BEST IN THE DESERT Vegas to Reno August 19-20, 2016

“I had to have a good run and it was a challenge,” added Derek Murray. “We’ve finished on the podium five out of seven years at Vegas to Reno and we wanted to keep our finishing streak alive, not to mention the points. We got it done and it was a good day for Murray Racing.”

Can-Am's Derek Murray secured the Turbo UTV win, which gave the Murray Brothers a boost in the BITD points championship

Jacob Carver ran a nearly flawless race on day one, taking the lead in class in his Polaris RZR Turbo. However, a flat tire, a fire during a pit stop and a silt-clogged air filter on day two took its toll and he finished second, just behind Murray on adjusted time.

ITP's Jacob Carver finished less than 3 minutes behind Derek Murray in the 2nd spot in the Turbo UTV class

“On day one, we stayed up front all day and ran off with it,” said Carver. “On day two, we pulled into pit nine for fuel. As the guys were fueling the car and the car caught on fire. We put out the fire, got back in, finished fueling, fixed some wiring and replaced a clutch cover. So it was a pretty long pit stop and we watched Murray go past us. From there we went as fast as we could. I wanted the podium, but I really wanted that win. I flew through the last 30 miles in some of the roughest conditions of the weekend.”

Mitch Guthrie Jr earned his first points podium of the season in his Polaris RZR. The podium signals an end to teething problems experienced with his new car and momentum going into the next race.

Mystik Lubricant's Mitch Guthrie Jr secured his first BITD Podium finish at the Vegas to Reno

“We had a few tough races at the beginning of the season with the new car,” said Guthrie Jr. “We needed a good race like this and it’s pretty cool to get it in Vegas to Reno. We definitely have the momentum going headed to Parker. We’ll have the car dialed in for that. The RZR was great. It’s pretty cool to see what these cars can do in desert racing. Out of 300 racers, we came out 49th overall. So we’re definitely up there in the pack now.”

Marc Burnett had difficulties both days with belts and clutches in his Polaris RZR. He was happy to salvage the top five.

ITP's Marc Burnett over came numerous issues to salvage a 4th place finish, which keeps him in the BITD Championship points battle

“On day one, there was all sorts of carnage in the silt beds,” said Burnett. “At the 49-mile marker we were still in the lead. Then we lost a belt. From there on, we were replacing belts and freeing sticking clutches every 40 miles. It was a rough day. On day two, we started 83rd and started making up time at the beginning. But once again, we were replacing belts and clutches. With all that, we were only six minutes back. So we hung in and got some points.”

Brandon Schueler shared driving duties with Blake Vandeloo during the event. Schueler drove all of day one and 150 miles on day two. He was racing a brand new long wheelbase Polaris RZR XP4 Turbo.

Jagged X Racing's Brandon Schueler rounded out the Top Five in the BITD Turbo UTV class

“When they got rid of the transfer section between pits, it gave us time to sit in the truck and cool down, so I just drove the whole race on day one,” said Schueler. “There was a ton of carnage, but we just motored through. This was the first race on a brand new car, so I’m happy with the finish. The car was awesome. The whole ride of the car is substantially better than the two seater.”