race-dezert.com brings you highlights of the 2012 BITD Parker 425.

This video has been updated to show the Official top 10 results at the end of the video.

The Monster Energy Landshark Trick Truck  is Back; Herbst Takes First in Class! 

The Monster Energy Off Road Team kicked off the 2012 Best in the Desert series with an impressive showing at the Parker 425 in Arizona this past weekend.  On the banks of the Colorado River lies a racecourse known for its sandy whoops, rocky washes, high-speed graded roads, and signature “Parker Python” which is always a crowd pleaser.  In past years, rain has been a present on race day, helping the racers stay clear of the dust.  This year, race conditions were ideal and it was the wind that helped clear the dust and silt from the record 227 entries in the field.

Thursday marked the beginning of the event, where trucks lined up for a practice lap then headed right back out for a qualifying lap that would decide their start position for Saturday’s race.  This 5-mile loop started and ended at each end of the Parker Python.  Along Shea Road, which parallels a stretch of the racecourse, spectators got to witness high-speed whoops and sandy turns.  BJ Baldwin knows the importance of starting upfront on race day and was a man on mission, claiming a 2^nd place spot four seconds off the lead qualifier, Rob MacCachren.  Tim Herbst, driving the #19 Trophy Truck, took 8^th and brother Troy Herbst in the #49 “LandShark” took 18^th.  Monster Energy’s Class 1 presence, Mikey Childress, started 12^th on race day.

Another trademark of the Parker 425 race is the start begins right in the streets of Parker, just like in Baja.  Racers headed off the line directly into the beautiful Arizona sunrise. With only Rob MacCachren ahead of him, BJ kept up and setting a good pace for the rest of the pack.  Midway through the first lap however, something in the engine wiring harness malfunctioned, causing the engine to cut out intermittently.  BJ pulled off to the side, causing him to fall 12 minutes behind MacCachren and falling several spots in the process.  Electrical issues would continue to haunt BJ all day, but didn’t stop him from placing in the top 10.  “As many demons as this truck had today with electrical issues, alternator failing, batteries failing, I think finishing third across the line is impressive, considering having had an hour of down time,” said Baldwin at the finish line.  The official results bumped him down to 5^th on time in Trophy Truck and 8^th overall.

With BJ in and out of trouble, teammate Ryan Arciero and Troy Herbst in the #49 Trophy Truck picked up the slack for the Monster Energy Off Road Team.  Ryan started out the race with an aggressive strategy – Get through the pack. “We did everything we could in that first lap to pick off as many guys as we could and get Troy the truck in a position that he could take it to the finish,” said Arciero.  And they did just that.  After the team switched drivers, Troy Herbst would take the checkered flag and finish 1^st in class and 2^nd overall.  “The team has been doing a lot of homework and it’s been a long time since a Herbst as been in the winners circle and this is long overdue.  There’s going to be more to come I can tell you that right now.”

Tim Herbst in the #19 was also barreling through the desert at a podium pace.  After starting 8^th, he made his way all the way to a couple hundred yards behind BJ and Rob Mac.  With them in sight, Tim pushed harder to catch them and in doing so, blew his engine and ending their day.  Jerry Welchell, in the #75 Monster Energy Camburg Trick Truck, had a similar story as his engine let go in the second lap.  The overall attrition of vehicles was staggering.

Class 1 driver, Mikey Childress, had a great race day leading to the final lap, where he ran in to one issue that possibly cost in an overall win.  “Flawless throughout the entire race, my vehicle ran the best it has ever,” Childress explained at the finish line.  At mile marker 50 of his final lap, he was 57 seconds off the overall pace.  After hearing some vibration on the fast roads, he decided to pull off and assess the situation.  Turns out he had only been running on one loose lugnut and two broken studs.  After robbing some studs from the other wheels and changing out the wheel, Childress nursed it in to the finish to claim 6^th overall and 3^rd in class.

The Monster Energy Off Road Team opened the BITD season with a bang, putting 3 racers in the overall top 10 out of a field of 227.  You won’t want to miss the next race in the BITD series, the legendary Mint 400 in Las Vegas, NV over March 23^rd-26^th – BJ will be eager to defend his title.

Photos by Vincent Knakal of Mad Media

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The SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge; the season opener for 2012. Get a first-hand view of this sick loop course as the team battles through the short course style turns and high-speed sections to make some moves on the competition!

Directed by The Martelli Brothers – Produced by Mad Media

The opening race of the 2012 SCORE International series kicked off in Laughlin, NV next to the raging Colorado River.  The Laughlin Desert Challenge was broken in to two races, giving racers the opportunity to score points both days.  The course consisted of a 6.25 mile loop, featuring high speed jumps, sandy banked turns, rocky washes, and massive ruts known for crippling even the most capable of off road vehicles.  This spectator friendly course featured 8 laps of hardcore off-road action with tons of bumping and passing.

Not only did the Friday qualifying lap earn racers spots for the first race on Saturday, but it ended BJ Baldwin tire hysteria as well. Finally, BJ ran his much-anticipated new Toyo tires in competition; and he did it well.  With this quick and testing course in front of him, it was a perfect preview at what to expect from BJ in the longer races of 2012.

One lap was run on Friday to choose the started order for Round 1.  SCORE sent racers off every 4 minutes so each racer had a clear path ahead of them.  Top qualifier was none other than Baldwin, with an impressive time of 6 minutes and 23.99 seconds.  Recent Off Road Hall of Fame inductee, Rob MacCachren, qualified second, a mere 10 seconds behind BJ. Needless to say, that’s a hell of a way to open 2012.  Greg Nunley, Loyd Sproule, and Monster Energy’s Cameron Steele rounded out the top five.

