Besides the usual Fourth of July party/race weekend, this year had a slightly different feel, as it was also a bit of a memorial for Gene Ritchie, the patriarch of the Ritchie clan, who have built RedBud into what it is today. There were signs all around the facility, and the staff had the t-shirts that you see above.
Charlie Burgess did up this custom jersey with a photo of Gene on the front, and Gene's usual number (80H) on the back.
There was also a memorial lap on Friday, which brought out tons of riders. Yep, RedBud inspired a few bike graphics, too.
You can't walk around the pits, campgrounds, or track without frequently hearing the RedBud call. Below, Broc Tickle tossed it out there from the podium, and got a solid response from the crowd.
RedBud's water truck fleet is stellar at laying down good coverage on the track...and very quickly.
The fans at the podium are full-on participants. They got their money's worth.
Of course, there are some bad ideas, too...and yeah, he did drink from it.
Renthal bars as a beer bong? Sure, why not?
The Michigan Mafia and RedBud Rowdies were well-represented. We also like the viewing stand mounted in the back of the pickup on the right.
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