It’s all fun, good vibes and camaraderie during the annual Keep It Dirty last March 30, 2019 at MX Messiah Fairgrounds. Four years of propagating the flat track dirt culture with fun side games along with steady enjoyable atmosphere under the blazing heat of summer.
The annual dirt festivity presented by Cafe Racer Philippines and MX Messiah Fairgrounds kicked off by honoring one of the most supportive individuals in the Philippine action sports and motorcycle industry, Mr. Dan Ramirez of Dan’s who passed away early this year.
Mr. Ramirez’s contribution to the sport of motocross and other two-wheeled action sports paved the way for organizers like Sam Tamayo of MMF and our Managing Director Mr. Michael Eijansantos to continue in organizing motorcycle related event such as the MMF Supercross and Keep It Dirty which Dan’s Powersports has been supporting since 2016.
This year’s Keep It Dirty was proudly supported by Kawasaki Motors Philippines and their best selling enduro bike KLX 150 together with top motorcycle brands such as Bell Helmets, Gaerne Boots, Oakley Philippines, Fox Racing Philippines, Motoworld, Metzeler, STKD, Deus and Ropali Classics.
For this year’s Keep It Dirty, OZ Racing and OZ x Moto produced a limited edition race jersey to gear up the riders during the race. Also, Siargao island born brand Gwapitos provided the official shirt and the design for this year’s themed poster and Imprint Customs provided us with a limited edition 2019 Keep It Dirty Trucker Caps to help us shield our vision in the blazing heat of the sun.
Race Director Mr. Mel Aquino of Mel Aquino’s Yamaha Offroad Training Camp said that this year’s Keep It Dirty was one for the books as he continued to help in maintaining the safety, keeping the race organized and always on time.
Keep It Dirty was dubbed as the coolest offroad event of the year by News Moto as they dropped the first video highlights of this event.
More than 70 racers joined the event and hundreds of fans and custom moto enthusiasts enjoyed the race and activities. Global brand Red Bull was in full support of Keep It Dirty this year as well as first-time brand participation by Motoworld. “It was a great event, we enjoyed Keep It Dirty and hopefully we can definitely support this event next year,” said Mr. Jeff Alvarez, Marketing Manager of Motoworld.
The event kicked off with the Push Bike Division, ages 2-4 years old and followed by the kids division. One of the most enjoyable moments during Keep It Dirty was to see parents cheer for their young ones as they race towards the finish line. Strider Philippines organized the fun race event headed by Strider School Philippines.
Parents of these young guns were thrilled to see their sons and daughters race the dirt track with intense cute action. It was mixed emotions also for our Managing Director Mr. Michael Eijansantos and his wife Pam as their first born son Anaiah Mikala made it to 2nd place podium after a come from behind victory
The excitement built up as the big guns went in for a spin at the newly shaped flat track circuit race track. Keep It Dirty started with the oval race track and for three years we celebrated and continued the tradition. Keep It Dirty 2019 was different as we break barriers, giving more race time and more opportunities for the racers to enjoy the race track by developing a circuit type race course.
Kitoy Samaniego, an avid offroad rider who works for KTM Philippines won the beginner’s category while Davao based MX King Bornok Mangosong secured his first Keep It Dirty Victory for Open Category. Ariz Amero showed his 2 stroke skills as he dominated the classic 2 stroke division with OZ Racing’s main man Zandro Fajardo came in 2nd while our Managing Director and event organizer Michael Eijansantos managed to snatch the 3rd spot podium riding his DT125.
Keep It Dirty will not be complete without the fun side contest. We invented some of the fun contest starting with Longest Rear Tire Slide presented by Metzeler and Motoworld. Competitors was given a one chance to lock in their rear tire while sliding on the dirt track.
The longest slide will be marked and the riders must beat his record. Spike Maguigad of STKD almost took the five thousand Gift Cheque prize from Motoworld but Fritzzy Claveria of Team 137 made the longest slide of the day with just a few meters of lead.
Then we have signature Donut Contest presented by Kawasaki Motors Philippines wherein competitors need to burn some rubber on dirt by performing a donut turn. Last year’s record was 19 turns by Ariz Amero, I think that record will be there for a long time.
Louie Camareno from Cebu who flew in for this event posted seven turns using a Kawasaki KLX 150. “Nakakahilo. But it was all worth it,” says Louie.
As hours dwindle to dusk we ended Keep It Dirty with the iconic Slow Race. The slow race was open to all even to those bystanders with their motorcycle on the sideline. We just required them to wear a helmet, yes, still safety first. – WAZILE
Keep It Dirty 2019 will not be possible without the support of our gracious partners and sponsors, MX Messiah Fairgrounds, Mel Aquino’s Yamaha Off-Road Training Camp (MAYOTC) Kawasaki Motors Phils.Corporation, OZRacing Lifestyle Dan’s Powersports Bell Powersports Philippines Gaerne Boot Co. Motoworld Philippines MetzelerOakley Gwapitos. Also to our long-time supporters from the Philippines motorcycle scene, Imprint Customs Automania PH STKD Surf MotoMotorcycleCity Royalenfield Waves & Pavement Supply co. Mano Handmade Goods Infinity motozone Wild Cubs and Friends, YRS Motorcycle Modifications (Philippines) BM Badz Car Wash & Repair Shop and to our custom trophy sponsors Garage Monkey Kustoms Tokwa Party Garage MC Customs Navatek. To our media friends and partners Driven2Ride.ph InsideRACING Magazine Motorsiklo News Magazine News Moto Motorcycle Philippines C! Magazine MotoPinas RidePH MakinaTurbanRider – Trail and Urban Rider #allaboutwheelsmanila. To our official media coverage partner Zhiyun-Tech Philippines.
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