Reno (12-28) – As 2014 winds down the promise of next season edges ever closer. And for us at this site, well it’s time to catch our breath, take a weekend off even as we start to look forward into 2015.
New Year banner.
2015 New Year Banner
Over the past year falling car and rider counts have taken their toll yet it’s not all doom and gloom.
As far as motocross goes losing the fall series was a blow, mainly do to falling rider counts. It takes entries for a promoter to pay the expenses of putting on a race and if they aren’t there, well it doesn’t make economic sense to continue.
However the Reno chapter of the Over the Hill Gang didn’t throw in the towel and almost put a shorter fall season. Even though that didn’t materalize the club did stage a race at the Sandbox.
Then they reached out, got an agreement regarding the Fernley track and even helped the Lions Club out there when they came up short while trying to provide food for several families.
And now they and the Old Timers club are looking at restarting area motocross events.
On MRANN’s side, desert racing continued and even returned to the Moon Rocks area for the first time in a couple of years.
Taking a look at the oval tracks, well they too have seen falling car counts yet the next year seems promising.
Over at Fernley 95A Speedway a new Pro Stock group will set up shop and hopefully breath new life into this class. Out at Winnemucca a group formed and started running two-day IMCA shows with increased payouts as an incentive to get these drivers to start traveling.
That group helped provide the Lovelock Speedway with the largest car count of its season. It also helped both Rattlesnake Raceway and 95A when they too had good counts of these IMCA Modifeds.
IMCA racers are also faced with a choice of either staying with their open motors or choosing the new crate motor rules. If Bob Oliver, at Competition Carburetion, has anything to do with it, his restrictor plate program just might even the playing field between open and crate motors.
And for the first time in several years the BCRA Midgets will again visit 95A Speedway.
The Northern Nevada Kart Club also had a pretty good as those drivers battled all season. Once Senior Clone and TAG Masters put on some of the most competitive races of the season.
This past season saw Lucas Oil Off Road series visit Wild West Motorsports Park twice. And in 2015 there might be a Lucas Oil regional event but nothing official yet.
For the first time the Ultra 4 series visited Wild West and thrilled the crowed as these races mix all out desert and rock crawling. This series begins every February with the King of the Hammers event in Southern California.
The off road VORRA series is rebuilding and their Fallon race just might be a western region Ultra 4 regional this summer.
Both Ultra 4 and Lucas Oil packed the grandstands so the future is bright for these races.
And finally the Reno National Championship Air Races once again took to the air in September. One class, the IF1 or Formula One group goes international this year and in 2015 Reno will be the final race for a new World Cup.
So with all this in mind we are just going to wish all our readers and racing fans everywhere a very Happy New Year. And be sure to read the preview article on Thursday as racing returns to the airwaves and our features will resume next Monday.
Best Wishes Everyone – May 2015 be the best yet.
