10,000 tonnes of dirt and 40 of the best BMX riders on the planet will be descending to a small town in Devon this weekend as the Red Bull Empire of Dirt makes a welcome return to the UK.

This year’s comp promises to be a super powered affair! Only the most daring and creative riders will survive. The course is immense. The ‘drop in’ is fierce, the spine is completely ‘sick’ and the hip at the end doesn’t get any bigger! Oh and did I mention anything about those wall rides?! Scary. In the words of Kye Forte, Red Bull Empire of Dirt creator and all round nice guy: “The hip is so knarly. You have to read it, lay off the brakes and get it exactly right otherwise it could be nasty.”

In the baking heat a number of the world’s finest BMX riders got their first taste of the epic Red Bull Empire of Dirt course yesterday. The riders leading the charge included Kye Forte (UK), Brian Foster (US) and Gary Young (US). South African hopeful Buddy Chellan was super pumped at the end of his practice session.

When we finally caught up with him, he said: “This course is awesome. I love the way it combines all three BMX disciplines. I have never experienced a course like it. The more you push, the more you get out. You’re not only battling with the course, your battling with yourself. Who ever dares on Saturday will win.”