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Tag: Best in the Desert (BITD)

Remembering Casey Folks

Official Announcement from Best in the Desert:

With a sad heart, Best in the Desert announces the passing of our leader on January 12, 2017. Casey suffered a massive stroke on the morning of January 7th in Parker, Arizona. He was doing what he loved, living his passion for off-road racing, getting ready to drop the flag on the latest UTV race event. He was rushed to a hospital and transported by air to Las Vegas for care. Despite efforts by the best doctors in Las Vegas, Casey succumbed to the effect of a stroke this morning. (more…)

January 12, 2017
Dougans Racers Charge Best in the Desert’s Laughlin Desert Classic

RPM Off-Road’s Apdaly Lopez Wins Day 1 and Eduardo Laguna Earns a 3rd Place Overall Podium Finish

Desert racing returned to Laughlin, NV this past weekend with the inaugural Method Race Wheels Laughlin Desert Classic presented by Canidae Tap It. A two-day race, the Laughlin Desert Challenge was the first Best in the Desert race in recent years to separate the Trick Trucks into their own race separate of all other classes, allowing elite class to reach their full capabilities and terrorize the partially new 16 mile course that included the legendary Laughlin Leap and The Fly Over where race vehicles flew completely over Highway 162.

#5 Apdaly Lopez charged out of the gate to take the first day overall by +00:00:06 over Josh Daniel. On day 2, Lopez beat Daniel out of the infield and was leading out front for two laps before suffering a flat. At that point, there was only one speed for the Dougans powered #5 Trick Truck. The fearless Lopez hung everything on the line and completely soared the road crossing. “This is off-road and we don’t touch asphalt,” Lopez commented after the race. Unfortunately, in pushing the #5 to its limits, Lopez suffered a driveline failure that ended his day and hopes at the overall.

#17 Eduardo Laguna picked up the slack and earned Dougans a 3rd place overall finish on the podium. Laguna started in 10th place on day one and moved all the way to fourth on the road by the start of lap two. Soon after, Laguna lost an oil belt, forcing him to stop and repair the issue. On day two, Laguna averaged 60.6 mph and finished +00:00:43 off on the day and finished 3rd overall to secure Dougans Racing Engines yet another podium finish on the 2016 race season.

Of the 28 racers to start the race, only 8 made it to the finish line. After laying down a solid qualifying run, #184 Nick Vanderwey cruised to a 6th place overall finish. Vanderwey landed in 11th place overall after the first day of racing and finished +00:18:07 off the winning pace at the end of day two.

Justin “Bean” Smith and Tracy Graf shared driving duties in the #58 Trick Truck. Smith got off to a rocky start on Saturday and crashed a mile in to the race after jumping out front of Jason Voss. Smith lost 15-20 minutes getting it flipped over and redialed in with Graf who was navigating that day. Smith passed a few guys back and finished the day near the back of the pack. Graf piloted the #58 on Sunday and earned the duo a solid 7th place finish.

Hot off his second consecutive Mint 400 win, #41 Justin Lofton went to Laughlin looking to continue his successes in hopes of building another championship season. Lofton qualified third fastest on the 2.4 mile time trial course and lined up next to #5 Apdaly Lopez on day 1. The first day immediately set Lofton back after earning a flat on the first lap, a negligible roll over on the second lap, then another flat on the fourth lap. He finished the day second to last but came out blazing on day 2. Lofton went from 17th to 4th and had fun passing those vehicles trouble free. The flawless day 2 landed Lofton in 8th place overall at the end of the race.

Despite finishing a lap down, Jeff Terzo made it to the finish line in his first race in the #37 YouTheory Racing Trick Truck.

Nine Dougans Racers succumbed to the brutal Laughlin course and did not finish the race, including #16 Cameron Steele, #27 Steve Olliges, #38 Eric Hustead, #4 Justin Matney, #46 Troy Vest, #5 Apdaly Lopez, #54 Robert Johnston, #59 Cole Potts and #95 Scott Whipple.

