Jean, Nevada—The Vegas to Reno is a slightly different race than other BITD  events. Instead of laps, as the name suggests, the V2R is a brutal marathon starting just outside of Las Vegas and ending 545 miles away in Reno. To compensate for the long haul, qualifying and tech are pushed up a day earlier so the main event can take place on Friday. This lets everyone recover and make the long haul back from Reno on Sunday.

This year’s General Tire BITD Vegas to Reno was a true test of endurance on both drivers and cars. Not only was length of race a factor, but the rain storms and flash floods that ravaged the Silver State 300 a few weeks earlier left ruts and wash outs on the already challenging course. Never-the-less, 330+ race teams converged on Las Vegas ready for whatever the “The Longest Off-Road Race in America” would throw their way.

Learn about Albins AGB gearboxes.

In a shorter race, qualifying up front is almost always an advantage. Longer races like Vegas to Reno often allow competitors from deep in the field to “sneak” up on the race leaders. Executing a perfect overall race plan and limiting mistakes is a necessity to come out on top. After starting 1st in Class 1500, Lalo Laguna fell back on time in the early part of the race. A late rally and mistakes by other drivers put him back on top of Class 1500 at the end of the race. 

The battle for second in Class 1500 was heated. In the end, it was Jon Walker who “snuck” up on the competition to grab the number two podium spot by a mere 5 seconds. Jon in his Albins AGB equipped Kreger Fab Class 1500 battled from the 46th starting position. Taking third was Scott Bailey in Albins AGB equipped car number 1529. 

More Albins AGB equipped cars finished strong. 1532 Cody Parkhouse grabbed 4th and 1562 Lad Gilbert rounded out the top 5 in Class 1500. In Class 10, Steve Melton snagged 2nd place in his 10” 6-speed AGB equipped car 1023.

In class 7200, Gary Messer took the top spot in truck 7247 equipped with a PBS 5-speed featuring Weddle Racing gears and ring & pinion set. 

Next up: The Bluewater Desert Challenge,October 9-11. 

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