When you are looking to get into an event that requires as much skill as it does a straight-up lack of fear or possibly even a lack of sanity, you might want to test yourself at an event amply named, TKO.
The Tennessee Knock Out, or sponsorship title name, Kenda Tennessee Knock Out, is an off-road junkies dream come true. Watching riders chew up rocks, terrain, water obstacles and probably your riding gear. The TKO is just one stroke away from either an ambulance ride or a podium position depending on how you handle the obstacles handed out.
Hold on to your helmets, what the hell is this race?
Well, it’s not for the faint of heart, but it is for those looking to test themselves against the man-made & natural elements around Sequatchie, Tennessee. The race was born from the imagination of Dan Brown, the guy who runs the Trials Training Center where the competition is located, a place that has been host to both National and World Championship Trial events. Alongside Eric Peronnard the guy who dreamt up EnduroCross.
These boys put together a race whose winner is eventually decided by a series of knockouts. They mix up the races with both long and short format, with a variation of incredibly difficult obstacles and terrain to try and navigate. The event draws world-class racers that face with scrambling up rocky hillsides, crawling over logs, and swimming their bikes upstream. With a think-tank like Dan and Eric at the wheel of creation, you are sure to have an eventful competition.
What to expect from the riders perspective
You are pitted against yourself in time trials and against other riders in the knockout rounds. The top 25 finishers from the Saturday competition, including the amateurs, will make it through to the Pro class held on Sunday. The first race is held on Saturday morning with half the riders being instantly knocked out by the end of the race. It’s an in your face, 23-mile track through the woods, across logs, navigating boulders, and pushing their bikes to the extremes.
Dirtbikes.com rated it the #4 extreme enduro race in the world. The winner will walk away with $3,000 in prize money, and there is $10,000 overall to be handed out. With only the first 250 male entries accepted to the armature class, registration has been known to fill up in under ten minutes. You can tell it’s a popular event that has competitors keen to prove themselves.
As A Fan, It’s Incredibly Close Up
How often as a fan do you get to chew on the dirt from the race you are watching? Well at the TKO you are just as likely to get a face full of fresh Tennessee soil as you are a breath of fresh air. For the most part, the fans and the riders are separated by nothing more than a piece of yellow caution tape, and oddly enough that doesn’t seem to hold them back. It was designed to be a great spectator competition, and we can agree, it looks downright gnarly.
Whether you are looking to prove you can handle your own on the track, or get in on the action as a fan, it’s worth checking out. The event is annual, and the online videos are extreme enough to sell tickets all on their own. Check out TennesseeKnockOutEnduro.com, for all the details for upcoming events.