The Bandit Grand Prix is setting out to provide a race experiences in a field of its own - one that is equal parts competitive as it is inclusive, fun, and community driven. In collaboration with TrimbleChang Racing, the same team that brought The Red Hook Crit series to the global running scene, we are bring this epic format to the Banditverse of July 5th. We sat down with David Trimble, the Grand Prix race director for his takes on the event.
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David—Please introduce yourself. Where are you, who are you, why are you?
I am David Trimble. I am a race organizer from New York City who has designed and produced events including the Red Hook Crit, the Midnight Half, Neversink Invitational, Hatcher Pass Road Race, Race Against the Sun, and more.
The Red Hook Crit lives on as a legend of NYC racing lore. Tell us a little about it and what made it so special.
The Red Hook Criterium was a fixed gear competition that I founded in 2008 in Red Hook, Brooklyn. It grew into an international championship series with races in Brooklyn, London, Barcelona and Milan. It became famous for its extremely intense and spectacular format and the way it celebrated high level athleticism while also focusing on culture, community and design.
I also organized the Red Hook Criterium 5k which took place between the qualifying and finals of the bike race. The ‘Crit 5k’ was known in the NYC running scene for its intensity and technical multi-lap circuit.
The Red Hook Criterium was both an important sporting and cultural event and we hope to carry on this tradition with the Bandit Grand Prix.
Where do you pull inspiration from for the various races and events you’ve built over the years?
There is so much that has inspired our races over the years. A few of the main ones are listed below
Motorsports. As a teenager, I raced go-karts at a professional level. My dream was to become the next great American Formula One driver. After the dream of becoming a driver faded, I worked as a mechanic on Indycars. I spent many years of my life traveling around the world working at Grand Prixs. This experience fundamentally shaped how I view racing.
Architecture and design: After graduating from motorsports, I worked for my uncle’s boutique architecture firm in NYC. I have tried to carry over the same level of design and attention to detail that was the standard in this line of work. In high end architecture even the smallest details are obsessed over.
Alleycat Street Racing (cycling): When I moved to NYC in my early 20’s I became obsessed with alleycat street racing. I competed in all of the major competitions including Monstertrack, Rumble Thru The Bronx, Cranksgiving, Bridge Battle and more. I even won a few…
This obsession inspired me directly to organize the Red Hook Crit and the Midnight Half.
Tell us about your new agency, Trimble Chang.
I previously produced events under Trimble Racing. By joining forces (officially) with my partner, Cherefawn Chang, and creating Trimble Chang, our skillset and bandwidth to produce world class events has substantially widened.
We are best known for the Red Hook Criterium Championship Series and the Midnight Half, both of which became internationally renowned for their innovative format and competition.
Cherefawn has directed events that deviate from sport as well, including the bomb’s academic tour, a film and art project spanning eight universities, bringing feature programming to galleries and campuses nationwide.
Together, we specialize in events that feature art & design, cultural relevance, community involvement, inclusivity, and high level competition.
What is Trimble Chang aiming to deliver with the Bandit Grand Prix?
We want everyone - from athletes to spectators to walk away from this with a completely different view of what a running race can be. Running is such a traditional sport that it takes a big leap of faith to innovate. We want to prove that there is still a massive amount of excitement to unlock in this sport.
Why the Brooklyn Storehouse?
This venue is beyond spectacular. The start/finish line, athlete area and festival areas inside the space are going to blow people away. We have access to the venue's state of the art sound and lighting system which is going to help us reimagine what a running race can look, sound and feel like.
The course outside the building is also seriously unique. This will be a tough, gritty, technical and most importantly fun course to run. There are enough corners that everyone should start studying their racing lines!
The location in the Brooklyn Navy Yard is both central and iconic. There has only ever been one other race organized in the Brooklyn Navy Yard and that was a special edition of the Red Hook Criterium in 2013. I’m proud to be coming back and making another race happen here.
Tell us about the format and why you designed it this way?
The format is designed specifically to work on a short 1km circuit. This fundamentally means that it can’t be a mass participation event as we can only fit a few hundred runners on the course at any given time. In a world of oversold mass participation events the chance to race in a small field is increasingly rare these days.
The short course and multi lap format accomplishes a major goal which is to make the race spectator friendly. The Red Hook Crit 5k proved that it’s more fun and exciting to race when you have thousands of people cheering for you and we are expanding on that. Running seriously is enjoyable to watch and unlocking this will grow the sport.
The 5k Open Races work as a standalone competition and we’ll have an overall 5k ranking across the entire field. What makes the Bandit Grand Prix format truly unique is that the top athletes will advance and race again in the 3k Finals. It’s going to be a major goal, and accomplishment, of many athletes to qualify for either the Super Final or the B Final.
At the front end of the field the format introduces a lot of strategy and mind games. The top athletes will be spread across the Open Races so they won’t meet each other until the Finals. The skillset between a 5k and a 3k is also different so we may find that the athletes who dominate the 5k’s aren’t the same as who ultimately emerge victorious in the finals.
For runners who don’t qualify for the finals the chance to become spectators and cheer on their peers is going to be fun. We can imagine there will be some pride in watching the athlete who lapped you in the 5k go on to win the Super Final.
What is the Bandit Grand Prix… not?
This is certainly not a mass participation fun run… But that doesn’t mean it’s not for all runners. I truly believe this format is going to be super fun for a wide spectrum of abilities.
This is also not a gimmicky brand experience. This is fundamentally a serious competition that will be held at an extremely high standard. The winners of the first edition of this race will be the first names etched into a long and prestigious record book.
What are you most excited about with the BGP?
I can’t wait to see the strategy differences between athletes play out. For a high level runner there is a lot to think about. Should you push in the 5k for a top starting position or preserve energy for the 3k final? How will you recover between efforts?
We expect there to be some heroics in the 5ks from runners who know they don’t have a chance to place high in the finals. It’s going to be fascinating to watch it play out.
Favorite cycling race globally?
Monstertrack NYC…. It’s a little known fact but without this race the entire unsanctioned running scene wouldn’t exist. Look it up!
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