Race day brought a calm and collected BJ, something not seen in 2011.  “This year I am committed to wining races. I am not going to let anything get in the way of victory,” said Baldwin, “I want to focus on smarter driving and finishing races, keeping my eyes on the another championship.”   The race, however, was a little different than the previous days qualifying, as BJ had to constantly fight off off-road race legend Rob Mac for the lead.  “Our plan was to take it easy on the first few laps, but right after the start the pace was quick and we were being pressured by MacCachren. He started catching us on the second lap so we had to turn it up. Losing to a legend like Rob doesn’t bother me, he is an amazing driver, but beating him is awesome!” commented Baldwin.

BJ further separated from Rob when Rob had to pull over and change a flat on the sixth lap.  From there, it was smooth sailing to the finish.   Juan Carlos Lopez, from Tecate, Mexico, crossed the finish line over a minute after BJ, claiming second place in the Trophy Truck class.  Cameron Steele entered three Dessert Assassins trucks to the race, including two Trophy Trucks.  Josh Daniel, in the #14 Truck, did not finish the race and after a promising start in the early laps of the race, Steele’s #16 truck transmission blew, sending shrapnel towards the passenger seat.   Co-driver Cody Stuart suffered a severe leg injury and was taken to Las Vegas for a nightlong surgery.  Cody will have a long recovery and we wish him the best.  Cameron attended Stuarts trip to Las Vegas and was with him throughout the night.  With him in mind, he booked it back to Laughlin in time for Sundays race.

Starting from the back, Cameron was able to battle through the field of 22 to finish his #16 truck 7th.  Truck #14 finished 5th, with Josh Daniel behind the wheel.  BJ ran in to mechanical issues that forced him to limp through the course by lap 3.  On board computer issues shut down 3 cylinders when he was 14 seconds ahead of Rob Mac.  BJ made it through the 4th lap but after hearing about medical issues concerning teammate and father, Bobby Baldwin, he cut straight to him.  Bobby suffered a heavy concussion and blurred vision in his left eye after a cruel landing off a jump.  Race officials called for SCORE rescue over the radio and took the two to medical facilities.  We are happy to report after a night in the hospital and several tests, Bobby has been released yesterday morning.  Both co-drivers took over the vehicles and neither would finish.

This weekend we saw two race extremes of the new era of BJ Baldwin.  Will the new tires make a significant difference, as seen on Saturday?  Will mechanical issues continue to haunt him like on Sunday?  Your guess is as good as ours.  I guess we’ll see at the BITD Parker 425 in early February.

Photos by Art Eugenio for Mad Media

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Day 2 of the Laughlin Desert Challenge found Rob MacCachren at the top of the podium after a tough battle with Juan Carlos Lopez. “Last year we were close and we ended up second, but this a great way to start the new season,” said MacCachren.  “Last year we swept both rounds in San Felipe and the shocks have really come a long way over the years and these little shock coolers up on top; that’s our secret weapon for San Felipe.”  “There was some great racing today. I can’t wait to do it some more.”

Rob Mac on his way to winning the LDC

The hired gun from Tecate brought the RPM/Clyde Stacy truck across the line in 2nd position. This solidifies Juan Carlos Lopez’s promise to be a threat in the 2012. “It was very hard and technical out there, lots of whoops,” said a very happy Juan Carlos.  “It was either too soft or too hard, but it was a lot of fun. The truck ran great and we had no problems.”

"PIN" at LDC

Taking home third was Steven Stroble who just came off a stellar year nearly pulling off a championship in a rival race series. “The course changed as the race went on and we lost some right at the end,” said Stroble. “The motor started to go a little bit soft and something in the suspension too.” “It was chewed up out there but we came home with a good finish.” “Right at the end, Rob (MacCachren) caught us so we let him by and we chased him on in to the finish line. I didn’t want to hold him up. We weren’t going to be able to get the win but it’s a great way to start the season. We’re going to San Felipe; we’re running for the points and everything counts to get these things across the finish line.”

Top honors in Class 1 was Cody Parkhouse.  “It is a brutal, brutal track. Everything is more squared off and twice as big – which suits this car well, but it beats you up,” said Cody. “We had no issues at all; we ran clean and ran fast. We got it (the win), but we’ll have to wait until it is official. Once again, I ran around with my dad for a lap or two, and it was fun.”

Cody Parkhouse

Second in Class 1 was Harley Letner. “It was a flawless run but I had to put a backup motor in after Friday, so it’s a little low on power but what it lacks in power, I make up on suspension” said Harley. “Our crew sets it up so great and it just works great. It was rough out there. Yesterday was a freeway compared to now; it was insane!”

And rounding out the top three in Class 1 was Brian Parkhouse. “We had no problems; it was just rough and I couldn’t keep up with the young kids.” said Brian. “I was pretty close to Harley (Letner) on splits, but we’ll take third just the same.” “The car worked great and the setup was good. The course got a lot rougher today. We expected that and made some adjustments on our shock package and compensated for it pretty well.”

Brian Parkhouse

The racing at the LDC was great as always but the overall atmosphere left something lacking compared to years past. What once was a exciting, action packed weekend of watching your favorite racers in door to door combat for the win is now just a shell of its former glory. Over the years, the race has been put through the ringer, shrinking in size and becoming less and less of a spectator sport. Many have speculated why, but from this writer’s point of view, the blame falls directly on the BLM and their questionable interpretation of the law. We keep loosing more and more and becoming less and less free to do what we enjoy doing. The days of treking out with the family, finding a nice spot, setting up a barbeque and watching a race are quickly going away, maybe even gone, and now given way to watching from behind a 6ft fence 300 yards away from a flat section of dirt. Where will it end? This race is a perfect example of why we need to get our asses in gear and fight for our sport. It’s time! Let’s do it!

