It’s no secret that off-road racing is dominated by south-of-the-border events, but more and more, people are making the journey in and around the Southwest to see what American off-road racing looks like. What they’re finding is that these races are every bit as awesome and exhilarating. One such event coming up soon is Best In The Desert’s Vegas To Reno (V2R).

Just this week, BITD drew for start positions and reported in on the numbers expected for this year’s V2R. “We hit 341 entries, 105 UTVs, 70 motorcycles and quads,” said their recent post to Instagram. That’s certainly enough to expect some serious competition!

The official start is August 15, with time trials for Trick Trucks and classes 1500 and 6100. Registration, tech inspection, and contingency will follow the day after, and Friday, August 17, will mark the start of the race. Over the course of the next several hours, racers will have to drive over 550 miles, braving dust, silt, rocks, and other obstacles on the way to the finish line.

Something different for 2018 is the starting order. Per a recent press release, BITD is concerned about accidents involving the four-wheelers with the two-wheelers. Previous races have shown that cars and trucks catch up too quickly with motorcycles and quads, causing multiple accidents.

As a solution, BITD has decided to start the bikes and quads at 5:45am, and make the cars and trucks wait until 10:00am before they’re let loose. This compromise will delay the inevitable clash of cars and trucks with the slower bikes and quads, while also letting the cars and trucks finish the race before the sun goes down.

So it looks like this year’s V2R will not only be an awesome race to watch, but a safer one to partake in. Be sure to check out more information on V2R on the BITD website, and let us know who you think will win the Trick Truck class in the comments below.