WORLD HARE & HOUND

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

Payton Maas - 1st Youth 65cc Photo by Dirt Nation Ethan Drake - 1st Youth 85cc Photo by Dirt Nation

Rachel Stout - Women’s Champion Photo by Dirt Nation

Podium photo by Scot Harden

Taylor Stevens - 1st 399 Pro Photo by Dirt Nation Bryce Strabron- 1st Over-30 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.

“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

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.”

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

Tucker Norman - 1st 399 Expert Photo by Dirt Nation Josh Cook - 1st Over 30 Expert Photo by Dirt Nation

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 Theobold, 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 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.”

Brandon Krause - 1st Open Expert Photo by Dirt Nation 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