Action sports entertainment trailblazers Nitro Circus and leading multimedia sports entertainment company ESPN join forces to premiere Race to Rebuild as part of the World of X Games content series. The in-depth documentary is spearheaded by action sports icon – and Nitro Circus ringleader – Travis Pastrana and highlights the skills of the brand’s top content creators.
“I am so excited for Nitro Circus to team up with ESPN on Race to Rebuild,” Travis Pastrana says. “ESPN has been such a big supporter of action sports over the years and they have given athletes a great platform to elevate their disciplines, show their talents and bring their stories to a global audience.”
Joe Carr, CEO of Thrill One Sports & Entertainment, parent company of Nitro Circus, adds, “We are thrilled to premiere this project on ESPN. ESPN has championed the best in sports filmmaking with their excellent 30 for 30 series and The Last Dance documentary. Race to Rebuild shares these amazing films’ wider themes and human-interest storytelling.”
Race to Rebuild follows Travis Pastrana as he teams with motocross legend Kevin Windham and experienced racer Ryan Sipes to not only represent Team Puerto Rico in the sport’s most prestigious event, Motocross of Nations (MXoN), but also to give back to the U.S. territory still struggling to recover from the devastation of 2017’s Hurricane Maria.
Pastrana, whose grandfather was from Puerto Rico and who had spent a lot of time there with his family, was shocked by the destruction that Maria caused. Determined to help, he set out to create a team to compete in what is considered, “the Olympics of motocross,” in an effort to raise awareness and provide relief for the Puerto Rican people. To do this however, the veteran trio, guided by legendary manager Ricky Johnson, would have to face off against the world’s best, putting their skills to the test against a new generation of elite riders.
Produced by Travis Pastrana, this 90-minute film gives an in-depth look at the passion behind the project and how it drew the motocross community together to make a difference. Race to Rebuild debuts on Sunday, June 14th at 5:00pm ET/2:00pm PT on ESPN2, with an encore presentation on Monday, June 15th at 11:00pm ET/8:00pm PT. To see a preview, go here.
Fueling this endeavor is Travis Pastrana’s love of action sports and his drive to use it to effect change. “This was an incredible opportunity, not only for Kevin, Ryan and myself to be a part of motocross’ biggest race but also for us to raise funding and awareness that made such a positive impact,” Pastrana reflects. “It’s been such an honor to represent Puerto Rico during this project. Our original goal was to help fix up the motocross tracks in hopes of bringing back that outlet for family fun in the community. Through the amazing success of this project with the full support of the motocross community, we were able to do so much more than we ever expected. It’s truly awesome to be a part of something like this.”
This collaboration with ESPN resonates all the more as Pastrana’s historic X Games achievements, such as the world’s first double backflip, are taking center stage once again as the competition celebrates its 25th anniversary.
Nitro Circus has grown into a global sports entertainment brand first from the homemade DVD’s filmed by Travis Pastrana and his friends through hit television series and a sold-out world tour. But the company’s media production team has also earned industry acclaim for capturing powerful personal stories. These include a new long-form digital documentary on brain injury, mental health and overall wellness in action sports, as well as Never Say Can’t: the Bruce Cook Story, chronicling paraplegic FMX athlete Bruce Cook’s return to the sport he loves.
About Nitro Circus
Driven by the incredible skills of action sports’ top athletes and the daring exploits of its bold daredevils, Nitro Circus creates electrifying live events and media content that at once exhilarates, captivates and inspires thrill-seeking fans worldwide. Co-founded in 2003 by iconic superstar Travis Pastrana, Nitro Circus has since grown into a multiplatform phenomenon producing hit television programming, critically acclaimed documentaries and innovative digital offerings. That success gave rise to the Nitro Circus Live tour. Created in 2010, Nitro Circus has since travelled across the planet, playing to sold-out stadiums on five continents. The company introduced an innovative breakthrough in 2016 with the debut of Nitro World Games, completely revolutionizing action sports competition and then raised the bar once again in 2018 with Nitro Rallycross, a rejuvenation of four-wheel motorsports. With over three million tickets sold to date, television programming that has aired in over 60 countries, more than 25 million engaged fans across its social media platforms and a burgeoning consumer products business, Nitro Circus is a global sports entertainment leader. For more information visit www.nitrocircus.com.
Nitro Circus is now part of Thrill One Sports & Entertainment, alongside Street League Skateboarding (SLS) and Superjacket Productions. Founded in January 2020, Thrill One unites industry-leading brands in action sports and thrill-based entertainment under one banner to form the world’s largest independent action sports operator and media company.