2016 Method Race Wheels Laughlin Desert Classic presented by Canidae Tap Unofficial Results

3rd – #17 Eduardo Laguna
6th – #184 Nick Vanderwey
7th – #58 Tracy Graf
8th – #41 Justin Lofton

Photography by Jason Zindroski

About Dougans Racing Engines
Dougans Racing Engines (www.dougansracing.com) specializes in high performance engines for the top off-road competitions including the Best In the Desert and SCORE racing series. With over thirty-five years in the industry, Dougans offers high quality engine packages for trophy trucks, Class 1 trucks, and prerunners. We build complete engine packages that have gained a reputation in the racing world as consistent, powerful, dependable winners. Along with our engine packages, we provide dyno testing and personal track support to ensure that our customer’s needs are met all the way to the finish line. At Dougans Racing, customer satisfaction is our top priority and we strive to keep you running hard and winning races mile after mile.

About Mad Media:

Mad Media (www.madmedia.com) is a San Diego based marketing and creative agency, with in-house film and television production. We craft authentic, culturally engaging brand messages, and deliver them across print, web, photography, and film platforms. Mad Media has been leading the online content revolution since 1995 producing major commercial, television, online content and viral film projects such as The Gymkhana Series and XP1K Series.

May 14, 2016
Alcon celebrates podium domination at Best in the Desert’s Vegas to Reno

Alcon Specialist Brakes and Clutches would like to congratulate Jason Voss and BJ Baldwin on their podium places at the recent Vegas to Reno race. Running his Alcon-equipped truck, Jason Voss powered to his third consecutive victory at the longest off-road race in the USA, finishing a whole 30 minutes before second place. Alcon-equipped BJ Baldwin finished third, just seconds behind Luke McMillin.

Jason Voss leading the way in his Alcon-equipped truck at Vegas to Reno.

Alcon has a long history in US motorsport, supplying winning brake systems to F1, Indycar, NASCAR, and Grand Am series. Alcon’s off road systems have been used by champions across the US, whether it’s driving 1,000 miles down the Baja peninsula, tackling the tough Vegas to Reno course, turning heads in Global Rallycross, or dominating the American Rally Championship. Not only that, Alcon has been a major player in NASCAR for over 10 years, and counts over 30 World Rally Championships to its roll of honour.

Desert racing trucks tackle the harshest terrain, creating additional challenges for all components, not least brakes. Alcon uses its experience, coupled with the latest design software, to optimise the available package space and ensure the best product design is achieved. Expert engineering knowledge allows Alcon to create the strongest, stiffest caliper for the lightest weight possible. The seal-in-bore design of the seal means it is further from the heat source to prevent warping or melting. Pistons are also stainless steel for improved durability and reduced thermal conductivity.

BJ Baldwin finished third to give Alcon two podium finishes.

Key considerations when developing products for this form of racing include vehicle weight, the length of the race, and the unique way brakes are used. The bespoke nature of all Alcon products means that they have been specifically designed with these needs in mind, from the optimised durable caliper housing and internal fluid pathways, right down to the recessing of the bleed screws and off-road-specific piston sizing. This design is the product of market research, extensive collaboration with drivers and engineers, testing, and extensive off-road experience to create a championship-winning brake package.

The culmination of this knowledge and experience is the winning brake systems used by both Voss and Baldwin, as well as other Trick Truck competitors, giving the world’s top drivers the confidence to push their limits.

About Race-Dezert.com
Race-Dezert.com was created by off-road enthusiasts, giving off-roaders a place online to share information about the sport and culture of off-road racing. Based in Southern California, Race-Dezert.com highlights the off-road disciplines of desert racing, short course off-road, stadium truck racing, rally raid, rally racing and rock crawling.

Our goal is to connect the world of off-road racing globally, bringing people together through the common denominator of off-road culture. Whether you are a racer, a promoter, a chase team member, a casual fan, or just interested in learning about off-road, Race-Dezert.com is a place where you can learn about the sport and culture of off-road racing.

