TSCO "VEGAS TO RENO" THE LONG WAY!! WRAPUP

ANDY McMILLIN TAKES THE OVERALL WIN IN TSCO “VEGAS TO RENO” THE LONG WAY!!
September 1, 2009
Las Vegas, Nevada
Andy McMillin, in his Geiser Brothers Racing built #31 Ford Trick Truck, took home the overall win at Casey Folks’ TSCO
“Vegas to Reno” The Long Way!! event last week; capping off three days of tough competition with the leading off road racers
in the United States. He was followed closely by the Ford Trick Truck of Tim Herbst who came in first on the road, but was 4
minutes back of McMillin on corrected time. This year’s Best in the Desert Vegas to Reno "The Long Way" race was a three-day
race adventure that ran over 997-miles of the best and worst of the Nevada desert.
The challenge of a three day event are the logistics of essentially running three separate races. Prep. Race. Prep, Repair. Sleep.
Race. Setup. Repair...sleep...maybe. Then - Run for the Win. Nearly 300 cars, trucks, motorcycles, ATVs and UTVs took the
start flag on Thursday morning in Beatty, Nevada. Mother nature was not kind at contingency or on the first day of racing -
temperatures over a hundred degrees drove many teams to fatigue from the heat, dust and tough terrain that reflects Folk’s
style of racing in this beautiful, but daunting desert environment. The last day heading into the finish included some of the
toughest terrain, but the weather was just a little cooler due to the higher elevation.
The first two days of racing ended at Camp Adventure and the one-hour opportunity to fix, repair, weld and craft a ready-to-
race vehicle for the next day of competition. The last day of racing saw the finish line at a new location, close to city center in
Dayton, Nevada at the Dayton Events Center. This was a great set-up for the finish as literally thousands of people filled the
area to see the winners and hear the stories.
Other notable class winners included:
Kevin Colan - Class 1500, 4th overall
Greg Parker - Class 2000
Chad Hall -Class 4100
Bryce Menzies - Class 1000, 9th overall
Greg Foutz - Class 8100
Kevin Sacalas - Ultra 4 (KOH)
Macrae Glass - Class 8000, 11th overall
Karl Scalan - Class 3000 (C-1 Lite)
Perry Coan - JeepSpeed 1
Ryan J. Staats - Protruck, 12th overall
Nick Baldwin - Baja Challenge
Kellon Walch - Class 7300
David Caspino - Class 7200
Rick Doetsch - Class 7100
Clive Skilton - JeepSpeed 3
Jake Jones - Class 1100
Rod Hall - Class 3100
Brandon Schueler - UTV
A complete list of how your favorite racers finished is available on the Best in the Desert site at www.bitd.com
Camp Adventure, “THE TRAVELING CITY”
More than 750 RVs followed the race...what a sight! The the festivities each evening included live music sponsored by Speed
Technologies, plus an impressive hospitality area sponsored by Red Bull, and Beer Garden sponsored by TSCO and Rebel
Malting & Brewing, and Lance Jergensen. “Camp Adventure” allowed thousands of spectators, racers and their teams to take
in the Nevada desert’s beautiful sunsets, and bench-raced with some of the world’s most talented racers.
Casey would like to thank the Best in the Desert personnel, including the hundreds of dedicated volunteers that helped make
this epic three-day event a huge success. Our condolences to the family of Tony Sorensen, who suffered a fatal heart-attack
while competing with his son.
Next race - The Bilek Racing Silver State “300”, September 25-27, 2009.
The American Off-Road Racing Series … Best In The Desert!
Further information is available from:
www.bitd.com • email: bitd@bitd.com
phone: (702) 457-5775
MEDIA CONTACT:
Don Fall or Russ Turner
mediabitd@fallads.com • 619/258-6225

Vegas to Reno Race Report

All photos are now up.

Read my race report and how I shot the race here.
durkadurka.net/blog

See all the photos here Durka Durka Photo

A few of my favorites

News from Banning Motorsports

"The Long Way"
2009 Vegas to Reno is the longest point-to-point race held in the USA, and is a race that is on the top of the list of events that team Banning wants to out perform the competition. With the best crew and hundreds of hours dedicated to race notes and car preparation, Banning Motorsports was ready for this adventure that would start taking place months before the green flag would drop.
With half the team heading to Las Vegas, NV on August 18th and then the rest of Banning Motorsports filing in on the 19th, everything was set for contingency and the drivers meeting. With a good night sleep and an early rise team Banning was counting down till go time. There was three class 11 cars that where fielded by Banning Motorsports. The teams were set up with Rick Graf, Alan Dillemuth, Bryan Folks, and Chris Godfrey attempting to get car 1178 to the finish with Gary Williams Jr., Brian Hosford, Tom Shaw, and Jeff Rhodes looking to take that from them in 1156. The third car that was registered for the event was 1123 that was filled with Lee Banning Sr., Kyle Danielson, Lee Banning Jr., and Clayton Buttle. The thing about Banning Motorsports and fielding more than one car is there seems to always be a lot of betting going on between the cars to see who is going to place better than the others.

Day 1
camp v2r The race would start at 10:30 Thursday morning with Rick Graf and Alan Dillemuth leading the Banning cars in the dusty deserts of Nevada with car 1156 driven by Gary Williams Jr. and then 1123 of Lee Sr. The first portion of the race would turn out to be a good one with all three buggies running within 2 miles of each other for a hundred miles and all be in the top four positions. Pit 4 would mark the position were the drivers changes would take place with 1178 arriving first and Rick handing the wheel over to Bryan Folks and they were away, continuing to turn up dirt with the class lead. Next to stop was Lee Sr. who would hand it over to Lee Jr. who would keep the rhythm going for car 1123. Coming in behind Lee was 1156 and Tom Shaw would take over and be the man to keep 1156 up in the hunt. By the end of the first day 1178 was the first to cross the line with a 10 minute lead over second position. 1123 would cross the checkered flag with 1156 behind them. With only a few issues during day 1, it was an overall great performance and a great start to what is the most demanding race of the year.