Official Finishers:

SCORE TROPHY TRUCK (Unlimited Production Trucks, 8 laps, 50 miles)—1. Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas, Ford F-150, 54:16 (55.28 miles per hour); 2. Juan Carlos Lopez, Tecate, Mexico, Chevy Silverado, 55:28; 3. Steven Strobel, Clarks, Neb., Ford F-150, 55:40; 4. Brendan Gaughan, Las Vegas, Dodge Ram1500, 55:58; 5. Josh Daniel, Canyon Country, Calif., (Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif., driver of record) GMC Sierra, 56:11; 6. Gary Weyhrich, Troutdale, Ore., Ford F-150, 57:11; 7. Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif., GMC Sierra, 57:16; 8. Mark Weyhrich, Troutdale, Ore., Ford F-150, 59:20; 9. Scott Whipple, Norco, Calif., Ford F-150, 59:40; 10. Armin Schwarz, Germany/Martin Christensen, Escondido, Calif. (Denmark), Chevy Silverado, 1:00:30; 11. Nick Vanderwey, Phoenix/Larry Vanderwey, Litchfield Park, Ariz., Chevy Silverado, 1:01:36; 12. James Bult, Monee, Ill, Dodge Ram2500, 1:01:37;   13. Ryan Arciero, Foothill Ranch, Calif., Chevy CK1500, 1:12:05; 14. Tim Herbst, Las Vegas, Ford F-150, 1:15:50. (21 Starters, 14 Finishers)
CLASS 1 (Unlimited single or two-seaters, 8 laps, 50 miles)—1. Cody Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, 57:10 (52.48 mph); 2. Harley Letner, Orange, Calif., Alpha-Chevy, 57:16; 3. Damen Jefferies, Apple Valley, Calif., Jefferies-Chevy, 58:30; 4. Brian Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, 59:13; 5.  Jaime Huerta, San Luis, Ariz., Porter-Chevy, 59:47; 6. Jeff Geiser, Phoenix (Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va., driver of record) Geiser-Chevy, 59:58; 7. Pete Sohren, Glendale, Ariz., Geiser-Ford, 1:00:01; 8. Steve Appleton, Boise, Idaho/Mike Julson, Santee, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, 1:00:52;
9. Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif., Geiser-Chevy, 1:02:53; 10. Jeff Quinn, Irvine, Calif., (Monica Greenhill, Crowley, Texas, driver of record) Jimco-Chevy, 1:04:48; 11. Tony Miglini, Dallas, Jimco-Chevy, 1:11:41. (19 Starters,      11 Finishers)
CLASS 1/2-1600 (VW-powered, single or two-seaters to 1600cc, 6 laps, 37.5 miles)—1. Robert S. Archibald, El Cajon, Calif., Mirage, 50:11 (44.84 mph); 2. Cody Robinson, El Centro, Calif., Romo, 50:17; 3. Justin Munyon, San Clemente, Calif., (Brad Wilson, Long Beach, Calif., driver of record) Kreger, 51:26; 4. Jake Wreesman, Ventura, Calif., (Jason Markham, Ventura, Calif., driver of record) Lothringer, 51:33; 5 Ignacio King, Ensenada, Mexico (George Peters, Newbury Park, Calif., driver of record), Penhall, 53:20; 6. Kyle Quinn, Irvine, Calif., (Brian Wilson, Irvine, Calif., driver of record) Kreger, 53:31; 7. Jesus Velez, Mexicali, Mexico, Curry, 58:32. (9 Starters, 7 Finishers)
CLASS 3 (Short wheelbase 4X4, 5 laps, 31.25 miles)—1. Donald Moss, Sacramento, Calif., Ford Bronco, 44:02 (42.58 mph); 2. Tareck Karam, La Quinta, Calif. (Billy Bunch, La Quinta, Calif., driver of record) Jeep Wrangler, 44:05. (2 Starters, 2 Finishers)
CLASS 5 (Unlimited VW Baja Bugs, 7 laps, 43.75 miles)—1. Kevin Carr, San Diego, 1:01:14 (42.87 mph) (1 Starter, 1 Finisher)
CLASS 5/1600 (1600cc VW Baja Bugs, 6 laps, 37.5 miles)—1. Erich Reisen/Ross Burden, Canada, 59:30 (37.82 mph); 2. Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va./Thomas Fernandez, Ensenada, Mexico, 1:04:10.
(2 Starters, 2 Finishers)
CLASS 6 (Unlimited, production mini trucks, 6 laps, 37.5 miles)—1. Eduardo Laguna, Mexicali, Mexico/Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va., Chevy Colorado, 44:23 (50.69 mph); 2. Dan Holtz, Los Angeles/Rick McGeorge, Garden Grove, Calif., Ford Ranger, 53:54; 3. Rene Brugger, San Diego, Ford Ranger, 54:59;
4. Elias Canchola Jr, Mexicali, Mexico, Ford Ranger, 1:00:05. (5 Starters, 4 Finishers)
CLASS 7 (Open, production mini trucks, 6 laps, 37.5 miles)—1. Dan Chamlee, Summerland, Calif.,   Ford Ranger, 1:06:40 (33.75 mph). (3 Starters, 1 Finisher)
CLASS 7SX (Modified, open mini trucks, 6 laps, 37.5 miles)—1. Elias Hanna, Ensenada, Mexico, Ford Ranger, 54:56 (40.96 mph); 2. Jon Anderson, San Juan Capistrano, Calif., Toyota Tacoma, 58:41;
3. Rich Severson, Tucson, Ariz., Ford Ranger, 1:05:20. (4 Starters, 3 Finishers)
CLASS 8 (Full-sized two-wheel drive trucks, 6 laps, 37.5 miles)—1. Rodolfo Iribe, San Ysidro, Calif.,  Chevy Silverado, 48:08 (46.75 mph). (1 Starter, 1 Finisher)
CLASS 10 (Single or two-seaters to 1650cc, 7 laps, 43.75 miles)—1. Michael LaPaglia, Murrieta, Calif., 54:38 (48.05 mph); 2. Peter Hajas, Wayzata, Minn., Kreger-Chevy, 56:20; 3. Chuck Sacks, Canyon Lake, Calif., (Matt Cullen, Long Beach, Calif., driver of record) AlumiCraft-Honda, 56:26; 4. Perry McNeil, Lemon Grove, Calif., Lothringer-VW, 57:28; 5. Mike Lawrence, El Monte, Calif., Chenowth-Honda, 58:35; 6. Mark Lawrence, El Monte, Calif., Lothringer-VW, 59:40. (6 Starters, 6 Finishers)
SCORE LITES (VW-powered, Limited single-1776cc-or two-seaters-1835cc, 7 laps, 43.75 miles)— 1. Otoneil Huerta, San Luis, Ariz., Curry, 55:08 (47.61 mph); 2. Brian Burgess, Riverside, Calif., (Brent Parkhouse, Long Beach, driver of record) Moulton, 55:27; 3. Vic Bruckmann, Lemon Grove, Calif.,(Rafael Navarro IV, Temecula, Calif., driver of record) Jimco, 56:03; 4. Matt Laughlin, Laughlin, Nev., Penhall, 57:28; 5. Jeff Sanca, Canada, Porter, 59:18; 6. Lobsam Yee, Tijuana, Mexico, Curry, 1:12:13. (6 Starters, 6 Finishers)
STOCK FULL (Stock, Full-sized trucks, 5 laps, 31.25 miles)—1. Joe Bacal, Anthem, Ariz., Lexus LX570, Lexus, 46:30 (40.32 mph); 2. Chad Bunch, Corpus Christi, Texas (Wes Bevly III, Corpus Christi, Texas, driver of record) Ford F-150, 47:05; 3. Marc Stein, San Diego, Ford F-150, 48:52. (3 Starters, 3 Fiinishers)
STOCK MINI (Stock, mini trucks, 5 laps, 31.25 miles)—1. Andy Bell/Ted Moncure, Long Beach, Calif., Toyota Tacoma, 1:06:42 (28.11 mph). (1 Starter, 1 Finisher)
CLASS 7-2 (Unlimited Mini-Truck, 2.2/2.4-Liter Ecotec engine, 5 laps, 31.25 miles)—1. Billy Wilson/Wes Bevly IV, Corpus Christi, Texas, BajaLite-Chevy, 49:13 (45.72 mph); 2. Reid Rutherford, Montrose, Colo., Mason-Chevy, 51:00; 3. Dana Dague, Huntington Beach, Calif./Harley Letner, Orange, Calif., Mason-Chevy, 57:59. (3 Starters, 3 Finishers)
CLASS 4 (Unlimited open-wheel car, 2.2/2.4-Liter Ecotec engine, 7 laps, 43.75 miles)—1. Derek Fletcher, Abingdon, Va., PSD-Chevy, 1:00:02 (43.73 mph); 2. Shawn Twitchell, Nampa, Idaho (Mike Shaffer, Oakland, Calif., driver of record) Custom-Chevy, 1:01:11. (2 Starters, 2 Finishers)
CLASS 2 (Unlimited open-wheel, car/truck, 3.5-Liter Turbo or supercharged, 6 laps, 37.5 miles)— 1. Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va./Steven Arlia, Phoenix, PSD-Chevy, 54:55 (40.97 mph); 2. Jon Anderson, San Juan Capistrano, Calif., Toyota Tacoma, 1:04:30. (2 Starters, 2 Finishers)
SPORTSMAN
SPT BUGGY, 6 laps, 37.5 miles—1. Jim Bunn, Bristol, Va., RGBuggy-Chevy, 55:33 (40.50 mph).        (1 Starter, 1 Finisher)
SPT TRUCK, 5 laps, 31.25 miles—1. Nick Tonelli, Huntington Beach, Calif., Ford Ranger, 46:57 (39.94 mph). (1 Starter, 1 Finisher)

