A new event coming to Whistler Olympic Park this weekend will have an extreme flair to it.
The All Terrain Moto Expo will feature 2008 X Games sno-cross silver medallist Brett Turcotte performing tricks on his summer steed of choice, his motocross bike. Daylan Tomshak and Jamie Iwaschuk will also join Turcotte.
The Kamloops resident plans to put on a thrilling show for those in attendance.
"It's definitely going to be some excitement. It sounds like it's going to be a good time out there with different avenues of dirt-biking and motorbike riding," he said. "As far as the freestyle show goes, it should be a pretty good little group of riders there. I'm bringing my full bag of tricks, so I'll be doing some backflips and some other seat-grab tricks. It should be a whole bunch of fun."
Turcotte is thrilled to see Whistler Olympic Park being used as a hub for the proceedings and explained an event like this could be used as a catalyst for the sport's growth across the province.
"The fact that it's taking place in the old Olympic Park up there is pretty intense, actually. I really never envisioned Whistler accepting motorized vehicles in that level, so to be invited to do something like that is definitely a little bit out of the ordinary," he said. "It's cool, and it makes it exciting for everyone in the Sea to Sky as well because it's giving people an outlet to go and try out new products and take in some events and really open up the doors to what Whistler really has to offer for two wheels."
Turcotte said this will be the last moto event of the summer for him as he's getting into snowmobile season the next weekend.
"I've been on the road every weekend since the summer started, and it basically started on May long (weekend). I rode a mountain bike event out in Kamloops and I started riding motos the day after that," he said. "It doesn't seem like I've been off the bike all that much other than the odd little nagging injury here and there."
The event, which runs Sept. 3 and 4, will also serve as a fundraiser for Spinal Cord Injury Canada to support its research initiatives. Admission is $10 and proceeds will go toward the cause.
In addition to vendors showing off their wares and Turcotte and friends performing tricks, there will be a barbecue, live music and several opportunities for enthusiasts to come ride. Organizer Eduardo Vazquez-Vela saw an opportunity to try to give riding a boost in the Pacific Northwest and is trying to take advantage.
"It's, I believe, one of the first off-road expos on the West Coast," he said. "I've been riding motorcycles all my life and I see a lot of people biking to Whistler but there's nothing organized for motorcycles here — no gatherings, there's no motorcycle association in Whistler."
Vazquez-Vela expects to draw roughly 500 people from across the province, as well as Alberta, Oregon and Washington state.
For more information, visit www.allterrainexpo.com.
