Q1 2022 DirtVenture

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF BEST IN THE DESERT RACING ASSOCIATION

Best In The Desert Racing Association Founder Casey Folks Co-Owner / CMO Bryan Folks Co-Owner / CEO Daryl Folks Operations Manager Jeff Phillips Event Coordinator Megan Phillips Media Directors Donald Fall email: donaldf@fallads.com Russ Turner email: russt@fallads.com DirtVenture Magazine Publisher / Advertising Sales Fall Advertising email: donaldf@fallads.com phone: 619-742-9977 Editor Don Fall Creative / Art Direction Russ Turner Editorial Contributor Mike Ingalsbee On The Cover BJ Baldwin took the Trick Truck victory at the season opening MAXXIS Parker 425 presented by JIMCO Racing.

Photo by Daniel Noble Photography Best In The Desert, BITD and DirtVenture are registered trademarks of Best In The Desert Racing Association ©2022 Best In The Desert Racing Association

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Cayden MacCachren, driving for Seth Quintero, took the top spot at Parker 250 UTV Time Trials, but was the first to suffer problems and only made it about halfway through lap one.

Photo by Daniel Schenkelberg Photography

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2022 ISSUE Q1 / MARCH

IN THIS ISSUE 8

VIEW FROM THE RIDGE - Bryan Folks

12

CHASING THE PINK RIBBON - Jeff Phillips

14

PARKER 250

44

PARKER 425

64

UTV LEGENDS CHAMPIONSHIP

82

UNDER THE HELMET - A Conversation with Sierra Romo

94

FAST FEMALES - Other Best In The Desert Female Racers

106

A CLOSER LOOK - Shock Therapy

114

SAFETY FIRST - A Word of Caution

120

CASEY’S CHRONICLES - Adventures Shared

124

IN THE KNOW - New Products to Check Out

Photo by Daniel Schenkelberg Photography

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Optional features shown.

D IR T V E N T U RE R. T H E

F - 1 5 0

A L L - N E W

R A P T O R

Photos by Daniel Noble Photography desertracingphotos.com Dirtfocus.com Rudy A. Schmoke

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DirtVenture 7

A MESSAGE FROM BRYAN FOLKS

Photo by Jason Zindroski - HighRev Photography

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Best In The Desert had a strong start to the new season. We began the year with three significant events: the Shock Therapy Parker 250 Presented by BlueWater Resort Hotel & Casino, then the Maxxis Tires Parker 425 Presented

by Jimco Racing, followed by the Shock Therapy UTV Legends Championship Presented by Laughlin, Nevada. We want to thank our generous sponsors for helping us present these events for some of the most celebrated racers in the world. All races were packed with competitors and applauded by the racers as tough, but all acknowledged our racecourses were not designed for the faint of heart.

Our events are only for those willing to challenge the elements, feel the adrenaline rush, attack the course, and push-pushpush themselves to achieve the Adventure of a Lifetime. As my father, Casey Folks, the founder of this great organization would say, “Life is an Adventure, Come Live Your Adventure with Best In The Desert.”

As we progress into the future, Live Streaming and Televising our events will become a staple of our brand. Thus, for the Parker 425-time trials and the Shock Therapy UTV Legends Championship race, our streaming partners, JETWRX INC, pulled out the stops and provided powerful live coverage of both events that can still be watched here. Each event Live Stream production was considered a Beta test for what is yet to come. The Shock Therapy Parker 250 presented by the BlueWater

Hotel and Resort has received a show on CBS Sports Network, and on March 20th at 12:00 PM PST, the Shock Therapy UTV Legends Championship, presented

by Laughlin, Nevada will also air on CBS Sports Network.

In this issue, you’ll find some interesting stories featuring companies, products and names you’ll recognize, and several new ones. Also featured are interviews with a few of our female racers and how they’ve paid their dues to reach some great podium positions.

Later on in the magazine, our safety director points out some of the pitfalls in racing and reminds us that visibility is one of the key elements of going very, very fast off-road. As a racer, pit crew or family member, race vehicle driver, and media, please be extra-cautious around the racecourse.

Be sure to check out the dramatic photography from the media covering our events. Coming up next is the 2022 Jimco Racing Silver State 300 Presented

by Maxxis Tires, a fan and racer favorite.

At Best In The Desert, we recognize racers make a very large investment in their race car, equipment, support crew, travel, and family when participating in off-road racing.

Thank you to the thrill-seeking adventurers who choose to race with Best In The Desert.

Off-road racing with us just gets better and better. It’s going to be a great year!

DirtVenture 9

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FROM OPERATIONS MANAGER JEFF PHILLIPS

Chasing the Pink Ribbon Understanding BITD Markings One of the most important carryovers from Casey is “Course Marking”. Casey always believed in marking the race course so anyone, and he meant anyone, could follow the race course, not get lost and be as safe as he could make it possible!

From a seasoned pro to a first-time rookie racer, he wanted all participants to have an equal chance to navigate the racecourse. Obviously with the advent of GPS, navigating the direction and danger factor has changed how racers follow a race course. The GPS has made getting lost nearly a thing of the past, and knowing a danger is coming is a huge benefit. However, what if the GPS fails, your communication system (COMS) goes down, or you’re on a motorcycle and don’t have a GPS? Read on and I will fill you in on what, how and why we (BITD) mark the way we do.

First are our colors: Florescent pink indicates general direction, Orange will indicate danger, Yellow is DO NOT GO that direction, Green is a sharp turn!

Second, types of markings: Pink ribbon tied on a bush or other is for direction.

White arrows with a black outline on pink background plate are also direction and will be placed for the racers to better follow the race course. Arrows may be

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in a straight line or “ON A TURN” with 1, 2, or 3 plates to indicate the sharpness of the turn. Another thing to note; the arrow will be tilted on the lath to indicate the degree of the turn. Yellow with black lettering banner tape indicates do not go there! Banners may be placed across the wrong road at a turn or on a fence/ object near the race course to avoid hitting. Black “W” with WRONG on white plate simply means, wrong direction. We will generally place 2 or 3 sets past a turn on the road or trail you do not race on.

Black lettering “Danger” on Orange plate indicates a dangerous obstacle. BITD marks ON THE DANGEROUS location, not before. This could be a wash, ditch, rock or other obstacle. BITD will use 1, 2 or 3 plates to indicate the severity of the danger – if you see 1 danger, take notice, if you see 3 dangers, it is something you really need to slow down for. Black lettering “Danger Ahead” on Light Orange plate will be located prior to a high-speed danger and placed generally at 500 and 250 feet before a danger. Note, if we feel the speed warrants, they may be placed further ahead. Black Arrow with Green background plate will be placed with a pink arrow on an extremely sharp turn. Black arrow and black lettering “Turn Ahead” on Florescent Yellow

Countless hours by Best In The Desert personnel go into marking the courses to ensure they can be navigated by anyone racing.

plate will be used the same as danger ahead, 500 and 250 feet before a hard turn.

It takes time to become a true desert racer.

Most of the top off-road racers have spent many years and miles honing their talents learning to read the desert. I hear many of you at the finish stating “it was so dusty, I just followed the magenta line”, meaning you pinned it in the dust following the GPS track and hoping you didn’t hit that “big ditch”! I understand that a good GPS file with dangers

and turns is hard to beat or replace, but I am sure if you talk to all the “top drivers”, they will tell you having the ability to read the desert is key to becoming top level.

I hope to hear from some of you at the next finish line about how you finally realized how cool a danger ahead at 500 and 250 feet and a green arrow on a turn are.

See you at the races, Jeffe

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Story by Mark Kariya / CycleNews Magazine Editorial contributions by Best In The Desert

Justin Morgan romped to a runaway win solo in Parker after taking the top spot in qualifying as well.

Photo by Mark Kariya

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Motorcycles Kick Start the 2022 Season at the Shock Therapy Parker 250 Presented by BlueWater Resort Hotel & Casino Morgan Powers To Solo Parker 250 Win As a long-distance specialist, Justin Morgan doesn’t race that many events a year. When he does, though, he usually does very well.

For example, though he’s never raced Best in the Desert’s (BITD) American Off-road Racing Series kickoff—the Shock Therapy Parker 250, Presented by BlueWater Resort Hotel & Casino in Parker, Arizona, January 8—he qualified fastest and followed that with a runaway win at the revamped event, becoming the latest overall BITD winner to tackle the entire race by himself. In fact, runner-up Jeremy Newton and third-place Joe Wasson also soloed.

In a departure from the norm, Parker featured some new additions to the normal dirt roads and sand washes, making for a significantly longer loop of 125 miles run clockwise twice instead of the usual 80-mile loop done three times counterclockwise.

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With partner Jeff Trulove unable to get time off from his new job, Jeremy Newton did a good job in claiming second overall despite a high-speed crash late in the race.

Photo by Mark Kariya

Being new to this race, however, none of it mattered to the Slam Life Racing (SLR) Honda rider and his Monster Energy/Skechers/Fly racing-sponsored CRF450X. Having earned the first starting position, he was out front from the green flag and only ran into dust when he began lapping people.

“I was actually just trying to ride smooth,”

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he explained at the finish along Shea Road.

“I didn’t want to make any mistakes on the first lap and just wanted to have fun.” And, of course, winning is always fun. (Incidentally, San Diego Powerhouse owner Bobby Youngs who built Morgan’s bike jumped in and raced Parker with Mike Fermoile, the two winning Over 30 Expert and placing 12th overall on

2022 PARKER 250 MOTORCYCLES & QUADS

Youngs’ CRF450L that Morgan rode at the Sonora Rally last year.)

He continued, “It’s not very close to my house [in El Cajon, California] mileage-wise, but it’s almost like a local race, terrain-wise.

I always wanted to do this race.” Morgan completed it in three hours, 55 minutes and 46.9 seconds, unofficially.

For Newton and partner Jeff Trulove, last year’s BITD vice-champs, a new job prevented Trulove from participating so Newton also pulled solo duty, handling it well on their DT Racing / 3 Bros. / FMF KTM 450 SX-F.

Third off the line after qualifying, Newton had only defending champs Hayden Hintz/ Trevor Hunter and Morgan ahead of him.

However, the Hintz/Hunter duo miscalculated the fuel mileage from their Costa Rica Unlimited/1-800-DENT-DOC/Kenda KTM 450 SX-F and ran out around mile 65.

Newton gladly took over second place at that point and pinned it as he tried to close the gap on Morgan while enjoying the revised course. “Even me, living here—I’ve raced this 13, 14 times—that was like a whole new course for me,” he said. “I have absolutely no complaints [except] I wish I wouldn’t have

Luke Reynolds (pictured) and Dave Broderick topped the Open Expert division and finished fifth overall.

