This final preview covers the 4-wheel off road racers that includes trucks, buggies and UTVs plus some others.

This Season Preview is focused on the 4-wheel competitors as the motorcycles have already begun their season. There is an expanded event coming to our area as well as an addition to an existing event.

Should be some great racing for the off road fans this year.

Mild to Wild Fund Raiser Trail Ride poster.

Things get started this Saturday with a Mild to Wild Fund Raiser to benefit the Blue Ribbon Coalition. The group is an advocate for keeping public lands public.

The trail ride starts at 9:30 a.m. Saturday and departs from 4-Wheel Parts in Sparks, located between MacCarran and Pyramid on Victorian Avenue.

Off road racing actually begins March 25 over the hill in California as VORRA now run by Nor Cal Rock Racing begins the season with a short course event at the Prairie City complex located outside of Rancho Cordova.

VORRA 2017 schedule.

The series next race, May 12 and 13, moves here to the Wild West Motorsports Park located east of Sparks off the Mustang Exit. After that the series bounces between Hawthorne, Prairie City, Fallon and back again to finish the season at Prairie City on October 28.

Wild West Motorsports Park has five weekends of racing this year.

After the Nor Cal Rock Racing event next up, on June 2 and 4, is the Battle Born Moto Festival. Last year this was just a hill climb but this time more events will be added and might even have an Enduro Cross race as part of the weekend.

Wild West Motorsports Park 2017 schedule poster.

The annual Best in the Desert Vegas to Reno race will be run August 16 through 19 and time trials are on that Friday. This is the longest off road race in the country and includes trucks, buggies and motorcycles.

This year the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series was only going to be here Friday and Saturday August 25 and 26. Friday was for practice while Saturday was the only day of racing.

Last week the series announced they had to cancel their first two rounds due to wet weather in Southern California. So they increased the date here to include racing on Sunday racing as well.

When the Lucas Oil Off Road Series comes to Wild West you can bet they’ll be getting some big air during their races.

This event is broadcast on a delayed basis on MAVTV and CBS Sports.

On Saturday and Sunday, September 24 and 24, the Super Crawl National Championship returns. It’s staged on a rocky hill just west of the main parking lot.

The event itself is very technical and what it might lack for speed is more than made up by how difficult some of the rock crawling courses are as competitors go as fast as possible to beat the clock.

The Fallon 250 is an all out desert racing combining Ultra 4 and Cal Rock Rock Racing (VORRA) trucks, buggies and UTVs.

Then on Labor Day weekend Nor Cal Rock Racing returns along with Ultra 4 as they stage the Fallon 250, an all out desert speed fest. The restricted classes start around 6 a.m. and race into the day while the Unlimited 4400 class begins its race around 1 p.m. and race into the night.

Finally the year here wraps up on Friday and Saturday of October 21 and 22 as the Ultra 4 National Championships closes out their season. This short course has a field of boulders in front of the north grandstands and the larger vehicles also race down about 200 feet or so of rocks before they hit the front straight boulders.

The Nitto Tire Ultra 4 Nationals is a wild event with drivers racing over rocks on the front straight.

A week later the Nor Cal Rock Racing series, VORRA ends its year where it began at Prairie City.

So we’re in for some great off road events this year an if possible be sure to get out and see one of them. There is nothing like attending an event live as one gets to feel the speed and excitement of these races.

OTHER RACING NEWS:

• At this week’s Mint 400 Hall Racing made the podium in the vintage class with a third place finish.

For the first time Shelby Hall was the driver of record while Amy Lerner was her relief. Both women raced the same Ford Bronco that Rod Hall drove to victory in the very first Baja 1000, even though it had a different title back then.

Shelby Hall and Amy Lerner drove the Hall Racing Ford Bronco in the Mint 400 this weekend.
Photo courtesy – Sue Mead

The restored Bronco is historic because not only did it win that original race, it’s the only 4-wheel drive racer to do so. And the senior Hall pointed out they even beat the motorcycles.

• This Saturday the car show season began when the Stay Tuned Society had its first show at Summit Racing Equipment. There was a pretty good turn out of cars as many owners were trying to win one of the trophies.

Some of the cars at the Stay Tuned Society’s show at Summit Racing Parts on Saturday.

• After Daytona NASCAR’s three top divisions headed for the Atlanta Motor Speedway. In Saturday’s Xfinity race Kyle Busch started on the pole and ended up winning the event while Brendan Gaughan started 9th and finished 13th.

In Saturday’s Cup race Kurt Busch started 13th and finished 7th in the final standings while younger brother Kyle ended up 18th after starting 3rd.

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We now have four very appreciated sponsors that are helping support this site.

The newest is familiar to anyone in the riding lifestyle. It’s PJ & Co Restaurant and Saloon located at 1590 Wells Avenue in Reno.

Good food, great place and they have Bike Night every Wednesday. For further information please check their website at, www.pjandco.net.

Concours Body Shop, owned by racer and race supporter Gil Grieve, is a business doing quality repair work on cars and trucks.

The business is located at 240 Telegraph Street in Reno and their website is, www.concoursbodyshop.net.

If you are into karting or want the most cost effective way to start racing then check out Nevada Kart Sport, our only full service kart shop in this region.

They are located at 1220 E. Greg Street in Sparks and their website is, www.nevadakartsport.com.

Into riding or racing a motorcycle? If so Reno Motorsports is for you as they have a full service shop as well as about anything a rider could want.

They are located at 964 Terminal way, by Mill Street and their website is, www.rms-renomotorsports.com.

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