DirtVenture™, the Official Magazine of Best In The Desert Q2 Issue 2021

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 Marketing Manager / Business Development Scot Harden email: marketing@bitd.com phone: 951-491-1819 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 Editors Scot Harden Don Fall Creative / Art Direction Russ Turner

On The Cover

Feature photo of Phil Blurton by 4DIRTMEDIA Joe Wasson motorcyle inset photo

by Dirt Nation Trick Truck inset photo by 4DIRTMEDIA

Best In The Desert, BITD and DirtVenture are registered trademarks of Best In The Desert Racing Association ©2021 Best In The Desert Racing Association

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The team of Kevin Thompson and Harley Letner grabbed their second consecutive overall victory at the 2021 Jimco Racing Silver State 300.

Photo by 4DIRTMEDIA

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ISSUE Q2 / APR - JUNE 2021

IN THIS ISSUE 6

VIEW FROM THE RIDGE - Bryan Folks

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CHASING THE PINK RIBBON - Jeff Phillips

12 SILVER STATE 300 - Tight Racing and Close Finishes 26 NEWSWORTHY - Powersports Off-Road Racing Business Outlook 46 WORLD HARE & HOUND CHAMPIONSHIP - Comeback of Iconic Race 58 NEVADA 200 TRAILRIDE - Fun, Fellowship and Epic Trails 72 CROSS OVER - Chris Blais - Two Wheels to Four 82 TRENDING IN THE DUST - Live Stream via Facebook 84 UNDER THE HELMET - Meet Sam Berri 94 SAFETY FIRST - Fire Suit 101 100 DESERT DRIVEN - Jeepspeed Series 106 CASEY’S CHRONICLES - Heartfelt Stories About Casey Folks 114 A CLOSER LOOK - Rugged Radios 118 CLASS FOCUS - TrophyLite 122 IN THE KNOW - The Latest New Products Background photo by Bink Designs

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Trademark(s) of North American Car and Truck of the Year Corporation used under license by Ford Motor Company.

A WINNING CO M B I N AT I O N .

2021

T H E

F O R D

2 0 2 1

F - 1 50

2021

T H E

M U ST A N G

2 0 2 1

M A C H - E

A MESSAGE FROM BRYAN FOLKS

Photo by Jason Zindroski - HighRev Photography

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Why does Best In The Desert grade our race courses?

I remember early in my car racing career, after racing the 1100 class at Henderson “250” I was in the first race of two races in the day. After the finish, I went and visited my dad at the finish line and told him I thought it was really cool that we got to race on a groomed race course. I didn’t care if the course was rough or smooth. I was just happy to be racing. He kindly responded by stating that he did not grade the course for our race. As it turns out, I was racing on the previous year’s course that he had to grade after the last race. That brought us into a deep conversation of when and why he had to start grading race courses.

He educated me by explaining that he was not grading the course by choice.

He was grading the course because it was mandatory. It all started a couple of years before that. Most of us do not realize that when racing in Nevada you are racing on mostly public lands and roads that are shared by all. There are many ranchers and farmers that use this land for their livelihood. Thus, he began grading sections of each racecourse that were being used by ranchers and farmers so they could continue to work the lands that they were leasing from the BLM. He did so because previously they would complain after our events about the roads being torn up. To put this into perspective, imagine if somebody tore up the road you use to get home each day, or tore up the road you use to get to work? Well, that is exactly what we do to the roads that they use for their livelihoods and to provide for their families. Thus, the grading started as a good will gesture to the ranchers and farmers.

Fast forward a couple of years and it wasn’t long before the counties took notice and went to my father and said, “Hey what about our county roads?”

Same scenario, people within the communities are using these roads on a daily basis for various reasons and did not particularly care to drive on roads that had been destroyed or torn up. Next, came the BLM who asked the question, “What about the rest of the roads that the public uses?” Finally, it was a wrap. If Best In The Desert was to continue to operate races in Nevada or anywhere else in the USA, the BLM would make it a stipulation that ALL ROADS MUST BE GRADED after each event.

What does that look like today? The answer, EXPENSIVE! For example, as I write this article nearly four weeks after the Silver State 300, our grading crew is still out grading the race course. Their task is to grade every single mile of the 278-mile race course. They started exactly the day after the race on Sunday and are still going. We have already paid three grading bills and am hoping the next bill is the final bill. However, this is our reality. We accept it and we hope you will accept it with us.

In closing, when you hear someone complain about the graded race course, please feel free to correct them. First, Best In The Desert goes to a great expense and effort to make sure every mile of each race course gets graded.

Next, Best In The Desert is propagating good will for all of us that love this sport and making sure we do our part to take care of the lands and roads we use.

Finally, hats off to Casey Folks for getting in front of the future and making sure we do not become a problem that needs to go away.

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FROM BEST IN THE DESERT OPERATIONS MANAGER JEFF PHILLIPS

Chasing the Pink Ribbon It was 2006 and my good friend Dale “Wally” Wallis said, “You and Sue go have fun, my Rhino will go anywhere and it’s a Hoot!”

This was my first introduction to the world of UTVs. As the years rolled on, I kept my distance from these (what I used to think were) want-to-be trucks/bikes. After all, I’m a bike guy, and “bike guys don’t need 4 wheels. We can go anywhere these re-worked ATVs can go”! Guess I missed the mark on that one.

Fast forward to 2020, and I get the Chief of Race Operations job with Best In The Desert.

Almost immediately I was fully immersed in the world of UTVs at the 2020 National Desert Cup at Glen Helen. As I called around to develop a plan for a racecourse, many old GH race promoters told me “The hills are really tough for UTVs, so maybe you should stay to the lower areas like the truck track. The MX jumps are too big, and the take offs are all wrong for the UTVs!” Well, we went ahead and ran all the way to the Pavilion in the back, all the ridges, all the washes, most of the MX track, and the truck track. Yes the ridges stopped one race and yes, the motocross track put up a bit of a fight, but through it all the UTVs prevailed.

After a gnarly two days of racing, all I saw were smiles and all I heard were stories of fun at the finish.

I made more friends at that race with UTV racers, their pit support and families than I can remember for a long time. These UTV guys were the real deal. I was impressed with my new friends. Not only did they compete like true champions, but they were also really good people! They had some of the biggest smiles, craziest stories of the trials and tribulations

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for the day, but most importantly, they were genuine people. I received so many calls after the race to congratulate Best In The Desert on a successful weekend. Questions were asked about the upcoming events, and racers just wanted to talk and get to know me. I was hooked on this UTV racing thing, had made a new set of friends and by the way, I had a whole new understanding of the fun the UTVs offer!

Continuing forward, my newfound love for the UTV world has only grown! After spending hundreds of hours pre-driving the Parker and Silver State races, leading the “Parker PreFun-Run”, and marking miles and miles of race course, I have been transformed into a UTV guy! Yes, my bike guy friends may call me a traitor, but it is simple, these things are a blast and offer a whole new way to see the outdoors!

Get out and try it, you’ll be hooked too.

As for the future of UTVs and Best In The Desert, we are extremely excited for 2022 and beyond. With the rule changes in 2020 being months behind, Best In The Desert understood the need to keep it simple and only add the rule changes that had been made during the year, and any major changes would have to wait for 2022. That said, it is now time for the 2022 rules. Allen Rudd, our UTV Director, Bryan Folks, our co-owner, and I have been hard at work reviewing every rule, every specification, every class description and all that is Best In The Desert UTV. We have one simple goal: for our rules to be the “Best In The Desert”! We have been on the phone with all the manufacturers, many drivers, aftermarket vendors, race teams and anyone

Jeff the “UTV guy” addresses the future stars of tomorrow at the drivers meeting for the 4Wheel Parts Youth UTV Series during the Parker 250.

Photo by Jason Zindroski

else UTV! When we release the 2022 UTV rules early this summer, we believe it will be the rule book all others will want to adopt. The classes will be simplified, and rules will be more specific with additional diagrams and exhibits of what is required. Most importantly, they will be easier to read, and understand just what our intentions are. These rules will fit with the direction the manufacturers intend to go with new releases and bearing small yearly “tweaks”, these rules should take us on for many years to come.

I suppose I sound like a UTV guy now!

However, make no mistake, I’m a bike guy to the core and this weekend I’ll be going on a 100 plus mile ride in search of a new and exciting racecourse for future Best In The Desert events!

See you at the races, Jeff (el Jeffe) Phillips

Switching to tomorrow’s 2-wheel stars. Jeff the “bike guy” at the start of the Youth races for the World Hare & Hound Championship.

Photo by Megan Phillips

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Photos by Daniel Noble Photography Dirt Nation 4DIRTMEDIA

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Introduction by Scot Harden Story contributed by Race-Dezert.com / Jason Zindroski Photo of Concrete Motorsports Trick Truck

by Daniel Schenkelberg Photography

The Jimco Racing Silver State 300 featured a highly competitive field vying for the overall, class wins, and series championship points. 250 Cars, Trucks, UTVs, Motorcycles, and Quads entered the event, the 3rd race in the 2021 Best In The Desert Series. The race was held as

Nevada entered its latest phase of COVID re-opening, which meant we could have our first post-race awards party in over a year. It was appreciated very much by all in attendance. Our media colleagues at Race-Dezert filed the following race report.

We hope you enjoy it.

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2021 JIMCO RACING SILVER STATE 300

Tight Racing and Close Finishes Rule the Day

Ray Griffith - 1st Class 6100 Photo by 4DIRTMEDIA

The Best in the Desert Silver State 300 is always a favorite race to cover as the area the course goes through is different from what you usually see in a Nevada race. While you have your usual Nevada silt all around the course, the Silver State race goes through mountains, tree sections, and water crossings you don’t normally see.

While entries were down slightly compared to last year’s Covid era record turnout, there were still some great battles in multiple classes. With the course being right at 280 miles, the race was more of a sprint, so you need to be on your A-game to win this race. Having a problem-free race was crucial.

Qualifying for the Trick Truck, Class 1500, 6100, and Turbo

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UTVs had to be canceled, so starting positions were changed to how racers were sitting in points after the Parker 425 and 250 races. If you didn’t race one of the Parker events, then you were put in a random draw in the back.

In the Trick Truck class, the #1 Concrete Motorsports team of Harley Letner and Kevin Thompson started the day off first on the road after winning at the BlueWater Parker 425 Presented by Jimco Racing.

The team is always a threat, but it really was their race to lose due to starting first off the line. Adam Householder and Kyle “Skype” Jergensen started behind Letner, and that’s how the majority of the race played out until close to the

end. BJ Baldwin was entered with his new sponsor Black Rifle Coffee but experienced problems right off the start.

Throughout the entire race, the lead three Trick Tricks of Thompson/Letner, Jergensen, and Householder stayed close together, with Householder and Jergensen trading second place back and forth on corrected time. Householder was ahead physically until the last pit where Kyle was able to get around them, changing a flat tire.

Unfortunately, with only 20 miles to go from there to the finish line, it was just too much to make up in time.

Concrete Motorsports would go on to take the win, backing up their win at the BlueWater Parker 425, beating out

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2021 JIMCO RACING SILVER STATE 300

Preston Brigman - 1st Class 1000 Photo by Bink Designs

Troy Grabowski - 1st Class 5000 Photo by Daniel Noble Photography

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Joe David - 1st Class 1500 Photo by 4DIRTMEDIA

Tim Martin - 1st Class 1700 Photo by Dirt Nation

Jergensen by 1 minute and 44 seconds in an overall elapsed time of 4:42:20. The winning average speed of 59.05 mph set a new record for the event and was one of the fastest winning speed averages ever at a Best In The Desert event. However, Householder would still finish in third place, about two and a half minutes behind. Those weren’t the only close races though in the class; Bill Apgood, who got fourth place, was only a minute after Householder, and Jax Redline was another minute behind him for fifth.

Class 6100 was an even closer race, showing just how competitive the class was. #6153 Ray Griffith took home the win, beating #6114 Justin Blower by a mere 13 seconds, and #6172 Dustin Grabowski, who started first,

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2021 JIMCO RACING SILVER STATE 300

Phil Blurton - 1st UTV Pro Turbo Photo by Bink Designs

came in third place, finishing just a minute behind Griffith.

The elapsed times between the first and second place vehicles were 5:05:28 and 5:5:41, respectively. Eliott Watson made some moves starting back in tenth position and worked his way up the field to grab a top 5 finish. As he gets more comfortable in the class, he’ll be a threat for a podium spot for

sure.

The largest class of the race was the UTV Turbo Pro class which always delivers exciting racing. Thirty-seven cars left the starting line, and #T944 Phil Blurton didn’t waste any time working his way up to the front of the field, but with as many fast drivers there were in the class, no one was going to let him run away with

it. Close to the halfway point in Panaca, the race started to sort itself out, with Blurton still leading and Mitch Guthrie Jr. close behind. Ryan Piplic, who started twelfth, found his way up to third physically, and Brandon Sims, who started even farther back in the 22nd position, moved to 6th position.

Blurton had a comfortable lead up to that point, but everyone JD Marsh - 1st UTV Pro N/A Photo by Dirt Nation

Chris Blais - 1st UTV Pro Unlimited Photo by RnR Photos

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2021 JIMCO RACING SILVER STATE 300

Bill Baker - 1st UTV Rally Photo by Dirt Nation

behind him stepped it up for the second half of the race. At race mile 237, Guthrie Jr., had cut the physical gap down to three minutes, and Piplic and Sims were getting even closer to the lead pack. In the end, CanAm’s Blurton would take home the win finishing in a fantastic

Mitchell Alsup - 1st UTV Pro Open Photo by Dirt Nation

5:11:21, just six minutes off the Class 6110 winning time and 13th overall, beating all the Class 1000 cars and all but three of the 6100 trucks. Piplic would come in second place, two minutes behind Blurton, and Sims would round out the podium, missing second place

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by a minute.

Other class wins for the day went to Joe David in 1500, #1075 Brent Fox, and Preston Brigman in Class 1000. JD Marsh won Production UTV N/A class after starting near the back, and Chris Blais took home a hard-earned win in the UTV

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Ryan Piplic took a close 2nd to Phill Blurton in the highly competitive UTV Pro Turbo class.

