The BlueWater Desert Challenge is October 13, 14, 15, 16, 2011. This is a car, truck, utv race only and will race both on Saturday and Sunday, with the Awards Presentation later Sunday night. The Draw for Start Positions is Wednesday, September, 28, 2011, and the Time Trials for Class 1400 & 1500 is Thursday, October 13. 2011
CLASS 1400 Trick Truck

POSITION	CLASS 1400	VEH NO.	TIME
1	BJ BALDWIN	1	3:03.052
2	JASON VOSS	35	3:07.833
3	MARK EWING	68	3:08.220
4	ADAM HOUSEHOLDER	24	3:09.309
5	STEVE SOURAPAS	6	3:10.529
6	SHAWN CROLL	32	3:11.873
7	RICK D JOHNSON	71	3:13.532
8	JERRY ZAIDEN	75	3:16.140
9	GREG NUNLEY	10	3:18.053
10	STEVE STROBEL	94	3:20.079

Best in the Desert, BitD, BlueWater Desert Challenge, Time trials

High Desert Racing Association (HDRA) announces their re-entry into desert race operations to promote professional desert races in the Nevada-Southern California-Arizona areas. This announcement was made in conjunction with the World Premier of the Desert People 9 production at the Roger Norman Motorsports complex in El Cajon.

The group of Roger Norman, Robert Gross and Ken Flippin now own all rights to the HDRA name and assets. Norman is a well-known professional off-road racer, and both Gross and Flippin were previously associated with another off-road race sanctioning group.

"Cost reduction to racers is the long-term goal of this HDRA organization while providing racers with quality events that are cost-effective, safe and innovative.

HDRA, Offroad, racing

Unofficial: Strobel Motorsports - Steve Strobel, in this video shown at the 2011 BITD SS 300, wins the Vegas 2 Reno in

Best in the Desert, BitD, vegas 2 Reno, Vegas to Reno

It was a hot day out in Las Vegas where Kyle Conlon set the pace in qualifying taking the pole with a time of 4:15:627, beating Ray Griffith by a few hundreds of a second. Jimco Racing will have two class 1500′s off the start to give them an advantage from the start for an overall. Rounding out the top five was Gus Vildosola Jr. (in Jesse Jones’ truck), Chuck Hovey, and Mikey Childress. With clean air Kyle Conlon will be hard to beat if he continues on the same pace he has been for the past few races.

Best in the Desert, BitD, Kyle Conlon, qualifying, Trophy Truck, V2R, vegas 2 Reno, Voss

At over 550 miles in length, Best In The Desert’s TSCO “Vegas to Reno” race is certifiably “The Longest Off-Road Race in the United States.” It marks the midway point for the five-race 2011 Best In The Desert season featuring the car and truck classes and is one of the most popular events on the schedule. The challenge and adventure of competing in such a long distance “point to point” race always brings out the top off-road race teams. Not only is this going to be a big event but it’s also the 14th running of TSCO "Vegas to Reno." This race is open to all Best In The Desert classes - cars, trucks, UTVs, quads and motorcycles and over 300 entries are expected from all across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe, and even South Africa. The entry list reads like a “who’s who” of the world’s foremost off-road racers.

Casey Folks, director of Best In The Desert, has worked closely with the BLM to obtain the required permits and set up a course that avoids endangered species, and does not harm the environment. The race starts near the town of Beatty, Nevada, with all classes starting

Best in the Desert.Off-Road, BitD, Casey Folks, Vegas to Reno

Mopar Answers Call for Jeep® Wrangler Unlimited Pickup Truck. Jeep® enthusiasts now have the opportunity to transform their four-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited into a two-door pickup truck.
The manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) for the Mopar® JK-8 kit is $5,499. The kit, which comes with a three-year/36,000-mile warranty, is now available for ordering through Mopar at Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram dealerships. The warranty covers kit materials and workmanship performed at a Chrysler Group dealership. “Jeep Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited are some of our most accessorized vehicles,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO, Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “New Jeep Wrangler owners typically spend more than $500 on Mopar accessories. For Jeep Wrangler Unlimited

Jeep, Mopar

Building on its rich history of street machines and wheel-standing drag cars, Chrysler’s Mopar group is now entering the mud-spattered off-roading arena with this, its answer to Ford’s F-150 SVT Raptor. True to the brand’s character, the Mopar Ram Runner package for the Ram 1500 is to the unpaved realm what the Dodge Challenger Drag Pak is to the quarter-mile.

Unlike the Raptor ($42,930 base price), the Ram Runner is a not a regular-production vehicle. Instead, it is a collection of  bits available from Mopar that can be fitted to any current-gen Ram 1500 4x4 with a six-foot-four-inch bed. Co-developed with Kroeker Off-Road Engineering, the Ram Runner’s Stage 2 package ($13,270) leverages the latest Ram’s all-coil-spring suspension for maximum off-road potency.