Day 2
With the start of the second day and 1178 leading the field. With that advantage it aloud the team to make first dust in class starting the second day with Rick and Alan in the buggy. Tom Shaw driving 1156 would be the second Banning car, followed by Lee Sr. in 1123. Shortly after the start 1178 would make contact with another vehicle do to the extremely dusty conditions. They would limp the vehicle to pit one were repairs from Benny and Chris began. Tommy Shaw would have the class lead for a majority of the first half of the day. While leading coming to pit 4 were the driver change for the day would take place 1156 would have a tire go down allowing 1123 to go around him and come to the driver change first. Lee Jr. would take the buggy and keep the hammer down finishing 1st in class for the day. 1156 was having a good day and would have another tire go down but it did not stop the determination of the group to keep moving and finish 4th for the day just before nightfall. With two Banning cars running towards the front all day 1178 continued to have some issues with the motor expiring just after Bryan Folks and Chris Godfrey took over. The evening of repairs went a little long for 1123 which added 30 minutes to there time as they made the necessary repairs to ensure a flawless 3rd day. Great job to everyone that hustled on the wounded 1178 car and getting the front suspension back in working order.
Day 3
group shot With two Banning Buggies left in competition and the top five buggies virtually under a blanket, the whole team new what had to be done in order for a strong finish overall. With Tommy Shaw leading the Banning crew off of the line due to the 30 minute time addition to 1123. Some issues with the oil system on buggy 1156 almost deemed a dnf but again with hard work from the team at pit 4 and 5 and the quick thinking by driver Tom Shaw and Jeff Rhodes the buggy was saved and repaired for Gary to bring 1156 to the finish. Lee Sr. and Kyle Danielson kept a solid pace up and making up valuable time on the morning session until Lee Jr. and Clayton got in the vehicle at pit 5 and put the peddle to the floor which is second nature to Jr. At the end of the event both cars that started the day finished 2nd and 5th respectively on the 3rd and final day of the grueling and famous Vegas to Reno.
The entire team that included Cooper Ericson, Amy Perez, Robert Hosford, Gail Graf, Kathy Beeswy, Gilbert, Gerald Wiley, Tim West, Chris Miller, Scoop Godfrey, Benny Porter, Nicole Banning, Brandy Buttle, Dennis Plante and his wife Terri, Danny Foddrill and a big thanks to team captain Andy MeGaw who with his quick thinking and knowledge lead the organization to a successful event.

The entire Banning group would like to thank the following partners that make this possible. BFGoodrich Tires, Ionearth, Mendeola, KC HiLites, Foddrill Motorports, Fat Performance, Banning Motorsports, Weddie Gears, Action Auto Transmission, Fox Shocks, F&L Fuels, and Slime. Your help and support in supplying the best products on the market is what allows us to compete at the top level. Thank you again and we look forward to more success in the near future!

Banning Motorsports can not thank everyone enough for the effort and time that each and everyone put forth for this event. It is each and every one of you that make this all possible. Next event is the Silver State 300 in Sept. Always remember to put the Hammer Down and get them Elbows Up.

During the event we had Lee Banning Sr. celebrate his birthday as well as Gary Williams Sr.


Sincerely,

Amy Perez-Banning
Banning Motorsports

General Tire TROPHYLITE teams prepare for Best in the Desert Vegas to Reno Race

Las Vegas, NV
August 12, 2009

Billed as the longest off-road race in the United States the annual Vegas to Reno off-road race holds a twist this year. This year Casey Folks of Best in the Desert is raising the bar and making it the "Vegas to Reno - the long way". In simple terms he is turning the normal longest off-road race held in the United States into a 1,000 mile race held over a 3 day event.

With the event starting in Las Vegas with festivities held at the South Point Hotel and Casino the teams will cross much of the state of Nevada on a 3 day trek to end up in Reno to crown class winners. Teams will race each of the 3 days and stop at the end of each stage for the night. The teams will be given only one hour per night to perform repairs and maintenance on their vehicles making this a very difficult event.

While this event is not one of the General Tire TROPHYLITE® points races it is still one of the biggest events of the year. Two teams from the TROPHYLITE® family are setting out to compete. Past Winner Gary Messer will pilot his TROPHYLITE® truck against others in class 7200. Gary will be the underdog on horsepower by challenging the 7200 class trucks which have more open rules on the engines. Most of the 7200 trucks are equipped with bigger V-6 engines yielding substantially more horsepower then found in the 2.2L engines that the TROPHYLITE® trucks are equipped with. Gary commented "We have a great group of guys who have been working together to prepare for this exciting race. We are all looking forward to a great time and meeting at the finish line in one piece." Gary is no stranger to finishing races and has a plan in place to work through the 3 day event and attempt to emerge the winner in this very competitive class. Many of the trucks entered will suffer mechanical problems over the 3 day event which Messer believes will favor his TROPHYLITE® truck and team.

Russ Phillips and Tom Davis each own TROPHYLITE® trucks and will be teaming up to tackle the 3 day event in a combined effort. Russ and Tom have teamed up together for the last several races and recently acquired a second truck so they can both drive in the General Tire TROPHYLITE® races. The team will compete in the newly formed Best in the Desert class 3000. Class 3000 is a combined car and truck class that is focused around the 2.2L GM echotech 4 cylinder engines that are found in the TROPHYLITE® trucks. This combined class will have various types of trucks and cars competing with each other making it a very difficult and competitive class. When we asked Russ about his plans for the race he had this to say. "We feel that if the 2 rookie drivers can keep from making too many mistakes this tough little truck can out race and out last all comers in class. We want to thank our sponsors, Jesus Christ is the primary sponsor and Ground Mobility Solutions is secondary.we have room for others if anyone may be interested.... and thanks for your support" Russ is always quick to share his faith in his Christian background especially in his race efforts crediting success where it should be given.