Photo by 4DIRTMEDIA

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Nic Garvin - 1st Open Pro Motorcycle Photo by Dirt Nation

2021 JIMCO RACING SILVER STATE 300 Pro Unlimited class, beating Randy Raschein by a mere 12 seconds for the class win. This was just Chris’s second race in Unlimited, and he is already proving a force to be reckoned with. Other UTV class winners included Johnathan Mcvay in the UTV RS1 N/A competition and U992 Bill Baker in the UTV Rally class. The newly formed UTV Pro Open class was won

by Can-am, racer Mitch Alsup, who backed up his Pro Open win at the Tensor Tire Parker 250. #6201 Nick Carolan continued his winning ways in Class 6200, backing up his win at the Parker 425 while #5072

Troy Grabowski won Class 5000. In Jeepspeed, #4725, Jerry Harmonson, Tyler Herzog, Darrell Herzog, and Grant Mellon took the Class 4700 win.

Class 3700 was won by #3769 Jerry Simonson, Alex Littleboy, Stan Pier, and Kathy Simonson.

The JeepSpeed Class 1700 winning team of Tim Martin, Tony Martin, and Cameron Avery put in a great race and took home the win in a time of 8:03:41. The Vintage class was won by Craig Christy in an ultra-clean Chevy Suburban while, as usual, Chad Hall set fast time in Class 1200 with an ultra-competitive overall time of 6:39:11 in what was essentially

a production truck.

The morning race for the motorcycle and quad classes saw some great action, with the battle for the overall win coming down to four teams. In the end, #N94 Honda rider Nic Garvin backed up his victory at the opening round Tensor Tire Parker 250 against defending Silver State 300 overall m/c winner Skyler Howes. It was his first race since signing a factory contract with Husqvarna to race Dakar and major rallies for Howes. Rounding out the top three overall motorcycles were Best In The Desert series Open Pro #1 plate holder Hayden Hintz and Trevor Hunter. Nic

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2021 JIMCO RACING SILVER STATE 300

Bryce Stavron 1st Over 30 Pro Photo by Dirt Nation

crossed the line in a time of 4:43:14, good for second overall out of all vehicles entered in the race despite hitting a cow at speed while leading the race and losing more than two minutes collecting himself on the side of the trail. Howes was some four minutes back and just 16 seconds in front of N1 Hintz/ Hunter. The top 3 motorcycles finished 2nd, 5th, and 6th overall out of all vehicles. The top motorcycles also averaged 59mph, the fastest ever for a Best In The Desert event.

The Over 30 Pro class was won by Bryce Stavron and Kyle Tichenor, while Husqvarna won the 399 Pro class with Taylor Stevens and Wyatt Brittner.

The Ironman Pro Class went to Tanner Tavernier, who beat Zach Kari Erickson 1st Women’s Expert Photo by Dirt Nation

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Tanner Tavernier 1st Ironman Pro Photo by Dirt Nation

Myers by just a little over one and half minutes after 5:23:24 of racing. Other motorcycle class winners were Kody Livreri, Karson Boyce, and Gage Davis in Class 399 Expert, Eric Holt, Damon Bush, and Tyler Harvey in Open Expert, Ironman Expert class winner Dallas Theobald and Women’s Expert Class winner W15 Kari Erickson and Darian Hickey riding for Rider of Record Ashlee Gage. In the age categories, the O-40 Expert class went to David Swanson, and the Over 50 Expert class was won by the veteran team of Paul Palmer, Cliff Thomas, Scott Stearns, and Derek Paiment, who finished in 5:53:36.

Motorcycle Sportsman competition proved to be equally challenging, with

the Ironman Amateur class being won by Rusty Batza on his Honda in 6:50:29, just 17 minutes ahead of Scott Kastengren.

The Quad Ironman Expert Class and first overall quad went to Kyle Standage in a very respectful 6:27:24. Steve Perry and Marco Mercado took home the Quad Amateur class win.

Altogether, the 2021 Jimco Silver State 300 went off flawlessly with no major accidents or injuries to report.

The racing was very competitive and set the stage for the series points battles that will no doubt only get tighter as the 2021 Maxxis Tires ”Casey Folks” Vegas to Reno Presented by Fox approaches.

Kyle Standage 1st Quad Ironman Expert Photo by Dirt Nation

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By Scot Harden

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T

he Powersports industry is in the process of navigating through one of the most interesting, complicated, nerve-racking, confusing, and ultimately most successful business cycles since the Great Recession of 2008. One year ago, as COVID-19 turned our nation into one giant slumber party, the impact it would have on Powersports, racing, and outdoor recreation overall was hard to forecast. Most industry analysts predicted tough times, and rightfully so.

With record unemployment and industry after industry (e.g., entertainment,

restaurants, travel, etc.) being shut down, the natural tendency was to forecast a huge downturn in Powersports as well. After all, Powersports is a luxury. With economic uncertainty and large-scale unemployment the order of the day, it would be easy to envision plummeting demand and desperate times ahead for all of Powersports, including off-road racing and the companies that support it. However, flash a year forwards, and it’s clear that Powersports as a whole came through COVID with flying colors.

Photo by Daniel Schenkelberg

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OFF-ROAD RACING BUSINESS OUTLOOK By all accounts, Powersports OEMs, including off-road UTV, motorcycle, and car/truck manufacturers, all had record years in 2020 with demand and consumer confidence driving sales to new heights, not only for new vehicles but also for new vehicle aftermarket products as well.

To understand the situation better, we reached out to some of Powersports’ leading companies and corporate executives to get their input on where the industry currently stands and the challenges for the future. We spoke with Polaris VP ORV Marketing/Chief Customer Engagement and Growth Officer, Pam Kermisch to get her perspective on the UTV market. We also talked to off-road racing icon and Jimco Racing owner, Robbie Pierce, and Method Race Wheels Chief Marketing Officer, Brian Godfrey.

Last but not least, Greg Cottrell, President/ Founder of Rugged Radio shared his thoughts as well. Collectively their perspectives helped shed some light on what these companies are doing in response to the market and how they manage their businesses moving forward.

experience and yet be safe, while taking all the necessary precautions. After all, restaurants were closed and travel wasn’t happening.

People looked for things to do with their friends and family, and off-road recreation provided something that people loved doing. And I’ll tell you; it wasn’t just our regular customer base that saw it this way. In addition to overall volume being up across the industry, more importantly, we saw 700,000 new customers join the Polaris family in some way, shape, or form. We brought many new people into the tent, and the fact that it wasn’t just people who already loved Powersports, was the icing on the cake. Now it’s our job to make sure these new customers stick with the Sport, which is a responsibility that we take very seriously at Polaris. It falls on us to ensure that they get acclimated to the category and have a great experience so that when the world returns to normal, they don’t go back to doing whatever they were doing before COVID hit.

ROBBIE PIERCE: Well, it’s kind of hard to judge the rest of the world by Southern SCOT HARDEN: First, thank you for taking time from California, but people weren’t your busy schedule to talk with us and share a about to sit still. I think you bit of what is going on inside your respective saw an increase of people companies. To say that 2020 was quite a wanting to get outdoors challenge would be an understatement. Despite because they couldn’t go the global lockdown, ensuing economic downturn to the movies, couldn’t go with rising unemployment, and entire industries to ball games, and couldn’t shuttered, it proved to be a fantastic year for go to events and shows.

Powersports business. Everything from new So I think you saw a rise in all forms of outdoor models to aftermarket product sales and racing recreation with a keen eye for people to do was way up. From your perspective, what do you something special with their families whether it think drove this activity during be UTVs, bicycles, jet skis, you know, anything such a challenging period? like that. And don’t forget about motor home sales! Those went through the roof, from my PAM KERMISCH: Powersports understanding, as well. I have a friend back in provided an opportunity to Alabama, not necessarily involved in the off-road be outside and socialize with racing market; his sales went through the roof for others safely even during a anything related to off-road. pandemic, right? You could Everybody I know who caters to the market socially distance, go out with from Jeeps to UTVs, you know, the entire a group of friends or family recreational market, sales were up, which was and have an incredible shared good for the industry and helped offset some

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Photo by UTV Sports / Brandon Bunch

of the downturns other sectors experienced.

As all this played out, we focused on our core strengths, the products Jimco Racing is known for; stateof-the-art race trucks, cars, and buggies. As a result, our business was solid last year despite the pandemic.

GREG COTTRELL: Interestingly the lockdown impacted some businesses quite a bit, others not so much. You know,

some people were locked down in their homes, but there were a lot of other people who went out and socially distanced out in the deserts.

When people couldn’t do certain things, or their kids were doing homeschooling (which they soon realized they could do from anywhere), they hopped in the RV and headed out to the desert.

They could learn, go out and play, and socially distance at the same time.

I think this reality sparked our industry. Also, people usually plan big vacations each year or go out to dinner and go to the movies. Take movies, for example. Just to go to the movies, it’s going

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OFF-ROAD RACING BUSINESS OUTLOOK

Photo provided by KC HiLiTES

to cost you and one other person $100 by time you buy a $20 bucket of popcorn, tickets, things like that. A nice dinner, maybe even more. A lot of discretionary income was freed up as a result.

We were locked down in some respects, opened up in others.

BRIAN GODFREY: Our industry, our Sport, is special. I think two things factored into our success. First, even with the restrictions put in place this time last year, we were still in a position to operate.

You know, we weren’t in the restaurant, travel, or live entertainment business. We could still operate.

Second, people wanted to get out and recreate; they wanted to get away. Since many

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were forced to stay home, it provided an excellent opportunity to work on their equipment and get things prepped. There were no excuses. If you wanted to fix up that old Jeep in your backyard or put that race car that’s been apart back together in your garage, you know, this was the opportunity to do that. It also helped that many industries connected to off-road also prospered.

People are spending money on construction/ home improvement, which then filtered into people building off-road cars or going out and recreating. So it positively impacted those businesses, and they are connected to people who spend their money within our space.

Off-road is primarily a blue-collar sport. Everyone from plumbers to contractors to materials makers to hard part manufacturers were kicking ass, you know? And that money all trickles back into offroad and the off-road aftermarket.

No question about it. And then there’s the

OFF-ROAD RACING BUSINESS OUTLOOK

Photo by UTV Sports / Tom Leigh

nature of the Sport; I mean, we were told to socially distance and stay away from each other, and there was no better way than to get in your UTV or off-road truck or car and grab the family and take off. So we were all looking to get out and get away to do those things. So I think that what we did, along with the extra money we may have had because we couldn’t take the family out for dinner, go to the movies or pay for that big summer vacation had an effect. Those who didn’t lose their jobs only made more money, which meant they had more money to spend and fewer places to spend it. And, of course, the government was sending even more money on top of that—sort of a perfect storm.

SCOT HARDEN: With many OEMs and aftermarket companies reporting record sales, or at least positive sales in 2020, how has this impacted your outlook for the future? Do you believe this is a trend that will continue or an anomaly that will be sorted over time? How has this impacted your

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view towards the market and sales forecasting moving forward?

PAM KERMISCH: Absolutely. We track sales closely.

We’re continuing to see strong growth in Q1 2021, at record levels, with growth coming from new and repeat customers. As mentioned, we grew our customer base by 40% with over 700,000 new Polaris customers in 2020. And while this is excellent news, we don’t take it for granted.

We’ve taken a hard look at how we get current customers to come back and buy again while continuing to bring more new customers in. There is one ne area I’ll point to regarding new customers coming into the Sport. We want to address those customers who haven’t been exposed to the category previously and figure out how to make the experience as positive as possible. We know this requires training and education. To that end, we’ve created a new YouTube series called Trail Talk, you can watch them on our Polaris Off-Road YouTube channel.

I think we have five episodes up right now, and the first episode starts with the basics of Side By Side ownership. We’ve tried to fill in the blanks for what seasoned enthusiasts take for granted. We need to assume that new users don’t know a lot.

Think about what a terrible experience it could be for new users just based on lack of knowledge.

What things do they need to bring along, how to prepare, how to dress, where to go? Even very basics things like, how do you load your UTV on a trailer?

What about passengers? What do they need to know about the size of those passengers?

How do you tie down a cooler? How do we best communicate things that are common knowledge for seasoned off-roaders? We see it as a huge opportunity for us and something I’m proud that Polaris is addressing. How do you maintain your vehicle? What are the things you need to know about the different seasons of the year to ensure that you’re on top of everything?

And racing is undoubtedly one of those educational opportunities. That’s another huge

area we can explore; we can discuss those specific elements. For people who haven’t been involved in racing that are not even aware racing exists, video content and social media play a huge role in helping bring them in, getting them comfortable. If we do this right, I’m confident we can keep them coming back long-term as customers and further expand our base as an industry.

ROBBIE PIERCE: My concerns may be a little different than others. Because you’re seeing more and more people getting into off-road racing, it has potential downsides. You have more people going to Mexico and more people using public lands, who that are new to it, they don’t quite know the rules, how to respect the land and the people that live in these remote areas. The landowners down there used to only have to deal with us a few times a year. Now, they have to deal with it every weekend. So I’m concerned that it’s going to become a big issue if it already hasn’t. I have some real concerns about this, especially on Photo by 4DIRTMEDIA

DirtVenture 33

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OFF-ROAD RACING BUSINESS OUTLOOK the business side of it. We’ve seen much change in just the last couple of years.

People start with a stock UTV, move up to an Unlimited UTV, and then maybe into a Class 10 car and eventually into a Trick Truck. We’ve got some talented kids out there who will ultimately be driving Trick Trucks that are amazingly talented. So, while I think it’s all good, we need to be careful.

Do I think it’s a trend that’s going away anytime soon? Absolutely not. I think it’s going to stay and is why we are remaining focused strictly on Trick Trucks, cars, and buggies. If I was in my 30s or 40s, I might have a different approach to this. I’ve been approached over and over about expanding the Jimco brand. You know, let’s do Jimco Raptor suspensions; let’s exploit the Jimco brand. It’s very tempting. It would be easy to cave in, but it’s not what I want to do right now.

You know, I’ve chased that bunny and have been there in the past. I just want to build the best possible race trucks and cars that we can and have this be a fun business for me. But, you know, when I’m done five, seven, ten years from now, I want to leave the Jimco brand in great shape for the next person to go after that market.

Right now, despite all the growth that is going on right now, it’s about balance. I want to focus on balance.

GREG COTTRELL: The challenge for 2020 was you had to navigate through business alongside your employees in a whole new way. So there were a lot of changes that had to happen. As far as sales, yes, we had an influx of people who were all out there wanting to outfit their UTV’s, their Jeeps, and their other vehicles to go out to the desert. Then, of course, there was the opportunity for increased product sales, so we shifted to adapt to the new realities.

If you did business as usual, you might not have done as well. But, if you adapted to the new working environment, you could experience growth and capitalize on the opportunity. I always look for opportunities in business. I always look at how I can be better, stronger, faster, and offer a better product, a better service, a better buying

experience. I focused on my core principles.

From the start, I had teams working on Saturday and Sunday. So that way, if you called on Saturday, you had a live person to answer the phone. Same thing on Sunday. We were calling every single order and thanking the person. I wanted to give the best buying experience I absolutely could in product and personal service, even tech support on the backside. So, I think that’s what made us successful.

BRIAN GODFREY: It all depends on how much the lifestyle changes we experienced in 2020 stick around. For example, because many folks rediscovered they’d rather spend money fixing up their off-road vehicle, going off-roading, or going camping with family, and hopefully, found it to be more enjoyable, I think that they’ll stick around.

Some will bleed off for sure at some point, as more things open up and things go back to the previous normal.

As for Method Race Wheels and all our brands, we switched on, took an aggressive approach, and got moving as soon as things turned off. During the initial downturn, for a short period, we started mapping out our plans. We saw it as an opportunity to gain market share over our competitors. We started aggressively advertising, not backing off when things looked down but trying to do more from an engagement content development and brand building perspective. Luckily, we started immediately when we saw the shift, and by the time things came back around, and other companies were beginning to think about starting back up, we were already full swing and charging forward. We were ready to rock and roll and gain market share.

We’re going to reap that benefit for a while and continue to grow upon that. So I do think the demand that was created by the COVID situation will subside at some point. But it’s not going to be a sharp decline but more a leveling or tapering off.

SCOT HARDEN: We hear that supply chain and logistics issues are becoming an increasingly nagging problem for the industry. How has

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OFF-ROAD RACING BUSINESS OUTLOOK this impacted your business, and if so, what steps are you taking to mitigate the problem?

What timetable do you forecast for the issues to be resolved? What advice can you give your customers?

PAM KERMISCH: No question that we have a big challenge with supplier constraints and logistics.

Supply chain issues are a big focus for us, and we are working through all available options to ease that pain as quickly as possible. Operations are doing a tremendous job of ensuring that product keeps flowing to fulfill the demand. We are using expedited shipping and every means possible.

We work directly with suppliers on their staffing and their supply base. We are making sure we’re rebalancing Insource and Outsource manufacturing alternatives, logistics to try to shorten lead time, you name it. We are looking under every rock we possibly can. The reality is that demand has stayed so high, and we expect it will remain high, and we expect that the supply Photo by Dirt Nation

36 DirtVenture

chain constraints may not improve significantly until late in 2021. As a result, it will likely take until sometime in 2022 to return dealer inventory to the targeted levels that we like to have. And that said, we have best-in-class supply chain and operations teams at Polaris, all working incredibly smart and hard to position us for success. We do expect that it will return to normal at some point.

It is just going to take a little longer to sort it all out. In the meantime, customers should know that if they see product available for purchase and the dealer tells them to act quickly, they aren’t kidding. It’s not just a sales ploy by the dealer.

Inventory levels are lower than they’ve been in years.

ROBBIE PIERCE: We’ve had supply chain challenges, especially the first four to six weeks coming back.

But, we’re still building cars and trucks, people are racing, we are getting product out the door. Some series had their events canceled

Photo by Dirt Nation

which took some pressure off, but others like Best In The Desert were going full steam. Over the last year, our main suppliers, all suppliers in general, have been hedging their bets a little bit.

First off, they’re down on their workforce because of COVID-19 as well as raw materials. They’re also not wanting to invest as much in on-shelf inventory. So, I think we’re starting to see that trend now.

Now that manufacturing is coming back online, you know, you’re starting to see shortages because everybody wants to ramp up smartly without going overboard on inventory. So managers are reluctant to put a lot of products on those shelves. I see the same thing here as Impact Racing’s number two distributor, and we see how availability is being monitored closely.

So, as a result, I don’t have as much in stock as I used to because I don’t know how long the demand will remain.

I’m not overly concerned right now. We are taking care of our customers. I think you’re going to start seeing improvement over time, some of it will take a little longer than others, but I think a minimum of six months to a year. It may also change the fundamental dynamics of inventory

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stocking a little bit while everyone gets a little better handle on what the future holds. I think many industry veterans will be a little hesitant to put a lot of product on the shelves to start with. I believe that the entire manufacturing industry is suffering from a bit of Covid Hangover.

Until we get used to the new environment, it’ll take a little while for that sense of urgency to come back. Everyone’s trying to find what the new normal is and how that applies to the business cycle and business climate as well. So, where do we go from here? How aggressively do we get? Where does demand ultimately lie?

GREG COTTRELL: We are very fortunate in that we produce almost 100% of everything in-house. As a result, we pretty much have not had backorder issues. If it’s within our control, we haven’t backordered it or had very few problems, while other companies that rely on outsourcing are struggling.

So I’m sure that it’s been challenging for many.

The beauty for us is owning the manufacturing facility. It allows us to shift, move and plan further out. We can forecast out product demand and production so we don’t run out. This past year also allowed us to finish our new business

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OFF-ROAD RACING BUSINESS OUTLOOK complex at Rugged Radios. We have a brandnew complex. It’s a state-of-the-art facility, in almost every way, not just in production.

We do in-house prototyping; we have a plasma laser and a full production facility, including powder coating. So, now, I can prototype something within hours. Something that previously took me four to six weeks to do, I can now do it within hours. So, navigating the new business reality can be tough. It can be difficult, but it can be done. Absolutely can be done, but it’s got to be done in a new way, a new way of thinking. That’s what we’re always striving for. But luckily for Rugged, we just never turned off.

We’re always thinking and continually moving.

I recommend every business do the same.

BRIAN GODFREY: Anything manufactured or raw materials, microchip shortages, for example, are all real issues. Same thing with aluminum, right?

Heck, look at two-by-fours; they are $12 now.

They used to be two dollars, so you know, that part is scary. Price increases will be a reality, but we are doing our best to hold them to a minimum.

It’s a part of the equation right now; trying to keep price increases low and react to the realities of

the marketplace—everybody’s kind of readjusting to that. Lucky for us, we can get a lot of products in a container. Our products are priced at a price point that the shipping cost can be divided out between many units. So it isn’t as big of a hit versus somebody who’s making products that aren’t volumetrically efficient. We are keeping a close eye on what transpires over the remainder of 2021. Rarely do companies lower their prices once they’ve achieved a certain level? We just don’t know what the answer is there. I think everybody’s kind of waiting to see where it all ends up.

SCOT HARDEN: Racing has been a big part of your company’s overall go-to-market strategy.

If you could wave a magic wand, what would you change that would make the Sport better?

(Please keep in mind I am referring to off-road racing, such as the type of racing we do at BITD) Is it cost factors, the number of races, class structures, etc.? Please expand.

PAM KERMISCH: The first suggestion I would have is the idea of making it more accessible to more people. That would be great. If you think about

Photo by Dirt Nation

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OFF-ROAD RACING BUSINESS OUTLOOK

Photo by Daniel Nobel Photography

it, at one end, you’ve got the tricked-out race vehicles that are just amazing and impressive, but they’re also expensive and intimidating.

It makes for a very competitive landscape for the manufacturers and top teams, but it’s fairly alienating to people just starting out.

On the other end, you need more people to enter and participate and grow the Sport. I think it makes it attractive for the manufacturers to talk about the capabilities of their factory production vehicles. It creates a different level of connection with everyday people.

So maybe it’s not just about the top end, the aspirational end of the Sport; maybe the bottom end is just as important as well. The term “elite’ can apply to both ends.

Many people, especially with all the new people coming in, who didn’t grow up on racing and don’t know much about it, can find it intimidating to jump in and learn. It’s something where everyone else seems to know all the insider language and the culture. So it can be challenging, and therefore I think we have opportunities to educate.

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So let’s develop content, including live streaming the races and storytelling behind the scenes about the drivers. How did they get into it? What training and preparation did they do to prepare for it? Share a bit more of the humaninterest story to help broaden the appeal. And once they are invited in, show them a path forward that is accessible to them.

SCOT HARDEN: That’s something that we’ve been thinking about for a while as well. It’s great to hear it. It reinforces that we take a lot for granted, having grown up in the Sport. We need to put ourselves on the other side of the fence and look in. I’ll bet it’s pretty intimidating. We need to break those barriers down. And obviously, one way is through our race class structures.

PAM KERMISCH: Go to our YouTube channel and watch those Trails Talk videos. We should be doing the same for racing. Create something for people who aren’t as familiar with racing. It’s about meeting them where they’re at.

ROBBIE PIERCE: For as long as I can remember, people have always talked about the golden days of off-road and off-road racing, and is it all in the past? I’ve had this conversation with people before; I’m not so sure that that’s true. I’m not so sure that now aren’t the golden years of off-road racing. And people say, well, how do we take desert racing to the next level? What if it’s already there, right? I mean, we’ve accomplished a lot.

Maybe it’s just about changing your perspective and seeing the world more positively.

If I could change anything, I want to slow it down just a little bit so that we can preserve and enjoy what we already have. Enjoy the spirit of camaraderie, pre-running together, the shared experience of the pits and the other teams. Too much of a good thing isn’t necessarily a good thing. It’s always been a recreational sport. You know, we’re all recreational racers.

I don’t know if that’s limiting, you know, it seems all forms of motorsports want to grow; I don’t care if it’s Top Fuel or NASCAR or Off-Road, but it seems there needs to be a balance there.

GREG COTTRELL: To make the sport better, I think events could be shorter, and more local where there is adequate lodging, not out in the middle of nowhere. We do 92 events a year. We have a lot of support trailers traveling all across the country doing events. Our team works very hard. They need basic accommodations.

Event coordinators and promoters need to take into consideration that we need infrastructure out there to function properly. On the other side of things, when we come down to the financial aspect as a company, we are always looking for more exposure.

We need more racing televised. We need more spectators. Yes, you have the race clientele in front of you. That’s great. They’re important. You have the race clientele, of course, but they want sponsorship, which is fine, but you can’t give everything away for free. I understand that. Okay, on the other side, though, you have to balance it out for it to make business sense. Now, what makes sense? I love venues that offer racing and spectators.

Currently, it’s very small as far as the

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OFF-ROAD RACING BUSINESS OUTLOOK expansion of people outside our industry. We love off-road racing. I’ve been off-road racing since my dad first raced the Baja 1000 in the late 70s. So I’ve been in it to win it from day one. And the thing is this I’d love more exposure. I’d love an opportunity to get more people involved, to experience what we experienced. That’s where television comes in; I’ll never forget growing up with Wide World of Sports.

When they had the television coverage of Baja, I watched that. When they covered racing at Riverside Raceway, I watched. Oh my gosh. That was so much fun. It was just incredible as a kid.

Those were some of the highlights of my time.

How do we get that back? No question about it, we need to televise more events.

One group of people that is amazing is Desert Vets Racing. They are an incredible group. It’s just an awesome program, and it’s so exciting. Every time they put another vet in that car, we have a new member of the off-road racing community.

They want to do it again and again. How can we expand that? I don’t know what that magic answer is or how to do that, but I guarantee if we had more groups like Desert Vets racing out there, we’d be home free.

BRIAN GODFREY: We make specific products for offroad racing and off-road racers. We have a whole group of dedicated people to service, support, and sell to that market. And we offer, as you know, racer programs, including supporting quite a few athletes who are helping us drive our brand.

We intend to continue to do that. Our efforts

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44 DirtVenture

to expand outside of traditional off-road desert racing into International racing are our focus. This impacts everything we do, including the type of product we make. We invest quite a bit in R&D through racing. Our goal is to leverage everything we do through racing to support the brand. And from what I can see, off-road racing is doing very well right now. I would imagine the interest level is at an all-time high. The only issue right now negatively impacting racing is that the experience has been altered due to COVID. I just did the NORRA race, for example, and it just wasn’t as fun not having the parties and not having you know everybody in the same space for a driver’s meeting and all that. Like me, I think most people look forward to those activities as much as the race itself. These are people with the same interests as you, and I wanted to be near them and share my passion. I think that’s something all promoters need to consider as they emerge from COVID regulations, putting a considerable effort into getting everyone back together. Make it as much fun for the people who aren’t behind the wheel as the people who are behind the wheel.

Editor’s Note: The information shared by these industry experts in this article is greatly appreciated by Best In the Desert and DirtVenture Magazine. We hope it helps provide a little more insight into the off-road industry as a whole. We sincerely appreciate the time they spent sharing their views.

After his bike didn’t fire right away on the start, Hayden Hintz fought back from deep in the pack to finish a hard earned third Open Pro Motorcycle.

Photo by Mark Kariya

46 DirtVenture

Story by Harlen Foley and Scot Harden

After close to 30 years, the Best in the Desert Series returned to its two-wheel roots as it held the event that started the series back in 1984, the World Hare & Hound Championship in Tonopah, NV. This year’s event, billed as the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC World Hare and Hound Championship Presented by GPR, was held on a mostly singletrack point-to-point course that followed the spirit of what Best In The Desert founder Casey Folks created back in the day.

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Rocky Mountain ATV/MC World Hare & Hound Championship presented by GBR

Joe Wasson - 1st Overall / Men’s Champion Photo by Dirt Nation

Wasson and Stout Top Rocky Mountain ATV/MC World Hare & Hound Championship Presented by GPR as Best In The Desert Brings Back a Racing Classic

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While Best In The Desert is better known today for its Car, Truck, ATV, and UTV series, Casey Folks’ son and CEO Daryl Folks, decided it was time for the series to reinvigorate its roots. Casey Folks was an avid desert motorcycle racer and created the series initially for two-wheel racing.

Economics and changing attitudes moved the series onto four wheels, but Daryl didn’t forget what got the series where it is. After running a motorcycle-only class on a special singletrack course at the 2019 Mint 400, he immediately began planning this event.

“It’s been a long time since Best In The Desert has done a Hare & Hound, so after my dad passed away, we looked at our roots,” said Daryl Folks. “Motorcycles are the nucleus of off-road; it starts with two wheels. So we thought we could put together a motorcycle race and make it more successful than anything else out there.”

The younger Folks spent many hours poring over his father’s track maps and then added his own knowledge and experience promoting Tracon Trailride events in the Tonopah area. The

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Rocky Mountain ATV/MC World Hare & Hound Championship presented by GBR precedent set by the formerly held events led to approval from the Bureau of Land Management.

Finally, the race was ready to roll with that in place—the 103-mile course comprised lots of fast singletrack, a few roads, and technical rock sections.

“The concept was to go back and resurrect the old races,” he said. “It’s some of my father’s layout tied in with my layout. Hare & Hound is traditionally single track, and this is a motorcycle course. So it’s a traditional race, and this is what started Best in the Desert.”

Folks felt an overall energy that told him they should reinstate the event. The competitors were universal in praising the course, the event, and the race organizers. “While the entries didn’t hit the threshold we had hoped for, this is an event we are investing in and planning to bring back to its former glory over the next three years,” commented Folks. “Judging by the response, it looks like we succeeded. It’s a starting point, and it will be damn hard not to do it again.”

On race day, seasonal temperatures in the mid-70s were replaced with highs in the 50s, cold winds, and snow flurries. The moisture was appreciated, though, as it helped keep dust to a minimum and made for excellent traction.

Payton Maas - 1st Youth 65cc Photo by Dirt Nation

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The Youth races kicked things off bright and early on Saturday, May 22nd, with the 50cc class leading the action. The race was dominated by the Garcia brothers from Tonopah, who had a great time competing against each other. Brodi Garcia took first, followed by Kellon and Eli. The 65cc race followed next and featured a 6-mile course that tested the young riders under true hare and hound conditions. Peyton Maas won the 65cc race, followed by Landen Ruano and Walker Segale-Vandover. The 85cc class was the last youth race of the morning, and these kids got a real taste of hare and hound racing as they competed on the first 37 miles of the big bike H&H course. Ethan Drake was the first 85cc rider, followed by Jeff Lessing and Jordan Maas. The experience they received was tremendous and will no doubt impact their future racing results.

The highly anticipated big bike race started promptly at 1:30 PM with the ceremonial “hare”, 3 times AMA National Hare and Hound Champion Russel Pearson leaving the line three minutes before the first Pro wave. Russel had a bounty on his head with any rider catching him before pit 1, earning a $1000 bonus and a $500 bonus if caught before Pit 2. The entire Pro-Class started as a group on one line harkening back Ethan Drake - 1st Youth 85cc Photo by Dirt Nation

Rachel Stout - Women’s Champion Photo by Dirt Nation

Podium photo by Scot Harden

DirtVenture 51

Rocky Mountain ATV/MC World Hare & Hound Championship presented by GBR

Taylor Stevens - 1st 399 Pro Photo by Dirt Nation

to traditional hare and hound racing days. By this time, the weather had warmed to the mid50s making for ideal racing conditions. Wasson caught and passed Pearson before pit two and collected the $500 bonus.

In the Open Pro class, Joe Wasson beat out teammate Zane Roberts for the victory.

Both riding BETA 480s, the pair were virtually unbeatable on the course. In the Women’s Expert class, Rachel Stout rode her KTM to victory and earned an unprecedented $1,000 for the win. Branden Siebenhaar finished first in Open Amateur on a Honda, while Brandon Krause earned the Overall Expert class championship on his KTM. “Once I got in front, Zane was right there,” said Wasson. “I had to keep him at bay right away, then it started snowing, and the dirt just got so good. So, I put about 15 seconds on him, and I just kept building on that gap. I had an amazing day and was smiling ear to ear. It was an amazing event.”

Wasson, like many of the racers, praised the track. He also had high regard for the BITD team and their hard work to make a comeback of this race.

Bryce Strabron- 1st Over-30 Pro Photo by Dirt Nation

“The track had everything; it was a real, true desert challenge,” said Wasson. “You had to be able to run 100 mph and then slow down to get through the rocks. You couldn’t have just one skill set. You had to be a great all-around rider. It takes a true champion to be able to navigate the desert with no GPS and following pink ribbons.”

Roberts was disappointed with another second-place finish but had a lot of fun during the event. With a lot going on in his personal life, he enjoyed getting back out to the desert and racing.

“I just graduated from college and moved out. I have a lot going on, so coming out here and having a solid run is all I could ask for,” said Roberts. “It was a cool event. The terrain was pretty cool, and I had a lot of fun.”

While the BETA boys were out front, Hintz set himself up for a hard day right from the start. After his bike didn’t fire right away on the dead engine start, he got pushed out in the first turn and had to pass the entire field virtually to finish third.

It was worth it, though, as he finished ahead of points leader Nic Garvin and gained some important ground in the title chase. Garvin nursed a broken foot sustained from a collision with a cow at the Silver State event three weeks earlier

DirtVenture 53

to finish fourth on a Honda.

“It was an excellent experience,” said Hintz.

“I didn’t know what to expect, but overall, I had a blast. I got a bad start and had to work all day.

The bike didn’t start, and then going into the first corner, I bounced right and got stuck in the rebar outside the corner. So, I was pretty far behind, and I had to work for it. This helped us out a lot in points, and I had a blast out there.”

Tucker Norman - 1st 399 Expert Photo by Dirt Nation

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In the Women’s Expert competition, Rachel Stout finished first on her KTM and earned $1,000 for the effort. More importantly, she claimed bragging rights as “Women’s World Hare and Hound Champion.” Current Best In The Desert points leader, Kimberly Loppnow’s Yamaha, suffered a flat tire early in the race. Loppnow rode 80 miles on the shredded rubber to finish second.

Rocky Mountain ATV/MC gave Loppnow a new Josh Cook - 1st Over 30 Expert Photo by Dirt Nation

DirtVenture 55

Rocky Mountain ATV/MC World Hare & Hound Championship presented by GBR set of tires for her bike to reward her hard charge.

Rebecca Stout was third on a KTM. Other Pro class winners included 399 Pro Class winner Taylor Stevens, O-30 Pro class winner Bryce Stavron, Lite Pro class winner Gregory Pheasant and O-40 Pro class winner Kit Stokes. All remarked how fun and challenging the racecourse was and how happy they were to have attended.

The Expert class started on a single row five minutes behind the Pro class, with Brandon Krause seizing the lead early on, a position he would hold to the finish. The Overall Expert class win did not come easily, though, as O-30 Expert class winner, Josh Cook dogged Brandon right up to the end, crossing the line just 8 seconds behind. Other Expert Class winners included 399 Expert winner Tucker Norman, Ironman Expert winner Dallas Theobald, O-40 Expert class winner Josh Wilson, and O-50 Expert Class winner Dave “Korndawg” Martin.

Overall Expert class winner Brandon Krause credited the Best In The Desert crew for organizing a great event and his father desert racing legend Paul Krause, for pit support. “I have to thank the Best in the Desert crew because they killed it today with this event,” said Krause.

“It was a really fun course, and all in all, it was a good day.”

Branden Siebenhaar won the Open Amateur Brandon Krause - 1st Open Expert Photo by Dirt Nation

56 DirtVenture

class and earned a set of Rocky Mountain ATV/ MC tires. Like many in the field, he didn’t know what to expect but left the event with a smile.

Joshua Alexander and Ronald Norman finished second and third overall in the Amateur class competition. “I definitely underestimated this race and how rough it was going to be,” said Siebenhaar. “It worked out great, and I had a good time. We will be back for more!”

Will this be the first of a new string of World Hare & Hound Championships? Though the numbers were lower than expected, the energy produced on social media and in the press will likely show a desire for a comeback. Best In The Desert Race Director, Jeff Phillips hopes so.

“Numbers-wise, I was pretty happy with the assortment of classes,” said Phillips. “We had a lot of different classes, and it was cool. Obviously, we wanted more, but it went well, and it’s cool to hit a niche like this. A very special thank you to Rocky Mountain ATV/MC and GPR for sponsoring our event,” added Phillips. “The happy faces and gratitude expressed by all the racers made this more than worth the effort. I especially want to thank the town of Tonopah for welcoming us with open arms, and of course, our staff and volunteers. We definitely set a standard for hare and hound racing.”

Branden Siebenhaar - 1st Open Amateur Photo by Dirt Nation

The Rocky Mountain ATV/MC World Hare & Hound Championship Presented by GPR presented a True Desert Challenge

Josh Cook - 1st Over-30 Expert Photo by Dirt Nation

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Scot Harden Photo by Miguel Santana

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By Scot Harden

The Nevada 200 Trailride was co-founded by Casey Folks and Scot Harden, lifelong friends, business partners, racing enthusiasts and riding buddies. 37 years ago, Casey and I established an event that has since grown into legendary status. We marked a date on the calendar that assured we would get together at least once a year to ride and enjoy off-road motorcycling as we had done growing up together in Las Vegas. In the 37 years since, The Nevada 200 Trailride has brought together thousands of riders from all over the U.S., and world for that matter. It’s had an economic impact of over $700,000 on rural Lincoln County, Nevada, raised over $50,000 for the local community of Caliente, NV, and opened thousands of miles of trails for off-road recreation. It is rated the “Best Trailride in America” by Dirt Bike Magazine and is a bucket list event for countless off-road motorcycle enthusiasts. Today it is co-promoted by Scot Harden and Daryl Folks. The following story is told by Scot Harden, in his own words about what the event means to him as we emerge from COVID lock down and look towards the future.

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2021 NEVADA 200 TRAILRIDE

Fun, Fellowship and Epic Trails 37

years ago, my motorcycling career was really taking off. Everything I had dreamed of accomplishing as a young boy, winning Baja overall, medaling at Six Days, racing rallies in Africa, starting a business career in powersports - had come to fruition. The year was 1985, a year that I would win the Baja 500 overall once again, as well as several other big off-road events.

On the business side, I was entering my third year as a District Sales Manager for Husqvarna Motor Company, a highly respected company that was staffed by some of the best and brightest our industry ever produced. My boss was industry legend, Mark Blackwell, who along with guys like Dick Burleson, Terry Cunningham, Mike Melton and Larry Roeseler, were fellow colleagues. They joined a talented and dedicated group of sales, parts, technical and administrative support professionals to form a highly functional business unit. And then there were the Husqvarna dealers – some of

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Scot Harden and Daryl Folks address the riders Photo by Miguel Santana

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2021 NEVADA 200 TRAILRIDE the best, and certainly some of the most proud and passionate powersports retailers I have ever met or known. Husqvarna Motor Company, in the late 70’s and early 80’s, was a very special place to work. Located in San Diego, it was like one big family.

I was living the “California Dream” as they say. My wife, Kristi, and I purchased our first home that year, and just two years prior, we had our first son, Brent. I was indeed extremely blessed, and life would have been absolutely perfect, except for one small thing.

I missed home. I missed my friends, family, and most importantly, of all my riding

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Scot Harden and his Husky Photo by Miguel Santana

Grant Langston on the trail Photo by Miguel Santana

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2021 NEVADA 200 TRAILRIDE buddies from my native Las Vegas, the city where I was born and raised. Ever since moving to California in 1982 to work for Husqvarna, I yearned for the long weekend desert trail rides of exploration I would go on with my friends, especially my good friend Casey Folks.

Many will connect Casey’s name as the founder of Best In The Desert, the world class off-road racing organization he established, but Casey was also the owner of Sportsman Cycle, the first Husqvarna and Penton dealership in Las Vegas.

Sportsman Cycle was one of my early sponsors, a mecca for local racers and my home away from home as a teenager growing up in Las Vegas.

Between the two of us there is a mountain of personal history and a deep connection to Southern Nevada and the special moments and experiences we shared exploring the mountains and desert surrounding Las Vegas on long weekend trail rides. Since moving to California in early 1982, I desperately missed those moments and longed for a way to remain connected.

Out of this longing, the Nevada 200 Trailride was born.

You see, the Nevada 200 was a trick I played to make sure Casey and I (no matter how busy our schedules got) made time each year to get together and go riding. It forced us to set a date and time where we would meet and ride. Our favorite riding area north of Las Vegas in remote Lincoln County would

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Chow time Photo by Miguel Santana

2021 NEVADA 200 TRAILRIDE

Ride along with Scot Harden on Day 2 of the Nevada 200

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Taking a break on top of the world Photo by Miguel Santana

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2021 NEVADA 200 TRAILRIDE serve as our destination. To ensure that we couldn’t back out at the last minute or cancel, we invited 20 or so friends that first year to meet and ride with us in Caliente, Nevada.

In May, 1985, the Nevada 200 Trailride was born and over the 37 years since has grown to become one of the most anticipated events for riders on the off-road calendar.

Participants enjoy three days of mixed riding, all on handpicked routes chosen by Daryl Folks and me after decades of exploring the endless trails surrounding Caliente. Friday is a shorter half-day ride, Saturday is a full 100-mile day, and Sunday

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is another half day. Each day brings a different blend of fast sand washes, woodsy trails, flowing desert single track, tighter rocky trails, some water crossings, and open desert terrain. Day Two, in particular, treats riders with incredible single track through a high desert forest, eventually leading to an open landscape where a lucky few may glimpse a herd of wild horses running in the distance. It’s not a desert race or a hard enduro, it’s a trail ride – exactly as the name implies.

You can stop and rest whenever you wish, take photos of the scenery, and just ride whatever pace you feel.

