No good story ever started with “I was riding the perfect bike in excellent conditions…” at least that’s what the mob at Dust Hustle believes, and we’re inclined to side with them. All hail dirt and inappropriate machines!
Hundreds of riders and over a thousand spectators descended on the Queendsland locality of Biddaddaba for the 4th annual Dust Hustle event, thrown by the good misfits over at Ellaspede. The event boasted three tracks for riders of all skills levels, from amateur to Dakkar Champion (seriously) to compete and smash about on. All things serious were to be left at home.
A hearty mix of machines was thrown to the dirt gods, from ridiculous machines that should never touch dirt (yet did) to monster machines made for this kind of abuse. No two riders or machine would be the same. And much to the delight of the hundreds of onlookers, there were plenty of stacks.
There’s no surprise that riders travel from far and wide to attend these overnight camping events. There’s no greater way to cleanse the soul, be it at Dust Hustle, Aftershock, or Dirt Masters. The four classes of racing that would dominate the dirt for the weekend would be ‘Risky Road Bikes’, ‘Clutchless Scooters & Posties’, ‘Old Mates’, and ‘Enduro & MX’. Races would roar from morning till afternoon, with a tucker break in between to keep the rider’s engines running.
Despite this event being a celebration of all things fun and embracing amateurs, a few legends hit the track as well to show folks how it’s done…. In a panda onesie. Dakar legend Toby Price rocked up on his famous KTM and appropriate attire, despite coming back from a broken leg. Those that know about Toby know that it’d take more than broken bones to keep him from hitting the dirt.
For more of the insanity head over to www.dusthustle.com and www.ellaspede.com
Photography by Brendan Schouten @brendanschoutenphoto