Photo by Mark Kariya

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2022 PARKER 250 MOTORCYCLES & QUADS

Yes, Team Mom’s Kimberly Loppnow (pictured) and Krista Conway were the only Women Expert team and won the class by default, but they finished 14th overall and fifth Experts.

Photo by Mark Kariya

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crashed. I was 10 seconds behind Justin for the overall; he started two minutes ahead [of me] so I knew I just needed to ride smooth and [not crash].”

But overshooting one turn resulted in a back-jarring crash about halfway through lap two, causing him to accept finishing second in 3:57:54.5.

For LiquiMoly Beta’s Wasson, the day was somewhat frustrating after mis-adjusting the suspension on his FMF/Kenda/Fly Racing 480 RR. “I went the wrong way with it and it just kind of beat me up today. I struggled most of the day in the chop and rough stuff so it was kind of frustrating,” he admitted after finishing in 4:06:01.6. “You live, you learn.”

The Skaggs Racing duo of Jarett Megla and Cory Skaggs did well in their first big outing aboard their new TAS Insurance/JCR Speed Shop/Fast House Honda CRF450X, finishing fourth overall in 4:14:34.5.

About six minutes behind was the first Expert team— Open Expert winners David Broderick and Luke Reynolds

Jarrett Curley took the Ironman Pro win and finished sixth overall.

Photo by Dirt Nation

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2022 PARKER 250 MOTORCYCLES & QUADS

on their Desert Ready Mix/AEO Powersports/Flo Motorsports Husqvarna FX 450 in 4:20:49.3.

Team 51Fifty Hondamounted Jarrett Curley got his Ironman Pro title defense off to a great start, winning the class and finishing sixth overall ahead of class runner-up Zach Myers on his Myers Family Racing KTM. Hintz/Hunter lost about 30 minutes due to their unplanned gas stop and finished eighth overall, fifth Open Pro, followed

by Open Expert runners-up Travis Dillon/Robert Glines/ Jeffrey Row. Over 30 Pro winner Chris Brown/Jesse Canepa rounded out the top 10 overall, unofficially.

Breyland Hellebrand and Blake Hellebrand took the 399 Pro victory.

Photo by Dirt Nation

Robert Youngs and Mike Fermoile took home the Over 30 Expert win finishing 12th overall.

Photo by Dirt Nation

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2022 PARKER 250 MOTORCYCLES & QUADS Chris Brown soloed to the Over 30 Pro Motorcycle victory.

Photo by Dirt Nation

17 year old Ryder Patridge powered over the challenging terrain to take the Iroman Expert win.

Photo by Dirt Nation

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2022 PARKER 250 MOTORCYCLES & QUADS

2022 marked the 51st year of Parker, Arizona hosting the best in desert racing.

Photo by Casey Tierney

Joe Kidd took the Iroman Amateur win.

Photo by Dirt Nation

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14 year olds Ethan Drake and Bryant O’Flaherty grabbed the Lites Expert victory.

Photo by Dirt Nation

Other Motorcycle Class winners of note include Chris Brown who won the O-30 Pro Class and tenth place overall; Robert Youngs and Mike Fermoile taking the O-30 Exp Class and twelfth place overall; and Ryder Patridge winning the Ironman Expert Class and fifteenth overall. Breland and Blake Hellebrand, Caden Carlin, and Drew Davis won the 399 Pro Class and sixteenth overall, Joe Kidd took the Ironman Am, Tyler Calia and Nick Reynolds

DirtVenture 25

2022 PARKER 250 MOTORCYCLES & QUADS

Kyle Standage pulled off the Quad Ironman Expert win.

Photo by Dirt Nation

- Forum - Classifieds - Event Calendar - Results & Maps

were top of the podium in the Open Am and twentieth overall, and Ethan Drake and Bryant O’Flaherty finished first for Lites Ex and twenty-third overall.

In the Quad Classes, Zachary Hayward and Ismeal Hernandez took the Quad Exp Class finishing twenty-second overall, while Kyle Standage won the Quad Ironman Exp Class, twenty-seventh overall.

It was a start to the 2022 season for Best In The Desert’s Motorcycle and Quad classes.

- Race Coverage - Feature Vehicles - Shop Tours - Online Store

RACE-DEZERT.COM - YOUR CONNECTION TO THE OFF ROAD RACING COMMUNITY

DirtVenture 27

Phil Blurton Wins Shock Therapy Parker 250 Going Backwards

By Mike Ingalsbee Best In The Desert had a special treat for competitors at the season opening Shock Therapy Parker 250 presented by BlueWater Resort & Casino in Parker, Arizona. To mix things up, they were running the course in the opposite direction. Usually that would mean it would be super rough, but it turned out to be amazingly fast instead. Braking bumps are known to get rounded on one side, and vertical on the opposite. When you run backwards on a burned in course, the bumps will have a square edge to them which is torture on your suspension. It’s like hitting a curb instead of a speed bump. It was still rough and rocky, but it wasn’t as bad as feared.

The deep sand on the back side of the course was packed down instead of being loose which also made a big difference in the top speeds possible.

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Phil Blurton set a punishing pace only having to stop for fuel on his way to the overall victory.

Photo by Brandon Bunch

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VP’s new Trophy Truck fuel provides more power and better detonation protection for endurance-style racing.

Formulated for off-road desert racing, Trophy Truck is exceptionally stable under high operating temperatures.

2022 PARKER 250 UTVs

During qualifying on Thursday, Cayden MacCachren took the top spot driving Seth Quintero’s RedBull car. Seth was in Saudi Arabia at the Dakar Rally where he set a record for most stage wins. Second place qualifier behind Cayden was Bruce Binnquist followed by Phil Blurton who was third fastest.

It’s a huge advantage to start up front in clean air as we would see on race day. Anytime Blurton starts up front he tends to run away with it, so the qualifying results had many racers feeling the pressure.

Friday morning was contingency for the Youth UTV classes that would race later in the day. They were racing a full schedule from noon to 5:45 pm. Classes for the young racers included 170 Production, 170 Modified, 250 Modified, 570 Production, 570 Modified, 1000 Production, and 800 Modified. It wasn’t that long ago when Seth Quintero was racing in the youth classes and look at him now; dominating in a UTV on the world stage.

The Pro UTV classes would not have to be in the staging lanes until 12:15 pm on

Filling in for Seth Quintero, Cayden MacCachren won the pole and was first off the line for Saturday’s start.

Photo by Daniel Schenkelberg Photography

DirtVenture 31

2022 PARKER 250 UTVs

T H E N E X T G E N E R AT I O N O F R A C E R S UTV Youth Classes winners included: Landen De Sousa Dias who won the Youth 1000/RS1 Class; Evan Atkins who took the 570 Mod Class; Chase Mankin earning the 570 Production Stock Class; Declan Shields who won the Trophy Unlimited Class; Landon Morrow taking the 250 Production Mod Class; Mason Cotter winning the 170 Super Stock; Cash Martinez earning the 170 Pure Stock 9-13 Class; and Tanner Thompson earning the 170 Pure Stock 5-8 Class.

Landen De Sousa Dias 1000/RS1 Photo by Dirt Nation

Chase Mankin - 570 Prod Stock Photo by Activate Photography

Declan Shields Trophy Unlimited

Landon Morrow 250 Prod Mod

Photo by Activate Photography

Photo by Dirt Nation

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Shock Therapy’s Justin Smith was running a strong second in Pro Turbo until he encountered a cow on course.

Photo by Brandon Bunch

Saturday. The anticipation was running high as everyone was beginning a new year with a clean slate. It was make or break time, and unfortunately some would break. Right from the start the pace went right to 110%.

The pack up front contained a group of fast, experienced racers; Phil Blurton, Cayden MacCachren, Mitch Guthrie, Justin Smith, Mike Deley, and PJ Jones. Blurton soon took the lead and put a gap on the rest of the field.

Watching the tracker, his lead was over 5 miles on the rest of the field. Blurton out front in clean air and no traffic was bad news to the rest of the field. Hoping for him to break, or make a mistake is usually a losing strategy.

Cayden MacCachren was showing his speed, but became the first to suffer problems. His exhaust came apart and melted some wiring in the engine bay. He made it about halfway through lap one. Then Mitch Guthrie came to a stop in the wash alongside Shea Road. Bad luck for both, but nothing compared to the fate of Justin Smith. He was running 90 miles per hour in second place when a cow darted in front of him leaving no time for anything before contact.

The collision sent them tumbling through the desert. Luckily he and Brother Jason his co-driver were ok. “We were sitting in second place on time and thinking of a steak dinner

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2022 PARKER 250 UTVs

when it presented itself to us,” he posted of the crash. “We lost a belt on the first lap trying to stay with Phil. We didn’t have power steering on lap 2 so that slowed us a little. We thought we were finally able to get a strong finish. The crash doesn’t break us, we are more determined now than ever. We are in it for the long haul. We will probably save the car, and put a new front and rear end on it.

The cage held up well. After the crash we found the parts from our AGM jack so we duct taped it together and used it to get us off our side, and back onto the wheels. We were

Vito Ranuio hung on to take second overall.

Photo by Brandon Bunch

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in a remote part of the course so our crew could not get to us. We were going to drive it out when Best In The Desert course workers showed up to tow us. We had three cameras going; it was the first thing my video guy Josh did. He put the video together and posted it while we were still in the desert.”

While others struggled, Blurton was out front setting a punishing pace. “It was an awesome day of racing,” said Phil. “Our Can Am was flying. The track was by far the fastest we have ever raced. It feels great to start this season off with a win.” Phil and

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2022 PARKER 250 UTVs Mike Deley drove hard and consistent to take the Pro Trophy Unlimited UTV Class win as well as third overall.

Photo by Dirt Nation

co-driver Beau Judge only stopped for fuel all day, but had to make a third stop because they were using so much fuel running wide open all day.

Second overall was Vito Ranuio. He lost a belt that wrapped around his clutch cover, but co-driver Mike Whitaker made a quick change. The three or four minutes of

down time made a difference. Mike Deley finished third overall, and took the Pro Trophy Unlimited class win. “That was the fastest race I’ve ever done,” said Mike. “It was a smooth race; we tried to save the car as much as possible. We had a lot of bad luck last year; I think we have it figured out now. I liked starting up front in a bunch of fast cars.

DirtVenture 37

2022 PARKER 250 UTVs

We qualified mellow because we didn’t want to hurt the car. We could go faster if we could manage the belt temps better. Our crew is really small so we only had one pit, and didn’t know where we were running all day. We were right behind Justin when he hit the cow. It was blocking the course. They gave us the thumbs up so we kept racing.”

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The racers out front all day may have taken the spotlight, but third place in the Turbo class, and fourth place overall Dustin Jones was flying through the dust, and traffic.

He blew a turbo hose off during qualifying that killed his top end speed, and dropped him all the way back to 69th place. With the high speeds up front, and all the dust he

Dustin Jones fought back from starting 69th to claim third in the Pro Turbo Class and fourth overall.