For many it has achieved “bucket list” status, an event drawing riders from all over the U.S. and even overseas. The 37th Annual Motion Pro Nevada 200 Trailride was held April 16th – 18th, 2021, and I’m very happy to report still fulfilled its original mission, putting a date on the calendar for like-minded friends, family members and industry associates to meet and ride. The only difference was that approximately 160 riders showed up to share in the camaraderie, along with a number of the industry’s leading manufacturers and aftermarket companies including the AMA. Since Casey’s passing in 2017,

Photo by Miguel Santana

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2021 NEVADA 200 TRAILRIDE I co-promoted the event with Casey’s son, Daryl, with his company TRAC-ON, as my partner.

The 2021 event drew some of the biggest names in motorcycling including four AMA Hall of Famers, an FIM World Road Racing Champion, Kevin Schwantz, an FIM World Motocross and U.S. Supercross Champion, Grant Langston,

13-time AMA Off-Road and GNCC Champion, Rodney Smith, and living Baja and Mint 400 legends, Jack Johnson and Max Switzer. These legends added immensely to the event and gave the other 160 riders, who joined in, a great group to bench race with.

“Revival” would be an appropriate word to describe the Nevada 200 Trailride

because that’s just what it is: a “revival” of the shared experience that makes off-road motorcycling such an important part of my life and the lives of countless others.

For more information on the Nevada 200 Trailride, visit www.harden-offroad.com.

Shown left to right: Ron Williams, Grant Langston, Kevin Schwantz, Rodney Smith and Scot Harden Photo by Miguel Santana

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Photo by Miguel Santana

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Photo by Dirt Nation

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A Conversation with Chris Blais

By Scot Harden

Chris Blais is one of those remarkable racing personalities who you can’t help but root for. Not many people know, but Chris had an impressive motorcycle racing career cut short by injury. He is one of only a small handful of Americans to have ever stood on the podium at the Dakar Rally, doing so in 2007, finishing 3rd Overall, as a member of the factory Red Bull/KTM U.S. effort. More recently, Chris turned his attention to UTV racing and started by competing in the Rally class. Then, in 2021, with support from Can-Am and a host of other sponsors, Chris jumped to the very competitive UTV Unlimited class, proving himself a force to be reckoned with.

Following is a brief interview we conducted with Chris the day before the Jimco Racing Silver State 300.

SCOT: All right, so here we are. I’m in the parking lot of the Boulder Station today before the 2021 Jimco Racing Silver State 300 talking to Chris Blais. Welcome Chris, what class are you racing tomorrow?

CHRIS: I’m racing Unlimited Pro class.

SCOT: That’s quite a step forward. I mean, from where you started with this whole program, you were happy and content there at the beginning to just go out and race with the kids.

So it would appear the switch to the Unlimited class seems pretty serious.

CHRIS: Yeah, I mean, you got to start somewhere. Once we built up enough support, it kind of made a little bit more financial sense. But I mean, when does racing ever make any financial sense? You know, I couldn’t help myself after doing a couple of Rally Class races. And it’s like, I want to race with some faster guys. So, I’m moving up slowly, taking my time.

SCOT: Yeah, well, you have certainly been turning some heads with your results. I mean, just from the very beginning. So, for those who don’t know Chris Blais, tell us a bit about your history. How did you get involved in racing? And what brought you to UTVs? CHRIS: Oh, well, I was racing with Honda for a long time until back in the day, Scot Harden here invited me to do this Red

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CROSS OVER INTERVIEW - CHRIS BLAIS

Dynamic duo of Chris and Patty Blais Photo by Scot Harden

Bull/KTM US Rally challenge to try out for the US Dakar team. I was selected from the competition and got to race for KTM and do three Dakar Rallys, desert races, and Baja.

And then I got hurt in 2007. I got paralyzed. Then I ended up buying a friend’s Polaris Razor like a year or two after that. I did that for four or five years.

Then the racing itch hit me, and I started my own motorcycle race team. I had a bunch of young guys, and I decided to mentor and helped them with their careers on motorcycles, including Skyler Howes. It’s

been kind of cool to see Skyler accomplish all he has in Best In the Desert, and Dakar recently, and then go all the way to a Husky factory ride for rally.

Yeah, just to see, you know, one of the guys who come out of your group make it all the way to the top makes up for it.

SCOT: You know, people may or may not know, Chris, that you’re one of the few Americans to ever podium at Dakar.

CHRIS: Yes, third overall in 2007.

Yeah, that was pretty cool to have accomplished that. There

are only four of us Americans who have ever been on the podium at Dakar, and it’s kind of cool to see Ricky Brabec win it. I hope our guys keep some momentum, so they keep sending our guys over there.

SCOT: Yeah, you’re a real pioneer in racing, Chris. So, you’ve raced on two wheels, and you’re running now on four wheels?

What’s the most significant difference? I mean, what was the biggest challenge for you coming from the motorcycle arena to four wheels?

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CROSS OVER INTERVIEW - CHRIS BLAIS CHRIS: Well, I mean, it’s easy when you know everything about motorcycles and how to make them work. And those are easy, but these UTVs are a whole other beast for sure. So we got the UTV, and we started with that. Then, of course, you have to work through your issues, each model has its issues and stuff you got to work through, and it was just like starting from scratch. It was a learning experience; you feel like a rookie for a while, you know, and then you wonder how hard can I drive the UTV? Can I drive it as fast as I want to go? Do I have to drive it slower? Nobody ever wants to slow down when they’re racing, but you have

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to in these UTVs sometimes to make them last. We didn’t do that on a dirt bike. You only slowed down when you didn’t want to kill yourself.

SCOT: The old adage used to be that on a motorcycle, it was 80% rider and 20% machine.

But that ratio might be a little bit different in a car or UTV. Is it, or is it still the same? Do you still think the driver is the biggest difference? Or is it the race vehicle?

CHRIS: Well, regarding dirt bikes, we didn’t have to worry too much about mechanical stuff.

You know, usually, they’re pretty solid, even in stock form; you

can just go ride the wheels off them. You just set it up for your preference and your comfort, you know, to go fast. But these UTVs, I mean, if you don’t do the right prep and replace the parts on a certain service, it doesn’t matter how good of a driver you are. So, I mean, I think it helps to have a smooth style, and I’m usually pretty calm and precise. So, I think that helps with the UTVs, but we spent 80 to 100 hours prep for one race. I don’t care if it’s a local race or a big race; that much labor is intense, so intense, I just hired a full-time mechanic to work on the car.

Now, you realize you’re in the deep end of the pool, and you

got to get some support. I had to get some real help for this year if we were going to race.

We’re doing three different series.

Motorcycle guys can get on a horse and go fast and win races.

You know what you can do and can adapt pretty quickly to a different style.

SCOT: So, motorcycle racers have always made a great transition to four-wheel, it seems like. Look back to Malcolm Smith, Larry Roeseler, Jack Johnson, Bobby Ferro, and all those guys who came from two wheels and adapted to four and dominated, and that seems to be the case with you.

SCOT: What do you think are the biggest advantages motorcycle racers have?

CHRIS: What do you think?

I mean, if you can ride a motorcycle, you can pretty much do anything.

CHRIS: I think it’s just reading terrain and choosing lines—the feel for the machine. You know, if there’s a big wash coming up, you can kind of tell when you’re in cross-grain, and on a dirt bike, you’ve always slowed down because you’re worried about, you know, killing yourself or abusing the bike. In the car, you can get away with pretty

much anything. But you still have to worry about ripping the wheel off or something on the vehicle. And your personal safety as well, I guess. I mean, the cage can only protect so much.

SCOT: So, as you embarked on this new four-wheel career, new UTVs, what was the biggest challenge for you to figure out?

Was it just the labor part of it?

Was it the setup part of it? Was it how to tune the vehicles? So, what was the biggest challenge for you?

CHRIS: Obviously, the biggest challenge is always the financial part of the four wheels. But

Photo by Dirt Nation

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CROSS OVER INTERVIEW - CHRIS BLAIS I mean, we adapted pretty quickly. I always knew because I’m a mechanic, so I figured out how to make the cars work, and to surround yourself with a good group of people. For example, I have an amazing suspension guy. And he just knows all aspects of racing. So, any issues I’ve had with CVs, or anything on the cars, he’s my go to guy there, been there, done that. So, I take his advice and kind of work from there to get where we need to be a lot quicker.

SCOT: Yeah, so obviously, you have a unique situation; how you operate the vehicle is different from anybody else.

I mean, you’re using all hand controls. Were there any challenges in setting up the car to use hand controls? And do you see it as a disadvantage or as an advantage?

CHRIS: I guess the most significant disadvantage is just

dealing with one hand, but it’s made us have to make the car work well and perfectly, so I don’t have the steering feedback, and I don’t have to fight it. The draw-on brake control is fine. With one hand, I think I have more control than you do with your feet. Yeah, I’m a lot smoother with that. And we have a lot fewer drive train issues. But the steering part has always been a struggle. We run a power steering unit that has a lot, I mean, a lot more juice, but it’s just sometimes I still feel like I could push harder if I felt more in control. I’m 50% down on power to steer, and some guys can hold on with two hands.

Our setup on our shocks is different than what anybody else would run. Super flush in the initial, and you just don’t feel that much punishment, so I can drive the car and not get tired.

quite a few races. So give us a quick rundown on some of your biggest race wins so far.

SCOT: So obviously, you’ve had quite a bit of success here out of the block. I mean, you won

CHRIS: We’re just going to go out there and give it our best.

I always drive my own race. I

CHRIS: Last year, we won Rally class at the UTV World Championship. And we dominated that race pretty much, and then I went to a couple of Cal City series races in a row. After that, we went to the DP Four Championship.

This year, we raced four races.

And we won three of the four races this year so far. So, we’re kind of trying to keep that momentum going. Yeah, so now we are in the Unlimited class.

I mean, there are a lot of good guys there. Michael Isom is a perennial champion in the class.

And a bunch of other guys as well.

SCOT: I mean, what’s your strategy for this race?

Photo by Dirt Nation

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CROSS OVER INTERVIEW - CHRIS BLAIS

Photo by Scot Harden

drive my own pace, whatever feels comfortable. I don’t worry about anybody else. I just do my thing. And we can see where we end up. If I have to push a little harder, I’ll push a little harder, try to scare the crap out of my codriver. But you know, he still sits there with me no matter what.

SCOT: Do you have some sponsors you want to thank and any other people you want to thank as part of this?

CHRIS: I want to thank Can-Am. They’ve really stepped up this year. I’d also like to thank my business, Blais Racing Services, that funds most all this. My buddy, Tom Morris. He’s my go-to guy.

SCOT: So obviously, your challenge right now is to win at this level, the Unlimited Class.

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Do you have your sights set on something else down the road?

I mean, you want to get into bigger cars or trucks someday.

CHRIS: Honestly, I’d race anything if someone’s paying. I think we all would, you know, I’d just like to build the relationship with Can-Am this year, and you know, try to get results. We’re going to be doing about 17 events, which is kind of unheard of. So, I just want to prove that if you focus and pull it off and have a solid year, the sponsors step up for next year. I hope that happens.

SCOT: Well, it’s been great talking to you, Chris. Do you want to thank anybody else?

CHRIS: I mean, the biggest thing is just the family and friends and guys who just support me.

I couldn’t be out here without them making this happen.

Between getting me in the car and getting me to the races and all the extra steps that it takes with the damn wheelchair sometimes, you know, Mrs. Blais, is always there for me and puts up with a lot of crap. She’s amazing!

SCOT: All right, well, hey, good luck tomorrow, Chris. And we’re proud to have you race Best In The Desert.

Editor’s Note: Chris went on to win the 2021 Jimco Racing Silver State 300 by a mere 15 seconds over second-place Unlimited UTV Randy Raschein.

It looks like Chris is off to a great start in 2021.

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Dean is seen here taking a break from testing his skills at Arizona Motorsports Park

Meet Dean Henthorn, Best In The Desert’s Social Media Mgr.. Dean hails from Scottsdale, AZ and is an avid off-road and adventure motorcyclist. He comes to Best In The Desert with a long and productive career in marketing, communications and social media. His primary love without question is visual storytelling and he’s one of the best photographers in the business. Dean’s main task at Best In The Desert is managing our social media platforms to best promote our series, our racers and our sponsors, to grow our audience through interesting and timely content. To that extent he has very specific ideas how to best accomplish this which is the focus of his column in this month’s issue of DirtVenture. Dean understands the tight community that surrounds off-road desert racing because it’s in his blood too!

We hope you enjoy the column that follows.

Be sure to say hi to Dean at the races.

Welcome to the team Dean!

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Hello Fellow Racers, It’s my turn to tell you a little about what’s cooking over at Best In The Desert’s social media department. There is lots to talk about, so I will get right into it.

First off, you may (or may not) know that we have been experimenting with Live Feed streaming, via Facebook, as much as we can, of your races! Yes, now you can invite family and friends to see you race! They should follow us on Facebook (@Bestinthedesert) to be notified when we are streaming. At the recent Rocky Mountain ATV/MC World Hare and Hound World Championship Presented by GPR race both Scot Harden and I took turns streaming while the other would leapfrog to the next pit area or high signal strength location. Speaking of signal strength, while technology is allowing us to do so much more to bring you coverage, we are still at the mercy of cell phone coverage and signal strength.

As we continue to provide more and better coverage, please understand that the technology has limitations and will drop our signal when it

feels like it. But don’t worry, we will get it right your part by tagging us in any of your race related back online as quickly as possible. posts or by sharing ours. Our Facebook name So far, the response to our efforts has been is Best In The Desert or @bestinthedesert on very positive and I love interacting with all of you Instagram. as your questions come through so let’s keep it See you out on the course! going and spread the word.

In addition to our streaming coverage, we will continue to post interesting information about our racers, sponsors and important event info during and following each event. I will personally do my best to tag each and every racer in the photos we use, but sometimes I just cannot find your tag on Instagram or Facebook. You can help me, promote you and your sponsors, by introducing yourself at the next race so I can get to know your face, name, and race number.

Since Best In The Desert is all about promoting this great sport, you can do Check out this segment from the Silver State 300 Facebook Live Feed

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MEET SAM “SOLO” BERRI A Conversation with Sam Berri and Scot Harden

W

hen you look in the dictionary for the definition of the term “Off-Road Racer,” you will find Sam Berri’s picture next to it. He embodies the passion that lies at the core of the sport, and a sport that he has passionately embraced since the early ‘80s. Besides being a class act, he has been one of the top racers in the sport year in and year out. A multi-time Best In The Desert Series Class 1500 Champion and overall event winner, Sam has not missed a Best In The Desert race since it first started including Cars and Trucks back in 1996 some 25 years ago. His approach to racing is very

SCOT: Sam, welcome to Vegas and the Jimco Silver State 300. It’s always great to see you. Thanks for taking the time to sit down with us and answer a few questions. First, Sam, tell me a bit about your background. When did you first start racing? What brought you into the sport? I mean, you know, everybody knows that you’re always a threat, competing in every race for the Class 1500 win and a top overall finish. Everybody has to start somewhere. So what got you started in off-road racing?

SAM: I got started by helping a friend years ago, back in the early 80s. I started helping him by doing the mechanical stuff.

He ended up buying a twoseater, and we started racing as a sportsman. I did all the work on the car, he drove it, and the agreement down the line was I

simple and very personal. He stands out from most all the other race cars and teams as the only occupant of his Jimco Racing Class 1500 car.

In contrast, while others prefer to go with two-person teams splitting navigation, mechanical, and driving chores, Sam likes to tackle off-road racing solo. We sat down with Sam the day before the 2021 Jimco Silver State 300 to talk about his career in off-road racing, where he started, where he sees the sport heading, and his plans for the Jimco Silver State 300.

would get a chance to drive it as well. So I started doing that for about a year. Then during one race we ran out of gas. He went off to find gas, and somebody came along and gave me gas.

So I jumped in the driver’s seat and picked him up, and that’s when I got my first shot behind the wheel. I finished that year with him and decided, you know, I needed to get into my own car.

SCOT: So, what was your first race in your own buggy?

SAM: My first race was a VORRA race in Yerington, Nevada. I think it was the Yerington 400. I believe they are still running it.

Back then, they drew for starting positions, and I entered Class One. Coincidentally, I drew first off the line. The promoter knew it was my first race and came to me and said, “Are you sure you

want to be up here?”

I said, “Yeah, I’m good to go.” I ended up winning that race. It just so happened everything went great. We preran the course several times, and I had raced that course previously in the two-seater car with the guy who helped me get started, so I had a little knowledge of the course at that time. I felt comfortable but also nervous, that is until the green flag dropped. Every part of my body was shaking. Once I got that out of the way and started racing, I never thought twice about it. I’ve always done well in the VORRA series. It got to the point that I was getting stronger and wanted to try bigger and better things. I had many people helping me get there; a gentleman named “Big Don” helped me with the Volkswagen motors we ran back then. After about five years, I had won

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UNDER THE HELMET - SAM BERRI

Photo by Dirt Nation

Class One, four out of five years in a row going back to 1983-84.

SCOT: Wow, that’s quite a record and right from the start. What came next?

SAM: After that, we started running short course races and traveling back to Prairie City. I had stepped up quite a bit and had enough knowledge and enough people behind me to try all this stuff, especially helping me stay up with the technical side. VORRA was kind of a low-key real family-oriented grassroots type racing. It was awesome, and I really enjoyed that.

It got to the point, racing short course, and I was doing so well, actually dominating, that the promoter said, “You’re going to have to start last.”

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So, I’d start last, and I worked my way through the pack and still win. They even started me backward one time because a lot of the guys were, you know, new, and they didn’t have real updated equipment.

This was just before I started racing Best In The Desert. So, this part of my career was a real kick; it was just a lot of fun, you know, to do things like that.

The promoter was fantastic, and they had an announcer who got the crowd into it. It was exhilarating.

I’m proud to say I was there when Casey held his first Best In The Desert Car/Truck race, Vegas to Reno, in 1996. I don’t know if you remember, but we actually paraded down Highway 15 out to the start in Sloan. We participated in the pre-fun run, which was a great adventure

in itself. Back then, we could pre-run it. We did well right from the start, and I loved everything about it. As far as I know, I’m the only one who has raced every race Best In The Desert has put on. This next Vegas to Reno will be my 25th!

SCOT: Wow. Well, we have that in common. I raced that first Vegas to Reno as well on a motorcycle with Jack Johnson. I remember that parade down the Strip. You have had an amazing history with Best In the Desert, not to mention a big impact on the series. What are the most races you’ve done in a year?

SAM: Well, for Best In The Desert, that usually averages 6 to 7 races a year. With VORRA, we’ve always raced another five to six. So, I was

UNDER THE HELMET - SAM BERRI running 12 to 13 races a year when I first got involved with Best In The Desert, and then the VORRA promoter ended up selling out to somebody else.

They had permit problems and this and that, so I ended up going down south and racing the Chula Vista short course series. That’s where I met BJ Baldwin, and he ended up getting bigger and better, as you know. I raced that for a year until VORRA got their permits situated. And then I went back to running VORRA in addition to Best In The Desert. Finally, I had an opportunity to buy an updated car.

exact year, but it was within a year or two of that. I won my first overall at the Silver State race. That was the year we ended up finishing in Mesquite, including the transfer section at the end, where we ran 25 miles an hour into Mesquite. That was my first overall race win, and it was a very special moment. We just kept stepping it up from that point on. At that point, I backed off of some of the other series because races were getting too close to each other and decided to focus 100% on Best In The Desert. I picked up a few more sponsors to help, you know, to make it all work.

SCOT: What year did you win your first BITD Championship?

SCOT: Your race car is so identifiable. It just stands out.

The fact that it’s just one guy in the car is something that has always attracted me to your program; you know, it’s just one guy who serves as driver,

SAM: I won my first championship, I believe, in 1989. You’ll have to check me on that. I can’t remember the

navigator, and mechanic. When did you start racing the current vehicle that you’re running? And please tell us a little bit about it.

SAM: It was a few years back, yes, I think about five years ago.

Everybody got together at PCI, and between Jimco, Redline, and Jamar, they, along with several other key sponsors, jumped on board to pull it all together. I took delivery on the car just before the 2016 or 2017 Parker 425 (I can’t remember). It took a little bit to get it all sorted out to the point it stands now.

I had the record for finishing first in Qualifying up until just a couple of years ago. I think Rob Mac passed me, but it’s close. I’ve had 14 Top Qualifying positions for the Best In The Desert. In any case, I led that first race at Parker and had a two-and-a-half-minute lead at one point. At that time, I could

On the Ford Mesa after taking 2nd Class 1500 at the Silver State 300.

Photo by Dirt Nation

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UNDER THE HELMET - SAM BERRI

Photo by Dirtfocus

run away from the Trick Trucks in the tight stuff. Unfortunately, I broke an axle and DNF. In addition to the companies mentioned above, King Shocks also supports me, and they do a fantastic job. Same with the gang at Mastercraft. I can’t thank Mike Jolson enough for all his support in helping pull all this together. And Brett King for taking a personal interest and helping me get it set up just right. Our sport is full of some remarkable people. And now it’s working well, and that’s important you know, I’m not getting any younger.

SCOT: Well, for the record, Sam, how young are you?

SAM: I’m 67 years old.

SCOT: Well, that brings up a good

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time to talk about the changes you’ve seen in the sport over the years. You’ve been around a while and watched all the recent developments. You’ve been racing Best In The Desert at the very highest level of the sport.

What are the biggest changes you’ve seen in the sport from a competition standpoint, especially the vehicles over the last five years?

SAM: What I see the most is, you know, a buggy can only have so much suspension because of the limitations with the CVs and stuff like that. I used to run away from some of the top Trick Truck guys like the McMillin’s, Rob Mac, and Robby Gordon in the tight technical stuff. I won the Best In The Desert Henderson 250 race overall a few years because I could run away from

the Trucks in the tight stuff. The buggies could run away from the trucks in the tight technical and make enough of a gap to where in the fast stuff, they couldn’t overcome it.

SCOT: Absolutely. Nowadays, the Trick Trucks, including some of the 6100s, have upgraded to much bigger horsepower, longer travel suspension, and can turn.

So what do you think about all-wheel drive? I mean, is that the big game-changer everyone thinks it is?

SAM: You know, it is, to a point.

There are a few of them, and the guys are putting them upfront.

But the two-wheel-drive Trick Trucks are still very competitive.

The four-wheel-drive has a nice advantage coming in and out of the turns. They’re gaining

seconds in every corner. And in a race like Vegas to Reno, two or three seconds out of every turn adds up. So yes, the fourwheel drives are faster, but so are the two-wheel drives as well.

The biggest thing that I’ve heard from most of those guys that run them is they turn so much better. They turn in the tight technical stuff. Can I run away from them now? Well, that’s to be seen. Several years ago, at this Silver State race between checkpoints three and four, a real technical section, I had a great race with Jesse Jones.

And he’d be, you know, five, six seconds behind me, and I got out there and ran through the technical section, and at the top of one of the hills, I’d look back, and I gained a minute and a half on him through the technical stuff. I can’t do that anymore.

Nowadays, there are certain races where a buggy could overall hold their own against it, but the odds are slim to none now because of how they’ve upgraded the trucks nowadays.

And unfortunately, we can’t change that much in the 1500 class. You’re still limited by the suspension and getting the power to the ground. You have guys trying things, longer arms, engines, they’re trying. There are just certain mechanical limitations affecting the amount of power delivered.

SCOT: Well, just a couple more questions. With your long background in Best In The Desert, I have to ask you, what is your favorite race?

SAM: It’s close, but the Parker 425 is a race that I’ve always looked

forward to. My only issue is that in all the years I’ve raced it, my best finish is second overall.

SCOT: So, you have unfinished business, is what I hear.

SAM: Yes, and three, four years ago, I was leading that overall. A lot of guys had problems. Unknowingly, I had a pretty good lead. I just was comfortably cruising along when I lost the CV joint and didn’t have a spare. I got out to find out what the problem was and when I got on the radio, I couldn’t get out. Finally, I called my pit crew on my cell phone to bring me parts. It was almost eight minutes before the first vehicle passed by. I had a fantastic lead. That was a huge opportunity for an overall win.

Photo by Dirtfocus

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UNDER THE HELMET - SAM BERRI SCOT: My last question, Sam, is how much longer do you see yourself racing?

SAM: My wife and a lot of other people ask me the same thing. I’m going to keep on racing for as long as I can, as long as I can stay in shape, as long as I can climb in and out of that thing. Now maybe you’ll have to lift me in the car and help me get out, but I’m racing. And maybe I’ll have to go to a two-seater at some point, you know, maybe, maybe, maybe. Racing is a big part of my life, and it’s been over 40 years that I’ve been, you know, messing around with all this, and I don’t plan on quitting anytime soon.

SCOT: Well, we sure hope it’s not for a while. Let’s put it that way. And last but not least, who do you want to thank?

SAM: My wife, Kelly, because without her support, I couldn’t do this. My crew, as well, they’re all volunteers. Some of these guys have been with me for pushing 30 years, helping and showing up and doing whatever they can to support me. But I couldn’t do it without the big sponsors.

I’m blessed to have sponsors like Jimco Racing, Jamar, King Shocks, Kevin McMullen, PPM, Baja Designs, PCI, BFGoodrich, Impact, RedLine, and Trailready.

Last but not least, I have Casey to thank. I’ve got a big picture on my top of my car, the biggest picture that would fit up there on top, and I carry that every race. He made me feel very welcome. When we started racing, it was always nice to see his excitement at the starting line and at the finish line. Casey and the whole Best In The Desert crew were there. Yeah, I mean, I come down here, and it’s so nice to have all their support. They’re happy to see you here.

And, you know, it’s a big family, and it’s really neat. As I said, we all miss Casey; he was my star in the Best In The Desert.

And because of him, I didn’t miss a race.

SCOT: Well, thanks, Sam. We appreciate you taking the time to talk to us. You know, you’re a huge credit to our sport and Best In The Desert. Thank you for being here and supporting us, and we appreciate all you do for off-road racing. Good luck tomorrow. Most importantly, be safe!

Editors Note: Sam finished 2nd in Class 1500 at the Jimco Silver State 300 the following day and took the 2021 Best In The Desert Series Class 1500 Championship Points lead in the process.

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Photo by 4DIRTMEDIA

DirtVenture 95

Fire Suit

101

By David Nehrbass

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Over the last several years, Off Road Racing has been mandating improved fire suit regulations on Drivers, Co-drivers and even Pit Crew Members. Best in the Desert has helped lead this change and safety improvement in the industry.

Even with improvements to technology, fire suits do not make you fireproof. In this installment of Safety First, we will discuss various suits, burn times, undergarments, and additional protection to help you cross the finish line safely.

In 2017, Best In The Desert became an SFI Member at the urging of Robbie Pierce. Obviously, Robbie is not only a subject matter expert in racing safety, but he continues to remain heavily involved in off-road motorsports.

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SAFETY FIRST

based test bed for hundreds of various products used in all forms of motorsports from fire suits, to helmets to cage construction and restraints.

SFI conducts not only many tests a year, but reviews any critical incidents that occur on various tracks. Joining SFI and implementing many of their standards insures that Best In The Desert is at the forefront of racer safety.

All drivers or occupants are now required to wear a SFI 3.2a/5 suit anytime they are in a race vehicle. This is for all vehicle classes including UTV or Sportsman classes. This suit is a standard in the industry, and combined with wearing the

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proper undergarments, which is essential, you can resist second degree burns from direct flames for approximately 10 seconds.

10 seconds. How many of you can get unstrapped and out of your vehicle in 10 seconds in full gear including helmet and neck restraint devices? Can you do it if your vehicle is upside down or on its side? Prior to 2017, Best in the Desert allowed 3.2a/1 suits for occupants. These were single layer suits, that while they were cooler for those that wore them, they offered just 3 seconds of direct contact before second degree burns could develop based on SFI certification standards.

Pit crew members are

also required to be protected.

Over the years all forms of motorsports have seen many flash fires, particularly while fueling of the vehicle is taking place. As a result, Best In The Desert has mandated that all pit crew members working in the immediate area of refueling also be protected by the same SFI Certified 3.2a/5 suit. This will not protect them if they have fuel spilled on them as all fire suits will absorb fuel, oil or other flammable fluids when splashed or dumped on them. It will however protect them in case of a flash fire. As a result, Best In The Desert also mandates that any crew members handling fuel also wear a SFI rated fuel

apron. That barrier can prevent the suit from absorbing flammable liquids at critical times.

