Person riding a small motorcycle with text about winning the GPS180.

GPS180 2025: Dust, Rocks, Last‑Lap Glory, and the Heart of a Community

If you were anywhere near the ranch on November 8th, you felt it. Dust hanging in the air. Rocks rattling under tires. A bike split in half. Another caught fire. And in the middle of the chaos, a community that looked out for each other while racing flat‑out for 3 hours. Then, in the final lap, a decisive pass crowned a new overall champion: Andrew Porter.

This is the story behind the 2025 GPS180 from the people who lived it.

The day the dust took over.
The 2025 course was the rockiest and dustiest yet. Mega Moto Mountain was a minefield. Rockwood Ridge punished suspensions. Pucker Up Buttercup separated the smooth from the sketchy. Spectators were calling it the Dust Bowl, and they weren’t wrong. We’re already working on a water trailer for 2026 to knock the dust down so riders and fans can see—and breathe—better.

Chaos, comedy, and courage.
Between laps, our crew grabbed interviews in the wildest places—trailers, pits, even mid‑tow. We watched a frame snap clean in half and heard the mythic tale of riders muscling the front end back with their legs to finish a lap. One bike caught fire near the end of New Hogland; Stanley was there with the extinguisher before the rescue crew arrived. Everyone pitched in. That’s GPS180.

A moment that stopped us: ASL Mini Bike Burrows.
Mini Bike Burrows—a deaf riding crew from Austin—showed up, signed to coordinate pits, finished their race, then took home our Kudos Award. When they came up for the photo, the entire crowd raised their hands and signed applause. It was a chill‑the‑spine moment that captured what this event is really about.

Heavy hitters and heartbreaks

  • Lee Taylor set a blistering early pace before bike issues bit.
  • Cars and Cameras wrenched up a bike on site and went for it—tense, fast, and unlucky with chain tensioners.
  • The Northmen, last year’s hardtail winners, blew an engine late.
  • 405 Minibikes posted a jaw‑dropping frame‑snap clip that will live in GPS180 lore.
  • Newcomers like Nick Miner stayed upright and learned the course the hard, honest way.

How Andrew Porter won on the last lap.
We phoned the new champ during the show to break down his race. Porter’s day started in a dust cloud and with carb trouble that forced him to ride on the throttle down steep descents. He pitted early to swap air filters, then ran metronome‑steady laps. On the final lap, he reeled in Cars and Cameras and Austin riding with David Rogers.

The pass came at the UI and down Pucker Up Buttercup: inside to outside to inside, set up clean, and gone. He crossed believing he might have it; the confirmation came when we announced it. Seventeen laps, overall winner, and the first person to take Juggernaut full suspension, soft‑tail class, and the overall in the same event.

Inside Porter’s bike and mind

  • Platform: Taylor’s ground‑up build with our Megalodon kit.
  • Tweaks: automatic chain tensioner (TLC), pegs moved back for better center of gravity. Engine untouched.
  • Fueling: dual‑tank feed (unit tank into stock), one fuel stop around 1:40 into the race.
  • Maintenance: swapped air filters twice due to dust.
  • Toughest sections: back hairpin in Cars and Cameras Corridor; Rockwood Ridge.
  • Technique: sit and weight the rear to settle chatter on Rockwood; let the bike float when it wants to, don’t fight it everywhere.

Prep matters: Porter studied. He asked for raw practice footage, learned the section names, pre‑rode in MO/KS, and arrived with a plan. That’s what real racers do—and it showed.

What we’re improving for 2026

  • Dust control: water trailer/truck to tame the Dust Bowl.
  • Pit flow: clearer slow/stop lanes and more staff during peak traffic.
  • Rescue: adding vehicles so stranded riders aren’t waiting 30–45 minutes.
  • Spectator experience: exploring live timing, big‑screen views of remote sections, and camera systems (zipline cam, multi‑cam switch) to bring the back‑40 action to the pits.
  • Course visuals: more cones/barricades and clearer turn markers so riders can stay fast and safe.
  • Possible classes: recognizing top woman and 60+ performances while keeping everyone racing together.

Scorecards, merch, and deals

  • Full scorecards: gps180race.com
  • GPS180 merch: upside‑down mini bike hats, tees, long sleeves, and zip hoodies in XS–3X. If we sold out at the event, hit “notify me” on the product page or stop by the shop.
  • Deal: Use code GoPower2025 for 10% off and free US shipping on orders $200+ (some exclusions apply).

What’s next

  • Pullstart Picnic + GPS 660: April 11–12
  • Built Well 100, Ridgecrest, CA: early April (Porter’s aiming for it)
  • Mini Mayhem (NC) with Cars and Cameras: spring
  • GPS180 2026: November 7, 2026

Why this race matters.
GPS180 is grit and generosity in equal measure. It’s where a rider with kidney stones still fights for laps. Where a frame snaps and the legend grows. Where the fastest riders chase perfection while the rest of us chase our personal best. And where a deaf crew from Austin reminds us that the loudest applause doesn’t make a sound.

Want to see it all unfold?
Watch the full Mini Bikin’ Ain’t Eazy episode, including our phone interview with champion Andrew Porter: