More than 500 meters of track were installed at Olympic Plaza Friday, helping turn downtown Calgary into a motocross track.
That's because the city hosted the first leg of the Red Bull Outliers event Saturday, until heavy rain wiped out the late afternoon portion of the competition.
"Safety and security of the participants and spectators is always a primary focus for Red Bull," said spokesperson Alexandra Martineau in a release. "Therefore, following discussions with local authorities, we have decided to discontinue Red Bull Outliers in Olympic Plaza – Calgary downtown."
That early shutdown didn't change the plan for Sunday, however, when Red Bull Outliers switches to the Badlands, near Steveville.
More than 250 drivers from around the world are taking part in the event, which had its Calgary debut in 2019, before being shut down the past two summers due to the pandemic.
One of the drivers is Lexi Pechout, a Calgarian, who spoke to CTV News Friday.
"Because it's part of the World Enduro series, we have lots of people coming in from Europe, the U.S., all over the world to come to this event, so it's a really big deal for it to be in the city," Pechout said.
Lexi Pechout is a Calgary motocross rider competing in the Red Bull Outliers event
It was a really big deal for Pechout to be competing at home, too.
"It's fun to compete with friends and family here too," she said. "Having an event in your home city is always fun.
"And being able to connect with people that way too."
Sunday's Badlands event has free admission.
Steveville is a ghost town in southeastern Alberta near Brooks, on Township Road 2204.