These requirements are in place for all fourwheel vehicle pits, all four-wheel classes and all forms of four-wheel vehicle refueling within Best In The Desert events.

Wearing the proper suit is just part of a solution to keeping people from getting burned. Wearing the proper undergarments are as important as the suit itself. While Best In The Desert has not implemented specific undergarments, they have banned all polyester and nylon-based products. Wearing SFI rated undergarments will always offer you the best protection, however, simply ensuring that you are not wearing something that can melt is just as important. Certain products designed to keep you cooler when you sweat can melt in seconds even if not exposed to direct flames.

Certified balaclavas are also required for all team members who are wearing suits and in the immediate area of refueling the vehicles.

It is also highly recommended that SFI rated gloves, socks and shoes be worn to protect your team members.

We recommend that all teams in off-road consistently talk with the vendors at the races.

Fire protection for your team is not a buy it once and forget about it solution. Technology changes, suits do expire. And rips and tears, if not repaired professionally, are no longer certified. At Best In The Desert we are very fortunate to have Contingency Partners that follow our series like SDHQ, PCI, UPR, and of course Mastercraft / Impact, that have experts in knowledge of individual suits, their ratings and what the requirements are for various series.

As a substitute to appropriately rated fire suits, Best In The Desert has allowed pit crew members to utilize Fire Department Turnout Coats and Pants. By their very nature, these garments, when in full-service condition, automatically have properties that not only prevent exposure to flash fires, but also offer a fluid barrier internally that keeps them from absorbing fuel or other fluids. These typically

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SAFETY FIRST are much warmer to wear, offer much less flexibility, but will offer significant layers of protection in a critical situation.

While we will dive in depth into Fire Extinguisher choices and use in future installments of our Safety First column, we will touch on briefly that each pit always needs to have their fire extinguishers out and available.

Teams that are fueling need to have a dedicated person with a fire extinguisher in hand ready to be the first line of defense in case of a flash fire. Having it in a truck or even hanging on the back of the truck is not an acceptable alternative. While it has not been mandated yet, it

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Photo by Dirtfocus

is strongly suggested that this person is also covered with SFI rated fire protection. Make sure each and every time, you are giving your crew and your drivers every opportunity to be

as safe as possible in a critical situation.

Race Safely everyone and try and keep Safety First!

DESERT DRIVEN

MILD to WILD

4 Levels of Competition

Top photos by RnR Photos

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Jeepspeed was founded in 2001 by Mike Barnett and Clive Skilton. After attending the 2000 Dakar Rally, Skilton returned with the concept of an affordable off-road race & rally type class in the United States. Seeing an opportunity for vehicles featuring limited wheel travel, similar in scope to Dakar rules, but using relatively stock American built Jeep vehicles, Jeepspeed was born.

Jeepspeed is now owned 100% by Mike Barnett, as Skilton recently retired and sold to Barnett, but

Clive still attends many of the races.

The first race took place in 2001 and attracted well-known off-road personalities such as the Currie family, Ryan Wallace of Rubicon Express, Skyjacker Suspensions, and the Barnett Brothers of T&J Performance. The Jeepspeed class was an immediate success. By 2003, Jeepspeed had issued 50 race team numbers and regularly had 20 Jeeps entered at each event.

Jeepspeed was created to offer Jeep

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DESERT DRIVEN - JEEPSPEED up the Jeepspeed Series.

Jeepspeed Class 1700 Stock This is the most popular and affordable class. Vehicles in this class must be Jeeps and use components readily available to the general public and are allowed limited options for modification. A maximum 6-cylinder engine may be used Use of up to 33-inch tires are allowed with one shock per wheel.

Jeepspeed Class 2700 Intermediate The Intermediate Class is for Jeep and Dodge productionbased vehicles and fits between the limited Class 1700 and the modified Class 3700. Any Jeep or Dodge production engine may be used. Up to 35-inch tires are allowed and limited to two shocks per wheel.

Class 1700 Photo by RnR Photos

enthusiasts affordable racing, rallying and adventure. You can have fun racing durable, affordable Jeeps and you don’t have to spend a million bucks. Since 2001 Jeepspeed has delivered the best entry level racing on dirt. Jeepspeed rules are carefully written to create fierce competition while keeping race costs to a minimum. Class modifications were made in 2015 and introduced a new race series to attract new drivers and more recent models.

Mike Barnett said, “Jeepspeed is not a spec class. You don’t have to buy a vehicle built by a company for that class. You build your own Jeep race truck that fits your budget and skill level. Any model Jeep may be used as long as it fits into the few simple rules.”

Following is a brief description of the four classes that make

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Jeepspeed Class 3700 Modified This class allows a higher degree of vehicle modifications. Vehicles in this class must be Jeep or Dodge sport utility vehicles and light trucks. Any make production/crate engine may be used. Up to 37-inch tires can be used with no limit to to the number of shocks per wheel.

Jeepspeed Class 4700 Open This is the unlimited Jeepspeed class with the least modification restrictions. Vehicles in this class must be Jeep or Dodge sport utility vehicles and light trucks that are recognizable as by the brand grill, hood and fenders. The frame and chassis is open. Any

Class 2700 Photo by RnR Photos

Class 3700 Photo by Dirt Nation

make engine may be used. Up to 37-inch tires are allowed with no limit to the number of shocks per wheel.

With an average of 20 to 30 similar race vehicles on the starting line, the competition is tight and fierce. At Jeepspeed, they say their mission is to bring off-road racing to anyone who wants to experience the thrill of the race - without breaking the bank.

Barnett also owns and operates T&J Performance Center in Orange, California, a truck, Jeep and SUV repair company that also builds quality off-road vehicles. With over four decades of experience, Barnett’s professional staff can handle all of your vehicle services. They offer a wide range of services, and while they specialize in assembling components for trucks, Jeeps and

SUVs, their team has the knowledge to work on any off-road vehicle. They are considered a one-stop shop for off-road vehicles from 1942 to present. From 1942 military Jeeps to a new 2020 JL or Gladiator, they understand and know what fits and what doesn’t. They can handle custom fabrication, gear ratio changes, suspension, or just a simple tune up. Their techs are highly trained and knowledgeable.

It’s fast, easy and relatively inexpensive to go racing with Jeepspeed, and they offer several ways to get involved. Contact Mike Barnett directly for more information: www.JEEPspeed.com Phone: (714) 719-2696 Email: mike@jeepspeed.com

Class 4700 Photo by RnR Photos

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Casey’s Chronicles feature stories and tall tales about our founder, Casey Folks.

In each issue we will 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 article will be 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.

For our second issue of DirtVenture, who better than Daryl Folks to tell the story.

Welcome to Casey’s World!

By Daryl Folks

Photo by Dirtfocus

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Writing this has been an interesting trip through the past. It was 1984, and my dad was working on a race called the “Whiskey Pete’s World Championship Hare and Hound” (WCHH). Like everyone else, I was excited by the name alone and the fact that it would be another “Folks Formula” layout. Translated, this meant: “As good as it gets in the Nevada desert”! The race started at the Whiskey Pete’s Hotel and Casino in Primm, NV, and finished in Sloan, NV, just 20 miles further north on I-15. However, leave it to my Dad and his crew to layout 120 miles of the most amazing course, including several valleys and mountain ranges in between. Throw in a double-check and maybe a triple-check or two, and it was an instant classic. Like I said, “The Folks Formula.” The inaugural World

Casey competing in a Baja race in 1973. His deep passion for motorcycle racing is what eventually led to the birth of the Best In The Desert Racing Association. Photo by Jim Ober, Trackside Photo

First Whiskey Pete’s World Championship Hare & Hound program cover featuring Scot Harden in 1984

Program cover of the 1987 Whiskey Pete’s NISSAN WCHH featuring Daryl Folks

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CASEY’S CHRONICLES

Riders gather in front of Whiskey Pete’s for the Riders Meeting at the 1987 race

Championship Crown belonged to the legendary Dan Smith on a Husqvarna 500 XC. The 1984 WCHH came and went, laying the foundation for what happened next: creating the “Best In The Desert Racing Association”. The WCHH joined another points race already promoted by my father, “Las Vegas 400 Professional Team Race”.

With it, an association was born, and my Dad was finally living his dream. And I say that with conviction. When I was about twelve, I remember dad telling me that his dream in life was to be a professional race promoter, and it all started with the WCHH. From the first WCHH, all of us who raced knew we had not just ridden another race but something very special. A well put on, wellorganized, creative race that set a new standard for hare and hound racing. However, I don’t think any of us, including my dad, saw what

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was coming next. The inaugural race offered a $20,000 purse, and while the turnout wasn’t huge, as I remember about 110 entries, it received a mountain of great press. So much so the Primm brothers, especially Gary Primm, owners of Whiskey Pete’s, couldn’t have been happier.

And because desert legend Dan Smith won the inaugural race, it added even more prestige to the event. With all the media hype and the Primm family solidly behind it, the 1985 WCHH purse increased to $25,000 cash, ensuring the future of a 1980’s motorcycle desert racing icon. Entries almost doubled in 1985, with racers traveling from all over the Western States and even back East to showcase their talents and race for big money.

The 1985 event was another classic WCHH featuring a 140-mile four-leaf clover layout with the last loop exclusively up in the Clark Mtns.

California. At the finish, I remember telling my

dad I can’t believe the course I just raced as it was at the time the most creative of all his past works. The 1986 and ‘87 WCHH races were bigger and better yet, with more media hype and the cash purse growing to $35,000, with the total entries going over 260. As I recall, there were over fourteen #1 plate holders between the open class and the 250cc class from twenty different states and three countries that came to Southern Nevada to do battle for the crown and the big dollars. Even more racers from back East and the MidWest joined the fun, including National Enduro Champions and ISDE Gold Medalists, to challenge Western desert champions. The Overall winner in ‘85 was a dark horse racer on an ATK named Chris Crandall, followed in ‘86 by Garth Sweetland and Dan Smith again in ‘87.

In 1988, the race moved north ten miles on Hwy 15 to Jean, NV, and retained the name

“Gold Strike World Championship Hare and Hound” after the Gold Strike Hotel. As I recall, Dan Smith came back and won at least two more of those events, along with Greg Searle out of Reno, NV winning in 1990. In 1991 it became the Danny Hamel show for the next five years straight. Looking back through time, it only seems appropriate for such an iconic race that peaked the limits of any other desert motorcycle race to be won by “The Greatest Of All Time” (GOAT) Danny Hamel. In the end, four legends were created in the mid-1980s up through the mid-1990s; Best In The Desert, The World Championship Hare and Hound, Casey E Folks Jr., and Danny Hamel. The race came to an end in 1995 when Best In The Desert diversified and introduced the four-wheel racing community.

Hats off to Dan, Garth, Chris, Greg, Danny, and all the rest who participated in and won one of the

Daryl Folks on board a factory supported Husqvarna on his way to a 4th place in the 250 Pro Class in 1987

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CASEY’S CHRONICLES greatest desert races ever.

Fast forward to 2020, my brother Bryan and I were sitting in the Best In the Desert office when Bryan came out of nowhere with, “What do you think about bringing back the World Championship Hare and Hound?”

The talk from there became a new reality, so we tweaked the name from what it originally was to something with a better ring. You don’t say World Championship Heavyweight; you say World Heavyweight Championship. I told Bryan that Tonopah, NV should be the location, and I immediately started working on the project. I was already planning a new race called the “Battle Born 250” slated on the 2020 schedule. Unfortunately, we had to cancel the Battle Born 250 and replace it with another race due to the Covid 19 situation. The Battle Born 250 was formatted as a motorcycleonly two-loop course while the four-wheel vehicles would race on a separate course. It sounds pretty simple; convert the already laid out course to a point-to-point race versus the two-loop format. But, as it turns out, it wasn’t that simple as the BLM Recreation Planner I had been working with transferred out of the Tonopah Field Office to a new office. This meant we had to start over working with new management and building new relationships. It was more difficult than any of us imagined. Fortunately, Trac-On organized trail rides from 2006 - 2014 in Tonopah and held permits for those events. This sealed the deal at the end of the day. You see, I keep very organized files on everything Trac-On produces, and because of that, we had prior approval to fall back on. From there, our entire staff worked

The 4th year of the event

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gained even greater national attention in the April, 1987 issue of Dirt Rider magazine

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CASEY’S CHRONICLES tirelessly to see this through, especially our Race Operations Manager, Jeff Phillips.

This brings us up to Saturday morning, May 22nd, 2021. When I looked across the starting line of the 2021 Rocky Mountain ATV/MC World Hare and Hound Championship Presented by GPR, me on one end and one of my best friends, Jeff Phillips on the other, I thought to myself, “I know dad’s looking down on us; I wonder what his thoughts are?” I quickly realized that I’m sure he was thinking one of two things. Either we are super dumb, or he was mighty proud. And in the end, yes, I’m pretty sure it was the mighty proud part. In the end, all of us at Best In The Desert had a great time putting this event on, and it was a great feeling to go all out for the motorcycle racing community again. Motorcycles are the nucleus of off-road racing, and motorcycles are the nucleus in the creation of Best In The Desert.

As the checkered flag fell later that day, after

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roughly two and a half hours of racing, it was Joe Wasson on the Factory Beta that became the new World Hare and Hound Champion. And for the first time, we crowned a Women’s World Hare and Hound Champion, Rachel Stout. Congratulations to Joe and Rachel for putting in such fantastic rides, and for joining a very short list of past World Champions who paved the way for them and others starting 35 years ago.

A special Thank You to all of our sponsors, especially our title sponsor Rocky Mountain ATV/ MC and our presenting sponsor, GPR. And of course, thank you to all of you motorcycle racers, along with all the Youth Racers, for making the trek to Tonopah, NV, for an epic event and a new chapter in the history of desert motorcycle racing.

