RockCrawler.com

Tag: Vegas to Reno

  • Born From Competition, the GRABBER Tire Continues to Shine

    • Find out what it takes to win the General Tire Vegas to Reno race here.
    • Team GT will rely on red letter GRABBER’s to get them to the finish line.

    Garrick Freitas won the 2012 General Tire Vegas to Reno race on 35" DOT approved GRABBER's.Fort Mill, SC – August 16, 2013.  Noted as the longest off-road race in the U.S., the General Tire Vegas to Reno race provides a platform for General Tire to showcase their signature red letter GRABBER tire which was born from competition.  Originally developed in the desert, the GRABBER tire, and its technologies, transcend the race course and are available to consumers at dealerships across the country.  But it was a lengthy process, and labor of love, to bring the GRABBER to life.

    “Once we began testing the GRABBER tire, we spent a couple years in the desert refining the technologies,” said Tony Talbert, tuning key account manager for General Tire.  “We modified the tire two to three times until it worked well in the desert before bringing it to the street.” (more…)

  • Impact and MasterCraft Safety Go All In With Best In The Desert

    Test fit a MasterCraft Safety race suit at Vegas to Reno.

    Best In The Desert (BITD) continues to set entry records with every race, and Impact by MasterCraft Safety has taken notice.  The ink is still drying on their commitment to be the presenting sponsor of the “BlueWater Parker 425 Presented by Impact” for 2014 and beyond.  “We welcome Impact on board as the presenting sponsor of one of the most prestigious events in the world for desert off-road competition,” said BITD promoter Casey Folks recently.  “They join some of the leading brands in helping make our series the largest, entry-wise, of any long distance off-road series. Impact’s products help keep our racers safe – the number one priority in my world.” (more…)

  • 2012 FOX off-road desert championships push and test limits of man and machine

    Athletes who took victories in limited open-wheeled cars and big V8-powered trucks say winning races has become more about intense full-speed, all-out racing.

    EL CAJON, Calif. — While no one would ever call off-road desert racing easy, its evolution has seen the races become more challenging and strenuous on both the drivers and the equipment. The long and diverse list of 2012 championship-winning athletes show what it takes to win in some of the most demanding racing styles in the world.

    Running everything from 68-horsepower 1/2-1600 cars to 800-horsepower trick trucks, each class of off-road race vehicle has its own unique demands. This year’s desert champions relied on their suspension systems, among other things, to outperform the competition. (more…)

  • Yokohama Tire Corporation-Sponsored Off-Roaders Cameron and Heidi Steele Gearing up for ‘Vegas to Reno’ Race, August 16-18

    Racers will use Geolandar® tires to tackle ‘the longest off-road race in the U.S.’

    FULLERTON, CA. – (Aug. 14, 2012) – Yokohama Tire Corporation-sponsored Cameron and Heidi Steele – the husband and wife team known as “off-road racing’s power couple” – will be back in action at the Best in the Desert’s 534-mile “Vegas to Reno” race, August 16-18. Cameron and Heidi will tackle “the longest off-road race in the U.S.” on Geolandar® tires.

    Heidi, whose five off-road season championships include a 2008 Best in the Desert title, will be competing in her second race this year after becoming a mother in March. She placed second in June’s Baja 500 in a Ford Ranger equipped with off-the-shelf Geolandar M/T+® tires. She’ll be competing on the same tires in the 7200 Class at the Vegas to Reno contest. (more…)

  • Freitas Offroad Motorsports Comes From The Back To Finish First In Class 1 At Vegas To Reno

    Garrick Freitas leading the pack at Vegas to Reno
    In only his second season racing in Best In The Desert’s unlimited ranks, Garrick Freitas has made his presence known by winning the TSCO Vegas to Reno race.  Winning in desert racing’s premier Class 1500 and coming in 2nd overall out of 298 vehicles in the longest off-road race in America was anything but easy though.  Freitas was still harboring demons from last year’s Vegas to Reno event.  In 2010 Garrick was running at the front of the pack when he cart wheeled his Jimco Champion less than 100 miles from the finish line.  (more…)

  • John Swift and Steve Olliges Take The Bronze At Vegas To Reno

    The No. 28 BFGoodrich / MasterCraft Safety Trick Truck
    John Swift and Steve Olliges knew that competition would be tough for the 2011 Best In The Desert Vegas to Reno race when over 250 drivers tossed their hat in the ring.  The entry list for the longest desert race in America included 27 competitors in the marquee Trick Truck class, all vying with the No. 28 BFGoodrich / MasterCraft Safety truck of Swift and Olliges.  The event started with tech and contingency, where the biggest buzz was not about their unlimited Trick Truck, but Olliges’ beautiful ’79 Ford F150 that will be campaigned in Best In The Desert’s Class 8 starting at the Bluewater Desert Challenge in October.   “The truck really resonates with people, young and old, who appreciate desert racing’s rich heritage,” Olliges noted. (more…)