Photo by Brandon Bunch

had to eat, his podium finish was downright amazing. “We could tell by the looks on the faces of the other teams when we pulled into the pits after lap one that nobody expected us to be there,” said Jones. “We blew a pipe off the turbo intercooler during qualifying so we had to watch everyone go around us.”

During the race he and his co-driver Dustin

Henderson would get the chance to return the favor. “It was very stressful in the dust,” Jones continued. “I just had to trust Dustin’s calls on what was ahead. He makes the call, and I can picture what’s coming in my head. We would hit push to pass, and lay on the horn.

We’ve won Parker twice so I know the area well. We decided we were either going to go

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2022 PARKER 250 UTVs

for the win, or tear the car up. It’s the first race; you have to do good if you want any chance at taking the championship.”

Also on the podium were Jim Beaver, and Dan Fisher; second and third in the Pro Trophy Unlimited class behind Deley.

Just off the podium in the turbo class but a front-runner during the race was veteran PJ Jones. Jones has raced all kinds of cars on dirt and pavement. “We popped a belt which cost us 6 or 7 minutes.” PJ said.

“We were running out of gas at the end. We need to find some more top end. We were running 91, but I think Blurton was over 100. It was a fast course; a lot of fun. We

First time winner Michael Sandoval, drove his Honda to the Naturally Aspirated UTV Class victory.

Photo by Dirt Nation

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Hometown favorite Jim Beaver grabbed second place in the Pro Trophy Unlimited UTV class .

Photo by Brandon Bunch

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Mitchell Alsup took the class win in Pro Super Stock.

Photo by Dirt Nation

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2022 PARKER 250 UTVs

had no flats on our Tensor tires.”

First time winner in the Naturally Aspirated UTV class was Mikey Sandoval. With backing from Racecousa, Yokohama, Vision Wheels, and others, the 21 year old shows a lot of promise. He works at Racecousa with Jamie Campbell learning fabrication, and is coming off a championship in District 38 racing. “We qualified fifth. My goal was to stay smooth and make no mistakes,” said Sandoval. “It was fast, and we had a perfect day. I’m very happy with my Honda. It’s mostly stock. We want to prove what a good platform it is. I want to thank Raceco for the opportunity to drive their car. Our goal is to go for the championship.”

22 BWRC Dirt Venture Mag Q1.indd 1

The first race of the year usually sets the tone for the season. Phil Blurton now has an ever bigger target on his back if that’s even possible. The competition is even more determined to beat him. Dustin Jones is always in the mix, but his performance in Parker sent shock waves throughout the field.

Jim Beaver is establishing consistency that the others need to take seriously, and Mike Deley’s victory proves he’s a contender. I the Shock Therapy 250 in Parker is any indicator, it looks like a great season of Best in the Desert UTV racing is on the way.

DirtVenture 43 3/11/2022 12:19:12 PM

Taking full advantage of his new higher horsepower engine, BJ Baldwin took control of the race and handed Black Rifle Coffee its first-ever Trick Truck and overall victory.

Photo by Jason Zindroski / HighRev Photography

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BJ Baldwin Gets Back On Top At The 2022 MAXXIS Parker 425 Story by Jason Zindroski / Race-Dezert.com Editorial contribution by Best In The Desert

DirtVenture 45

CARPE TERRA TREAD VICTORIOUSLY

THE NEW RAZR XT

2022 PARKER 425

BJ taking his first Best In The Desert win in quite some time.

Photo by Dirt Nation

It’s been a few years in the making but BJ Baldwin has landed on top of the box once again winning the 2022 MAXXIS Parker 425 presented by JIMCO Racing.

For the first time in over 20 years the usual Parker course that was getting old and

repetitious was run backwards giving the racers an all-new course and look to contend with. The overall consensus from the racers was they enjoyed the change and it was a much smoother and faster course.

The event was split between two days of

DirtVenture 47

2022 PARKER 425

Preson Brigman and Brent Fox lead from the start to take the 1000 Class win.

Photo by Jason Zindroski - HighRev Photography

racing starting off on Friday with the limited classes and Class 1000 leading the way. The 1075 car of Preston Brigman and Brent Fox started first after qualifying as such at Time Trials. With no dust to hinder performance, the Brigman and Fox team got out to an early lead set a fast pace.

At the end of the first lap, it was Brigman and Fox still out front followed by James Ford and Conner McMullen and Roger Starkey Jr.

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However, on adjusted time, the 1023 Jimco Racing car driven by Jorge Trevino was less than a minute off the lead. Lap two saw the Starkey team drop out due to motor issues while Brigman stayed in the lead followed closely by Ford. Once again on adjusted time, Trevino cut the lead a little shorter by entering the last lap 43 seconds off the leader.

For this race the top 20 cars left at twominute intervals so at the finish line they

This year’s Parker 425 greeted racers with a smoother and faster racecourse. Keith Waibel finished third in Class 1000.

Photo by DMA Race Photo & Video

DirtVenture 49

2022 PARKER 425

waited about 15 minutes before making the call. Jorge Trevino in the 1023 car was close on time going out on the last of three laps but suffered mechanical problems and dropped out. After waiting and checking tracking the call was made with Brigman and Fox taking

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the overall and class win for day one having led physically the entire race and crossing the finish line first. Coming in second place was James Ford who had Connor McMullen driving with him about six minutes back. Third place would go to Keith Waibel in the 1072

AlumiCraft car.

Other class winners that raced on Friday where Jeremy Crandall in Trophylite, Sean Berryman in Stock Full, Chad Hall in Stock Mid, and Gwen Dailey in Vintage class.

Ray Promer took Class 5000, while Jerry

Simonson won the Jeepspeed Outlaws and Garett Allred took the Jeepspeed Trophy Class.

Class 8000 was also packed with talent with all entries driving Ford-powered vehicles.

Steve Olliges placed first in his trusted 8000

Garett Allred grabbed the top spot in the Jeepspeed Trophy Class.

Photo by Bink Designs

DirtVenture 51

2022 PARKER 425 Trophylite class winner Jeremy Crandall.

Photo by Dirt Nation

Scott Biehl took the Jeepspeed Cup win.

Photo by Dirt Nation

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2022 PARKER 425 Steve Olliges finished first in Class 8000.

Photo by Dirt Nation

Off-road racing legend Dave Shoppe came out of retirement and took the second spot in Class 8000.

Photo by Dirt Nation

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truck followed by racing legend Dave Shoppe who came out of retirement to run his old race truck that he sold 31 years ago and won back in the late 1980s and early 1990s with Frank “Scoop”Vessels and Robby Gordon at the wheel.

Saturday was for the big boys as the Trick Truck, Class 1500 and 6100 class all went out to see what they could do in three laps. Brenthel Industries #1 Kyle Jergensen wasted no time in setting a good pace for the race and going into the halfway point on lap one was your leader, however the Concrete Motorsports truck of Harley Letner was breathing down his neck on

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2022 PARKER 425

Defending Trick Truck champ Kyle Jergensen took the top spot at Time Trials and was first off the line.

Photo by Dirt Nation

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time just three seconds behind on corrected time. Tragedy would strike however as the #70 truck would be forced to park it at race mile 74 with a flex plate issue. Going out on lap two Jergensen still held his lead putting a minute over Jax Redline who was sharing driving duties with Nick Whetstone, but luck wasn’t on the defending class champion’s side as a few miles into lap two he was forced to pull over and return to main pit for repairs.

Now the #18 truck with Whetstone at the wheel took over the lead followed closely

by Black Rifle Coffee Co.’s BJ Baldwin, but would only hold on to it shortly as by the halfway point into lap two BJ would put two minutes on the #18. From then on BJ got into a rhythm and clicked off mile after mile extending his lead finally taking the checkered flag seven minutes faster than Whetstone, all doing so with no brakes on the last lap.

Still impressive though for Whetstone as this was his first Trick Truck race of his career coming over from Australia with only a motorcycle background.

Alex Wacker and Josh England had their best finish as well taking home their first podium

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2022 PARKER 425 Connor McMullen moved into the 6100 ranks and drove his Brenthel Industries truck to the class victory.

Photo by Jason Zindroski - HighRev Photography

in the Trick Truck class piloting their Camburg built truck.

In the 6100 class Connor McMullen got a little revenge on Brent Fox as the two swapped finishing positions from the

day before. Fox would lead the entire race physically, but McMullen would settle the score on the last lap finishing a little over two minutes ahead of Fox on corrected time with a finishing time of 5 Hours, 53 Minutes and 9

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2022 PARKER 425 Chip Prescott got the Class 1500 victory.

Photo by Dirt Nation

Brent Fox took a close second in Class 6 Photo by Dirt Nation

In his first Trick Truck race, Nic Whetstone grabbed the runner up spot.

Photo by Daniel Curiel Photographic

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6100.

Nick Carolan continued his dominance in the 6200 Class opening the season with another win.

Photo by Dirtfocus.com

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2022 PARKER 425

Seconds. While they finished one two for the race they weren’t the leaders the entire time.

Early in the race Tanner Courier and Joseph Herling were one two but both ended up DNF’ing for the day showing you can be fast off the start but need to be able to hold that for the long run. Justin Blower would be your third-place finisher and the top three times were slower only to BJ Baldwin in the TT class.

In the 1500 Unlimited Car Class, it was all Chip Prescott landing his first-ever Best

In The Desert win in the Unlimited Car Class and seventh overall. In Class 6200 it was Nick Carolan who continued where he left off in 2021 by dominating the class for another win and finishing ninth overall.

As the second race of the Best In The Desert 2022 series and the first show of trick trucks and car classes came to a close, racers are warmed up and setting their sights on the rest of the season and a quest for class championships.

Justin Blower took the final podium spot for Class 6100 coming in third.

Photo by Dirtfocus.com

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By Mike Ingalsbee The Best In The Desert series Shock Therapy UTV Legends Championship race in Laughlin, Nevada is unique. It’s part short course, and part desert race. Both sections punish the competitors, and their equipment. The short course section becomes deeply rutted when the sand gets looser, and deeper every lap. When running in the grooves, the UTVs will drag their skid plates. If you pop out of the grooves, you’re in for a rough ride, and will lose critical time.

Out in the desert, the rocks are dislodged from all the tires clawing at the dirt. Not only do the loose rocks cause the course to get rougher, but the holes they leave in the ground turn into even more ruts.

This year the length of the race for some classes was extended by an additional 2 laps.

That doesn’t sound so bad, but the added wear and tear is substantial. Many of the experienced UTV racers know exactly how hard they can push it for 8 laps. Running 10 laps instead put everyone in unknown territory. They would need to find the necessary speed to beat the competition while also finishing in one piece.

Another wild card would be the lack of wind on Saturday afternoon. The bikes had some relief in the morning, but the UTVs had to run in blinding dust.

