By Vernon Robinson
Progress
The city of Mesquite will host an epic off-road race like no other this week.
Baja Nevada, an endurance race that stretches more than 650 miles between Mesquite and Ely and far beyond, will begin just north of Mesquite on Friday, June 28. But the festivities, which will feature nearly 100 competitors in 10 different categories, will begin on Wednesday. And the general public is invited to participate in many of the events.
The race is organized by local company Legacy Racing, owned by Overton residents Donald and Kristy Jackson and their partner Liz Marshall of Henderson. Legacy has been putting on professional races for four years, with more than 20 years of off-road racing experience before that.
Baja Nevada will begin Wednesday at 4 pm with a qualifying race for select classes of riders. A circular qualifying course has been established in an open desert area in Scenic, Arizona.
The public can come out and watch the qualifying games, but must remain in a designated spectator area at a nearby hillside viewing point, Kristy Jackson said last week. Specific location information is available at Legacyracing.net.
“The reason we do qualifying is so racers can do the best they can to get the best starting positions on race day,” Jackson said.
The first group out of the standings will be the Pro UTV class, commonly known as side-by-sides.
The next round will combine three classes, including unlimited trucks, open-wheel buggies (usually called “cars”) and the 6100s, an unlimited-spec truck that is the largest and most competitive class in the race.
Thursday’s FanFest will be the day of the event with the most attendance by the public. The day will begin at 9:00 a.m. at the CasaBlanca resort.
“This is where all racing vehicles have to go through a technical safety inspection,” Jackson said. “We check off a list of things to make sure the vehicles follow their class rules and meet safety guidelines.”
Spectators can take the opportunity to walk around and get an up-close look at the various racing vehicles. There will also be vendors selling and displaying all types of off-road products.
“Anyone is welcome to go through the technical inspections,” Jackson said. “You can get items and stickers from the event. Event t-shirts will be for sale and there will be a DJ playing throughout the day.”
The race starts early on Friday morning. Several local runners will participate in the event. These include Bunkerville resident Reed Dodenbier (#6188), who is getting into a truck; Mesquite’s Kyle Tichenor (#69J) will ride a motorcycle; and Overton resident Tanner Jacobson (#1M) will also be on a motorcycle.
While the starting line is in a remote location that will not be open to spectators, the general public is encouraged to participate in an important tradition.
The racing vehicles will have a police escort from CasaBlanca, south on Riverside Drive, across the bridge and through Bunkerville.
“This procession can be a fun event on its own,” Jackson said. “We encourage people to come and park on the side of the street. Come and say hello to the runners as they pass.”
At similar Legacy races in Pahrump, spectators even make signs to welcome runners, Jackson said. “It’s quite an experience to see and hear these vehicles on their way to the starting line,” he added.
Just west of Bunkerville, runners will follow a trail that leads north and will end at the high-speed start line, about 22 miles and well outside of desert tortoise habitat.
The first day of the race will cover 361 miles passing through Delamar, Caliente, Pioche, Pony Springs, Cave Valley and ending near the Ward Coal Kilns next to Ely.
Day 2 will start in Ely and do a 250 mile loop ending back in Ely.
No spectators are allowed on the field. But Legacy has partnered with a company called StarStream to broadcast the race live. The company will have drones and fixed cameras along the route, as well as cameras in the vehicles.
To watch this live stream or for any other race information, visit LegacyRacing.net.
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