SideXSide Action - January 2008 - (Page 78) 2007 The Best in the Desert TSCO Vegas to Reno Desert Race You have heard us talking about this race for quite some time in the buildup of Project Race Rhino. The Vegas to Reno race is just what its name suggests, an off-road race that starts in Las Vegas, Nevada and finishes in Reno, Nevada. The race covers almost the whole state of Nevada and over 560 miles of desert terrain. It is titled The Longest Off-Road Race in America. In last year’s race, only one Side X Side was able to endure the torture of the desert and finish the race. Will the same thing be true this year? With temperatures reaching over 110 degrees in the end of August, 11 Side X Sides took on a time limit of 21 hours to complete the 560 miles of Nevada Desert. Because of the logistics of this race, the event was scheduled over three days. The Contingency and Technical Inspection were on Thursday at the South Point Casino in Las Vegas. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the racing world, the Tech and Contingency is a mandatory inspection that each car must go through. Like NASCAR, this is where the organizing body makes sure that your car is within the rules of the class. The Contingency inspection is where all those little stickers on the side of the car come into play. There are a multitude of companies that will pay bonuses if you run their logo and products on your car if you finish the race in a pre-determined position. Usually companies pay 1st through 3rd. An official from the sanctioning body verifies that the parts and stickers are on the vehicle prior to the race so that there are no discrepancies. Follow along with us as we tell you the stories of two racers and their battles to finish the longest off-road race in America. Our first race didn’t turn out like we had hoped. We only went a total of 83 miles to pit 3 before we timed out…. We were late to the pit by 20 minutes and it had already closed. Looking back, considering all the gremlins that we had in the car and not getting any time to test the car, we can’t be too upset with our performance. 1924 Side X Side Action Race Rhino It was at race mile 4 that we had our first problem. The left rear tire blew and the crimp on the reservoir line for the right rear shock also blew out. (We figure the line probably blew as a result of too much action while we were building the car.) We got the tire changed while also damaging our jack at the same time. Back in the car and we were on our way. At about mile 12 we hit a good sized G-out and bottomed out 78 SIDE X SIDE ACTION MAGAZINE
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