Chrysler, Dodge, RAM Runner

Valley Off Road Racing Association (VORRA) today released a schedule and map of the new USA 500 off-road race for 2011. The event debuts in Sparks, Nevada at John Ascuaga’s Nugget Hotel and Casino. The 529-mile race, which includes a 155-mile loop, starts and finishes in Fernley, NV and takes racers Northeast near Lovelock, NV over a mix of BLM and private land, including sections VORRA has used over its 36-year history.
“We’ve put together a course that includes pipeline & power-line roads, technical sections and good amounts of wide open terrain that allows racers to peg their top gear,” said VORRA Race Director Wes Harbor. “We’ve also tailored the course to require fewer chase crews to manage race support for a race of this length.”

#USA500, VORRA

Around the halfway point of the 2011 MINT 400, the 26th running, BJ "Ballistic" Baldwin of Las Vegas is leading the race! We are not present at the race and get info in at a later point of time. Check the SNORE website (SNORE - Southern Nevada Off Road Enthusiasts) for race updates at www.snoreracing.net


GeneralTire GT Mint 400 Race course

Las Vegas, Mint 400, Off-Road, SNOTE

Roger Norman is gunning to repeat the success from last years Mint 400. The Norman Motorsports #8 Crystal Bay Casino truck qualified and finished first last year putting Roger Norman on the podium with an amazing finish. “Winning overall coupled with taking the pole position in qualifying makes this an epic event for us,” said Norman after last years finish.
Roger Norman spent Saturday assisting other racers and the SNORE team mark course for the race. “We placed down arrows, turn arrows, all of them, ensuring that it is ready for this weekends race,” said Norman. “The track seems a little rougher but we are still going to use the same strategy that we did last year: No mistakes or issues, and we will be keeping a close eye on where we are in the race.”

Mint 400, Roger Norman, Trophy Truck

You need only to hear Don Wall describe The Mint 400 to know that his vision for the race he’ll revive in late March after a 20-year absence is the stuff of which Las Vegas legends are made.
“This is going to be the roughest, nose-picking, rock ’n’ roll you can imagine,” said Wall, president of Southern Nevada Off-Road Enthusiasts. “It’s going to be sick (which means good). It’s been a major ordeal handling the logistics to monitor 300-plus hotrods running crazy and amok. But it’s worth it.”
The brainchild of a marketing genius, Norm Johnson, The Mint 400 started in 1968 at the old Fremont Street casino that bore the name of the race. Billed as “The Great American Desert Race,” it ran for 20 years.

Las Vegas, Mint 400, SNORE

The day started cold but the weather turned warm for the BlueWater Resort & Casino/Best in the Desert Parker 425 off-road race for cars, trucks, and rails held Feb. 5 in Parker. At the awards ceremony Sunday morning, Best in the Desert Racing Association President Casey Folks said 212 vehicles started the race, and just over half of them, 116, finished it. Folks said the race was very exciting, with the leads in many classes changing times several times. He said there were several classes, which were so close, they couldn't go by who crossed the finish line first to determine a winner. They found someone who had started later than the first one across the line actually had the better overall time. Taking the top spot in the three-lap classes were Jesse Jones of Litchfield Park and Joe Weining of Tucson. They drove No. 76

BitD, Casey Folks, Parker 425

2011 BITD Parker 425 post-race quotes from some of the top finishers. More than 200 of North Americas best off-road racers have signed up for the 2011 running of the Blue Water Resort & Casino Parker 425. It was the 40th year that the city of Parker has hosted an off-road race along the Colorado River. A record breaking field of 34 Trick Trucks (equivalent of Trophy Trucks) entered that event. The starter list reads like a “who’s who” of the most renowned racers in the country.
A bad weekend also for Robby Gordon on his fans. So far 2011 for Gordon it is 3 starts, 3 fails! Another DNF after a 3rd place qualifying, featuring the new Bud Light sponsor, at this BitD race. Also, a strong running at the beginning of the race for Andy McMillin

BitD, Jesse James, Jesse Jones, Parker 425, Sam Berri, Trick Truck

Parker 425 qualifying, the top 5 within 5 seconds of each other. Sam Beri again on the "pole position" in his buggy, Andy McMillin and Robby Gordon follow with their Trick Trucks (as BitD calls the Trophy Trucks). Then the 2 open-wheel unlimited buggies of Griffith and Daniels with Rob MacCachren in his Jimco Trick Truck and last years SCORE champion Jesse Jones and BJ "Ballistic" Baldwin trailing. Rick D. Johnson got the 38th qualifying time, Jesse James 56th, Ed Stout 64th.