The final two races of the General Tire TROPHYLITE® Series will be here before you know it! With a very close points chase and a purse of $65,500 on the line, the final two rounds are sure to be exciting. Be sure to visit the TROPHYLITE® website often for the latest news, updates and photos!


General Tire and TROPHYLITE® - Making Headlines!


http://www.trophylite.com/frames/TROPHYLITE_News_06152009_DS.pdf

DIXON BROS. MOVE INTO CLASS 7100 POINTS LEAD AFTER ‘VEGAS TO RENO’

Reno, NV - August 25, 2007: The ‘Vegas to Reno’ off-road race is always tough and this year was no exception
with less than ½ of the entries able to make it to the finish line in Best in the Desert Racing Association’s 570-mile race
across Nevada. Aaron Dixon & Ed Ramirez started the race in the #7177 Dixon Bros. Racing Class 7100 Ford
Ranger and ran without problems, swapping positions in the top three, until
taking the lead just before the driver change in Goldfield (race mile 186). Ian
Dixon and navigator Phil Ramirez had only been in the truck for five miles
when the engine began cutting in and out before stopping dead on the course a
few miles north of Goldfield. After a few moments of probing, Ian and Phil
were able to get the truck running again but it continued to sputter whenever
they hit a bump. “We figured it was a loose wire or electrical component,” said
Ian. “ This became clear when we were on the dry lake bed at full speed without an engine miss but, the rougher the
course became, the more the engine stumble.” They called the crew and arranged to pit in Tonopah (RM 226) for
repairs. Aaron found a broken connection in the computer relay and once it was fixed the #7177 Dixon Bros Ford
Ranger was back on the course and moving through race traffic again.
“With the electrical connection fixed and everything working, I was finally able to drive”, Ian said. “The truck
performed great with the newly tuned Radflo Shocks and all the prep work Aaron has done since the Terrible’s Town
race. It’s a big step up from our old Stock Mini (Class 7300) in terms of fun-factor.” Night was falling as they passed
through Pit #10 at Redlich (RM 336) on their way to the next pit stop, forty miles further on. Several miles beyond
Redlich, the truck began to sputter, like it was starving for fuel. They managed to baby the truck another 10 or 12 miles
before it stalled and left them sitting in the dark at race mile 350. Based on previous fuel pump problems, they decided
to dismantle the fuel cell and found that both pickup hoses had again vibrated loose from the fuel pumps. After
spending an hour and a half getting the hoses re-attached, Ian and Phil made it to Pit #11 (RM 376) about 11:00 PM
where they turned the truck over to Aaron and Ed to take it the final 194 miles to the finish. It was shaping up to be a
very long night.
The #7177 Dixon Bros. Racing Ford Ranger was running up to it’s potential once again as an exhausted Aaron
Dixon took over behind the wheel at Pit # 11 with his sights set on the finish. Tim Lawrence, in the #7131 Ford Ranger
had taken over the lead while we were fixing the fuel pump problem but he was having troubles of his own, as were all
the Class 7100 trucks and everyone’s primary goal had become to simply make
it to the finish. At race mile 424, Aaron came into a corner too fast and damaged
his steering knuckle on a large rock. It took more than two hours to replace the
knuckle before the #7177 Ford Ranger was back on the road. With 146 miles of
rugged terrain remaining to the finish, Aaron was concerned that he was running
out of time to recover from any more serious problems so he set a conservative
pace the rest of the way.

Desert Toyz Team Rhino - V2R

Desert Toyz Team Rhino started last of 321 entrees. My wife and I started the race. We passed several UTVs in the first few miles and caught the 1926 Mason Rhino. I decided to follow him for a while when suddenly he lost speed and pulled over. We stopped at pit 1 to let our crew know that the radio would not transmit. We could hear them but they could not hear us. Only a click sound came across when we tried to speak. We decided to use the click sound to communicate, once for yes, twice for no. 10 miles from pit 2 on a high speed section the Rhino suddenly lost power and shut off. We pulled over and after 10 minutes I found the problem, the spark plug wire had fallen off. I pushed it back on, turned the key, but the engine would not turn over. after another 5 minutes I found the battery cable had come loose. I tightened it up and off we went. As soon as we hit the first bump the plug wire fell off again. So I drove the next 9 miles to pit 2 holding the plug wire on with my hand. We got into pit 2 and change out the plug wire, but decided to leave the engine cover off. We sailed through pit 3 and headed for pit 4 somewhere close to pit 4 the Rhino started to lose power again. Without the engine cover the silt and dust was filling the driver’s compartment and clogging the air filter.

We stopped several time to clean it and limped into pit 4. We changed the filter and headed for pit 5. We caught the 1909 Combs car at the top of the mountain climb and followed them down through the tight corners in the forest. As soon as the course opened up to big sweepers the 1909 left us in their dust. A few miles from pit 5 we caught the 1941 Burke Rhino; we followed for a little bit with the horn honking, then gave them a little nudge and they pulled over. It was smooth sailing into pit 5 where we did a driver change. Mike and Drew got in and headed for pit 6.

Somewhere between pit 6 and 7 we got passed by the 1941 Burke Rhino and then tipped the Rhino over on its side in a corner. Lucky for us there was truck broken in the same corner; they ran over and righted us and off we went. Then we came up on a class 8 truck rolled over; we stopped and offered to pull them back over but they laughed and said they would wait for a bigger vehicle to help them.

We were now in 4th place. At pit 7 we stopped, changed filters and made a shock and light adjustment. We sailed through pit 8 and headed for pit 9. Unfortunately at rm272 the drive belt broke; I had a brain fart when packing the spare parts and forgot to put a spare belt in the race Rhino. Our race ended there.