“BOOYAH”

2021 SUMMER LINE IS NOW AVAILABLE! Show your love for the largest off-road racing series in North America. Turn heads with our well-known logo on a t-shirt or hoodie. Tell your friends or shop for a

gift that will be truly appreciated! There’s something for everyone in the Best In The Desert shop.

A CLOSER LOOK:

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In The Desert driver’s meeting by Rugged is a genuine pleasure to experience, as they explicitly demonstrate exactly what they need to do to communicate with their teams and co-drivers.

Greg Cottrell, Founder and President of Rugged Radios, started Rugged Radios to

revolutionize the off-road communications industry. His dream grew into the communications giant that is Rugged Radios today, manufacturing communications for work, race, and play.

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A CLOSER LOOK

Greg Cottrell in the Rugged Radios Garage while being interviewed for the “Destination Polaris” television program

Communications For Any Environment Whether you’re ripping across the desert in your UTV, hitting the single track with your friends on the weekend, or taking flight in your Cessna, you need communications you can trust.

With nearly 30 years experience in manufacturing high noise environment communications, Rugged Radios provides a full line of communication products, from industrial job sites to agriculture to fire & safety - communications for any environment.

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Connect To Anything From headsets to intercoms and endless cabling options, Rugged can also help you connect to anything. Rugged has the ability to configure almost any communication application. If you have a Motorola, Kenwood, or Icom radio, Rugged can connect to it. If you don’t see the cable you’re looking for online, Rugged says to give their team a call.

Go Further With their knowledgeable staff, superior level of service, and broad product line, Rugged Radios is the #1 choice for all your communication needs. Rugged provides world class support to all their customers, and their race support staff provides technical assistance that is second to none.

Rugged builds their products to be rugged. tough, and are engineered with the finest components, using Rugged’s own proprietary technology that exceeds other brands. Rugged is passionate about communications and their product line reflects their dedication to helping their customers go further.

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CL AS S F O C U S

T rophyLit One of the original Spec Classes, the Class 6000 TrophyLite trucks, were created several years ago by the Scaroni family. The concept was to offer competitive off-road racing in true purposebuilt race trucks, but with sealed engines and identical drive trains and chassis to keep the racing on a level playing field. Several years after the start of the classes, Jason Cobb and his family took over the company.

TrophyLite is a true SPEC class, where the hard work of the

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te

team and the driver are the deciding factor. The motors, tires, wheels, shocks, suspension and everything in between are all the same in their two levels of race trucks Class 6000 – R-4 Racers have the choice of sealed and tagged Ford 2.0L fuel injected or GM 2.4L engines

Photo provided by TrophyLite

featuring 200HP with Turbo 350 transmission with 18-inch wheel travel front and rear. These trucks are built to be the same, so the hardware element is removed from the racing results.

Everyone has the same tires, the same shocks, the same rear end, the same TIG welded 4130 chromoly chassis and suspension parts. This leaves the racing to the driver and truck set up.

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CLASS FOCUS

Also available is the R-8 with V8 Power In this class, the engine is a sealed and tagged GM LS3, 6.2L Aluminum Race Motor with 430HP mated to a Turbo 400 transmission. Wheelbase is 122-inches with 28-inch front and 32-inch rear wheel travel. Shocks are open as long as the parts are off the shelf and approved by Trophylite. Tires must not exceed 37” or 12.50” in width and the tire manufacturer must be part of the TrophyLite R8 Contingency program.

Rick Jackson of Milwaukie, OR, was the Class 6000 winner at the Jimco Racing Silver State 300 in May. Photo by RnR Photos

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Both levels are designed and built to be the same. All feature the same tires, shocks, rear end, TIG welded 4130 chromoly chassis and suspension parts, and the same race wheels.

By using a sealed engine program TrophyLite ensures a fair race, and no team has any horsepower advantage over another.

New for 2021 on the R-4 is the addition of 35”

Photo provided by TrophyLite

tires and a brand-new body will be available by the end of the year. The class is racing for over $30,000 in prize money.

The series pit together, camp together, and support each other in life and during the race.

The series owners bring thousands of dollars in parts to each race for each team in case a racer needs a part to get to the finish line.

In 2020, TrophyLite racers averaged a 77% finishing percentage for the class, for the year.

Most races are decided by seconds, not minutes.

It is great racing at a great price.

TrophyLite says they can build a brand-new truck for less than $100,000, or you can also find a used one on their website.

Contact TrophyLite to find out more about the series, and the driving schools they offer in a TrophyLite. You may also want to consider renting one of their trucks for a race to really

experience what they have to offer. www.trophylite.com Phone: (623) 570-0474, (623) 321-1335 Email: jason.cobb@trophylite.com Sidenote: TL Speed Shop is their race shop in Wickenburg.

The TL Speed Shop is home for TrophyLite Race Series and much more. At TL Speed Shop, Cobb’s top-notch crew not only do everything TrophyLite related, but they service UTVs, ATVs, MX bikes along with Jeeps and sand cars. They have been awarded a dealership for SPEED UTV as well as TomCar and will soon have a full inventory. They take UTVs on consignment and Jason quipped, “We even air up the neighborhood kids bicycle tires from time to time.”

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IN THE KNOW TENSOR Tire Introduces All-New 37” DSR Competition Race Tire Tensor Tire has officially released the 37” DSR competition level “Desert Series Race” tire. Made in the USA and developed specifically for competition & race purposes, the new DSR is an appropriately sized tire with decreased weight to unleash all the horsepower from your machine.

Weighing only 50 lbs, Tensor’s 37” DSR measures 10” wide and is available for both 15” or 17” wheels. A 37” Tensor Tire & 15” Method Race Wheel combo can weigh as little as 70 lbs. and approximately 50% lighter than a comparable 37” race wheel/tire package.

More Information: tensortire.com 1-866-779-8604

G1 Products releases a new WORK MAT In addition to the current lineup of Mats for safety and environmental concerns in your pit, the WORK MAT will add some comfort while thrashing on your vehicle in the field, in the pit, even broken down along the road.

Made with 3/8” to 1/2” thick industrial grade felt that won’t crush or degrade with use on rocks or blow away in the wind like foam. Wrapped with 18 oz, 22 oz, or 40 oz vinyl and topped with a water-resistant 600d polyester fabric. Available in several sizes and many color combinations to fit your style. Tough enough to use under your jack in soft conditions to reduce sinking.

Check out our growing line of products, to becoming your ‘one-stop shop’ for outfitting your pit.

More Information: www.g1products.com 1-844-444-1776

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NEW FST FilterShield™ for FST Fuel Filters FST Fuel Filters are ideal for racing where exceptional filtering & extra capacity is needed, but sometimes it’s necessary to protect them from flying debris kicked up from under the vehicle. The FilterShield™ from FST simply slips onto FST fuel filters providing a compact, high temperature shield, especially suited for off-road competition.

The FilterShield™ uses an exclusive volcanic rock fiberbased thermal barrier material that can withstand constant temperatures of 1200°F and intermittent temps up to 2000°F. Unique MagnaMount™ magnets tightly hold the heatshield in place & help trap metallic contaminants inside the filter. Also protects fuel from overheating due to ambient temperature and high heat exhaust.

More Information: www.FSTPerformance.com 1-407-323-0122

Exceptional Motocross and Off-Road Performance Performance, reliability, and durability make up the foundation of a high-quality tire, but those features don’t have to come at the expense of your budget. Introducing the Tusk EMEX T-35 and T-45 tires from RMATVMC – budget-friendly offerings packed full of all of the elements of a premium off-road tire. The EMEX T-35 is a soft/ intermediate terrain tire capable of transitioning from loose conditions to harder surfaces, all while providing excellent traction and aggressive performance. For intermediate/hard terrain, the EMEX T-45 offers consistent bite and stability. We designed these tires to work as hard as you do!

Tusk EMEX T-35 Tusk EMEX T-45

More Information: www.RockyMountainATVMC.com 1-800-336-5437

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IN THE KNOW TOTAL SEAL® GAPLESS® Piston Rings for Diesel Applications Total Seal® Piston Rings power more race engines than any other brand. Total Seal’s Gapless® technology and high performance piston ring sets for the diesel engine ranks is now available. With their extremely high cylinder pressures, the benefits of Gapless® rings for diesel engines are even greater than they are for gas.

By eliminating the excessive blow-by characteristics common to diesel engines, Total Seal® Gapless® second rings help these engines unleash their full potential, turning them into true horsepower and torque monsters.

More Information: www.TotalSeal.com 1-623-587-7400

• Better sealing & less friction • Greater cranking pressure • More boost - delivered quicker • Increased horsepower & torque • Greatly reduced oil contamination • Cooler running engine oil

VP POWERSPORTS PACK Powersports enthusiasts, make more power and keep your rig looking and running great with this special Powersports Pack from VP.

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The Powersports Pack includes: 1 Quart of Octanium® - Increases gasoline octane up to 8 numbers.

16 oz of Cool Down - Improves coolant performance, safe for all radiator systems.

1 Quart of PowerWash™ Moto Formula Spray - Suspends and floats away dirt and grease 13 oz of Silicon Detailer - Provides a superior finish that will resist dirt and dust.

13 oz of Foam & Fiber Filter Cleaner Removes dirt, grime and oil from filter quickly and easily.

13 oz of Chain Lube - Formulated to provide unsurpassed lubrication, extending chain and sprocket life.

More Information: https://vpracingfuels.com

LAUGHLIN, NV

WEEKEND WORTHY RACERS & OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS WELCOME!

WWW.LAUGHLINCHAMBER.COM

WWW.VISITLAUGHLIN.COM

2021 CONTINGENCY PARTNERS

The Best In The Desert contingency programs are second to none with over $3,500,000 posted in cash awards, products, and gift certificates. We have a number of exciting, well-paying off-road racing contingency programs from a wide array of the industry’s top manufacturers for racers of all classes to take part in.

Advanced Air Cleaner Aim Sports LLC http://aimsports.com Alumi Craft https://alumicraft.info/

F&L Racing Fuel www.racefuel.com

Howe Performance www.howeperformance.com

Figspeed www.figspeed.com

Jamar www.jamarperformance.com

Fluid Flow

KC Hilites www.kchilites.com

AutoMeter Contact Jim Conner Racing

Foddrill Motorsports www.foddrillmotorsports.com

Baja Designs www.bajadesigns.com

Fortin Racing www.fortinracing.com

BF Goodrich www.jacksonmg.com

Fox Racing www.ridefox.com

Bilstein www.bilstein.com/us/en

Fuel Off Road

Black Rhino www.blackrhinoperformance.com Camburg www.camburg.com CST Tires www.csttires.com/us Custom Metal Spinning www.custommetalspinning.com

G1 Products www.G1Products.com GBC Motorsports www.gbcmotorsports.com Geiser Brothers www.geiserbros.com General Tire www.generaltire.com

Dirt Bagz

Harmon Racing Cells www.harmonracingcells.com

Dougans Racing Engines www.dougansracing.com

Hostyle https://hostyleracing.com

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Kevin McMullen Fab www.kevinmcmullenracing.com King Shocks www.kingshocks.com KMC Wheels www.wheelpros.com Lightforce Lighting www.lightforce.com Maxima www.maximausa.com Maxxis Tires www.maxxis.com McKenzie’s Perf Products www.mckenzies.com Method Race Wheels www.methodracewheels.com Monster Seal www.monsterseal.com/

To learn more about specific requirements, browse our different Best In The Desert contingency programs. https://bitd.com/contingency-programs/ Interested in joining this prestigious list and becoming a Best In The Desert Contingency Sponsor?

Email: Contingency@bitd.com MPI www.maxpapisinc.com MRT - MotoRaceTire www.motoracetire.com NEO Synthetic Oil www.neosyntheticoil.com Optima Batteries Contact Jim Conner Racing ORW www.offroadwarehouse.com Patton Racing Engines www.pattonracingengines.com PCI Race Radios www.pciraceradios.com PPM Performance Products www.ppmracingproducts.com Pro Eagle Off Road www.proeagle.com PRP Seats www.prpseats.com PSS www.powersteeringsolution.com R2C Performance Products www.r2cperformance.com Race Ready Products www.racereadyproducts.com

Raceline Wheels www.racelinewheels.com

SUNOCO Race Fuels www.sunocoracefuels.com

RDE Rancho Drivetrain Engine www.ranchodrivetrain.com

TENSOR Tire https://tensortire.com

Responsible Ice (Cell Chiller) https://responsibleice.com

TORCO Race Fuels www.torcoracefuel.net

Rugged Radios www.ruggedradios.com

Total Power Batteries www.totalpowerbatteries.com

Ryno Race wear www.rynoracewear.com

TrailReady products www.trbeadlocks.com

Savage UTV www.savageutv.com

UMP Unique Metal products www.uniquemetalproducts.com

Schampa https://schampa.com

UPR Racing Supply https://upr.com

SDHQ Motorsports.com www.sdhqoffroad.com

VISION Wheel www.visionwheel.com

SeeDevil https://www.seedevil.com

VISION X www.visionxusa.com/automotive

SignPros www.signpros.com

VP Racing Fuels https://vpracingfuels.com

SpeedStrap www.speedstrap.com/

WEDDLE Industries www.weddleindustries.com

Stuffsack https://stuffsack.com/

YOKOHOMA Tire www.tracksideperformance.com

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PHOTO CONTRIBUTORS 4DIRTMEDIA Daniel Nobel Daniel Schenkelberg Digital Storm Dirtfocus Dirt Nation Jason Zindroski Mark Kariya Motorsports Safety Solutions Photos by MMX RnR Photos Scot Harden UTV Sports - Brandon Bunch

Tom Leigh

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Before joining the ranks of Trick Truck drivers, Harley Letner is seen here pushing his Class 1500 to its limits at the 2016 Vegas To Reno “The Long Way”. The two-day race that celebrated the 20th Anniversary of the event.

Photo by Dirtfocus

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THE

TATES S D E IT N U E H T IN E OAD RAC -R F F O Y A D E L G IN S T LONGES POINTS FOR ALL CLASSES CAR / TRUCK - UTV - MOTORCYCLE - QUAD

For info contact: Best In The Desert Racing Association

(702) 457-5775 • Website: www.bitd.com • Email: bitd@bitd.com