WHERE TO RIDE: Dunefest in the Oregon Dunes

From the smiles on the riders’ faces, it was easy to see this year’s Oregon DuneFest delivered on its theme— the most fun a family can have on sand! An estimated 10,000 ATV, UTV and other sand machine enthusiasts from around the United States and Canada attended this year’s event, enjoying a festive five days of camping and riding in some of the tallest sand dunes—up to 500 feet!—in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area at Winchester Bay. For example, famed (and busy!) Banshee Hill: one vehicle wide, where you rocket straight up through towering fir trees for hundreds of feet!

DuneFest is the biggest organized ATV/ UTV event on the West Coast. It’s the best place to camp and ride during the hot summer months. Temperatures very rarely break 80 degrees.
DuneFest is the biggest organized ATV/ UTV event on the West Coast. It’s the best place to camp and ride during the hot summer months. Temperatures very rarely break 80 degrees.

WHAT TO DO
Organized DuneFest activities included ATV, side-by-side and MX races, barrel racing, a treasure hunt in the dunes, poker run and ATV relay races. Thursday night a drivein movie night took place on the sand, while Friday night live music was performed by the country music Jimmy Bobby band and Saturday night Steel Horse rocked the dunes into the night. At dusk on Friday night Whip It Light Rods, ModQuad and Tiger Lights hosted an unforgettable guided night ride for ATVs and SxS into pristine areas of the spectacular dunes under a giant silver Pacific Northwest full moon.

When the sun is shining, the Winchester Bay Dunes is the most beautiful riding area in the country. For clear skies, it’s best to hit the sand in late summer.
When the sun is shining, the Winchester Bay Dunes is the most beautiful riding area in the country. For clear skies, it’s best to hit the sand in late summer.

During the daytime events, XP racer Ken Dunnagan won the Grand Prix SxS race, battling it out in his XP 1000 against a turbocharged Can-Am Maverick. Weaving his way through the dunes, Ryan Costa of Florence, Oregon, took first place aboard his Yamaha YZ450F, and Keoni Corn won first place in the ATV MX competition racing his Honda TRX450R. Kalani Corn’s (Keoni’s dad) colorful, Hawaiian Punch-themed XP 1000 took top honors in Show & Shine, which also featured a 9/11 Tribute XP 1000 and a General Lee XP 1000 replica, among many other nicely tricked-out entries.

SAND DRAGS
Racing your ATV or SxS against friendly competitors from around the country on the Oregon Off-Road Racing Association’s professionally groomed sand-drag track is one of the most popular DuneFest events. The track uses NHRA-style drag timing lights and computer-generated time slips showing racers’ reaction time at the lights, 60-foot time, overall speed and elapsed time of their race. An all-day test and tune is held the first day of DuneFest, so riders can get accustomed to launching at the lights and blasting down the groomed 300foot track to the finish line, then daily class bracket races are held for anyone to enter. Handsome trophies are awarded to first- and second-place race winners, and a $350 purse is up for grabs for first place and $150 going to the second. Daniel Bergnach from Gibsons, British Columbia, Canada, raced his Redline Racing Yamaha Raptor 797cc to first place in Friday’s SportTree race with a 4.27-second run, with photographer Juli Miller right behind him in second place riding her Black Label Powersports Banshee.

DuneFest is part festival and part racing, with the drags taking center stage. If you want to test your straight-line skills against some of the best in the country, this is the place to do it.
DuneFest is part festival and part racing, with the drags taking center stage. If you want to test your straight-line skills against some of the best in the country, this is the place to do it.

In the Pro-Tree racing, Oregon State University student Justin Choi’s 3.866-second pass in the finals edged out a lightning-fast Kevin Tennison from Bend, Oregon, for the win and a $350 payday. Both racers were riding custom-long-frame, two-stroke-motorpowered quads. Jason Linville and Budy Palmer filled out the podium in third and fourth place.

Juli Miller snapped the photos of this year’s event for us. She is also an accomplished drag racer. At DuneFest, she took the win in multiple ATV and UTV classes. You can see more of her photography at www.dirtndunez.com.
Juli Miller snapped the photos of this year’s event for us. She is also an accomplished drag racer. At DuneFest, she took the win in multiple ATV and UTV classes. You can see more of her photography at www.dirtndunez.com.

SxS’ enjoy their own races on the sand-drag track, and this year there was some very fast competition in the ranks. In the SxS Sport-Tree race, it was Jeramie Whynot’s RZR XP 1000 on top, running a 5.8-second pass to the finish line, with Mckenzy Kurtz claiming second place. Pro-Tree SxS competition saw Chris Wells, who was on leave from the U.S. Navy and visiting family in Washington, on the top podium step in first place racing an XP 1000. Juli Miller again was second.

Banshee Hill is becoming world famous, and it is a must-see attraction. As you enter the dunes and head south paralleling the Pacific Ocean, the hill is nestled in the trees on your left about a mile down. Every rider either attempts the hill or at least stops to watch others. In drier conditions, it’s impossible to climb it without paddles.
Banshee Hill is becoming world famous, and it is a must-see attraction. As you enter the dunes and head south paralleling the Pacific Ocean, the hill is nestled in the trees on your left about a mile down. Every rider either attempts the hill or at least stops to watch others. In drier conditions, it’s impossible to climb it without paddles.

TRICKS AND TREATS
Monster Energy’s World Tour X Games-medalist dirt bike freestylers were on hand at this year’s DuneFest doing several shows, throwing down stunning mid-air tricks and flips that dazzled the crowds. Marc Burnett piloted his Polaris RZR skyward off a steep ramp in front of the main stage. After two very impressive— and scary—launches, which landed Marc with the rubber the wrong side up, the flip remains elusive and will have to be on the agenda for next year’s DuneFest. (Marc was uninjured thanks to his RZR’s substantial roll cage.) DuneFest’s vendors’ fair was an event in itself. Major industry vendors offered riding gear, clothing, ATV and SxS parts, accessories and bling, tires and wheels, lighting, suspension and exhaust systems, custom seats, armor, radio and sound systems, the newest in comfy RV “toy boxes,” and 2016 Yamaha and Arctic Cat product models, in addition to numerous hotfood choices. Since Polaris RZR was the title sponsor of the entire 2015 DuneFest event, they chose DuneFest as the public venue to unveil their 2016 product line, including the exciting new RZR XP Turbo. Yes, they had demos available to test! Polaris even donated a RZR XP Turbo to the DuneFest ATV Charity Auction. Other generous DuneFest vendors and sponsors also donated product to the auction, which raised an astounding $37,000 for the local food bank and charities that the Reedsport/Winchester Bay Chamber of Commerce (the organizer of DuneFest) supports in their small coastal community! DuneFest 2016 is already scheduled for July 27–31. For information and registration so you can join the family fun in the sand, go to www.dunefest .com or www.facebook.com/dune fest.

You might also like More from author

Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.

edit