The wife and I got permission to take a belt out to Mike and Drew. We headed back to pit 8 and started up the course. We went just a few miles when I high-centered my Ford F250 long bed in silt bed. All four tires were off the ground The wife let the air out of the tires and I dug and jacked. It took about 45 minutes to get it out. When we got to the Rhino Mike and Drew were fast asleep.

The lights from the truck scared Mike so much he jumped off the ground and started to run into the desert. He later said he was having a wild dream and thought the truck was an airplane. We changed the drive belt and they drove into pit 9. We followed along in the Ford (Those Ford trucks sure are tough … ). It was about 3:00am. We headed for Tonapah where we got a nice hot shower and some much-needed rest. Thanks to all the UTV teams that came out and race with us. Congratulations to the Jagged X/ Polaris on their Finish and WIN!!! We'll get-em next year. Sincerely Cory S

TSCO’s Mark and Gary Weyhrich Take Overall Spot, Besting B.J. Baldwin By Only 54 Seconds!

With a record 321 entries for this year’s race, the class 1500 unlimited desert buggy driven by Mark and Gary Weyhrich took first overall among the car and truck classes, finishing the extremely challenging 559 mile course with a time of 9:30:32. The “Trick Truck” of B.J. Baldwin looked to have a lock on first overall until suffering a couple of flats in the last 15-20 miles, costing him the win by the incredibly slim margin of 54 seconds. With TSCO being the title sponsor of the “Vegas to Reno” race, this was truly a sweet victory for the Weyhrich team.

Team Honda’s Kendall Norman and Johnny Campbell took the top overall motorcycle spot with a time of 9:24:02. Coming in second was Honda riders Steve Hengeveld and Robby Bell at 9:29:15.

At Thursday’s “Time Trials” to determine the first 20 starting positions, Riviera Racing’s Rob MacCachren took the top spot and captured the $1000 Team Ford “Pole Award”, which he immediately donated to the Chris Blais Medical Fund.

The top ten finishers for the car and truck classes were:

1 – Mark Weyhrich (class 1500, unlimited buggy)

2 – B.J. Baldwin (class 1400, Trick Truck)

3 – Sam Berri (class 1500, unlimited buggy)

4 – Curt LeDuc (class 8000, modified production full size truck)

5 – Shawn Croll (class 1500, unlimited buggy)

6 – Buddy Feldkamp Jr. (class 1500, unlimited buggy)

7 – Danny Anderson (class 1500, unlimited buggy)

8 – John Herder (class 1500, unlimited buggy)

9 – Chuck Hovey (class 1500, unlimited buggy)

10 – John Harrah (class 1500, unlimited buggy)

A complete list of results can be found on the Best In The Desert website, www.bitd.com.

The next stop on Best In The Desert Racing Association’s race schedule is the Las Vegas “300”, October 5-7, 2007.

Off-Road Racing’s Best-Run Series … Best In The Desert!

Vildosola racing race report BITD Vegas To Reno 2007

Vildosola Racing wins third consecutive Vegas to Reno
Mexicali B.C. August 26, 2007 for immediate release

On Friday August 24 the 11th annual Best in the Desert Vegas to Reno was scheduled to take on the Nevada desert and embark on a 560-mile journey from Johnny to Reno. The morning started in Pahrump where a record number of four wheeled vehicle entries paraded to Johnny, the official start line of the race. The first vehicle left the line at 10:30 am sharp, 40 minutes later the team’s Toyota Tundra Baja Protruck #1204 took on the challenge of the longest off-road race in the United States.

Vildosola Racings’ Protruck #1204 started 9th out of 11 Protruck entries behind Trick Trucks, class 1’s and class 10’s. Tavo Vildosola stared the race for the third year in a row and was hopeful to yield the same results as the previous two had, a win. “Last year I started the race and struggled a lot with the dust because we started in the back of the field, but we hung in there and waited for almost 300 miles to take the lead. From that point Bryan got in the truck and took it to the finish line for the victory. The plan was the same for this year, start and just hang out until it was our turn to lead and hand the truck to Bryan in first place,” stated Tavo. “The plan worked to perfection, we took an early lead, being able to get by all of our competitors before pit #2 at race mile 50. We had a good clean run with no down time to the driver change at Big Smokey pit #9, the truck kept overheating and we had to back down a little but that probably helped slow the pace and make the truck live.”

Once Bryan got in the truck a couple of problems started to surface, the overheating was still an issue and Bryan had to deal with it until the sun went down and the air cooled a little. But at pit #11 the transmission started slipping in 3rd gear and then at pit #12 while refueling the race truck the brakes caught on fire, then it spread when the fuel was being put in the truck and we had to evacuate the race truck and lost more than 7 minutes. “It was very scary, we are used to the brakes catching fire but it had never spread like it did this time, Steve Lewis, a member of the team, pulled Javi and I out of the race truck when he noticed this was more severe than a brake fire,” stated Bryan. “From that point forward I was very easy on the brakes and had to baby the transmission for the last 150 miles to the finish line, Javi also kept adding tranny fluid at every pit. But once again we are the first Protruck across the finish line for the third year in a row, the last 2 years our margin of victory was 2 minutes over 2nd place respectively, this year we had a comfortable lead beating Staats by over 14 minutes.”

The next race for the team is the CODE Tecate Mexicana Logistics 300, in Mexicali, B.C. the 28 - 30 of September, Protruck #200 will not participate, only Trophy Truck #4 will be racing that weekend. After that the team will prepare for the 40th anniversary running of the Baja 1000, both trucks will be participating that event with a similar plan to that of the Baja 500 where Tavo will start in the #4 then hand over driving duties to Gus and wait for #200 and take it to the finish in hopes of locking down their second consecutive Protruck Championship.

