Off-road race kicks up dust in the desert

By Tiffany Brown

Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2008 | 2 a.m.

A spectator clocks speeds of racers leaving a pit stop area along the off-road course north of Alamo.

Anyone passing through Alamo along U.S. 93 north of Las Vegas probably wondered what herd was kicking up dust plumes all across the wide open, desolate valleys.

The clouds of dust came from off-road vehicle racers who set out under partly cloudy skies Sept. 27 to navigate 300 miles of desert terrain in the first Bilek Racing Silver State 300, part of the Best in the Desert Racing Association off-road series.

They competed in more than 40 vehicle classes ranging from stock to tricked-out trucks. Of the 173 who started the race, only 67 cars and trucks and 47 motorcycles and quads finished. Many of those who couldn’t complete the race spent the night in the mountains with their broken-down vehicles.

Those who made it to the finish traversed all manner of terrain over Pahroc Summit, through the Dalamar Valley and past the Cathedral Gorge area, Pioche and Caliente, and ended just outside of Mesquite, about an hour’s drive northeast of Las Vegas.

The Sun tagged along with Las Vegan Michael Alden’s truck team to witness the dusty off-road adventure from start to finish, along the seven pit stops of the course.