Shirey Tops Blais, Row, A Drivers fight for position at the start of the Pro UTV Turbo Class.

Photo by Dirt Nation

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Motorcycles; Blurton, Alsup Take UTV Classes DirtVenture 65

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2022 UTV LEGENDS

Paxton Schendel took the stacked 1000/RS1 Class.

Photo by Dirt Nation

Tanner Thompson first in the 170 PS 5-8 age bracket.

Photo by Dirt Nation

Mason Cutter first Trophy Unlimited Mini Class.

Photo by Dirt Nation

The first to hit the dirt were the youth classes on Friday. These racers range from only 5 years old up to 17. Some of them have a decade of racing experience by the time they are old enough to drive on the streets.

Many of the top pros today started racing in the youth UTV categories. They would get a chance to race on some of the same track used by the pros, and in front of the same fans. Spectating at this race is great as you can see most of the short course from the

hills that surround the infield.

After going through contingency on Friday morning, the kids raced that afternoon. There are several 170 cc classes separated by age, 250 classes, 570 classes, and even the 1000/ RS1 class that had 18 entries. It pays to remember the names of the winners because you might be hearing them for an awfully long time. Tanner Thompson, Cash Martinez, Nixon Nagel, Jacob Williamson, Mason Cotter, Evan Atkins, and Paxton Schendel all reached the

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Dalton Shirey took the lead and never looked back to take the Open Pro and Overall for the motorcycles.

Photo by Dirt Nation

top of the podium in their respective classes.

Many other talented drivers landed on the podium, or finished in towards the top of the field; they are all part of the future of the sport.

The main event on Saturday would have the bike race in the morning, and then two UTV races. The bikes and quads had a relatively groomed infield, but the desert was as wild as ever. After a couple laps, the ruts on both sections of the course got pretty deep. As the laps went by, the overall

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leader emerged from the pack. Husqvarna rider Dalton Shirey was laying down some blistering laps. The top 3 bikes overall did 10 laps, nobody else finished more than 9.

Shirey’s time was 02:49:42.919. He was the only rider to finish under 3 hours. Second place Hayden Hintz was about 15 minutes behind with third place Jeremy Newton/Jeff Trulove finishing another 2 minutes behind Hintz. Shirey said his race was smooth with no problems; as expected.

Women’s Expert class winner Kimberly

2022 UTV LEGENDS

Loppnow said that because of Shirey’s pace, she, and co-rider Krista Conway only got 8 laps in. “We had a smooth easy race even though the course was rough,” said Kimberly. “I rode two laps, then Krista would ride two; we did that for 8 laps. The infield was nice, but it got a lot rougher on the other side of the highway.

The whoops in the proving grounds were really deep, and inconsistent. I found a good line through there when one of the riders from the A12 team went down in front of me. (They have 3 riders who are all 15 years old). I guess my inner Mom kicked in; I stopped to help him. I usually wouldn’t think to go that wide after the turn, but it was marked as race course and a lot smoother over there. There were some deep bumps on entry, but it flattened out. You could get enough speed to double the last two whoops on the exit of the proving grounds.

I didn’t mind the dust; dust is good. It means you are catching someone.” She and her co-rider were the only 2 racing in the women’s class so they concentrated on

Kimbery Loppnow (shown) and Krista Conway raced to the Women’s Expert win.

Photo by Dirt Nation

Jarrett Curley took the Ironman Pro Class victory.

Photo by Dirt Nation

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2022 UTV LEGENDS

finding new lines, and going faster every lap.

UTV Sportsman, Super Stock, and Trophy Unlimited class UTVs lined up at 10:00 am for 10 laps of success or torture depending how their race went. Luckily there was a stiff breeze to blow the dust off the course, but it was blowing north to south. That meant the proving grounds, where the huge bumps

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were, would have the dust blowing directly down the course. The racers would have to negotiate the whoops in blinding dust. Parker 250 winner Mike DeLey would get the holeshot at the start, but spent time in the pits that dropped him back. Soon it was Dan Fisher from Lonestar Racing out front; followed by Chris Blais, Mitchell Alsup, Garrick Lastra,

Chris Blais had a tough battle on his hands but fought hard to finally take the win for UTV Trophy Unlimited.

Photo by Dirt Nation

Brayden Baker, and MMA fighter Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone all dicing for position.

Fisher would be the rabbit for most of the race. He built up a pretty substantial gap to second place having clean air up front. On lap 8, Blais took the lead followed by Nick Turner in second, and Brayden Baker physically third. They started in groups of four off the

line so with corrected time it was anybody’s guess who was actually leading. Chris Blais took the win, Brayden Baker 2nd, and Jamie Campbell third. Campbell’s Honda team had short course ringer Elliot Watson and desert racer Trey Hernquist listed as drivers. Watson was driving, Hernquist was the navigator.

Winning the UTV Super Stock class was

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Come for Best in the Desert.

Come back because it’s Laughlin.

Laughlin is proud to support another year of Best in the Desert and to welcome all the racers and fans. After an exciting day of kicking up dust in the desert, come enjoy dining, gaming, entertainment and more against the stunning backdrop of the Colorado River. Plan your trip at VisitLaughlin.com.

2022 UTV LEGENDS

Brayden Baker took a close second in UTV Trophy Unlimited.

Photo by Dirt Nation

Eliott Watson drove the Jamie Campbell Honda to the final podium spot for UTV Trophy Unlimited.

Photo by Dirt Nation

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2022 UTV LEGENDS

Mitchell Alsup and his time of 03:25:37.494 beat Jamie Campbell’s so he was 3rd overall.

His company, Alsup Racing Development, built his own car, and that of the winner Chris Blais. Chase Carr was second, and Conner Maxwell third. In the UTV Sportsman Class the finishing order was Eric Murphy with the win, Jason George second, and David Holley third. Out of the 49 UTVs in the race, only nine finished all 10 laps. Because it was a Grand Prix finish, once the leader crossed the finish line, nobody could go out for another lap.

After the first race, the UTV Pro NA, and

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Pro Turbo cars would have a crack at the track. Gone was the breeze that blew earlier; it was going to be a dusty one. Surrounded by tall mountains, the course is located down near the river; the lowest point around. The dust will blanket the ground when it’s calm.

The drivers would also have to contend with the setting sun, and the onset of darkness; all while negotiating the deep ruts, and loose rocks kicked up by the previous races.

The first four racers off the line were Phil Blurton, Vito Ranuio, Andrew Garvey, and Dustin Jones. The sand was deep, and loose

Eric Murphy grabbed the UTV Sportsman Class victory.

Photo by Dirt Nation

Mitchell Alsup took the UTV Super Stock class win beating all but two of the UTV Trophy Unlimited cars.

Photo by Dirt Nation

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2022 UTV LEGENDS

Phil Blurton pushed hard all race to take the Pro Turbo Class victory making it his second straight win.

Photo by Dirt Nation

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so turn one was tricky. They all managed to get through the infield, and Phil Blurton was soon first on the road during lap one. As each wave of UTVs left the line there were many nervous moments as they banged wheels and almost rolled.

15 year old Jacob Peter was not as lucky. He ended up on his side in turn one, and would spend the rest of the race trying to catch up. On the first lap, there were several racers already sidelined with problems on course or ducking into the pits for adjustments. The pace was intense. Bruce Binnquist had a problem early on, but was absolutely flying the rest of the race. He was clearly the fastest going through the huge whoops in the proving grounds. While most pounded through the valleys, his speed allowed him to skim across the tops.

“We got a flat tire on lap 3 and decided to drive on it to the hot pits,” said Binnquist.

“I wished we hadn’t. It damaged a radius rod that the crew had to change. We pulled in for the tire, a belt, and fuel. When I left, it didn’t feel right so I looped back;

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2022 UTV LEGENDS

that’s when they found the damaged rod.

Otherwise we were very fast. I didn’t have to use the bumper all day, but got into another car in the infield when they came down on me in a turn. We were driving at the limit, but that’s a pace I’m comfortable at. We went from 18th to 8th, and then 6th. If we can keep the car together, we’ll be in the front. We are already fast for a self-sponsored team, and are looking for sponsors.”

Just like he’s shown so many times, once Phil Blurton gets out front, it’s very difficult to chase him down. He builds bullet proof cars, and never makes a mistake. The script did not matter to Joe Terrana though. He was pushing hard, and putting immense pressure on Blurton. When Blurton got held up behind lapped traffic, Terrana pounced, and took the lead. According to Beau Judge, Blurton’s codriver, they made the decision to let him go.

Judge is an accomplished driver himself, and if those two decided the pace was too high, nobody could argue. As they accepted their fate, and were content on grabbing second place points towards the season long points championship, they passed Terrana who was pulled off the course with a flat. They then went into math mode trying to figure out how much time they would need on him to take the win. They poured it on to the finish and took their second straight win. Terrana made quick repairs and finished second.

“We were leading in the proving grounds when the car started hitting harder,” said Terrana. “We hit that ridge above the basin and it was getting squirrelly so I knew we had a flat. It was strange because we didn’t hit anything. We stopped to change it because

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Joe Terrana briefly got in front of Blurton but ended up having to settle for second Pro Turbo.

Photo by Dirt Nation

Chase De Sousa Dias took third Pro Turbo less than 50 seconds behind Terrana.

Photo by Dirt Nation

Nick Carolan continued his dominance in the 6200 Class opening the season with another win.

Photo by Dirtfocus.com

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2022 UTV LEGENDS

we knew Phil would pass us either way. We had stopped for fuel on lap 8 in the lead, and he got past us. He stopped on lap 9, and we took the lead back. The race was a blast. It was nerve-racking passing all those cars, but otherwise it was smooth sailing.” This is only Joe’s second year racing BITD. Chase De Sousa Dias was third. “We started towards the back, but after 3 laps we were up to 10th place,” said De Sousa Dias. “I race mostly short course events; I like picking guys off. The course got really rough. By lap nine I was anxious to get it over. You really had to find the smooth lines. We ran new lines on almost every lap.”

The top six Turbo cars all did 10 laps. The

N/A Pro cars only managed to complete 9.

Top three in that class were Josh Row, Max Eddy, and Cash Shaleen.

The short course class winners on Sunday were Larry Heidler in UTV Prod Turbo SC, Lucas Johnson in UTV Prod 1000 SC, and Victoria Leaming in UTV Prod RS1 SC. The additional laps had a big impact on some of the races. There were serious lead changes up until the final lap, and strategy really came into play. It was still an all-out sprint race, but a lot happened in those final 34 miles. Best In The Desert increased the difficulty, and the racers responded.

Josh Row went home with the Pro N/A Class win.

Photo by Dirtfocus.com

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Photo by Dirt Nation

A Conversation with Sierra Romo

By Mike Ingalsbee

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Sierra Romo experienced immediate success once she started racing. She landed on the podium at her first event. Possessing both a need for speed, and a strong competitive drive, she inspires other women, and has earned the respect of her fellow competitors.