Vildosola Racing is sponsored by: Mexicana Logistics, Aguilas del Desierto, BFGoodrich Tires, Mastercraft, MSD, King Racing Shocks, Papas & Beer, PIAA Lights, OGIO, MOMO and Toyota Racing Development.

To check out pictures, videos, previous press releases, the teams’ progress in 2007 and other information go to www.vildosolaracing.com or the youtube site at www.youtube.com/vildosolaracing
For additional info on Vildosola Racing contact:
Media Relations- Victor Gasca - vgazca@vildosolaracing.com (619) 805-8444, Mex (686) 119-5618

Video Preview
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eFBJWBw8nU

TEAM HUMMER UNFAZED BY GRUELING NEVADA COURSE

For Release:
August 28, 2007, 11:00 a.m. EDT
General Motors
GM Communications
Detroit, Mich., USA
media.gm.com
TEAM HUMMER UNFAZED BY GRUELING NEVADA COURSE
Team earns two first-in-class wins in Vegas to Reno off-road race
DETROIT – Once again, Best in the Desert Racing Association’s TSCO Vegas to Reno proved to be a challenging and grueling 570-mile off-road race for competitors, with only 74 of the 149 entrants making it to the finish line. While only 50-percent of the field finished, Team HUMMER put all three of its entries, the H1 Alpha, H2 and H3 across the line. The H1 finished first in the full-size truck stock class, and was the first stock class vehicle to finish; the H2 finished first in the full-size SUV stock class; and the H3 earned a respectable second place finish in the mini-stock class.
Team HUMMER owner Rod Hall and sons Josh Hall and Chad Hall compete with the H1 Alpha, H2 and H3 in the stock class, which features production-based vehicles with stock frames, stock suspension designs and production-based engines.
H1 Alpha
Team HUMMER’s H1 Alpha was piloted by six-time Baja 1000 winner, Chad Hall. Hall, who was joined navigators Paige Hall and John Cumming III, piloted the #8111 to its second class victory this season, finishing the race in 13 hours 13 minutes and 25 seconds. The team averaged a speed of 43.85 miles per hour.
“The H1 took everything the course could throw at it in stride,” said Hall. “The team and vehicle ran a flawless race. The only time we needed to stop was for fuel.”
H2
Close on the heels of his brother, Josh Hall and navigator Thad Stump brought the #4111 full-size SUV stock-class H2 across the line in 13:14:13. This win marks the fourth consecutive Vegas to Reno race in which Hall and the H2 have finished first-in-class
“We tend to have really great luck at Vegas to Reno and the H2 is at home in the Nevada terrain,” said Hall. “The long straightaways let us take advantage of the V8, while the treacherous rocky sections demonstrate the ruggedness of the vehicle.”
H3
Team owner and pilot of the #3111 H3, Rod Hall did not experience the same luck as his sons. Hall, with co-driver Mike Winkel and navigator Jake Povey were leading the class by as many as 50 miles at times even though they had lost all dampening in their rear shocks. Eventually, the vehicle lost a mounting bolt on a rear-leaf spring, which resulted in significant damage to the mounting bracket. The H3 support team worked feverishly through the night to repair the problem and got the H3 across the line with a second place finish.
“It’s disappointing not to walk away with three victories, given that the truck was running so well,” said Hall. “But the team did a phenomenal job of repairing the suspension and getting across the line for a respectable finish.”
Hall, 69, is a living legend in the off-road racing world. His relentless and unfailing driving ability has earned him a record 18 career wins at the Baja 1000 and the distinction of being the only driver in history to win the Baja 1000 overall in a 4-wheel drive vehicle. Moreover, Hall today remains the only person to have raced every Baja 1000 in a four-wheeled vehicle in the 39-year history of the event.
Team HUMMER competes next in SCORE International’s Terrible’s Primm 300, September 7-9, 2007, in Primm, NV.
About Team HUMMER
Team HUMMER was founded by legendary off-road racer Rod Hall in 1993. Since then, Rod and his sons Josh and Chad have compiled 11 class wins at the Baja 1000; 47 podium finishes in the Best in the Desert (BitD) Racing Association series; and five BitD class
championships. Team HUMMER competes with the H1 Alpha, H2 and H3 in the stock class, which features production-based vehicles with stock frames, stock suspension designs and production-based engines. For more information about Team HUMMER, visit www.rodhallracing.com.
About HUMMER
HUMMER is a division of General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world’s largest vehicle manufacturer, which employs about 321,000 people globally. HUMMER is one of the world's fastest growing truck brands, with a product line-up that consists of the H2, H2 SUT, H3, H3x, and H3 Alpha. There are 170 HUMMER dealers nationwide.
# # #
Contacts:
Nick Richards
HUMMER Communications
313-665-9292
313-720-9541
Nick.Richards@gm.com
George Thompson
Team HUMMER
(661) 823-0454
grt@sunrisegroup.com

TSCO Vegas to Reno Race Report

We tested our cars just before the Pre-Fun Run a few weeks before the race. Our intention was to set up one car for Vegas to Reno and one car for Primm. We liked the car we set up for Primm and wanted to run it in lieu of the Vegas to Reno car, but it had not been prepped since the Baja 500. The Stewart’s Raceworks Crew, headed by Ryan Williams, tore the car down to a bare chassis and did a full rebuild in 8 days! That included a transmission rebuild by Fortin Racing and an engine rebuild by Redline Performance! What an incredible feat by all involved.

I started the race and was scheduled to drive to RM 290. We had brake issues during qualifying and tried to fix them, but right away I knew we still had the same problem. We had no front brakes and only partial rears all day.

