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The 2016 Best In The Desert Vegas To Reno has come to a close, but this was one race that we feel has some staying power. From the change-up to a two-day rally-style event, to the two aircraft crashing, this year’s V2R was anything but predictable.
Yet amidst the madness, there was still plenty of method and mettle to be found. Case in point is Cody Parkhouse, who came out on top in his Class 1 buggy. With the help of his crew and sponsors like Impact Racing, Cody’s skill and fortitude were second-to-none, both literally and figuratively. We spoke with him over the phone to collect his thoughts on what all happened.
Cody was able to finish first in his class, and fourth overall. He was more than 15 minutes ahead of his nearest class competitor, but less than a minute ahead of Troy Herbst and his #91 Trick Truck.
“The race went well,” said Cody. “With the whole start and restart situation, we got caught up in battling the dust for much of the time. Other than that, we had no issues and I was able to drive at a good pace and make sure we were doing well. We were able to make it to the finish with no issues.”
Reflecting on the decision to split the normally straight-through race into two separate days, Cody said, “I really like the two-day format, obviously it went very well for us. It got us in a different mindset where we didn’t really have to push as hard on the first day, then we had time to work on the car and get it set for the next day. You change your strategy a little bit that way.”
Everything worked out well in the end, and with Impact Racing‘s equipment keeping Cody safe, the 2016 Vegas To Reno race was Cody’s to win. “All of my gear – driving suit, helmet, neck restraint, gloves, seat, harness – it’s all from Impact,” he said. “I like it a lot, and it keeps me safe while I race. It’s very high-quality.”
Now with the Nevada madness behind him, Cody will be focusing on getting ready for the last two races of the 2016 Best In Desert Series (the Bluewater Desert Challenge and Pahrump Nugget 250), as well as competing in the Baja 1000 in November.
The biggest challenge of the race had to be the amount of dust that Cody fought against to stay ahead.
“Just want to thank all of our crew volunteers, and all of our sponsors: BF Goodrich, Fox shocks, Baja Designs, JIMCO, Mastercraft and Impact, and Maxima lubricants. They all came together and made it happen,” he said.
We congratulate Cody on his first place win and fourth place overall finish at Vegas To Reno, and look forward to seeing what he does in the forthcoming BITD and SCORE races as the second half of 2016 is upon us. For more information on Impact Racing, check out its website and Facebook page.
Photo: Mad Media
