The top off-road drivers gathered to take their shot at the pole position for the longest off-road race in the United States. There is no doubt who everyone is gunning for at the 2016 BITD Vegas to Reno race, and that’s three-time consecutive winner Jason Voss, who has literally run away with this race for the past three years in a row. No other racer has held such mastery over one endurance race since Ivan “The Ironman” Stewart and his string of Baja 500 wins. Make no mistake, there is luck involved in off-road racing, but more than anything it is a testament of preparation of driver and team alike to show who has the talent and preparation to pull it off in such dominating fashion.

For this year’s qualifying, which was held just North of Las Vegas, it was local legend and veteran off-road racer Rob MacCachren taking the pole position for Friday’s start with a lap time of 3 minutes, 49.635 seconds over the 3-mile course. MacCachren bested the next closest competitor in his class, Jason Voss, by just 2 seconds. Voss was the second fastest in class but will start third off the line in the mixed field of racers.

Coming in second overall on the day and first in the unlimited buggy class was longtime racer Harley Letner in his Alpha built racecar with a time of 3:51.302. Letner has long been known for his aggressive driving style and it showed today when he posted a qualifying time 3 seconds faster than CJ Hutchens, the next fastest qualifier in the class.

So the stage is set. Will MacCachren’s experience pay off or will Voss go down in history with a four-peat? Or will Letner upset them all with an overall win in a buggy? There are 50 others in the unlimited ranks and 600 miles of angry desert that hold the answer to that question. Who will be able to deliver? Who will succumb to the desert’s brutality? We’ll have the answer this weekend.

V2R The Long Way Facts
For the past 20 years the longest off road race in the United States has been the Best in the Desert Vegas to Reno.

The race normally run about 545 miles, but this year the “Long Way” will be 644 miles

The racecourse is comprised of harsh, unforgiving terrain consisting of high-speed dirt roads, rock, and silt. The area is littered with long abandoned ghost towns, mine shafts, ditches and washouts

The undisputed king of the V2R race is Jason Voss, who’s won three races in and was the second-fastest Trick Truck in qualifying.

BITD Vegas to Reno Qualifying Results
1. Rob Maccachren  - 03:49.635
2. Harley Letner  - 03:51.302
3. Jason Voss  - 03:51.843
4. Andy Mcmillin - 03:53.807
5. CJ Hutchins  - 03:54.468
6. Bryce Menzies  - 03:54.477
7. Luke Mcmillin - 03:54.611
8. Justin Matney - 03:55.874
9. Eduardo Laguna - 03:57.061
10. Tracy Graf - 03:58.839
11. Justin Lofton  - 03:59.505
12. Brett Sourapas - 04:00.294
13. Cameron Steele - 04:00.500
14. BJ Baldwin - 04:01.708
15. Cody Parkhouse  - 04:01.935
16. Josh Daniel - 04:03.257
17. Ladd Gilbert Sr. - 04:03.582
18. Todd Romano - 04:04.175
19. Jimmy Nuckles  - 04:04.376
20. Sam Berri - 04:04.425