Kevin Sacalas and his “Big Ugly” racer are no stranger to Vegas to Reno. A few years back, Kevin took on V2R in his freshly built Big Ugly 1.0 and grabbed top honors in the 4400 class. Now, driving his updated Big Ugly 2.0, Kevin took the field and showed once again why he is a top contender. He captured 3rd place in class with an unofficial time on course of 12:48:58.737.
And just like that, the “unofficial” finishers list from Vegas to Reno has been posted up on Best in the Desert. Out of roughly 19 Ultra4 racers (that’s class 4400), 15 crossed the finish line which is insanely impressive for an over 500 mile desert race.
We’ll be going through our photos throughout the week, posting at least one a day (but we’ll try to sneak in two a day here and there). Stay tuned.
EDIT: Click HERE for results.
America’s largest off-road race, Vegas to Reno, comes to a close and 534 miles later, Nick Nelson takes top honors in the 4400 class. From morning to next morning (yes, it spanned two days), we had the great honor and pleausre of chasing the race, caputring photos along the way as 19 Ultra4 4400 drivers battled it out in the Nevada desert. It was an amazing experience to say the least, and we’re exciting to go through our photos of which we’ll be posting throughtout the week.
We’re still waiting on official scores from Best in the Desert, the racing organization that puts on Vegas to Reno, but we can say unofficially Nick Nelson took first, followed by Jason Shipman, Kevin Sacalas, and Brad & Roger Lovell. We left shortly after the Lovells crossed the finish line (about 1am) so we can say with confidence those were the unofficial top four. We’re seeing Facebook posts of other Ultra4s crossing the finish after that, so we’ll be sure to get the updated times posted as soon as they come in.
Once again, Ultra4s take on one of the largest, if not THE largest, desert races of the year, Vegas to Reno. The legendary Vegas to Reno is exactly that, a 534 mile race from Las Vegas, NV to Reno, NV kicking off tomorrow morning (that’s Friday, August 17th). With over 300 registered drivers among the diverse set of racing classes, Vegas to Reno is not only one of the longest races milage wise, it happens to be one of the biggest in terms of driver turn out.
So, for those heading out or watching the action from home, here’s a few items worth knowing ahead of time, which should make following the race a little bit easier:
1) When again? Tech inspection is Thursday, August 16th, from 8am – 5pm PST. Race kicks off Friday, August 17th, with Motorcycles/Quads/UTVs staging at 5:15 AM PST. All vehicles should have left the start line by 9:30 AM PST. The official Schedule of Events can be found HERE.
2) So, who’s representing Ultra4s? A solid 19 Ultra4 drivers are currently registered for Vegas to Reno. While not the largest single class in the race, it’s far from the smallest. The Ultra4 drivers are listed under Class 4400, and the official Draw Order can be found HERE.
3) Coverage? In year’s past, Best in the Desert (the organization that runs Vegas to Reno) has an online live tracker which we’ve found to be the single best way to know where everyone is and if they’re still moving. As of the writing of this post, there isn’t a direct link for the tracker so keep an eye on their official website http://www.bitd.com for details. In addition, the Ultra4 live chat will be up at http://ultra4racing.com/live/ which, when combined with the live tracker, makes for a great way to follow at home. We’ll be at the race in person, capturing the action as it happens as well as posting up photos in the Ultra4 live chat where cell reception will allow, so keep an eye for our updates as well.
So, there you have it. For those heading out, we’ll see in the desert. For those that can’t make the trip, we’ll see you online!