PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDY JACKMAN

With a few casual Australian Supercross Championships under his belt, Dan Reardon knows a thing or two about throwing a dirt bike around. One thing he knows even more about is having a good time and, well, that’s exactly why he’s heading to the first ever Red Bull Day in the Dirt Down Under at Queensland Moto Park! Here are his lead-up thoughts:

DITDDU: Dan, how are you feeling about heading to QMP for the very first Red Bull Day in the Dirt Down Under event?
DR: I’m feeling pumped! We have watched Day in the Dirt happen in the States for a number of years, and you know, you can always go watch professional dudes do their thing, but this way everyone can be on the track at the same time. There are a few guys doing it from America like Tyler Bereman and Darryn Durham, and Toby Price is gonna be there, and there are a bunch of top Aussie racers too, so everyone attending is in for a treat. It’s just a cool event to get everyone together – from Queensland dirt bike fans to everyone throughout Australia – just to have a good old fun time.

It’s being held at Queensland Moto Park, so relatively close to home for yourself. Are you excited to see the final layout that’s expected to be around five minutes long?
Yeah, I am! I’m really familiar with QMP – I travel there when I need to. I hope they get some big dozers out there and make a pretty rad track. The guys from America are gonna want a good setup, and I think Day in the Dirt – along with the Fasthouse and Red Bull crews – create fun and really, really cool stuff. I think it’s going to be a really good event and it will be good for the Australian scene. I’m pretty excited to get out and do some racing, and I know I’m not much of a motocross guy, but I’ll still be having fun!

What classes are you planning on entering?
To tell you the truth, I actually don’t know at the moment. Because it’s so close to Supercross, I’ve gotta be a little bit careful, but I’ll mainly be racing for fun. I just want to ride around on my bike – whether it’s in team events or other races, I don’t really mind.

Like you said, Toby Price will be there along with Tyler Bereman and Darryn Durham. What do think about mixing it up with them?
It’s going to be good. We’re coming from different worlds, and the Fasthouse crew always have awesome athletes at events who come from different backgrounds, whether they used to race motocross or freeride. We’ve got Toby as well – he crushes in the off-road world, so it’s good to have such an array of riders come together. At the end of the day, we call it a race, but I guarantee they all have the same attitude of getting out and having some fun – that will be the vibe for the entire weekend.

I was going to ask about how competitive you were going to be, especially in the Coup de Grace, but you’ve already said you’ve gotta be a little careful. It sounds like you’re going there in the true spirit of the event, and that’s to have fun riding your dirt bike.
Yeah! You ask any racer and they’ll say they’re doing it for fun, but obviously, at the back of their mind, there’s that occasional thought to squeeze it from time to time. I don’t do anything anymore unless I enjoy doing it, and that includes dirt bike riding. I’m going there to have a good time and represent the Fasthouse crew, and to hang out with everybody! That’s what I want from the weekend, and I can’t wait.

Thanks for your time, Dan. See you at QMP!
Cheers, mate!