August 26, 2015
Big Changes Coming to Best in the Desert in 2016

For the past five years, Best in the Desert has led off-road racing as the premier race series in the sport. With entries growing each year, BITD has held strong to a six-race format with the addition of The Mint 400 in 2012. However, their staples in the Parker 425, Silver State 300, Vegas to Reno, Blue Water Desert Challenge and Henderson 250 have gone relatively untouched in these years.

Announced today by BITD Race Director, Casey Folks, in front of hundreds of media, sponsors and industry leaders, the 2016 Best in the Desert race schedule looks everything but standard. Folks has spent years working to better not only Best in the Desert but the off-road racing community as a whole. Here’s a look at the new 2016 Best in the Desert Racing Association race schedule. (more…)

August 17, 2015
JIMCO Racing’s Jason Voss Wins the BITD Silver State 300

Three JIMCO Vehicles in the Top Five Overall

The Silver State 300 racecourse is run in the Eastern part of Nevada and can be considered one of the fastest racecourses of the series. Three hundred miles is all there is to muscle your way to the front. After earning top starting position, Jason Voss never surrendered his track position and took the overall win to close the gap in the 2015 overall points race.

Though clean air is an obvious advantage on fast roads that produce blinding dust, a flawless race is still required to take an overall as each race becomes closer and closer. Jason Voss did just that and won Silver State +00:02:24 over second place finisher, Rob MacCachren. The win marks Voss’ second consecutive Silver State 300 victory. After taking four BITD wins (Parker 425, Silver State 300, Vegas to Reno and Henderson 250) in 2014, Voss is now proving he owns one of the most reliable and consistent trucks in off-road and currently sits fourth in the overall points chase.

Two other JIMCO vehicles landed in the top five, including the brand new #1549 buggy of Sam Berri and current Class 1500 points leader, Cody Parkhouse. One point separated the two heading in to the race. Parkhouse missed out on the class win +00:00:38 behind 1500 winner CJ Hutchins. He was the first Class 1500 to finish line but Hutchins, having started eleven spots behind, won on corrected time. Though Parkhouse is yet to win in 2015, he is proving consistency can also give you the edge in overall points halfway through a season.

Despite his huge win at the Mint 400 earlier this year, Berri sits four points behind Parkhouse in the overall points lead. Berri was +00:02:35 off Hutchins’ pace and continues to astonish the class in his single seat JIMCO buggy. Just missing the top ten was JIMCO’s #1599 Todd Tuls. #1547 Pat McCarthy did not finish.

#92 Kevin Curtis powered through numerous issues all day and salvaged points as the last finisher of the race.

#94 Steve Strobel was sixteenth overall qualifier and was up front with the leaders through the fifth pit but ended up not finishing the race. At race mile 187, a mechanical failure in a remote, narrow part of the race track left the #94 stranded with chase crews unable to get the truck and make the necessary repairs needed to finish the race. Justin Lofton’s day ended almost as quickly as it began.

Sixteen miles in to the race rolled the #41 JIMCO Trick Truck cutting their day short. “Both John and I are doing well after our flip at Silver State. Big thanks to our Sparco Full contaminate seats, neck restraints and Jimco Racing Inc for building a safe truck. We will rebuild and be back faster than ever,” said Lofton.

Class 10 has been shaping up to be one of the most competitive classes in off-road racing. Twenty-one 10 cars started the race, including the #1025 and #1071 of Chad Dohrman and Jason Coleman. Fifty miles in to the race, the two led the field and were separated by only ten seconds. The run out front was short lived when Dohrman eventually dropped out due to mechanical issues.

Coleman pushed on but sat +00:04:55 off Class 10 leader and eventual race winner Cody Robinson at race mile 150. Coleman made strides to close the gap throughout the second half of the race but never enough to take the top spot from Robinson. Coleman seized the second place spot on the podium and now sits in second place in overall points in Class 10.

Racing will resume South of the border for the 47th Bud Light SCORE Baja 500 from June 3rd – 8th.