BitD, BJ Balwin, McMillin, Parker, Robby Gordon

More than 200 of the world’s best off-road racers have signed up for the 2011 running of the Blue Water Resort & Casino Parker “425”. This marks the 40th year that the city of Parker has hosted an off-road race along the great Colorado River. A record breaking field of 34 Trick Trucks are entered that reads like a “who’s who” of the most renowned truck racers in the country. Some of the competitors who will blast off the starting line in the middle of downtown Parker, Arizona for the first real long distance desert race of the 2011 season include defending champion B.J. Baldwin, Robby Gordon, Andy McMillin, Rob MacCachren, Jesse Jones, Steve Sourapas, Steve Olliges, John Swift, Rick D. Johnson, Mark Weyhrich, Jason Voss, Jesse James, Tim and Troy Herbst, Jerry Zaiden, Steve Strobel, Greg Nunley, Marc Ewing, Jimmy Nuckles, Ed Stout, Shawn and Steve Croll, Rick Thomas, Scott Whipple and Cameron Steele. Many of these same truck racers are some of the 23 that have already signed up to compete in Best In The Desert’s $131,000 Trick Truck Challenge Cup which gets under way with this event.

BitD, Off-Road, Parker 425, PMC racing

Making his first appearance in the Parker 425 since 2008, Robby Gordon will be racing among some of the top off-road racers in the country. Along with Gordon, the impressive field of 34 Trick Trucks includes BJ Baldwin, Andy McMillin, and celebrity custom motorcycle builder, Jesse James, just to name a few. Marking the 40th year the city of Parker has hosted the off-road race, The Blue Water Resort and Casino Parker 425 is the second stop on the Best in the Desert Racing Association's 2011 schedule.
Robby Gordon knows how to win at Parker. Finishing first in the 2006 Trick Truck division in the Hummer H3 that had just returned from the Dakar Rally in Africa, Gordon ran on 300 horsepower less than his competitors. "Winning the 2006 Parker 425 was fun! I had just returned from the Dakar and ran the same race vehicle we did in the Rally. To outrace the competition with less power was pretty awesome," says Gordon.

Off-Road, Parker 425, Robby Gordon, US Racing

In a few days PMC Racing will launch their two-truck team assault in the Arizona desert in search of victory during round one of Best in the Desert Racing Association’s five round series. PMC Racing will be looking to carrying momentum over from their 2010 victory at the inaugural BITD BlueWater Desert Challenge late in the year to help weather a storm that has kept them from finishing the Parker 425 the last two years. PMC Racing took advantage of Best in the Desert’s pre-run two weekends ago and returned home with high hopes of success. “The pre-run was very successful and we came away from it with more knowledge to help our team strategize for the race. The course is still fast in some portions as it has been in the past, however some sections are definitely rougher

Arizona, Parker, Parker 425, PMC racing

Stronghold Motorsports has reached an agreement with premier engine builder, Roush Yates Engines, to provide the engines for the Pro 2 Unlimited short course off road racing program of Seven-time Supercross Champion, Jeremy McGrath. Stronghold Motorsports Managing Partner, Scott Bailey spoke about these recent developments with the team. "Roush Yates represents the highest level of performance in Ford Racing engine technology. This is a fantastic opportunity to align ourselves with an engine builder that has won at the most elite levels of motorsports." He continued. "This is yet another significant step we are taking to ensure that our drivers have the very best resources available. We are looking forward to the upcoming season knowing that with Roush Yates power behind Jeremy and his program, he will have very best opportunity for success."

Jeremy McGrath, Pro 2, Yates

If you think the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor is too hot yet the Dodge Ram Power Wagon is too cold, General Motors' latest concept might strike you as "just right." This, the GMC Sierra All Terrain HD concept, looks to bridge the gap between the two hardcore pickups from GM's crosstown rivals, while still offering top-notch levels of power, refinement and technology.

The four-door 2011 Sierra HD underpins the All Terrain concept, and power comes from The General's 6.6-liter Duramax diesel V8. A six-speed automatic sends the 397 horsepower and 765 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels. Versus a normal Sierra HD, ground clearance has been increased by about three inches, width has been bumped up to 73 inches (four more than normal) and the whole package rides on 20-inch aluminum wheels wrapped in 35-inch BFGoodrich KM2 mud terrain tires. Off-road performance is enhanced with the addition of Fox off-road shocks (just like the Ford Raptor).

Inside, GM has fitted the All Terrain concept with a Denali-spec interior

2011, Concept, concept car, GMC, HD, Sierra All Terrain

After a long summer layoff from desert racing, PMC Racing returns to the Arizona desert looking to get revenge on a desert that has produced massive rains and kept PMC Racing from finishing atop the podium the last two years during the Parker 425.
However, the B.I.T.D. Blue Water Desert Challenge in Parker offers a different venue for PMC Racing and their competitors. This race that is in the same Arizona desert as the Parker 425 utilizes only a very small portion of the course that the Parker 425 uses.
PMC Racing has a distinct advantage over the other racers as this race is ran on many of the same sections that PMC Racing tests their trucks on over the course of the race season, this means PMC Racing will be looking to come away with multiple wins

Arizona, BitD, Parker, US Racing