It’s the longest off-road race in the United States. The General Tire Vegas to Reno race, put on by Best In The Desert (BITD), is not for the faint of heart.
For nearly 550 miles, teams navigated the harsh terrain of the Nevada desert from Las Vegas to Reno and more than 95 teams attempted to claim victory. It was CJ Hutchins who took the top spot for Team GT finishing first in Class 1500 and fourth overall completing the race in 9:34:58. The win marked Hutchins best finish in the famed race.
“Congratulations to CJ and his entire team on their 1500 win and fourth-place finish overall at Vegas to Reno,” said Travis Roffler, director of marketing for General Tire. “To have four wins with CJ (Hutchins), Steve (Alexander), Banning and Randy (Merritt) – who has now won three times in a row at Vegas to Reno – all on red letter GRABBER’s is amazing. Vegas to Reno is a demanding 550 miles and I’m proud of each and every one of our teams for finishing.”
After qualifying second overall, Team GT’s Harley Letner fought his way to a fifth-place finish in Class 1500 and last year’s overall winner, Garrick Freitas, came in just behind Letner in sixth. The strength and durability of General’s red letter GRABBER’s not only took the Class 1500’s to the finish line, but made it possible for Team GT member’s to rack up wins in three more classes.
Veteran driver, Randy Merritt, drove his KC Hi-Lites truck to a win in Class 7200. The win marked Merritt’s third win in-a-row in the General Tire Vegas to Reno race. A huge accomplishment for the Arizona-native who’s vying for a BITD championship.
In Class 5000 action, Steve Alexander drove his KC Hi-Lites buggy to a win. Navigating rugged hills, deep silt, sharp rocks and the twists and turns of the desert, Alexander drove the entire race with no flat tires proving that once again, the durability of the GRABBER is second-to-none.
It was the Banning team who took top-honors in Class 1100. Driven by Bryan Folks, Rick Graf, Bradley McFarlin and Ryan Marley, the No. 1178 buggy captured their third win of the 2013 BITD season.
The BITD Series returns to the desert in October when teams attempt to conquer the Arizona Desert at Blue Water.
