanks to things like a chain that kept continually trying to pop off the rear sprocket. Also, have you ever had to hold a loose carburetor onto a running bike with your knee?
As they later noted, these are the kinds of things that could have been avoided if they’d had a day or two to properly shake down and test the bike prior to taking it racing. Fixing small issues and tuning the bike would have been a definite plus—and it’s something that the team is planning to do right for next year’s competition.
The attrition was pretty serious, with maybe about half the racers (or possibly less) actually finishing the race at the end. The team was very proud to have finished the race at all, which it did—and although it didn’t end up on the podium, the C&C crew did manage to bag fifth place in the softail class. The mud and memories will last a lifetime—and hey, there’s always next year.
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