I quickly caught Richardson, but with the dust across Amargosa Valley I could not make the pass. Richardson was running a decent pace and we passed several vehicles, but I was did not want to lose touch with the two lead trucks. So, I ran up on BJ just before the Beatty road crossing and attempted to pass. We went into the little rocky draw and with the lack of brakes I was not able to whoa the car up enough before the corners. I went a bit wide and hit a boulder, which caused us to get a flat.

My co-rider, Ryan Williams, got out to change the tire at the road crossing. The only problem was that a BITD official came running over to help and accidentally kicked the lug nuts, so Ryan could only find 4 of them. Nevertheless, he did a great job getting it done without allowing anyone to pass us.

We had a new tire put on the rack at Pit 3, but there was not enough time to replace the missing lug nut; that would have to wait until Pit 4…3 stops for one damned flat!

Gary got in, as planned, at RM 290 and began reeling in Baldwin. Unfortunately, we had been having brake woes all day (no fronts and very little rears), so we were driving the car over the edge all day. This caught up with Gary just after the Mina pit when he got a flat. The car fell off the air-jack with the wheel off, so Mike Bearanowski (Gary’s co-rider) had to dig the car out. They lost about 12 minutes and worse, Marking got by them.

Bear got the car going again and Gary started gaining on Marking. Then, Marking pulled over with what we heard was a power steering issue, so Gary got by him and set his sights on Baldwin.

Gary was flawless the rest of the race. That combined with Baldwin getting a couple of flats late in the event brought us home with the Overall!

We would like to thank our crew for performing flawlessly and BITD for putting on an event that makes us proud to sponsor. We would also like to thank our sponsors: Tube Specialties Company, BFGoodrich Tires, Jimco Race Cars, FOX Racing Shox, Redline Performance, and Signpros Custom Lettering.

Best,

Mark

KTM 690 Baja third in Desert Classic Vegas to Reno

KTM 690 Baja third in Desert Classic Vegas to Reno

KTM riders David Pearson and Quinn Cody (left) took the KTM 690 Baja through another tough test at the weekend to finish third in the Vegas to Reno desert race billed as "The longest offroad race in the United States"

The result was another step in the quest to test out the bike in the toughest race conditions ahead of the legendary Baja 1000, and a result that KTM's rally team boss Hans Trunkenpolz described as a satisfying.

"At KTM it is difficult to describe a third place as a success, but this time it is justified," Trunkenpolz said. After all, the winning team is a 10-time winner for the Baja 1000 and the second team won the Baja 500 earlier this year.

The race, which this year attracted more than 300 motorcycles, quads and rally car, started near Vas Vegas and finished in Carson City after 565 miles (920 km) of tough desert riding. For the KTM team, the race was tinged with sadness. It was planned for two teams to start but as Chris Blais sustained spinal injuries in the pre-run, only one team was present at the start. Chris's prospective partner Cyril Despres attended as observer and team assistant.

With temperatures in the mid 30 degrees Celsius, it was David Pearson who launched the latest competition test for the 690 Baja. Changeovers were made at pits 2,8,11 and 14 with Quinn Cody finally finishing the race. The team was particularly encouraged that they were able to hold their own with the top teams, including taking the lead in the early part of the race. Even if it became clear that the multi-winning Honda 1 team was going to triumph, the KTM riders had a good chance of coming in second right up to the final stage. They eventually lost the edge through an unplanned front wheel change at Pit 14, but still finished in third place overall by a very narrow margin. After 920 km through the toughest desert conditions, they were just 50 seconds behind the second place getter. "With this result," said Trunkenpolz, "we cannot be dissatisfied."

Results 1. Team Honda 1: Kendall Normal/Johnny Campbell - 9:24:02 2. Team Honda 2: Steve Hengeveld/Robby Bell - 9:29.15 3. Team KTM: David Pearson/Quinn Cody - 9:30.12 4. Team Dodson: Zack Dodson/Luke Dodson - 10:24.56 5. Team Eddy: Max Eddy/Matt Eddy 10:25:49

source: EnduroNews.com

Racing Accident Claims Life of 19 year old Brandon Smith at

The Longest Off-Road Race in the United States
August, 2007, Las Vegas, NV
Racing Accident Claims Life of 19 year old Brandon Smith at
TSCO “Vegas to Reno” Event
Best in the Desert Race Director, Casey Folks, reports there was one fatality in the TSCO
“Vegas to Reno” event held last weekend in Nevada. 19-year-old Brandon Smith was riding
entry number 327 in the Open Expert division, as part of the father-son team of Kurt and Craig
Carlson, based in Hesperia CA, when he crashed and succumbed from his injuries.
Folks said,”I am very sorry to report at approximately 4 pm Friday, August 24th, Brandon Smith
died from injuries sustained in a solo accident during the running of the race. He was thrown
from his bike and impacted the terrain. My thanks to John Gaughan, who arranged to have the
helicopter providing support to the TSCO team dispatched to the scene, and medical care
reached Brandon in a short time. Unfortunately, he died at the scene of the accident.”
The County Sheriff determined it was a single-vehicle accident, and ruled it did not appear to be
the result of an impact with another vehicle.
“It’s sad for me to have to deliver this type of news. We work hard to run a safe race, but racing
in itself is dangerous. I spoke with Brandon’s father who commented to me that at least he died
doing something he loved. Our condolences to his family and friends; we have lost a friend and
member of the racing community.”
Off-Road Racing’s Best-Run Series … Best In The Desert!
Further information available from:
www.bitd.com
email: bitd@lasvegas.net
(702) 457-5775
MEDIA CONTACT:
www.fallads.com/bitd
email: mediabitd@fallads.com

A Great Race Weekend at Vegas to Reno

A Great Race Weekend at Vegas to Reno

Greetings to all,

As many of you might know, I had the honor of racing this past weekend at the Best in the Desert Vegas to Reno race – the longest point-to-point desert race in the United States. The opportunity came along thanks to my friends Greg Foutz from Foutz Motorsports and Dave Winner from Fabtech, and it was one of the most fun, and more rewarding times I’ve had behind the wheel in years.

