Orange County-based race promoter Over the Hump Mountain Bike Race Series has signed its first licensing deal, adding a new midweek summertime race series in neighboring Los Angeles County.
Dirty Racing Inc., which produces the Red Bull Day in the Dirt Motocross Grand Prix, will launch the eight-race, Thursday-night series May 23 at Lake Castaic in the Santa Clarita Valley.
“We can’t wait to bring Over The Hump north to Los Angeles County,” said Dirty Racing owner Kenny Alexander. “The mountain bike scene is going crazy here, so what could be better than bringing OTH to L.A.? We need a race series that is geared for all levels, so we’re stoked to be teaming up with the Over the Hump crew.”
OTH launched in 2009 as a “Hump Day”—Wednesday night—race series accessible to riders of all skill levels. “We didn’t really care how racing had been done. We just wanted to do something that would be fun even for novice riders,” recalled John Russell, who co-founded OTH with partner Matt Wenger.
Participant surveys have shown that more than half of racers were first-timers, Russell added.
The original OTH has since moved to Tuesday nights, though still staged at Irvine Lake, and draws as many as 600 racers — many driving in from L.A. County— 1,000 spectators and a packed expo area populated by local bike shops and industry suppliers.
In the L.A. licensing deal, OTH will arrange the new series’ formatting, website and liability release, and help with acquiring sponsors. OTH also coordinates all branding — including fliers, posters and merchandise — to ensure consistency between both series.
OTH continues to seek new licensees, and recently entered talks with a group in Phoenix, Arizona, to establish a race series in the late fall and early spring, though no deal has been struck.
