The second annual Black Hills UTV Rally was a great success. The turnout of participants was good, the events went off without any problems and the trails were fantastic. A good time was had by all. Were you at the rally? Share your photos, video or talk about it!

The trails leading out of Top 50 Rally Park in Piedmont South Dakota offered a range of terrain, from gravel fire roads to tight and technical rocky trails. We rode about a hundred miles of trails over two days and didn’t even scratch the surface of what this area has to offer. The trail system is almost endless in the Black Hills area.

The coolest thing about this area is how the trails lead you to little towns in the hills. Most trails we have ridden in the past lead to more trails and to get food, drinks or gas, meant retracing back to the start. On our guided rides through the Black Hills we would ride for 2-3 hours and end up in a little town where we could get food and drinks, and be recharged for another epic ride in the afternoon.

One of the stops we made was in the small town of Nemo Guest Ranch, and a restaurant in a very cool old building. The next day we stopped for lunch at the Sugar Shack, a similar town to Nemo but with more variety of restaurants. Other organized rides went to Custer Crossing, Trout Haven, and Wonderland Cave for lunch stops. These towns are well prepared for events like the Black Hills UTV Rally, as they also serve street bikers during the Sturgis Biker Rally. For many of these small businesses the Sturgis Rally is the busiest time of the year.

It was amazing how many UTV owners came out to the Rally this year. There was a good variety of different UTV’s as well as ATV's on the trails. Thank you very much to Yamaha for the use of an awesome 2008 Rhino 700 EFI 4x4 for the day. It got our reporting team out on the trail and back in style.

Factory demo fleets were also on-hand from Arctic Cat, Kawasaki and Kymco, to let Rally attendees go for demonstration rides on their products. Arctic Cat also brought along their newest Prowler - 951cc XTZ. This was one of the first times this UTV had been seen in public and it was the center of attention the whole weekend. The guys at Cat were also nice enough to let us take it for a spin. Check out our impressions in detail, and shots of the XTZ 1000 in action.

Legend Air Suspension was also there with several UTV’s featuring their adjustable air shocks. Like the OEM’s, Legend was also offering participants the chance to test out their products on the trails. We'll have more on their products in an upcoming spotlight as well.

Each day the guided rides left in the morning and returned in the afternoon with a lunch stop at either Nemo or Sugarshack. In the evenings there were other events at the base camp Top 50 Rally Park.

The Off-Road.com-sponsored barrel racing was a crowd favorite. The driver was blind folded and the passenger tried to guide them around the 3 barrels in the course. The team with the fastest time won. It was very entertaining to watch.

After the barrel racing the obstacle course opened for competition. The guys at Top 50 Rally Park went all out building a course that was very challenging to competitors. The course included MX style whoops and jumps, a mud bog, rocks, and concrete obstacles. This event was again a great success with lots of great action for the camera. Once the obstacle course competition ended the organizers hosted a raffle giving away lots of great prizes from the vendors and sponsors.

The Black Hills UTV Rally was a great event that brought together hundreds of UTV owners from all over the country. The atmosphere was very friendly and everyone did a great job of making sure everyone had fun. The local Off Road Riders Association members came out and supported the event. Many of these individuals know these trails very well and guided the rides. If you own a UTV or ATV and are looking for a great vacation next summer with some excellent riding then you should put the Black Hills UTV Rally on your calendar - Labor Day Weekend, 2009!

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CLICK HERE for more details on Black Hills UTV Rally

OFFICIAL EVENT FACTS:

• The 2 nd annual Black Hills UTV/ATV Rally doubled in both participant and vendor attendance!! The event was again held over Labor Day weekend at Top 50 Rally Park, conveniently located off I-90 at exit 46, just 10 minutes from Rapid City, South Dakota.
• Top 50 Rally Park serves as base camp for the event offering daily guided rides, demo rides and displays by many off-road manufacturers and aftermarket vendors, on site camping, nightly events, the Arctic Cat appreciation dinner, and direct access to hundreds of miles of off-road trails in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota.
• Over 160 riders participated in the ORA Sunday Poker run!
• Guided trail rides offered terrain from forested hills, rock crawling and mud holes to fast trails and prairies! Each ride led to lunch at one of 4 stops. One daily ride led to a cave tour. The Sunday night, night ride lead to Boondocks where riders had dinner, took a HUGE group picture, and enjoyed many give aways form event sponsors.
• Over $2,200 was raised for the Off-Road Riders Association who work with the Forest Service to help preserve and maintain trails in the Black Hills.

WHO:

• Over 1,100 UTV, Side x Side, ATV, and dirt bike enthusiasts attended the 2008 Black Hills UTV Rally!
• Demo rides were available daily from Arctic Cat, Kawasaki, Yamaha, KYMCO, and Legend Off-Road Air Suspension.
• Other sponsors and vendors included: ATV Illustrated TV, ATVsource.com, Black Hills Powersports, BlueRibbon Coalition, BulletProof-Performance, Curtis Industries, Dakota Digital, Grizzly Excavation wash and rentals, Off-Road Riders Association, S’all Good Eatin’, SD dept of agriculture & wildfire suppression, SD Off Hwy Vehicle Coalition, SD School of Mines and Technology Baja Team, Side X Side Action Magazine, Naja Shriners, Power Madd, Miller Light, ATVsource.com, Curtis Industries, OMF Performance Products, Pro Armor, UTV Tech, Vic’s Light Kits, Warn Industries, and many more!!

EVENING ACTIVITES:

• Each evening tens of riders had fun testing their rig and driving limits in the Off-Road Riders Association competitions like the Obstacle Course, Mud Bog, Blindfolded Barrel Racing, the Show and Shine, Tug of War, Sled Pull, and Balance Beam.
• Over $30,000 in off-roading accessories, certificates, and more were given away during nightly raffles!
• Over 200 participants ate for free at the Saturday night Arctic Cat appreciation dinner and dance!

MORE INFO ON 2008 AND 2009:

• Check out www.BlackHillsUTVrally.com for 2007 and 2008 event pictures and video.
• Check www.BlackHillsUTVrally.com in January 2009 for 2009 event information and improved on-line registration!!!