Dave and I co-drove a specially prepared Ford F250 in the Stock Full category, a second team entry for the Foutz team that was supported by Fabtech, BFGoodrich, Ford Motorsports, Dirt Sports magazine and a host of other team supporters. Greg co-drove his truck with guest driver P.J. Jones, the son of racing legend Parnelli Jones. In my 16 years of competing in off-road, I have rarely been around a team and a race effort as organized and committed to winning as the Foutz team; a fact that was made clear on race day.

Dave started the race in Tonapah, Nevada second off the line in a class of 10 trucks. Greg started behind him, but quickly put his Ford in first place. Dave was also making up great time before a flat set him back aways, but he also quickly made up that time. By the driver change half-way through the race, Greg handed the truck over to PJ in first place despite rolling the truck over. In second only minutes back came Chad Hall in a Hummer, then about 10 minutes behind that came Dave in third. Having only 15 minutes of driving time in practice made me a bit nervous, but about 10 miles in my co-driver Tim (one of the best I’ve ever had) assured me that the pace was just fine to keep up. Certainly, driving one of the big beasts takes a totally different approach than what I’m used to, but driving a truck for the first time in my racing career was really fun nonetheless.

As day turned to night we kept at it, but a mistake on our parts caused the big Ford to get stuck for just over an hour. It took a big effort to get it out, but ET and I managed to do it without anyone in our class passing us. At this point, PJ was still leading but then got stuck too at race mile 500, turning over the lead to Chad Hall. Unfortunately, we got stuck there too. PJ and I both got out (at different times) and he managed to finish in second spot. I got out, had to nurse an overheating transmission, but ended up third in class.

Certainly, it was great finishing a desert race again after the last two efforts that resulted in a broken back and then a blown engine. My sincere thanks to Greg Foutz, Dave Winner, ET, PJ Jones, BFGoodrich and the entire Foutz team for making it all happen. It was a truly great ride.

Best,
Marty Fiolka

TSCO Vegas to Reno Results

Car and Truck results

Bike and Quad results

Live Vegas to Reno tracking from IRC

http://www.irctracking.net/2007/Vegas-Reno/

Mongo Racing - Vegas to Reno Press release

There's an age-old saying about how sizzling the summers are in Parker,
Ariz.

It goes like this: "It gets so hot, the people who live there have to turn
on their heaters to cool off."

So, you'll have to excuse Randy Merritt if he snickers a bit while reading
the pre-race notes for the 2007 TSCO Vegas to Reno off-road race.

That's because, note No. 44 states, "Be prepared for hot weather in Las
Vegas ... "

The way Merritt and his Mongo Racing Team see it, this will be more like a
vacation for them, after spending the summer at home in Parker, where the
mercury has hovered in the 114-degree range on a daily basis, with humidity
in the neighborhood of 60 percent.

"We'll be glad to get out of here and go anywhere where it's cooler,"
said Merritt with a laugh as he prepared for the race, the third on the
Best in the Desert Racing Association championship schedule. He enters the
race, which is billed as the longest race in the United States, as the
defending champion in Class 8100 (stock full trucks).

Merritt is also the defending overall Class 8100 champion.

The 2007 race is scheduled to begin Friday (Aug. 24) outside Pahrump, Nev.,
located approximately 60 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The finish line is
559.3 miles away, outside Reno.

A year ago, Merritt drove the Goodyear-shod, Mongo Racing KC HiLites Ford
F-150 to the win in 13 hours, two minutes, 13 seconds. He beat his nearest
competitor in class by a scant 40 seconds, and finished 28th overall.

The race proved the be the turning point in Merritt's drive to the 2006
class driving championship, vaulting him to the top of the point standings,
where he remained for the remainder of the season.

He's hoping to have the same good fortune in 2007. Entering the race he is
tied for the lead in points with Hummer driver Chad Hall.

"This is the race where we made a statement last year," said Merritt. "I
hope we can do it again this year."

It's been a busy summer for Merritt and his team. They are coming off a win
in the Terrible's Town 250 in April, in which "the truck was beat up real
bad," said Merritt.

"So it was a good thing we had a long break between races."

Merritt also spent some time behind the wheel of the Kreg Donahoe monster
Ford Super Duty at the SNORE KC HiLites Midnight Special in El Dorado
Valley, Nev., outside Las Vegas at the end of June.

The purpose was to get Merritt familiar with Donahoe's truck, in preparation
for the 2007 SCORE Baja 1000, in which Donahoe is expected to share the
driving duty with Merritt.

"I guess you could say we've been busy," said Merritt.

"But we'll be ready. The whole Mongo Racing Team has put in a lot of time
and sweat, and I do mean sweat, to get the truck prepped and ready to go.
All I say can now is, we've done as much as we can do.

"With a race this long and this challenging ahead of us, all we can hope for
now is a little luck to be on our side when we leave the starting line."

We would like to thank our Sponsors:
Ford trucks, KCHiliTES, Goodyear, Swayaway, F&M Baldenegro farms,
JDsquare, Borla, Race Craft, Donahoe, True Flow, Bodyline, Chase Cam
Raceline Tires and Autofab.

--
Randy Merritt
Mongo Racing
www.mongoracing.com
928 210-9972 Cell
928 669-2796 Home
KC HiLiTES are the best forget the rest!!

V2R Top Tips!