We sat down with Sierra to find out what’s under her helmet.

Sierra Romo is driven by her need for speed and competition as seen at the UTV Legends Championship.

Photo by Dirt Nation

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UNDER THE HELMET - SIERRA ROMO

Mike: So, how many years have you been racing?

Sierra: I have been racing for six years now. I started when I was 15 years old.

Mike: What, what caused you to get into racing?

Sierra: My family. They’ve played a huge role in me getting into racing. I grew up going to the dunes and basically doing anything that involved a motor. Before I could even walk, I was already riding a quad. For as long as I can remember, I was either riding snowmobiles, or quads, or just anything that involves a motor. I just had the need for speed at such a young age. Going through the dunes with our friends and family, I was always the most competitive. I was always riding with a bunch of dudes, and I was always rubbing tires with them and bumping, so I knew I had this need for racing.

I stumbled across Sara Price’s Instagram, and I saw that she was a racer as well. I was like, oh my goodness; this is the greatest thing ever. I was instantly inspired. I didn’t even know that females could race side by sides. I didn’t even know that was a thing. I showed my parents her Instagram and I was like, I want to be like Sarah Price one day. I’ve never met her, but just liked what she was doing; this looks like so much fun. I begged my parents for a racecar; this is my calling. I know it is. My Mom was like, heck, no, you’re never racing it for as long as I’m alive, you will never be in a race car. So it took a little bit of convincing and stuff. My dad finally was like,

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you know, I think we should just let her do it.

Let her try it. So we went and got a fully built race car. I raced my first race and I took third, so I was like, Well, I’m good at it. It’s a sign. I have to keep going. I never looked back after that.

Mike: I was going to ask you, and you kind of already answered it, but what draws you to racing? Is it the speed? Is it the problem solving? Or is it the competition? And it sounds like you like the competition and the speed?

Sierra: Yeah, I mean, it’s a little bit of

Sierra reeling in another pass for position.

Photo by desertracingphotos.com

everything. I love competing against the best of the best. I’m in the Pro Turbo class, and those dudes come from all over the world.

You’re literally competing against the best of the best. I like that aspect of it, because it makes me a better driver. It makes me push myself and my car more than I normally would. I think all around that makes me a better driver, but I mean, I love the adrenaline; the unknown. You show up to the starting line and you never know what’s gonna happen next; you don’t know. You can crash, you can get hurt, you can break, or you can win.

There’s so much unknown. I think that’s what keeps it interesting; everything combined, and

the people of course. The people that you meet in racing, it’s like we’re one big family out there; it’s pretty cool.

Mike: Yeah, I agree. One thing that I’m curious about is when both you and your father are racing, do you have any team orders or anything like that. I remember at several races you were both running close together. Does he want Sierra to win, or is there competition between you two?

Sierra: I know that we are Father and Daughter, but when the helmet goes on, that doesn’t matter. We’re competition to each

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UNDER THE HELMET - SIERRA ROMO

other. It’s kind of funny because we always say it makes family dinners a little awkward because it doesn’t matter when we are racing.

He’s my Dad and I’m his Daughter, but we’ll still bump each other, we’ll still fight for the win. We’re always constantly nagging my mom; who’s the better driver? Who’s your favorite? She’s always; you guys are both equal, I swear. We are like, who are you rooting for today? Are you gonna wear red?

Are you gonna wear teal? I’ve learned a lot from him, and my driving style is exactly his style to a tee. It’s pretty crazy actually. No matter where we start, like if I start, 50th and he starts 5th, we will end up right next to each other every single race. Our pit crew hates it because He and I are always together. So when we come into the pit they’re scrambling.

They’re like, oh, no, they came in together again. The crew has to deal with both at once.

But yeah, when we are on the track, we’re competition to each other.

us around, and we do a lot of fun driving like dune riding and trail rides with her; stuff that’s a little bit easier. She’s always asking us; oh, can I get in the racecar again? Can I coach for you guys? Can we do a desert race? She and I are planning on doing the Race For A Cure together. She wants to either drive or co-drive with me. I think that’ll be fun to get her back out there.

Mike: You sure have the racing gene in your family. What do you like better; what do you prefer? Do you like short course racing or desert racing?

Sierra: I like the desert racing better. I started out with short course, and that was fun. It definitely taught me a lot when it came to driving and handling the car, especially in corners. Going from short course to desert; I wouldn’t have traded that for the world. I enjoyed short course so much, but I think I enjoy being in the car longer. In short course Mike: Your Mother was originally against you racing you’re only in the car for 45 minutes, racing. So how does she feel about it now? and it’s pedal to the metal the whole time.

Desert racing you get more bang for your Sierra: It was pretty chaotic at first with all buck, you’re in the car, anywhere from, let’s three of us being out on the race course. say, three hours to 12 hours like at Vegas to It was fun, but it was also nerve wracking Reno. There’s a lot more time to fix your car. If because I was constantly wanting to make you make a mistake, say a flat or belt breaks, sure that they were both okay. Then of course, there’s a lot more time for recovery versus I was competing against my own Mom and short course racing. When you blow a tire and Dad; that’s crazy. She had some health issues you’re already tense, the desert at least gives come up, so she was like, I’m just going to a little bit more forgiveness and time to make sit out and watch you guys. Having three up for those mistakes. In the desert you get cars out on there, literally the whole family on a lot more seat time. The more seat time the the racecourse, it was chaotic. We definitely better. I just love being in the car. Being able, created a lot of memories. Now she follows like say Vegas to Reno, being able to be in the

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Sierra drove her dad’s car to a top 10 finish out of 43 entries in Pro Turbo at this year’s Parker 250.

Photo by Dirt Nation

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UNDER THE HELMET - SIERRA ROMO

car for 12 hours is so much fun.

Mike: On a long race like that your mind wanders. It’s really tiring and mentally taxing.

What do you do to keep yourself motivated and really concentrated on the race?

Sierra: Vegas to Reno, for instance, that can take anywhere from I mean, I’ve done it in 11 hours, I’ve done it in 19 hours, depending on how the car is or how the race is going.

You’re in the car for a very long time, whether you have a perfect day, or there’s mistakes, whatever. I think the biggest thing that I’ve learned, and I’ve done Vegas to Reno four times; the second year, I remember around halfway, I was exhausted. I was like; I need

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to get out of the car. I can’t go any further.

Somebody said oh, I have an energy drink. I had always been against energy drinks and racing because I feel like you crash; your system just crashes after a while. I was like well, I mean, I have nothing to lose at this point; I’m exhausted. So I chugged an energy drink, and oh my gosh, it was the best thing ever. I was instantly refreshed, and I wasn’t making mistakes anymore. Now every single year, around the halfway point I pull into the pits, I chug an energy drink and then I’m good to go for the rest of the race. A lot of the guys, they have different drivers, they do driver swaps, but every single year I do the whole race myself. That’s 550 miles driving all by myself. I think the biggest thing is just the

energy drinks. I mean, I don’t know if that’s the best advice, but it’s what works for me.

Mike: Do you do special training, any physical training or special diet to supplement that?

Sierra: Yes, a few months before Vegas Reno, I usually start doing CrossFit, to make sure that my body is in the best shape possible, because you are starting in the hottest part of the U.S. And you’re starting in August. Your body has to be ready for that physically. The month before; we live in Vegas, so of course it’s hot there. We get our bodies acclimated to the heat. My Dad and I will prep our cars outside. We’re just drenched in sweat, but then our bodies get used to it. By the time we hit the starting line for Vegas to Reno it’s not

a shock to our bodies. We’ve been through it; we’ve been preparing. We usually do IVs the night before, or two days before with the whole team, all the co drivers and stuff, just to make sure that everybody’s ready to go. We work out, we prep in the heat, we do IVs, all that fun stuff.

Mike: For people who have never worn a race suit, does it get hot in the race suit just standing around?

Sierra: Oh, yeah, that’s probably the worst part of Vegas to Reno; the starting line. You get your race suit on, and you’re ready to race, but then you’re just standing there in the heat. I know a lot of people aren’t used to

Photo by Dirt Nation

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that, especially with the race suit on because once you get going, you get in the car, and it starts to cool off a little bit because the wind is hitting you. Staging, and the waiting; you have to stage a few hours before the race even starts; that’s where you’re baking the most.

Mike: I bet you’re really thankful once the green flag drops, and you’re ready to go.

Right?

Sierra: Definitely. Because you know, once that breeze hits you, it’s 10 degrees cooler already.

top guys, they have no fear. They put it all on the line. That’s one thing that you have to become good at in a pro class.

Mike: You must feel real comfortable with your co driver, right?

Sierra: Definitely. I’ve had the same co driver (Wes Lefler), since I started desert racing.

We’ve definitely learned to trust each other a lot over the years.

Mike: Without that trust it would be really difficult to try to go fast.

Sierra: Definitely, I think it would be nearly Mike: What about driving in the dust? I know, impossible because without trusting your that’s really challenging. Are you good at that? co driver you’re slowing down in the dust Or do you regret having to do that? How do because you don’t trust what they’re saying. you feel about that?

You have to trust exactly what they’re saying.

Trust that they know what they’re doing, and Sierra: Driving in the dust is definitely not just go for it. my favorite part of racing. Over the years I’ve learned the tips and the tricks to it. No Mike: Does your co driver trust you as far as matter how many years you do it, it doesn’t letting you go as fast as you want or do they get easier. It’s still scary. You’re literally driving try to hold you back sometimes? through blinding dust at, say 60 miles an hour.

You don’t know where you’re going. But my Sierra: No, I definitely think my co driver has biggest thing is I look at the vegetation on the a lot of trust. He says it a lot. He tells me “I sides of the course. You can kind of tell where think I’d rather drive with you than any other the course is going. That’s the biggest thing driver out there.” The guys have so much that I’ve learned, but it’s still scary. It’s like testosterone so they always want to just go you’re driving on the freeways blindfolded. for the lead right away, and that’s where a lot You have to rely on your co driver to tell of mistakes happen. Being a female, I don’t you exactly where to go, and hope that it’s have that side of things. I’m always really correct; it’s not easy. I think over the years, cautious on the start, I know that I can start I’ve became really good at it. In the Pro Turbo picking them off one by one because the class, you have to be able to do that. All the guys start breaking, because they’re pushing

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The view of her rear bumper is all many competitors ever see.

Photo by Dirtfocus.com

too hard in the start, and there I am, I just creep up through the field. Towards the end, I start to pick it up and make more passes; gaining positions. I think being a girl is a huge advantage when it comes to desert racing.

Mike: So do you think being a woman in, we have to be honest, it’s kind of a male dominated sport, do you think it’s helped you or hurt you during your career?

