The Best in the Desert TSCO Vegas to Reno Off-Road Race kicks off tomorrow morning outside of Las Vegas in the town of Beatty. The Vegas to Reno race, hailed by BITD as “the longest off-road race in the United States,” will cover 534 miles of harsh desert terrain. As opposed to last year, where the course was almost double the length of this year’s and was spread out over three days, the race will start tomorrow and see most finishers completing the race by Friday night (or early Saturday morning).

This is the first race since the accident at the California 200, and it has garnered even more attention than usual because of the recent tragedy. BITD director Casey Folks has always prided himself on a “safety first” mentality, and that’s something he reinforced to the racers at the driver’s meeting this evening. BITD has been working with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to maintain a safe environment for all racers, pit and chase crews, and spectators. BITD has well over 400 volunteers who are not only helping to monitor race developments, but who will also help to maintain a safe racing environment. 

Having already received a great number of calls, e-mails and interview requests from local and national media, Folks is fully well aware of the responsibility he has to off-road racing’s future in the U.S. With that said, BITD decided to self-impose certain safety regulations that will become standard practice at all future races. First off, BITD is aware that most spectators and crews will be in and around the pit areas, so Folks is requiring racers to make a complete stop before entering the pits. Drivers will then be required to stay under a strict 25 mph speed limit while in the pits, and passing while in this area is strictly prohibited. Not adhering to these rules will result in major time penalties or complete disqualification.

Another safety feature Best in the Desert will implement at this race is mainly for the racers’ safety. The top 25 vehicles (top 25 motorcycles and cars/trucks) will have passing devices installed on their racecar or bike. If a racer has caught up to another vehicle on the course and is looking to pass, the co-driver can activate the passing device to inform the vehicle in front they intend to pass, allowing both to do so safely. It’s a unique idea that we’ll learn more about after the race.

At last count, Folks said 238 vehicles were registered in the race. The motorcycles will be the first off the line tomorrow morning at 5:45 a.m., with the ATVs and UTVs to follow. The trucks and buggies will head off the line almost four hours later at 9:30 a.m. Here is a list of the top 20 qualifiers from the time trials (and the order in which they will go off the line):

1    1549    Sam Berri
2     97        BJ Baldwin
3   1581    Chuck Hovey
4   1588    Brian Hess
5    21       Gustavo Vildosola Jr.
6   1570    Harley Letner
7   1557    Pat Dean
8    71        Rick D. Johnson
9   1551   Todd Jergensen
10 1501   TJ Flores
11  1572   Garrick Freitas
12   6         Steve Sourapas
13  1554   Shannon Campbell
14  70        Bryce Menzies
15  1531   Adam Pfankuch
16   51      Kory Scheeler
17  35       Jason Voss
18  19       Tim Herbst
19  49       Troy Herbst
20  1543   Chris Kemp

Be sure to check back with Off-Road.com for a recap of the race.