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• General Tire will continue to support desert off-road racing.

Fort Mill, SC - December 19, 2011. General Tire and Baldwin Motorsports will amicably part ways at the end of this year. Following extensive internal discussions, officials at General Tire determined that they need to focus on fulfilling the needs of the high consumer demand for General Tire products and are unable to accommodate the product request required by Baldwin Motorsports by the beginning of the 2012 season.

“We did not make this decision lightly,” said Travis Roffler, director of marketing, General Tire. “At the end of the day, we made the decision to use our development resources & manufacturing facilities to meet the high consumer demand for our product right now. While we’re sorry to see BJ leave, we are thankful for what he has done for our brand and wish him all the best.”

General Tire will continue their support of current Team GT drivers, desert off-road racing and the entire off-road community.

If you can’t be there to see all the action first-hand, you can get up-to-the-minute information on all the races at www.twitter.com/teamgt.

About General Tire

For more than 90 years General Tire has offered a complete quality line of ultra-high performance, passenger, light truck, off-road and commercial tires to meet all your needs. General Tire is a proud supporter of Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing, Chili Bowl, Pro-Pulling, Late- Model Dirt Series, Drag Boat Series, Boost Mobile FreestyleMx.com Tour, Spec Tire of Trophylite and Pro Truck. Team GT supports off-road and short course teams including BJ Baldwin, Carl Renezeder, Rick D. Johnson, Jerry Zaiden/Jason Campbell, Jason/Rich Voss, Scott Steinberger, Ed “Clyde” Stout, Marc Burnett, Kent Kroeker, Mikey Childress, Jim Riley, Carey Hart, Josh Merrell, Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg, Jason Ellis, Robby Woods, Casey Currie, Ryan Hagy and

Jeff “Ox” Kargola.