Sierra: I think being a female has helped me. It’s a little difficult; difficult coming into the male dominated industry, because of course, the guys don’t want to be passed by girl. That’s just how it is. I just had to come to the realization that’s how it was. Trying to pass guys was a little bit difficult. They would not take it easy on me at all. When I started racing, they kind of thought I was just another girl out there, just doing it for fun. Over the years, I’ve had to prove myself to them and prove that I’m out there because I belong

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out there. I’m not just out there cruising on a Sunday stroll. I’m out there to compete. I’m out there for podiums. Over the years, I have gained so much respect from the guys, and they always tell me that, which is really cool.

They’re kind of like my second Dads or like my Brothers. It’s cool to have them out there supporting me. I’ve proven myself by having the results and showing them that I can do it too.

Mike: You looked up to Sarah price, which a lot of people do; she’s amazing, but you know a lot of young girls are looking up to you now.

Sierra: I know that’s pretty crazy. I remember at the last race when George the announcer at the finish line was telling me that he was interviewing girls throughout the day.

They kept saying that they looked up to me and Hailie Deegan. To even be mentioned as an equal to Hailie Deegan, It’s pretty awesome. There are so many girls that are

up and coming in the sport, and they’re always asking for advice; how to drive or sponsorships. I just love being a mentor to them, and being able to do what Sara Price did for me. I was asking Sara Price the same questions and she was always right there being the best mentor for me. To be able to do that to the future incoming girls is pretty awesome and heartwarming for me.

Mike: What would you tell a young lady or a woman who wants to be involved in the sport? What kind of advice would you give them?

Sierra: Honestly, the biggest thing is to stay true to you. If you want something, go get it and to do everything you can to make that happen. It is a male dominated industry, so it’s intimidating sometimes. You may think, oh, I’m a girl. I don’t know if I can do that, but

you stay true to yourself. You stay true to your dreams. You focus on that and you work hard at it and anything is possible.

Mike: That’s fantastic. Speaking of that, what are your goals? What are your short term goals and your long term goals?

Sierra: I just got the brand new Polaris Razor Pro R, so I will be making the jump to the unlimited class. I really, really want to get podiums this year in that class with a new Pro R to show how good the new platform is.

As far as long term goals, I think my biggest one is to be racing a Trick Truck or 6100 one day. Ever since I was little, I’ve always wanted to do that, and it’s still a huge goal of mine.

Another goal is to be doing that with my Dad. We’re bumping doors in razors right now, but to do that in Trick Trucks would be a dream come true.

Photo by Dirt Nation

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Meet Some of the Other Best In The Desert Female Racers If there’s one attribute that a female off-road racer has over male racers, it’s empathy.

These women are incredibly competitive, but they will never hesitate to stop on the course to help fellow racers or take a younger racer under their wing.

While gender shouldn’t dictate how a racer competes, there is something to be said about maternal instincts.

Best In The Desert added the Women M/C Class starting in the 2020 series, which, due to the pandemic, was a hard year to launch anything. But because the association kept organizing races with protocols in place the female motorcycle series was a success and keeps on growing. As for the female UTV racers, they are right

in there going head to head with their male counterparts.

In such a male-dominated sport, it’s hard to separate gender from the competition.

Yet, all these female racers share the same sentiment: they want to be recognized for their skills rather they are women.

These female racers are so much more than just racers: they are mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends. They love the thrill of coming off the line as much as any competitor, but they love the camaraderie and the Best In The Desert family nearly as much.

FAST FEMALES

Story by Best In The Desert

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Kimberly Loppnow at the UTV Legends Championship.

Photo by Dirt Nation

Kimberly Loppnow Kimberly Loppnow is riding high, coming off a 2021 Championship Title win for the Female MC Class.

To start off, Kimberly only raced GPs, and a lot of the girls on Team Pink actually grew up racing against one another. They’ve only been desert racing since 2020, but they’re all drawn to it. It just takes a little bit of extra coordination and commitment to travel together to events.

Kimberly’s first race with Best In The Desert was in 2014 before the association created a women’s class. She raced Open Expert Class and felt that she was always chasing after the win. But she’s happy that there is now a separate class.

“I like the Women’s M/C Class. I feel like even though we are competing against each other, we are still all there for one another.

Like, the Stout sisters are probably our top competitors, but they’ve stopped on the

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FAST FEMALES

Kimberly and her daughters at the UTV Legends awards presentation.

Photo by Dirt Nation

course and helped us when we needed it.

And we’ve given their team a tire in the pit before. I feel like that doesn’t happen in the other classes.”

Kimberly has looked up to a lot of other female racers who have come before her.

She remembers as she was getting her start, Ashley Fiolek was the female motocross racer to be. She considered Ashley a mentor.

She also reminisced about Sarah Price who helped Kim get her foot in the door. She feels like Sarah paved the way for all female racers, really putting in the hard work to be taken seriously in the off-road industry.

She does see that female competitors have to be both racers and marketers, getting

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FAST FEMALES

themselves sponsors and also making sure to train and prepare for events. She feels like some women have to work a bit harder to make sure they can afford to race.

So, what’s next for Kimberly Loppnow?

Well, she keeps busy with her kids, including her own nine-year-old daughter Skylar who also rides and competes. But she doesn’t want to push racing on her; she wants her to enjoy it and feel stoked to be on the podium.

“My goal for this year is to defend the red plate and keep learning about desert racing.

I love the W1 team and even though we all compete against each other, like at the Hare

Krista teamed up with Kimberly Loppnow for the Women M/C Class win at the UTV Legends Championship.

Photo by Dirtfocus.com

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and Hound, we love riding together too.”

Kim enjoys racing the Best In The Desert series. She’s already taken her class wins in the Parker 250 and UTV Legends Championship along with her teammate, Krista Conway.

Krista Conway Krista Conway is a long-time Best In The Desert competitor, often competing in maledominated motorcycle classes. In fact, she was second place in points for the Ironman Exp Class by the end of Best In The Desert’s 2021 series. That is quite the feat.

Krista Conway ran against the guys in the Ironman Expert Class at the 2021 World Hare & Hound Championship.

Photo by Dirt Nation

While she considers herself, as do all the men she beat, a serious racer, she is first and foremost a mom. As a stay-at-home mom to a 10-year-old son, all her free time is… not really free! But they spend time at offroad events as her son competes in the local Motorcycle Racing Association of Nevada (MRAN) series riding his 80 and watches his mom race too. He’s her biggest fan!

Krista is nurturing a love of motorcycle racing in her son, as her dad did with her.

She grew up in Boulder City, Nevada riding motorcycles with her dad and brother. Now, after 28 years of racing, she and her family are staple competitors at Best In The Desert events. Her dad now races trucks in the series, and it’s become a family affair.

Last year, Krista attempted Vegas to Reno solo. And while she only made it halfway due to rough conditions, there were a few instances that she thinks represent the fact she is a female racer.

“The conditions at V2R were really tough last year and there was a lot happening on the course. I ended up stopping to help a racer who crashed after six other racers passed him by. The guy had to be medevaced out. I think that speaks to the level of compassion in female racers versus males. Men are so competitive, so serious!

I don’t know a single female racer who wouldn’t stop to help someone who crashed on the course. Maybe it’s the mom in me, but there’s no way I could just pass by.”

Krista has been competing more and more in the Best In The Desert Woman’s Class, away from the co-ed classes, even though she’s proven she can compete there too. She is happy that Best In The Desert decided to build a separate class for females.

As for the future? She’ll always race. She will continue racing, supported by Herling Racing and Off-Road Vixens, with her son by her side!

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FAST FEMALES

Alexia Leaming Alexia Leaming is a young female racer and while she competed in the Y1000 Class last year, this year she is going full desert.

She’s come leaps and bounds from her first full year of racing in 2020.

Alexia grew up in a family of racers. Her brothers Jaxon and Cameron race with Best In The Desert, as does her father, Chris Leaming.

“She’s got a kick-ass drive, just like her dad, with an attitude just like her mom,” says Chris Leaming who is out riding the dunes and rock crawling with his kids every weekend. “We have to make sure it isn’t racing all the time. There needs to be some escape from the pressure.”

Alexia had a tough year competing against the boys in the Y1000 Class, famously cartwheeling off the start at the 2021 250 after getting clipped from behind to roll four times and then keep racing. Her dad has

Alexia ran the Y100 Class in 2021.

Photo by Dirt Nation

to remind her that legends get knocked off course from time to time.

“At 14, Alexia is one of the only young girls out there and the boys in her class are all going through puberty…they don’t like losing to a girl and can get pretty aggressive

Alexia and Ruslan Yankilevich drove Vegas to Reno last year earning the title as the youngest drivers to ever race in the event.

Photo by Dirt Nation

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FAST FEMALES

about it,” says her dad. Everyone is pretty excited about Alexia going full desert this year.

“I’ll be 15 this year, so I know more eyes are going to be on me,” says Alexia. “Not only because I’m young, but because I’m a girl, sure. But I also think that a lot of people have a lot of respect for me because of that too. I know how to work on my car, I can do it all myself, and we built a two-seater to race the Pro Super Stock class this year. I’m excited.”

Alexia and Ruslan Yankilevich drove Vegas to Reno last year, finishing sixth place in the Rally Class and earning the title as the youngest drivers to ever race in the event. Alexia drove six hours, 240 miles, all at night. To say that she is ready for the next challenge is an understatement.

And she has great role models in the sport to look up to. Sierra Romo and Maddy Wedeking are two female racers that she respects and considers her mentors. She can’t wait to race with them this year!

Alexia has jumped into the UTV Pro Super Stock class for this year and shown here fighting for position at the UTV Legends Championship.

Photo by Dirtfocus.com

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FAST FEMALES 19 year old Brook Lynn Deman at the 2021 Vegas to Reno.

Photo by Dirt Nation

Brook Lynn Deman At only 19 years old, Brook Lynn Deman will be the next gal to beat. She comes from a Best In The Desert background, growing up going to the races and hearing stories of past events. Her dad won the MC Championship Title in 2002 and it’s been Brook Lynn’s dream to follow in her father’s footsteps ever since.

In 2018, Brook Lynn went to a WORCS SXS race and saw female competitors walking around. She didn’t even know that was a thing. She asked her dad if she could race too. “Baby, you can do anything you put your mind to,” her dad told her.

Brook Lynn started racing a Can Am 900 and was successful from the start. She won her first WORCS race in the fall of 2018 by a full two minutes with only a few weeks of practice under her belt and then went on

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to win the championship title the following season. She was hooked.

2019 marked her first Best In The Desert competition where she placed third at the UTV World Championships, which is one of her favorite races. In 2021 she went full desert when she attempted and completed her first Vegas to Reno.

“I was in the car for a full 15 hours as co-driver. I was so exhausted. But I really felt good driving desert; I might even be a better desert racer. I’m excited to get more experience.”

