Camcorder Downhill Classics is our latest Wheelbase Magazine video series and features home-movies of downhill skateboard racing from the late 1990s and through the early 2000s. This was the heyday of downhill skateboard racing on prime time television—an era where Biker Sherlock and a cast of other downhill skaters helped put downhill skateboarding back on the map after a long period of dormancy (in the context of skateboarding culture overall) and thus, helped spark today’s DH movement and industry. That said, this limelight for downhill was short lived as the TV executives pulled the plug on all the televised events, and DH went back underground for some years. Lucky for all of us frothing DH skate-nerds of today, our editor used to work for and skate with one of the dudes who traveled the world competing in many of the events of this era. And guess what? He always made sure to bring along his trusty camcorder to the events! Thank you Eric Lee for documenting all of this and for sharing this history with Wheelbase and our readers.
Anyway, we’d like to introduce the third video in our Camcorder Downhill Classics series featuring home movie clips shot at the 2002, Red Bull “SKID ROW” race in Seattle, Washington. This event attracted a large cast of rippers including international riders and many up-and-comers. Here’s just a few that were in attendance: Patrick Rizzo, Danny Conner, Biker Sherlock, Lee Dansie, Chris Chaput, Dave Bryant, Gary Hertig, Sergio Yuppie, Darryl Freeman, Rick Kludy, Dane Van Bommel, Deano Ozuna, Jimmy Flint, Leemo, Kaiser, Brady, and many more. Please enjoy the vid and read below for further perspective from this specific event from Eric Lee himself:
This Seattle, Washington ‘SKID ROW’ event was hosted by Red Bull. They did three events—two on Skid Row and one at some park. Red Bull put on a few big downhill events during this time: DHX in South Africa, Rio in Brazil, and this one in Seattle.
Everything Red Bull did was first-class and they treated the racers like royalty.This was the race with the Canadians, and the guys from the Northwest started to make their presence known. Up until this point downhill had been a pretty tightknit group of the same people generally from Southern California. Redbull was always really good at getting international racers too, and as always, the South Africans and the Swiss we’re very fierce. - Eric Lee
VIDEO Courtesy of Eric Lee and recorded by someone’s mom, or something.