Mountain Biking Event Rooted in Outdoor Adventures, Inspired Epic Movements and Freestyle Creativity

IRVINE, Calif., October 28, 2021 – From October 17-19, Kia America took to the Utah desert as the official vehicle of Red Bull Rampage, the country’s premier big mountain, free-ride mountain biking event. Red Bull Rampage also marked its 20^th anniversary as home to some of the biggest and best tricks, lines, and moments in freeriding mountain biking history.

Kia’s sponsorship included presenting the Virtual Live Set and the Digger Award for the hardest working team, won by Joel Shockley and Samuel Mercado for their efforts in digging athlete Jaxson Riddle’s line. In addition, Kia also provided twelve 2022 Sorento SUVs as support vehicles for teams, organizers, and fans throughout the event. A one-of-a-kind Sorento Zion Edition concept vehicle was also on display.

“Twenty years is a great milestone for Red Bull Rampage and this year’s event delivered on all of the inspired creativity we have come to expect,” said Russell Wager, vice president, marketing, Kia America. “For the past two decades, Red Bull Rampage has promoted the freeride scene, outdoorsmanship and the pursuit of new adventures. This year, Kia and our lineup of rugged and capable SUVs helped foster the epic tricks and unbelievable moments Red Bull Rampage is famous for.”

As part of the sponsorship, Kia America helped bring a unique perspective of the mountain to viewers at home so they could experience Rampage virtually. A hyper-real 3D model of the mountain was added to the virtual set during the livestream, highlighting the custom features and runs of each athlete. The technology provided viewers a first-hand look at the iconic event by allowing the hosts to place a virtual camera anywhere on the photorealistic mountain. This allowed the hosts – and viewers – to check out every feature in up close detail, bringing added visibility to the tricks of each rider’s run.  

Red Bull’s 20^th Anniversary Rampage brought together 15 of the world’s best riders who descended upon the rugged desert landscape of Southern Utah and spent nine days preparing for the event – the first four days carving out their ultimate lines into the side of near-vertical sandstone ridges; followed by a rest day and then four days of practice runs in advance of the epic desert showdown where only one rider reigned supreme.

This year’s winner was Canada’s Brandon Semenuk, who became the first-ever 4-time winner of the event as well as the first-ever back-to-back winner of the event. The inaugural Red Bull Rampage was held in 2001 and since it began, has seen 15 different events and nine different winners take their place in the annals of freestyle history. Part of this year’s event was a retrospective that took a look back at some of the most memorable moments from the past 20 years as well as how technology has evolved since the event began.