General Tire is part of Continental Tire the Americas, LLC. (www.generaltire.com). CTA, based in Fort Mill, South Carolina, is a company of Germany-based Continental AG. With sales of approximately €20 billion in 2009 Continental is among the leading automotive suppliers worldwide. As a supplier of brake systems, systems and components for powertrains and chassis, instrumentation, infotainment solutions, vehicle electronics, tires and technical elastomers, Continental contributes enhanced driving safety and global climate protection. Continental is also a competent partner in networked automobile communication. Continental currently has close to 160,000 employees in 45 countries.

With an entire year of racing in the Best In The Desert series behind him, Monster Energy’s “Ballistic” BJ Baldwin went into the final race of the season only 1 point behind the leader. The Henderson 250 was an all or nothing battle to secure the points championship. In the end however, it wasn’t the fastest that won, but the most driven.  BJ ran in to some tough mechanical issues he had overcome to finish 5th in class and 10th overall and secured just enough points to take the overall Best in the Desert Points Championship for the second consecutive year. Congratulations, BJ!!

Directed by The Martelli Brothers – Produced by Mad Media

• “Ballistic” BJ Baldwin wins Best in The Desert Trick Truck championship.
• Macrae Glass wins Best In The Desert Class 8 championship on General Tires.

Fort Mill, SC – December 7, 2011. “Ballistic” BJ Baldwin entered the final race of the 2011 Best In The Desert (BITD) Series with one goal, to win the Trick Truck championship. And he did just that. Following a strenuous Henderson 250 full of ups and downs, Baldwin edged out Steve Strobel for the championship. The Trick Truck championship marks his second in as many years.

Dr. Macrae Glass walked away with the 2011 BITD Class 8 championship, marking back-to-back championships for this Team GT driver as well.

“Everyone at General Tire is excited about our second straight Trick Truck championship with Baldwin Motorsports,” said Travis Roffler, director of marketing, General Tire. “We were also fortunate enough to have Macrae Glass capture the Class 8 championship which is fantastic. We’re extremely proud to have General Tire on top of the podium for two straight years in two different classes.”

For more information on the Best In The Desert Series visit www.bitd.com.

If you can’t be there to see all the action first-hand, you can get up-to-the-minute information on all the races atwww.twitter.com/teamgt.

For media information, visit www.ctamedia.com.

About General Tire

For more than 90 years General Tire has offered a complete quality line of ultra-high performance, passenger, light truck, off-road and commercial tires to meet all your needs. General Tire is a proud supporter of Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing, Chili Bowl, Pro-Pulling, Late- Model Dirt Series, Drag Boat Series, Boost Mobile FreestyleMx.com Tour, Spec Tire of Trophylite and Pro Truck. Team GT supports off-road and short course teams including BJ Baldwin, Carl Renezeder, Rick D. Johnson, Jerry Zaiden/Jason Campbell, Jason/Rich Voss, Scott Steinberger, Ed “Clyde” Stout, Marc Burnett, Kent Kroeker, Mikey Childress, Jim Riley, Carey Hart, Josh Merrell, Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg, Jason Ellis, Robby Woods, Casey Currie, Ryan Hagy and

Jeff “Ox” Kargola.

General Tire is part of Continental Tire the Americas, LLC. (www.generaltire.com). CTA, based in Fort Mill, South Carolina, is a company of Germany-based Continental AG. With sales of approximately €20 billion in 2009 Continental is among the leading automotive suppliers worldwide. As a supplier of brake systems, systems and components for powertrains and chassis, instrumentation, infotainment solutions, vehicle electronics, tires and technical elastomers, Continental contributes enhanced driving safety and global climate protection. Continental is also a competent partner in networked automobile communication. Continental currently has close to 160,000 employees in 45 countries.

As far as the 2011 Best In The Desert Off-Road Championships was concerned, ALL the chips on the table were up for grabs on Saturday at the season-ending Henderson 250. With Monster Energy’s “Ballistic” BJ Baldwin a tantalizing single point away from the ‘11 Championship (as well as backing up his 2010 BITD Championship), it was “All IN!” for the Las Vegas-based outfit. And despite a number of “busts” and setbacks – all looked lost on a number of occasions throughout the mechanically calamitous event – Ballistic BJ and crew never gave up, twirling spanners, changing out parts, rolling around in dust and oil and working in an orchestrated frenzy to keep the Championship cause alive. Thus, when the burly, angry white, sinister black and green electric glow Trophy Truck met the finished line, it was determined that Baldwin had, in fact, prevailed, winning his second BITD title in two years.

“We had a tough day today,” said Baldwin with a smiling, dusty face. “We lost a drive line and had some other issues. All together we had about an hour of down time. But we won the Championship not because we were the fastest today or because we were the most strategic. We won because in the last 2 miles we refused to give up. Even though I knew we had to finish 2 minutes ahead of antagonist Stroble I wanted to pass him before he crossed the finish line. I knew we had lost the Championship but I thought it might make me feel better if we passed him in the last hundred yards. We almost passed him but we didn’t. However we put so much pressure on him that he blew a checkpoint and got a penalty. Just goes to show no matter what hand you are dealt you should never give up!!”

“Impose your will”,” declared champion Baldwin. “Words to live by. If you refuse to lose you will always win.”

Words to Live By. Words to Win By!

Congratulations and a big Shout-Out to B.J. and crew!

There were more than just bragging rights on the line coming into the TransWest Ford Henderson 250.  This was the final Best In The Desert (BITD) race of the season, and with double points for the race it would be the deciding factor for the season championship.  As the defending champion, Monster Energy Off-Road Team’s “Ballistic” BJ Baldwin had a bull’s eye on his back all season.  While he has been blistering fast and dominated at the General Tire Mint 400, he has not won a BITD or SCORE race this season.  It was quite a change from when BJ won the SCORE season championship in 2006 and made it look easy in the process.

