BITD BILEK SILVER STATE 300
SEPTEMBER 26-28, 2008
Sam Berri was the man to beat all weekend, as he outqualified the field and then ran up front all day for the overall and
Class 1500 victories. (DURKA DURKA PHOTO)
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Sam Berri of Murphys, California, drove his Class 1500 unlimited buggy to the overall win at the BITD Bilek Siver State 300
in the northeastern Nevada desert on a fast racecourse that was described by many as the most scenic they have ever raced.
The remote course weaved its way through beautiful, painted desert canyons, mesas, and rock formations mixed in with nasty
water crossings and treacherous silt beds. One particular silt bed at Race Mile 137 claimed more than 10 cars during a short
period of time midday. The Nevada dirt worked its magic, and the silt bed doubled and then tripled in size over a couple of
hours, as racecars turned pseudo hardpack into more silt, which in turn grenaded many reverse gears in buggy transaxles. 
The Southern Nevada siltbeds were especially brutal. Jonathan Swift was able to punch his way through them for another Class
7200 win. (DURKA DURKA PHOTO)
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Action began one day before the actual race, with time trials being held on the Man Ranch just over the state line near Littlefield,
Arizona. Unlike most desert courses, the ranch was covered by greenery and heavy in sand. The actual time trials started a
bit late because many cars became stuck in the deep sand during the practice lap. Eventually the course was cleared, and 25
drivers got down to the business of qualifying, with those having a heavy right foot producing showers of sand and dirt.
Open-wheel cars ruled the day as Class 1500 drivers took the top four qualifying spots. Berri, who came off a disappointing
finish at Vegas to Reno, put his single-seat Jimco on the Pole for the Silver State 300 less than three tenths of a second
ahead reigning Best in the Desert Champion Chuck Hovey. Josh Daniel timed third quickest four seconds behind Berri. Chet Huffman
took top Trick Truck honors 18 seconds off Berri's pole position time. Huffman was followed by Best in the Desert Trick Truck
Champion Steve Olliges, who managed a respectable time with a large tree branch wedged between his A-arm and tie rod. The
tight, sandy time trial course favored the open wheels with its tight, technical layout full of soft sand and a plethora of
180-degree corners.
Bitd Bilek Silver State 300
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On race day, Berri got off to a fast start and maintained a comfortable lead most of the day, driving hard to score the overall
and Class 1500 win. The Speed Technologies team of Johnny Herder and Chuck Dempsey finished in second overall behind Berri,
who drove what used to be Herder's single-seat Class 1500 Jimco.
Olliges managed to get around Huffman to land the top spot in Trick Truck and finished fourth overall. Huffman finished second
Trick Truck and sixth overall.
TOP TRUCK: Reigning BITD Trick Truck Champion Steve Olliges took top honors in the class. Check out the hunk of brush stuck
in Olliges' right front suspension. (DURKA DURKA PHOTO)
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Amy Perez drove hard and smooth for the win in Class 2000, but one of the tightest battles of the day was between Dan McMillin
and Paul Kurz for the runner-up spot in the class. When the checkers waved, the two were separated by only one second, with
Kurz besting RDC star McMillin.
With only two races remaining in the Best in the Desert series, Aaron Dixon came to the Bilek Silver State 300 in the hope
of landing his third consecutive event win in Class 7100. The Dixon Brothers Ford Ranger had landed back-to-back wins at the
Terrible's 250 and the TSCO Vegas-To-Reno after failing to finish the season-opening Bluewater Casino Parker 425. Dixon maintained
his winning ways in Class 7100 at the Bilek race, coming home with the win in 7 hours, 58 minutes and 13 seconds, over two
hours ahead of the class runner-up.
Other class winners included Jonathan Swift in Class 7200, Curt LeDuc in Class 8000, Josh Hall in Class 8100, Alexa Bilek
in Class 1100 and Jason Horsley in Protruck.
