Gold Strike
Gold Strike
RACE WATCH
One man’s search for desert racing’s mother lode
IF YOU WANT TO BE RICH SOMEday, there are certain rules to follow. The first is, don't get involved with racing. And if you somehow ignore that rule, then at least don’t get involved with off-road racing. Of all the forms of motorized competition in the world, desert, enduro and hare-scrambles offer the least return. In most cases, the events are run strictly on an amateur basis: The winner gets nothing but glory, and very little of that.
But in Las Vegas, Nevada, one man, at least, is doing his bit to fill in the bottomless money-pit of desert racing. He’s Casey Folks, a 30-year veteran of desert racing. Folks is a brash character known to be boisterous, aggressive and sometimes even obnoxious. But everyone who has come in contact with him—which is to say, everyone involved with Nevada desert racing—agrees that Folks cares about racing. And he has the right ideas.
Five years ago, Folks was fed up with the desert racer’s plight. The only organization that consistently offered any payback at all was SCORE, and it was much more interested in dune buggies and trucks than in motorcycles. So Folks formed an organization called Best In The Desert, and he dedicated it to that very concept: to being the best racing organization in the desert.
The first event he staged was an invitational held at Whiskey Pete’s Casino, near the California border. The race offered a modest payback and drew a lot of attention. The next year, the owners of Whiskey Pete’s backed the event to the tune of $20,000, all of which was paid back to the riders. Then Nissan Motors got involved and the purse grew to $35,000—big money by any sport’s standards. The event soon blossomed into a three-race series, and Folks’ organization might well have been considered the best; it was definitely the richest.
This year marked a setback, though. Management changes at Whiskey Pete’s forced Folks to look for a new Casino to host the event. des Nations and seventh in the 250 GP point standings last year, knows that. That’s why he came to the United States to ride local California motocross at the beginning of the year. He didn’t want to attract attention, though, so he rode under an alias: Pete Hart. As it turned out, he didn’t attract very much attention at all, finding the local talent a little tougher than he had thought, and coming up with thoroughly mediocre results.
Laguna Break-In
7"he new roadrace track at Laguna Seca is more or less complete and ready for the USGP in April. And it was only fitting that Kenny Roberts was one of the first riders to ride around the completed track. He and Wayne Rainey did several laps, shooting video footage and preparing for the upcoming race. Roberts reportedly said that Laguna was already the best track in the U.S., and with a little more work, it would soon be the best track in the world. Who else is in a better position to judge? 0
And when Whiskey Pete’s bailed out, so did much of the money. The allnew Gold Strike Casino hosted the event, but didn’t pitch any money into the purse this year. And with Nissan dropping out because of the devaluation of the dollar against the yen, the purse is back down to its original size.
Still, the Best In The Desert represents the best money in the desert, and possibly even the best racing in the desert. This year the event was as grueling as ever, but there were no serious injuries. Dan Smith took the overall win by putting his factory Husky on top of the Open class, while his former teammate at Husqvarna, Dan Ashcraft, now racing a Yamaha, was second.
Next year, the event might regain its high-roller stature, but there are some pretty big obstacles to overcome. One thing is certain, though: If anyone can make off-road racing a money sport, the man to do it is Casey Folks. And he’s heading in the right direction.
