Travis Pastrana will make a return to motocross next month when he lines up in the inaugural Red Bull Straight Rhythm event at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, California, on 4 October.

The ever-versatile Pastrana is set to compete in both Red Bull Global Rallycross on 19-20 September and two weeks later in the Red Bull Straight Rhythm.

“Either of these events are enough to get me excited, but the notion of taking them both on, just weeks apart, is exactly the kind of challenge I salivate over,” said Pastrana. “I love racing Rallycross, and I’m really pumped up for the totally new format of Red Bull Straight Rhythm.”

Pastrana’s participation in Red Bull Straight Rhythm will mark the first motocross event he has competed in since taking a five-year hiatus from the sport to focus on four-wheel racing.

“Most people who know me know that it’s really tough for me to turn my back on a new challenge and when I heard about the new head-to-head format of Red Bull Straight Rhythm, I instantly felt that tug on my heart to get into the mix,” he added.

“A one-of-a-kind format demands a one-of-a-kind machine and my team and I are bringing some seriously heavy artillery to the party in Pomona.”

The buzz around Pastrana’s return came when he released a video on his Instagram account featuring a 500cc two-stroke bike he had specifically built to race at Red Bull Straight Rhythm.

While traditional supercross races allow for only 250cc and 450cc classes, this event instead has a 250cc class and an Open class. When Pastrana got wind of the freedom from traditional engine size restraints in the open class, he decided to build the mammoth bike.

More information on the Red Bull Straight Rhythm can be found at www.redbull.com/straightrhythm.