This season was a test of BJ’s character, and he rose to the challenge.  After qualifying fourth overall and second in Trick Truck (Class 1400) for Henderson, BJ left the line in his Monster Energy / General Tires truck like it was shot out of a cannon.  The points race was a close one, and BJ wanted to open up the gap on the competition.  Unfortunately a rogue rock on the course opened up Baldwin’s driveline instead, and he had to limp to the next pit in order to change the driveline.  Forty minutes were lost before BJ was back on course and the opportunity for victory looked slim.

Still, Baldwin never gave up.  His sixth place finish in the 1400 Class was enough to ensure that “Ballistic” BJ Baldwin’s Monster Energy / General Tires truck will wear the No. 1 plate next season.  It was the most closely contested Trick Truck championship in recent memory, with mere points separating Baldwin from the two nearest competitors when the dust settled.  “There was some controversy about the times, and sometimes decisions go your way and sometimes they don’t.” BJ shared on Saturday night.  “I know what it is like to be on the losing end of a decision and it sucks.  I don’t want to take anything away from Steve Strobel, he had a great season.”

Baldwin’s Monster Energy Off-Road Teammates Jerry Zaiden and Jerry Whelchel also had reason to celebrate.  Their weekend in Henderson was off to a rough start when Whelchel rolled the No. 75 Camburg Racing-built truck in qualifying.  Fortunately neither the truck nor the driver were injured, although the Monster Energy / General Tires truck was forced to start way back at 36^th in class, ruling out any opportunities for clean air.  Like Baldwin, “quit” is not in the vocabulary for Jerry and Jerry.  They pushed past the competition to finish eighth overall and third in Trick Truck, taking home the first podium finish for the Camburg Racing Trick Truck.  “When we finished fourth at Vegas to Reno it proved that we have what it takes to be competitive,” Zaiden commented after the race.  “Our Monster Energy / General Tires team did an outstanding job and showed what we are capable of when the chips are down.”

Photos by Vincent Knakal of Mad Media

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Race-dezert.com brings you race highlights from the 2011 BITD Henderson 250.  Congrats to Adam Householder for winning the Trick Truck class and to BJ Baldwin for winning the 2011 BITD Trick Truck Championship.

Justin Lofton started first off the line at the BITD Henderson 250 and never looked back, extending his lead after each lap, and eventually taking the overall win with a time of 3 hours, 51 minutes, and 55 seconds. The next closed competitor was Garrick Freitas who finished 13 minutes after Lofton, giving Jimco the 1-2 overall. Adam Householder took the win in Trick Truck, fighting his way through the field after starting 18th. After a rollover in time trials for the #75 truck of Camburg Racing, causing them to start 36th, Jerry Whelchel picked off the competition to finish 3rd in class and 8th overall.

After some controversy with Steve Strobel blowing a turn before the finish due to no power steering, the team was given a time penalty which gave BJ Baldwin the Trick Truck championship despite finishing physically behind Strobel. Steve Appleton took home the overall points championship along with the Class 1500 championship.

At roughly race mile 8 of lap 1 TT #82 suffered a rollover due to a mechanical problem, which then caused the truck to catch fire and ultimately burning to the ground. Both BITD officials and BLM were able to eventually put the fire out, and luckily both driver and co-driver were able to get out of the truck with only slight injuries.

Photos by Jason Zindroski of HighRev Photography

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The final event of the Best in the Desert Off-Road series isn’t just another race, it’s become the tipping point for 2011′s overall point championship. With Monster Energy’s “Ballistic” BJ Baldwin a mere 1 point away from domination of this year’s Season Championship, he has nothing to lose this weekend! Can he take home the back-to-back BITD Overall Points Championship?

Directed by The Martelli Brothers – Produced by Mad Media

Go on-board during the Baja 1000 with one of the greatest Off-Road teams in the world. This year, the General Tire Off-Road Team charged the Baja terrain for the 692.8 mile loop race that started and ended in Ensenada

Directed by The Martelli Brothers – Produced by Mad Media

The Baja 1000 is one of the greatest and well known Off-Road races in the world. This year, the General Tire Off-Road Team charged the Baja terrain for the 692.8 mile loop race that started and ended in Ensenada.  Team GT had a strong showing in this years race, with Marc Burnett capturing second in Class 6 and Kent Kroeker taking the Class 8 division.  Here’s a recap of the entire General Tire Off Road Team battling Baja.

Directed by The Martelli Brothers – Produced by Mad Media

Exclusive coverage of the 2011 SCORE Baja 1000 with the Monster Energy Off-Road Team! Get a first-hand view of the Baja 1000 course as the team battles through hard-hitting, high-speed sections and makes some moves on the competition! Get up close and personal with the challenges of this grueling race and watch the drivers tear across the Baja desert!

Directed by The Martelli Brothers – Produced by Mad Media

Word out of Ensenada, Mexico, yesterday was that the 44^th running of the Tecate SCORE Baja 1,000 was – flat out – the most grueling Baja event in recent years, quite possibly the past decade.

And handling all that the legendary Baja 1,000 could hand out was Monster Energy/BF Goodrich/Terrible Herbst Motorsports team’s Troy Herbst and Ryan Arciero, grinding hard down – and back up – the Baja Peninsula to place a respectable 8^th in the 33-entry SCORE Baja 1,000 Trophy Truck field.

“That was certainly a tough 1,000,” said Herbst following the race. “We did everything we possibly could in preparing for this great race. Had a couple unfortunate things happen – which can be expected at Baja – and that’s pretty much was the difference between 8^th place and a possible podium finish for the Monster Energy/BF Goodrich/Terrible Herbst Motorsports team.

“All-in-all it was a great weekend of racing at Baja and I’m extremely proud of our team’s effort.”

In addition to Herbst’s effort, Monster Energy-backed Cameron Steele would place 11^th – just missing a top ten finish in his Yokohama/Desert Assassins Trophy Truck.

