Mongoose Keeps it Old School at Inaugural DirtyFest

By Dwayne Taylor, Mongoose Brand Ambassador

This year was the launch of the inaugural DirtyFest, which was put on by the Dirty Knobs Podcast and none other than “Hollywood” Mike Miranda. This much anticipated Vintage BMX Race & Bike Show fully lived up to the hype. The 3-day event was held at Vailocity Bike Park in Temecula, CA, and Mike made sure Mongoose was supplied with a prime location for our Pit set up.

The Mongoose pit was flowing with constant traffic, whether it was RAD past Mongoose team members or fans stopping by to say hi. Each person that stopped by had a story to tell and made sure to check out our products on display like the MOTOMAG III and to pick up a sticker or two. Fans also made sure to bring the Mongoose bike that they raced and restored.

The vibe was super positive at the pit and you could tell fans appreciated Mongoose’s involvement in the event to pay homage to our rich BMX history. Even the “Kos” himself came and left one of his bikes in our care to display in the pit.

Although it was fun to see all the vintage bikes and meet BMX legends in attendance, the real fun was watching the racing! The track was 100% old school with a 6-man gate, flat turns, loose dirt, and pure leg-out vintage racing. They even had a rubber band start for the era correct moto.

From riders on suspension BMX to real era correct Motomag bikes, racers were giving it all they had on every lap. And every moto had a BMX Hero on the gate that no one had seen race in years. Mongoose Team rider Mykel Larrin was their repping the brand, and even brought out his fully stock Supergoose and lined up in the vintage repop class.

Mykel came to the event hyped up with enthusiasm and his usual positive energy. Going threw the rounds, Mykel bettered his finishes and he even left with a 2nd spot on the podium!

It was amazing event and weekend that I will never forget. I’m hopeful that I’ll be back at Dirtyfest 2024 on behalf of the Mongoose brand for our highly anticipated 50 anniversary.

Photo credit David Rivera