Brook Lynn is planning on racing as much of the 2022 Best In The Desert schedule as she can. She needs to figure out the balance between financing races and doing it as a career.

“While it’s so empowering being a female racing in such a male-dominated scene,

it’s also a challenge to be taken seriously, especially at events like tech. I want to be respected as a driver who knows mechanics, who knows the course, as much as I’m respected as a girl. And it’s hard to put yourself out there as a female driver and then separate yourself from just being considered an influencer,” said Brook Lynn. “I don’t want people to see my car and think the driver is a girl. I just want to take my helmet off at the end and have my blonde hair fall out!”

One thing she does love about being one of the few girls in off-road racing is the incredible support she receives. Other racers are supportive; other female competitors are supportive. Everyone loves the fact that more and more females are getting involved in the sport.

Brook Lynn will be driving a Can Am X3 Turbo 1000 this year, sponsored by Evolution

Power Sports, Shock Therapy, CST Tires, Deviant Race Parts, Chupacabra Offroad, Savage UTV, Pro eagle, Baja Designs, Seal Savers, Burn Fuel, Rugged Radios, HPR, VP Racing, and Raceline Wheels.

The Woman’s MC Class at Best In The Desert continues to grow, and more and more women are joining the ranks in UTV and car classes. The females who race Best In The Desert know one another, respect one another, and will never hesitate to stop their race to help.

While seeing women compete may be new to some racers, these women are not new to the sport. Many have grown up in the industry and know their way around the garage. They are serious competitors and fellow racers better watch their tailpipes.

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A CLOSER LOOK:

SHOCK THERAPY One of Best In The Desert’s sponsors, Shock Therapy, is a Phoenix, Arizona-based UTV suspension specialist that has become a powerhouse in the aftermarket UTV industry. Through the highest quality product development and service, Shock Therapy has solidified its place in the racing community as well as the hearts of the UTV weekend warrior.

Growing up in southern California with a father who raced AA fuel altered, Mickey Thompson as a neighbor and SoCal hot rod legend, Pete Chapouris’s son as a classmate, Justin Smith always had horsepower on his mind. “Horsepower was the driving force at the time. Anything fast was the goal. Pushing vehicles to their limit was an obsession,” stated Justin.

Through his teens, Justin built race engines in his garage, while most kids had paper routes. Drag racing on the weekends

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A CLOSER LOOK

Justin Smith putting his product throught the ultimate test by racing in the Pro Turbo UTV Class.

and building engines after school was the norm. But one ride in a class 8 truck changed all that. “Suddenly speed at a quarter mile at a time was replaced with hair on fire straightaways, punctuated with panic stops for hours at a time. I was hooked.”

For the next few years, Justin dove into the engineering and geometry of suspension design to perfect the marriage of horsepower

and suspension that off-road racing demanded. Sand cars, pre-runners, class 10, class 8, class 1, and Trick Trucks were some of the arenas that he pursued. When the great recession of 2008 hit, Justin lost everything.

At the same time, his wife, Jeanette, broke her back in a boating accident. When things looked to be at their worst, the birth of Shock Therapy began.

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A CLOSER LOOK

Justin said, “Jeanette could no longer go for a UTV ride. It was just too rough, so the goal became tuning the suspension in such a way that the chop was plush, and the bottoming was nonexistent, so she could ride again.”

Soon, she could ride again, sometimes for hours on end, even with two feet of titanium in her back. Friends heard about the improvements. Then, customers and racers heard as well. With the addition of Ernie Ely running the day-to-day operations, Shock Therapy was born in Justin’s three car, home garage on the outskirts of Phoenix in 2014.

Fast forward eight years. and the company has grown to 70 employees, a massive 40,000 square foot headquarters, and over 50,000 customers.

As the company grew, the addition of many products to the shock tuning line

facilitated the need for manufacturing.

Fabrication was already a part of the shop, but the need for speedy development required more equipment, specifically, CNC machines. With the addition of Jason Krause in the CNC department and over fourteen CNC machines, Shock Therapy makes all their own parts, controls their supply chain, and keeps quality parts in stock when others cannot.

“The ability to sketch an idea on a napkin at lunch, send it to the shop, have a CAD drawing that day and make parts tomorrow is invaluable. With the addition of new models and needs many times per year or even per month, it is paramount that we can develop instantly to keep our edge in the marketplace,” Jason Krause remarked.

Designing your own parts are only as good as the testing and protections in

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place. With over twenty-four patents, Shock Therapy leads the industry in new products.

Testing is very important as well. The Shock Therapy Off-Road Racing team is as much a race team fighting for wins as it is a test bed for all Shock Therapy products. “We test every single day. Whether it’s new UTVs with shocks and springs or new products, everything we do has seen thousands of race miles before our customers ever know about it. It is a mission that Shock Therapy lives by,” Justin commented.

In this age of supply chain roadblocks and cash flow issues, most companies find that inventory is very important. “You can sink your business quickly with too much inventory just as easily as you can with too little.” With this in mind and 2008 looming closely in the back of Justin’s mind, all of the equipment and inventory at Shock Therapy is paid for.

Say hello to Justin at Best In The Desert events, and watch for more exciting

new products from Shock Therapy. Be sure to check out their website for complete information: www.ShockTherapy.com

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A WORD OF CAUTION

By David Nehrbass

What do we do when our race comes to that unexpected early end?

Over the last several years we have had numerous injuries to racers that resulted after their vehicle broke down, crashed, or became disabled at a race. Almost always, the leading contributing factor is dust or some other form of poor visibility.

We have seen cars struck by other cars while stopped, and even people struck by cars while getting out or performing repairs near the course. Injuries

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have ranged from bruises and broken bones to unfortunate fatalities of some of our off-road family.

In today’s topics in Safety First, let’s examine a few types of situations and possibly learn from them.

Mechanical / Tire Changes: Pull well off the course.

Preferably, try and make sure the side you are working on is the side away from the active racecourse to help you and your driver stay safe. Activate your Racing Trax Hazard alert if you have a unit on board.

SAFETY FIRST

Extremely dusty conditions can often contribute to on-course hazards.

Photo by Jason Zindroski - HighRev Photography

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SAFETY FIRST

This sends out a signal to other racers of a stopped vehicle on the course. While in offroad racing time is of the essence, please do yourself a favor and do not ever unbuckle until you are safely stopped and sure there is not a vehicle immediately following you in the dust.

As soon as possible, establish communication with Best In The Desert on their relay channel and let them know your vehicle number, approximate location, and if you need help.

In many cases, even a tire change, we might get another vehicle calling in saying they saw a car stopped. This allows us to know if we need someone there to help you or if it is a quick fix and you are back under way.

Since your vehicle may have a flat, or broken

suspension component, it may be stirring up more dust than normal and not be viewed the same as many racers used to watching dust expect. We have seen many vehicles struck or rolled as they are pulling off for a faster racer.

Once your repairs are completed, make sure you are completely strapped in and in a clear spot before safely rejoining the racecourse.

Never blindly jump onto an active course without looking for oncoming racers. It is not necessary to turn off your hazard, as once you start racing again the unit will calculate your miles per hour and determine you are no longer in hazard mode. Please, again, let Best In The Desert know on the radio that you are back racing, and no additional help is needed.

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Reduced vision is a constant battle in desert racing.

Photo by RnR Photo

If you are not able to effect repairs, make sure the vehicle is as far away from course as it needs to be safe and keep yourself well clear of the course. Again, notify Best In The Desert that you are broken and need retrieval when available. Never cross in the dust in a vehicle or on foot and believe it or not, those reflective triangles work better than you realize when you place them further than the rear bumper of your race vehicle!

Accident on Course: The majority of the time, racers involved in a simple accident have either minor or no injuries when they are in a single vehicle accident, or even when crashing with another race vehicle. It is far more common that the injuries happen and are more severe after the initial accident, when racers are unstrapped and attempting to get out of their vehicle. This is by far the most critical moment of off-road racing. In many cases, strapped in your safety

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gear in a race vehicle is the safest place you can be. Obviously, position, location, hazards and even vehicle types can have very different outcomes in each situation.

Many are not aware that Racing Trax automatically notifies the sanction body on many situations such as Roll Over, High G Out, or Sudden Stops. This notification comes to Radio Relay, Race Operations and the Rescue Director for the event. We are also notified anytime a mechanical or medical panic button is pushed. It is however, not 100% reliable for every situation.

Once you are in an accident in the race, immediately hit your hazard button before unstrapping your belts. Also, if communications are still working, try and notify Best in the Desert of your location and if you think you need medical attention. If you need medical, hit your medical alert. All of this should take place before you get out of the vehicle or remove your belts and helmet.

SAFETY FIRST

As long as there is no fire present, try and be cautious and methodical in your exit of the vehicle. Understand that shifting weight of the body may not only affect your belts, but where you are going to fall in the vehicle if you aren’t right side up. The shifting weight in the vehicle can also affect the stability of the vehicle.

Work together as a team and brace each other to get out safely. Once out of the vehicle, stay clear of the course, try and warn oncoming racers, and wait for help from Best In The Desert or other race vehicles that may stop.

Keep your helmet on until you are safely away from the racecourse. After a few minutes, evaluate yourself and others involved and make sure adrenaline isn’t hiding any serious

problems. Do you know where you are? Do you know who you are? Any numbness, tingling? Back pain? Headaches? Make sure Best In The Desert knows if this changes at any point while waiting for resources. We want to make sure we get the most appropriate resource to you safely and quickly each time.

Racing is obviously dangerous, and we have all lost some friends over the years. We want everyone involved to have an amazing time and leave each race with nothing but great memories and stories to tell.

Until next time, Race Safely!

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Casey’s Chronicles feature stories and tall tales about our founder, Casey Folks. In each feature we share a bit about the man himself and some of the key moments in his remarkable career that went into creating the legend that Casey became. Each one is presented by a different member of the BITD family and staff. Some are funny, some are serious, some are just designed to fill you in on some amazing history and facts you may not know about the man. Welcome to Casey’s World!

Casey Folks and Tom Scales, Desert Racing Legends

By Jeff Phillips

Photo by Dirtfocus.com

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It all started in the late 1950’s.

Tom Scalesm a high schooler at Las Vegas High, transfers to the “new Rancho High” and meets up with Casey Folks, and a friendship that would last over the next 60 or so years was formed. This friendship would change the off-road industry and be a large part of what all of us

off-roaders know today.

What started as a high school friendship, soon grew to the two of them working at the Las Vegas UPS delivery service. During their time at UPS, Casey and Tom, nurtured their new hobby, off-road motorcycles. In those days Las Vegas only had 60,000 or so residents, a lot of “dirt bikers” in a few local motorcycle clubs who needed parts and mechanics, and there was only a couple “motorcycle shops”.