A bit of an auspicious start for the 2011 Tecate SCORE Baja 1,000 as, during the Trophy Truck class’ timed launch, a local’s semi-tractor and trailer jackknifed on the course about four miles out from the start. All sorts of chaos ensued as the rest of the class race starts were delayed by nearly two hours.

So with the course completely blocked, race organizer Sal Fish – in some quick thinking – hopped in his SCORE vehicle and led the remaining Trophy Trucks out to the site of the accident, then had everyone restart from there. Problem solved!

Herbst and the Monster Energy/BF Goodrich/Terrible Herbst Motorsports team was running well up until about 100 miles were remaining in the some 600-mile contest when they suffered, according to radio reports, a tire puncture. The ensuing pit stop for fuel would also include replacing the tire, but valuable time was lost earlier on account of Herbst racing a portion of Baja on only three good tires. All fixed, the No. 49 truck blasted back out into the dark and dusty Mexican desert night and back through to the finish north towards Ensenada.

For Steele it was “just the little problems,” he pointed out at the finish line that held him back from a better finish at Baja. “It’s gratifying to know you got here to the finish – but heartbreaking to know you weren’t the guy that got here first,” he said.

For the seventh-straight year cameras from NBC’s “World of Adventure” were on hand to cover the action of the 44^th running of the Baja 1,000, with broadcasts coming at a later date on NBC Sports Cable (formerly Versus) and ESPN International.

In addition, Mad Media was out in full force to cover the Baja 1,000 for Monster Energy and their thrilling video documentation of the event can be seen on www.race-dezert.com  Note: Herbst’s and Steele’s 8^th and 11^th place finishes, respectively, are unofficial as of this printing.

Words by Pat Schutte

Photos by Vincent Knakal of Mad Media

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Exclusive coverage of the 2011 SCORE Baja 1000! OJOS NEGROS is one of the craziest spots in Baja. Huge rolling jumps make it a fan favorite. Check out the Monster team as they huck their way South towards San Felipe.

Directed by The Martelli Brothers – Produced by Mad Media

Exclusive coverage of “Ballistic” B.J. Baldwin getting ready to compete for the win at the 2011 Baja 1000! Check out his beastly 700 horsepower custom pre-runner as he tears up the Mexican hillside on this year’s racecourse and battles treacherous boulders, buckets of rain, and bottomless silt beds!

Song: Deception of a Ghost – In Case You Forgot (Instrumental) – Bullet Tooth Records

Directed by The Martelli Brothers – Produced by Mad Media

The Monster Energy Off Road Team headed out to Parker, AZ this past weekend to take on the Best In The Desert Bluewater Desert Challenge.  This years race was one of the dustier of the series, providing some pretty harsh racing conditions.  Congratulations to Cameron Steele for taking 2nd in Class 1400.  BITD will close out the 2011 season in Henderson, NV on December 2nd-4th.

Photos by Jason Zindroski for Mad Media

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Best in the Desert’s Vegas to Reno is the longest, most treacherous, off-road race in the United States. Starting outside of Las Vegas in the mining town of Beatty, NV, the 550-mile course winds its way across the badlands of Nevada. Racers encounter a mix of high-speed graded roads, wicked silt beds, rocky washes, mountain passes, and giant rolling hills. With more than 300 entries, this race is one of the most difficult to finish, let alone win.

The Monster Energy Off-Road Team lead by Trophy Truck Champion “Ballistic” BJ Baldwin came with guns blazing as the team managed to qualify four vehicles in the top-20 during qualifying on Wednesday. The team consisted of “Ballistic” BJ Baldwin, Troy Herbst, Tim Herbst, Larry Roesler, Jerry Zaiden, and Jerry Whelchel in Trophy Trucks. Representing Monster Energy in Class 1 was bike veteran Mikey Childress.

Directed by The Martelli Brothers, Produced by Mad Media

Monster Energy presents: On-Board with Monster Energy at BITD Vegas to Reno 2011. The Monster Energy off-road team attacked the Nevada desert at this years Best in The Desert Vegas to Reno. Experience what it’s like to ride on-board with “Ballistic” BJ Baldwin as he hits speeds in excess of 140mph across barren dry-lake beds, or through the crazy rally roads of the Nevada hills with Mikey Childress. Ride shotgun as race legend Larry Roessler battles brutal rocky washes and blinding silt beds that make up this insane course. Strap in and check out the insane desert racing action presented by Monster Energy.

Directed by The Martelli Brothers, Produced by Mad Media

 Monster Energy Off-Road Team Podiums at Vegas to Reno!

Best in the Desert’s Vegas to Reno is the longest, most treacherous, off-road race in the United States.  Starting outside of Las Vegas in the mining town of Beatty, NV, the 550-mile course winds its way across the badlands of Nevada.  Racers encounter a mix of high-speed graded roads, wicked silt beds, rocky washes, mountain passes, and giant rolling hills.  With more than 300 entries, this race is one of the most difficult to finish, let alone win.

The Monster Energy Off-Road Team lead by Trophy Truck Champion “Ballistic” BJ Baldwin came with guns blazing as the team managed to qualify four vehicles in the top-20 during qualifying on Wednesday.  The team consisted of “Ballistic” BJ Baldwin, Troy Herbst, Tim Herbst, Larry Roesler, Jerry Zaiden, and Jerry Whelchel in Trophy Trucks.  Representing Monster Energy in Class 1 was bike veteran Mikey Childress and Rock Crawler Champion Shannon Campbell.

