By VERNON ROBISON
The Progress
The City of Mesquite will play host to an epic off-road race like few others this week.
Baja Nevada, an endurance race that spans more than 650 miles between Mesquite and Ely and far beyond, will get its start just north of Mesquite on Friday, June 28. But the festivities; involving nearly 100 competitors in 10 different classes; will begin on Wednesday. And the general public is welcome to participate in a good part of the events.
The race is put on by local company Legacy Racing, which is 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 now, with over 20 years of off-road racing experience prior to that.
The Baja Nevada will start on Wednesday at 4 pm with a qualifying run for select classes of racers. A qualifying loop course has been established in an open desert area in Scenic, Arizona.
Members of the public are welcome to come out and watch the qualifyers but must remain in a designated spectating area on a nearby hill overlook, said Kristy Jackson last week. Specific location information is available at legacyracing.net.
“The reason we do qualifying is so the racers can try their best for the best start positions on race day,” Jackson said.
The first group off the line in the qualifier will be the Pro UTV class, commonly known as side-by-sides.
The next round will mix three classes together including unlimited trucks, open-wheeled buggies (usually called “cars”), and the 6100s, a spec unlimited truck which is the biggest and most competitive class in the race.
Thursday’s FanFest will be the most crowd-friendly day of the event. The day will start at 9 am at the CasaBlanca resort.
“This is where all the race vehicles have to go through a safety technical inspection,” Jackson said. “We check off a list of things to ensure that the vehicles follow the rules for their class and are in compliance with safety guidelines.”
Spectators can take the opportunity to wander around and get an up-close look at the various racing vehicles. There will also be vendors selling and showcasing all kinds of off-roads goods.
“Anyone is welcome to walk through the tech inspections,” Jackson said. “You can pick up event swag and stickers. Event shirts will be for sale and there will be a DJ playing throughout the day.”
The race starts early on Friday morning. Several local racers will be participating in the event. These include Bunkerville resident Reed Dodenbier (#6188) who is entering a truck; Kyle Tichenor of Mesquite (#69J) will be riding 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 proceeding from the CasaBlanca, south down Riverside Drive, over the bridge and on through Bunkerville.
“This procession can be a fun event all on its own,” Jackson said. “We encourage people to come and park on the side of the street. Come and wave at the racers as they drive by.”
At similar Legacy races in Pahrump, spectators even make signs to welcome the racers, Jackson said. “It is quite the experience to see and hear these vehicles on their way to the starting line,” she added.
Just west of Bunkerville, the racers will follow a trail leading north which 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 span 361 miles going through Delamar, Caliente, Pioche, Pony Springs, Cave Valley and ending up near the Ward charcoal ovens by Ely.
Day 2 will start in Ely and do a 250 mile loop which will end up back in Ely.
Spectators are not allowed on the course. But Legacy has teamed up with a company named StarStream to live-stream the race. The company will have drones and stationary cameras along the route, as well as in-car cameras.
To check out this live-stream, or for all other information about the race, visit LegacyRacing.net.