First, around 1965, Casey and Tom tried to join one of the local bike clubs. As Casey once told me, they were at the meeting and they asked Casey and Tom to wait outside so they could formally vote on them joining. So, Tom and Casey walked outside, said “Screw this!” and they left! According to Tom and Casey, they left that day and never looked back. It was at that point they came up with the idea to form their own club, the Groundshakers MC. They would race the local TT’s and scrambles,

Tom Scales (left), Casey Folks (right)

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CASEY’S CHRONICLES

and would travel the deserts of Southern California and race District 37 Desert Races which had become very popular at the time.

With the local association only interested in TT and scrambles, Tom and Casey came up with another idea; start their own racing association. In 1968 the Motorcycle Racing Association of Nevada (MRAN) was formed and the first desert race in Southern Nevada was held out in the desert near Pahrump, Nevada. Both MRAN & the Groundshakers MC are still going strong today and are run nearly the same as Tom and Casey had envisioned.

During these formative years, Casey and Tom continued to work at UPS while trying to race as much as possible. Soon, they had yet another of their big ideas; start a Motorcycle Tom (left), Casey (far right)

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Shop! Unfortunately, this idea had one big problem; money! So, around the same time as the infamous meeting of 1965, the pair went to Tom’s dad, Kibby, a master mechanic himself, and asked for a loan, while also approaching the local Suzuki distributor about forming a second dealership. Casey and Tom never really came clean on the actual specifics of the “dealership deal” but this was the start of Sportsman Cycle. The first location was the back of Marvin’s Woodshop on Nellis Blvd and they sold parts and service. Soon the shop grew out of the small location, and they moved to Lake Mead Blvd, where soon after, they added Suzuki and later Husqvarna Motorcycles. A few years later, again the shop outgrew their location. They searched far and wide and settled on land and constructed a

building on Boulder Highway.

Then in 1972 they moved into the new building, the same location where Sportsman Cycle and Best In The Desert operate today.

Before the rise of Best In The Desert, Casey and Tom started the Sportsman Cycle Racing Team. They would become big time racers and participate in some of the most iconic races of the day, Barstow to Vegas, Baja 1000, SNORE 250, Moapa to Vegas (GS MC) and of course the original Mint 400. As the years went on, they would sponsor some of the biggest names to come out of Las Vegas: Max Switzer, Jack Johnson, Scot Harden, Daryl and Bryan Folks, Scot Morris, and many others. In 1967 they linked up with Edison Dye and became the dealer of the Swedish Husqvarna brand that would take over desert racing for many years to come.

As time went on, Tom the business man, would run the shop and Casey would put on tough races to “wear-out and break equipment”, which would bring in the customers to buy products and new bikes at Sportsman.

Both the Groundshakers and MRAN thrived under Casey’s leadership and soon Casey was looking to go bigger and the Las Vegas 400 professional desert race, along with partner Sam Bass, was created.

Another few short years later, Casey began to promote more and more professional races, the Whiskey Pete’s World Championship, the

Mesquite and Ely Gran Prix’s, and soon the

Casey (left), Tom (right)

need for a professional racing association was imperative. Thus, with this knowledge, Best In The Desert was started in 1984.

In 1986 Tom and Casey decided to split the dealership into two different shops while staying in the same building. Casey kept the Sportsman Cycle name along with the Husqvarna and KTM dealership, and Tom created Nevada Suzuki, keeping the Suzuki dealership. They remained friends and business partners until Casey’s passing in 2017. Tom closed Nevada Suzuki and retired a few years ago. Unfortunately, last month in February, 2022, Tom Scales passed away.

I hope all of you reading this, understand that all of off-road racing owes a huge dept of gratitude these two pioneers and all they did for our sport! With this, I say with deep sincerity, Casey and Tom, thank you for all you did.

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IN THE KNOW New METHOD RACE WHEELS Forged UTV Wheels

Method Race Wheels introduces two new forged UTV wheels with competition and performance the primary design influences. The 412 Beadlock and 412 Bead Grip® feature premium materials and technology for the highest level of performance. Lightweight forged construction and superior strength allow you to get the most out of your UTV in demanding off-road environments.

The 412 Bead Grip® features patented Bead Grip® technology to engage the tire bead for increased grip at lower tire pressures. The forged 412 Beadlock features dual tire bead security with both a true beadlock and exclusive Bead Grip® technology on the inner lip. Both 412 Forged wheels are on average 2lbs lighter than comparable cast wheels for the ultimate performance in today’s competitive UTV classes.

• Forged 6061 aluminum construction with T6 heat treatment • Reinforced inner lip provides extreme strength and durability • Patented Bead Grip technology engages tire bead for increased grip at lower tire pressures • 412 Beadlock wheel provides maximum security with a true Beadlock outer ring and Bead Grip bead seats on the inner lip • Super strong 1600 lbs. load rating

More Information: methodracewheels.com

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SUPERWINCH SX10SR Winch The SX10SR is engineered to provide users the ideal combination of power, speed, innovation, and proven performance they demand from Superwinch.

Innovative features such as a patented drum light, relocatable die-cast aluminum control box, 3/8” diameter synthetic rope, a 12’ lighted wired remote, and wireless handheld remote. SX Series winches exceed the most demanding standards of today’s modern vehicles, while delivering an affordable and stylish design which incorporates many class leading features not found in other high-performance winches.

Providing 10,000 lbs. of raw pulling power, the new SX10SR synthetic rope model has a sleek modern look and is built to last. With an IP68 rating for dustproof and waterproof operation, and a durable metallic graphite powder-coated finish this winch has it all.

More Information: superwinch.com

WESTIN Pro-Series Front Bumper (Full & Mid-Size Trucks)

The Pro-Series Front Bumper from Westin is an attractive, heavy-duty, winch-capable upgrade that enhances both looks and functionality. Built for adventure and engineered to improve both approach angle and ground clearance, this bumper is ready for anything standing in its way. The Pro-Series Front Bumper provides maximum strength and durability by employing a lightweight 10-gauge steel shell combined with a solid 4-gauge center section capable of accomodating most 12k lb. winches. The Pro-Series Front Bumper adds welded mounting points for recovery, letting you hit the trail with confidence! The Pro-Series Front Bumper can fit most 20” single or double row LED light bars (sold separately) for added safety on those late night excursions. The Pro-Series Front Bumper has a durable textured black powder coat finish with an e-coated base coat, providing long lasting corrosion protection from the elements, and is backed by a 3-year warranty.

Includes all necessary mounting hardware for a hassle-free installation. The Pro-Series Front Bumper is available for Ford, Chevy, Ram, and Toyota applications. Add the matching Pro-Series Rear Bumper to complete the look.

More Information: westinautomotive.com

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IN THE KNOW TOTAL SEAL’s Hidden Horsepower Podcasts Total Seal® concentrates on making the most precise, strongest, lightest and innovative piston rings available. From extreme horsepower race engines to powerful stationary engines for industrial use and everything in between, Total Seal® improves the efficiency and durability of your engine. We know you’re busy, that’s why they created Hidden Horsepower, so you can hear about “found horsepower” anytime you’re connected.

It’s a podcast that’s easy to listen to and catch the latest secrets to unlocking Horsepower from the leading engine builders and names in racing.

Give it a listen on your favorite podcast app

New FST PERFORMANCE Fuel Filter Grip & CatchCup™ The FGC500 is a compact, easy-grip fuel filter cup that makes it easy to grip the fuel filter and stop fuel from spilling over your hands, engine compartment, or bilge. Helps to stop spillage in changing area, engine compartment, and/or boat bilge.

Manufactured by Filter Solutions Technologies LLC – the producers of the most innovative, efficient, and high-flow performance fuel filter systems and replacement spin-on filters in the industry. Compact & Flexible the CatchCup is 5 ¼” tall-deep x 4” wide (bottom) 6” wide at (top) Designed for: FST’s RF500M spin-on and/or Mercury Racing’s 8M0000202 spin-on fuel filters only.

More Information: fstperformance.com

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HEATSHIELD PRODUCTS Heatshield Armor™ Exhaust Insulation Keeping heat out of your race car is critical to keeping your body cooler in desert of-road racing. Heatshield Products Heatshield Armor™ is not a wrap – it installs quickly and easily and does not require the exhaust components to be removed in most cases. Reduces heat radiated by exhaust system up to 70 percent while increasing exhaust system performance. Can withstand constant, direct heat of up to 1,800 degrees F. Ideal for exhaust pipes, turbo down- and up-pipes along with other exhaust system radiant heat sources.

The outer layer of Heatshield Armor can be painted with high-temp paint without any surface prep. Spray and go, not spray and pray. Heatshield Armor uses a specially formulated BioCool™ material, which has a 4-mil-thick, high-temperature, aluminum-alloy exterior for additional protection. The material won’t cause skin irritation or itchiness during installation.

More Information: heatshieldproducts.com

UEM Launches Expanded LS Line of High Performance Pistons

UEM has increased the applications in 2022 for the GM LS based blocks in both the factory replacement SILVOLITE and performance-built ICON series. ICON PREMIUM series are designed to handle big boost applications and come standard with Type 3 Hard Anodized top ring groove and crown along with 1.2mm 1.2mm 3.0mm steel top ring sets. If you don’t see what you need, ask our techs.

UEM is North America’s largest piston manufacturer, offering pistons for gasoline and diesel powered vehicles.

More Information: UEMpistons.com

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The Class 8 truck known as “Roseanne”, was once raced by Frank “Scoop” Vessels and Robby Gordon. The 1991 F-150 is back with its original owner, Dave Shoppe, looking better and running stronger where it belongs in the desert.

Photo by Dirt Nation

PHOTO CONTRIBUTORS 4DIRTMEDIA Activate Photography Bink Designs Brandon Bunch Casey Tierney Coyote Image Daniel Curiel Photographic Daniel Nobel Photography Daniel Schenkelberg Photography Desertracingphotos.com Dirtfocus.com Dirt Nation DMA Race Photo & Video DROWsports.com DW Productions HighRev Photography Mark Kariya Mikes Race Photo

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HEE TTH E R E U R T U N T E N V DVE AD A S E S U E N U I T N I N T O N CCO

APRIL 28-30 28-30 APRIL ALAMO, NEVADA NEVADA ALAMO, ALL CLASSES CLASSES ALL REMAINING 2022 SCHEDULE Vegas to Reno August 10 -13 - Las Vegas, Nevada All Classes Battle Born 200 September 22-25 - Ely, Nevada All Classes Laughlin Desert Classic October 20-23 - Laughlin, Nevada Car/Truck World Hare & Hound November 4-6 - Tonopah, Nevada UTV/Motorcycle/Quad

LIVE YOUR ADVENTURE WITH BEST IN THE DESERT

For information contact: Best In The Desert Racing Association • (702) 457-5775 • Website: www.bitd.com • Email: bitd@bitd.com