Mikey Childress had a great start moving up from 5^th to 4^th until he had transmission problems with a failed torque converter that ended his day early at Race Mile 118.  Shannon Campbell also fought the course, the field, and mechanical issues to at 19^th overall and 9^th in class finish.  The team of Jerry Whelchel and Jerry Zaiden managed to fight their way through the dust to move from the 22^nd starting position to nearly win the race!  Towards the end of the race a combination of a dented drive shaft (which kept them under 80mph) and smashing multiple wheels on the giant embedded boulders that lined the racecourse like rows of teeth waiting to strike, took out their chances of overall victory.  The team still managed to finish 4^th in class and 7^th place overall.

The team of Troy Herbst and Tim Herbst also started off running well until at race mile 210 they were stopped in a remote area with a broken transmission in the number 49 Herbst/ Monster Energy Trophy Truck.  The team of Ed Herbst and Larry Roessler in the number 19 Herbst/ Monster Energy Trophy Truck also ran strong until they also lost all forward gears in the transmission at race mile 312.  Undeterred off-road legend Larry Roessler put the truck in reverse and drove it backwards nearly 20 miles to the next pit where they were able to change the transmission and get the truck in for a finish.

“Ballistic” BJ Baldwin had issues all day; starting with a leak in his helmet visor that let in dust interfering with his vision and breathing all day. Then BJ had a failure in the dry brake fueling system causing him to be short fueled at multiple pits shortening his fuel range and forcing him to stop at almost every pit for fuel.  Additionally BJ experienced a crank position sensor failure causing him to stop for over twelve minutes at Pit 9.  Despite all the changes BJ managed to finish 3^rd overall and 2^nd in Class.  In the end, The Monster Energy Off-Road team came away with one podium, and 4 top-20 finishers.

Words by Matt Martelli

Photos by Jason Zindroski

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Directed by The Martelli Brothers, Produced by Mad Media

The Monster Energy Off-Road team tackles qualifying for Vegas to Reno, the longest off-road race in America. “Ballistic” BJ Baldwin, Bobby Bladwin, Chad Ragland, Tim and Troy Herbst, Larry Roessler, Mikey Childress, Shannon Campbell, and Jery Zaiden all are after the overall win in a full out assault with 5 Trophy Trucks and 2 Class 1 Cars!

Directed by The Martelli Brothers, Produced by Mad Media

Race-Dezert.com headed to Vista, CA for a quick stop at ID Designs for the latest shop tour. ID Designs is owned by Ivan Davis and David Perrault, both are 33 years old. They were initially friends in high school and then went different ways until 2002 when they built a company called SPD building high end racing parts and trophy trucks. While owning SPD the pair built several successful vehicles including Bobby and BJ Baldwins Trophy Trucks, along with many other TT’s and other projects. In 2008 they dissolved their partnership with the 3rd party in SPD and decided to start their own business since they retained all of the tooling and drawings from the projects they had built at SPD.

Overview of the shop

Their shop is very well organized and the tools and machining is set up in a way that makes it easy to transition from one machine to the next as assembly takes place. Currently one of the projects in the shop is their 7200/6 build. This truck was designed for both use in the USA and Australia, they have sold 5 of these to Australia already.

7200 Chassis Build

7200 Truck

This truck features a 118″ wheel base and 85″ track width which will cycle 22″ of travel in the front and 26″ in the rear. Is also uses ID Designs Hubs and rear end housing.

ID Designs Hubs

This is what the truck looks like before assembly and this is how most of the orders are shipped to Australia.

7200 Truck Parts

All of the tools used to build these parts are stored in various Snap On tool boxes around the shop, this might be one of the biggest ones we have ever seen!

Snap-On Tool Box

Since ID Designs builds almost all of their parts in-house it is essential to have the correct tooling. There are many cool machines all throughout the shop that will let you build just about anything you can draw up.

Tooling

Tooling

One of their recent projects was an upgrade to BJ Baldwins current trophy truck, was a completely new front suspension design. This included new a-arms, spindles, and hubs. With all the changes they were able to reduce the unsprung weight by 22lb per corner!

Upright

Lower A-Arm

This is one of their new fuel cell designs. Think this thing will fit in your daily driver??

Fuel Cell

ID Designs is one of only 6 distributors of Brembo Racing Brakes in the USA. So if your shopping for Brembo, ID Designs is the place to go!

Brembo Brakes

All of the designs start out in the office using CAD or alike programs. On the wall off the office is some of the projects of the past. Many of the past designs have had great success winning several SCORE and BITD races including the Baja 500!

Office

Thanks again to ID Designs for letting RDC stop by and take a shop tour. Be sure to check out the rest of the pictures in the gallery below of the many other products they build and the rest of the shop. If you have any questions about ID Designs you can visit their Facebook page: ID Designs or visit their website at http://www.iddesigns.net/

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Mad Media Wednesday #5 “BJ Goes to the Beach”

When BJ Baldwin and Mad Media go to the beach – mayhem ensues! Check out this clip of BJ getting loose on the beach at in San Felipe with his 850 horsepower trophy truck!  No fun police allowed. Now if only we could do this in Oceanside!

Directed by The Martelli Brothers, Produced by Mad Media

Photos by Vincent Knakal of Mad Media

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General Tire Presents: Onboard with General Tire at the 2011 SCORE Baja 500. The General Tire Off-Road Team was primed and ready to go for one of the roughest Baja races of the year. This year’s course was an insane combination of steep hill climbs and dusty open roads. Experience first-hand what it feels like to ride along with these insane drivers as they tear through the Baja desert and wreak havoc along the way!

Directed by The Martelli Brothers, Produced by Mad Media

General Tire Presents: Exclusive coverage of the 2011 SCORE Baja 500. The General Tire Off-Road Team was primed and ready to go for one of the roughest Baja races of the year. This year’s course was an insane combination of steep hill climbs and dusty open roads. Overall, the General Tire Team walked away with some great finishes. Congrats to Marc Burnett for winning Class 6 and Colton Udall for a 2nd place overall.

Directed by The Martelli Brothers, Produced by Mad Media