WILDWOOD – After more than a year of planning, Red Bull athletes hit the Wildwood sands for the first time, May 6, as part of the “Red Bull Beach Scramble,” where racers suited up and drove modified utility terrain vehicles (UTVs) around a massive track on the beach next to Mariner’s Pier.
Wildwood Commissioner Krista Fitzsimmons said the event has been in the works for over a year. Red Bull first approached the city to host the event, part of a country-wide “Scramble” series.
“We took a leap of faith,” she said to the Herald, as UTVs raced on the sand behind her. “We heavily vet these people and these events, but this is a perfect kind of free family event that we want here. It’s only because of H2oi that we were hesitant. We are thrilled with today’s turnout.”
Alicia DeLuca, Wildwood’s special events coordinator, said that this is the first “urban” setting in the series and that Red Bull organizers were excited about the spacious beaches.
Austin “AJ” Jones, a professional Red Bull UTV racer from Arizona, explained to the Herald that “a UTV is basically a smaller version of an off-road truck. Anyone can buy one from a dealership, so they’re user-friendly and relatively accessible to anyone. We take those stock UTVs and modify them to be race cars. We give them suspension upgrades and safety upgrades.”
These upgrades are important – racers took high-speed jumps on the beach, and at least two UTVs flipped over while shredding the course.
Jones signed to Red Bull in January 2023 and explained that his life is largely dominated by travel.
“Racing is my life, and it’s what I really love and care about, but it’s definitely tough being away from home for so long.”
He said that he is home for only 10 days a month; the other 20 days are spent traveling the world to race in a variety of different track environments.
This was Jones’ first time in New Jersey. He said that the friendliness of the town was a bit of a surprise and bucked the rowdy reputation that the New Jersey shoreline sometimes has.
“I’m not sure if it’s because we’re in Wildwood and not somewhere like Seaside Heights, but Wildwood has been a really great place to be. I would definitely come back,” he said.
Seth Quintero, who raced alongside Jones, told the Herald that he has been racing UTVs since he was 11. He signed to Red Bull when he was 12.
“I race a lot of European rallies and local series. These Scramble events are low stress, low pressure races where we show face and have fun in new places,” he said.
The day’s ambience was intense. Massive “Red Bull” tents and course markers stood tall on the beaches between Oak and Poplar avenues, and several high-profile sponsors, Wawa chief among them, attended the event to give away free food and prizes.
Red Bull is one of the world’s biggest sponsors of extreme sports, and this was their first time hosting an event in Cape May County. They seemed to spare no expense.
Custom, branded vehicles, including two custom Mini Coopers with modified truck beds that served as massive coolers for free Red Bull and a custom Land Rover where a DJ played beats to a large crowd, were highlights.
Red Bull representatives wore backpack coolers shaped like Red Bull cans and passed out free drinks to attendees.
Are you a UTV fan? Do you guzzle energy drinks? Reach out to the author at chall@cmcherald, or give him a call at 609-886-8600, ext. 156.
Content Marketing Coordinator / Reporter
Collin Hall grew up in Wildwood Crest and is both a reporter and the editor of Do The Shore. Collin currently lives in Villas.