Download them here

Vegas to Reno Guidebook

By the infamous Tony T.

http://tonyt.prodesertracing.com/2007/08/20/2007-bitd-v2r-maps-pics-tales-top-tips/

DIXON BROS. FORD RANGER DRAWS FIRST STARTING POSITION

200 East Laurel Avenue 􀁔 Lompoc, CA 93436 􀁔 805.570.3685 (Office) 􀁔 805.736.5513 (Fax)
For Information Contact:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
George R. Thompson
Dixon Brothers Racing
grt@dixonbrosracing.com
661.823.0454
Lompoc, CA - August 20, 2007: Hoping to capitalize on a favorable starting position at Best in the Desert
Racing Association’s ‘Vegas to Reno’ race on August 24th, Aaron and Ian Dixon bring their #7177 Dixon Bros.
Racing Ford Ranger pickup to Las Vegas only seven points off the lead in the race for the 2007 Class 7100 points
championship. The Dixon Brothers, who won this event in 2003, on their way to the Class 7300 Silver State Series
points championship, which they won in 2003 and 2004, have their sights set on another championship in 2007, this
time in Class 7100. Billed as “The Longest Off-Road Race in the United States”, festivities for the ‘Vegas to Reno’
race begin with tech and contingency throughout the day on Thursday, August 23 at the South Point Hotel and Casino
in Las Vegas. On Friday morning the action moves 72 miles west, to the starting line in the old mining area at Johnnie,
NV, where more than 150 cars and trucks are scheduled to stage for the start of the race at 10:30 AM. During the race,
which covers 570 miles across parts of the Mojave and Great Basin deserts, racers will face elevation changes ranging
from 2,000 feet through the sand washes and river beds in the south to over 6000 feet across the northern mountain
ranges to finish in Dayton, Nevada just south of Reno.
There’s no question that such a demanding race requires serious attention to detail if you hope to finish, let alone
finish well. After the ‘Terrible’s Town 250’, in April, team leader, Aaron Dixon began preparing the truck to meet the
challenge of the ‘Vegas to Reno’. Since building the Class 7100 Ranger in January, the Dixon’s have been paying close
attention to any problems in the Ranger’s design and have devoted all of their available time between each race to
perfecting the truck’s performance. After the ‘Parker 425’, Aaron and his crew made a number of modifications to the
front suspension, designed to increase the front suspension travel. At Terrible’s Town however, the increased travel
allowed the shocks to contact the driver’s side upper A-arm at full compression causing damage to both outer shafts of
the front shocks. To cure that problem, the shocks have been remounted to allow for adequate clearance and the
conventional bump stops have been replaced with a set of Light Racing’s JounceShocksTM to eliminate damage to the
front suspension at full compression. Another issue which cost us time at the last race was a fuel starvation problem.
Although it turned out to be nothing more than a fuel line that came loose, repairing it required disassembling the fuel
cell out on the course, costing the team over an hour of downtime, once again demonstrating that the devil is in the
details. Once back at the shop, the cell was disassembled, one more time, and the fuel line rerouted so this particular
gremlin would not jump up and bite us again in the future. After giving the truck a detailed race prep and adding a new
HID lighting system from KC HiLiTES, the #7177 Dixon Bros. Racing Ford Ranger has been tested and is ready to
take the green flag on Friday morning.
Aaron will start the race with Ed Ramirez in the second seat. At Goldfield, 186 miles into the race, Ian Dixon
will take over behind the wheel and Phil Ramirez will navigate until the truck reaches Mina, at racemile 379, where
Aaron and Ed will get back in the truck and take it to the finish. Rounding out this family effort, in the support vehicles,
will be Jim Dixon, the driver’s father and Andrea and Manny Ramirez, the co-rider’s parents. Everyone on the team is
looking forward to a family reunion at the finish line, in Dayton sometime in the early morning hours on Saturday.
- grt -
DIXON BROS. FORD RANGER DRAWS FIRST STARTING POSITION
IN CLASS 7100 AT BEST IN THE DESERT’S ‘VEGAS TO RENO’
To learn more about Dixon Bros. Racing visit our website at www.dixonbrosracing.com. For more information about Ford vehicles, go to www.ford.com.

BITD Vegas to Reno Schedule

The Longest Off-Road Race in the United States
August 2007, Las Vegas, NV
TSCO “Vegas to Reno” Schedule of Events
Thursday - August 23, 2007
10:00 AM to 5:30 PM
Drivers/Riders Registration
Media Registration
The South Point Hotel Casino – Exhibit Hall C
10:30 AM to 6:00 PM
Car – Truck – Motorcycle – Quad – UTV
Contingency Inspection and Technical Inspection
The South Point Hotel Casino – Parking Lot
7:00 PM
MANDATORY Drivers/Riders/Pit Crew Meeting
You must have at least one (1) arm-banded person from your team present at
the meeting!
The South Point Hotel Casino – Exhibit Hall C
Friday - August 24, 2007
5:30 AM
Motorcycle/Quad Staging at the Start Line - Johnnie
6:00 AM
1st Professional Motorcycle Leaves the Start Line
9:00 AM
Car/Truck Staging at the Terrible’s Town Casino
10:00 AM
Police Escort Leaves Terrible’s Town Casino to Start Line
10:30 AM
1st Professional Car or Truck Leaves the Start Line
Saturday - August 25, 2007
5:30 PM – 10:00 PM
TSCO “Vegas to Reno” After-Race Party – Sponsored by the Herbst Family
No-Host Cocktails (5:30pm) – BBQ Dinner (6-8pm) – Live Band (8-10pm)
Terrible’s Sands Regency Hotel & Casino – Outdoor Special Events Tent
(Save your armband and support crew armband to enter tent)
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
TSCO “Vegas to Reno” Awards Presentation
Sunday - August 26, 2007
No Scheduled Functions for Sunday
Please have a safe drive home and we’ll see you in October for the Las Vegas “300”
Off-Road Racing’s Best-Run Series … Best In The Desert!
Further information available from:
www.bitd.com
email: bitd@lasvegas.net
(702) 457-5775
MEDIA CONTACT:
www.fallads.com/bitd
email: mediabitd@fallads.com