About JIMCO Racing Inc.
Jimco Racing Inc is the largest off-road race car builder in the world. From American desert races to Baja races to the Tatts Finke Desert Race to the Dakar Rally, JIMCO has been manufacturing top of the industry off-road race vehicles since 1975. Twenty time SCORE Chassis Builder of the Year, JIMCO’s Trophy Trucks, Class 1, Class 10, Class 12, Class 1/2-1600, Pre-Runners, Pro-Lite, Pro 2 and Rally Raid vehicles are the industry standard that continue to produce wins and championships across all mediums of off-road.

About Mad Media:

Mad Media (www.madmedia.com) is a San Diego based marketing and creative agency, with in-house film and television production. We craft authentic, culturally engaging brand messages, and deliver them across print, web, photography, and film platforms. Mad Media has been leading the online content revolution since 1995 producing major commercial, television, online content and viral film projects such as The Gymkhana Series and XP1K Series.

May 13, 2015
Banning Motorsports Overcomes Hardship at the Silver State 300

Phoenix, AZ (May 11, 2015)– Banning Motorsports have been faced with some rough races this season, but the Best In The Desert Silver State 300 has proven to be the most difficult by far for the team. A race that runs through beautiful Nevada scenery. didn’t end so beautifully for the Arizona based team.

The team would arrive to Las Vegas, NV early on in the week as they had to qualify the #6155 truck for their starting position for race day. Not having the quickest qualifying run, Banning Sr. would be starting the race 14th Class 6100 off the line. The race started at 9:30am and would only take the Trick Trucks an estimated 5 hours to complete the 275 mile course.

Once off the start line, Banning Sr. and Chris Godfrey immediately faced the dust that hung in the air from the faster vehicles. They had 13 competitors in front of them that they needed to pass and another 7 behind them just waiting to capitalize on any mistake they may make. Banning Sr. was charging hard from behind the wheel and by pit 1 it was reported that they were up to 10th place. By pit 2 they had made up another position just 72 miles into the race. It was looking to be an easy day but just 10 miles up the road the #6155 would battle for another position when they would be blinded by the dust and clip a rock that would cause them to roll over. The damage to the truck was repairable with time, but with over 2 hours to get the truck back on all 4 wheels the race was already to far gone for the team to continue in the #6155 truck.

Banning Motorsports would continue to chase their points lead in the #2488 car with Bryan Folks and Adam Warren starting the race. With a great run through the first 80 miles of the race and staying in first, the #2488 car would find itself on its side at race mile 84. After hitting a big berm in a right hand turn that would stop them from keeping the car upright. After waiting for help to get it back on the wheels, they had lost several positions and were back running the race looking to at least get to the finish. Making it to pit 4 the team did a drivers change and Rick Graf would get behind the wheel with Tim Sullivan in the co-rider seat. Some more clean miles of racing would bring them up to teammates in car 1023 where the Melton team had slid off course and damaged the front end of the car. Graf and Sullivan helped the #1023 car back on course and then they continued to the finish line where they would surprise themselves with a 2nd place finish.

“Today our team showed that no matter what happens, you have to push to the finish. It was a great day for the team after overcoming the roll overs and other obstacles that were thrown our way.” Said team owner Lee Banning Sr.

The Banning Team still supports the #1023 car ran by Melton Motorsports and as the 1023 car started the race, they would mid pack with Steve Melton and Jake Dewitt in the car. Running fast through the dust with minimal issues just major dust. Passing several cars and trucks before arriving at pit 4 would have them around 7th on the road. Quick fuel and a drivers change would have them back on the course quickly. Hayden now behind the wheel and continuing the fast pace up to and thru pit 5. Shortly after pit 5 near rm 180, Hayden clipped a tree on the left side as he was coming down the steep grade. Breaking a lower arm and the steering rack, it took several hours before they were able to get the car so they could limp down the mountain 32 plus miles to pit 6. The chase crew did a quick lower arm swap out and got them back on the road but a short 5 or so miles down course the injured steering rack gave up ending their day. After a hard fought race earlier in the day the team was disappointed but they knows it’s all part of racing.

Again the Banning crew did a awesome job supporting all the cars and truck this race giving proof that our teams middle name should be “tough.” A huge thanks to all our loyal crew and partners for everything they do to keep us on course in the desert.

May 13, 2015