2/2/2024 0 Comments Desert racer![]() ![]() D-37 Heavyweight number one plates, SCORE and BITD Championships, overall victories in Baja, the states and in rallies around the world. At the end of the day a Top 10 List should reflect how many wins at major events a rider has under his belt. Or more succinctly stated….Scoreboard Baby! Overall victories count for everything in desert racing. Desert racing had to be your primary focus.Ĥ.) Results. You had to win at every form of desert racing not just Baja and not just Hare and Hound. The rider will have had to dominate (or at least win more races than anyone else) over a minimum of five years and had to be victorious in both local desert and the big long distance off road races. The rider had to be widely recognized as the clear favorite at some point in time in his career to win any given desert race he entered.ģ.) Longevity. On my list consideration is given to a rider’s achievement in both arenas and their impact should be felt in both the individual (desert) and team (off road) arena with slightly more weight given to individual accomplishment.Ģ.) Dominance. Off Road is also about logistics, pit/air support, planning and financial backing and are as much about resources, as they are about pure skill at riding a motorcycle fast across the desert. And while for many “off road” enthusiasts these events represent the pinnacle of the sport (by virtue of the event name and reputation), these are team events involving other riders who share in the workload, and ultimately the results. “Off Road” as it is used in this context represents SCORE, BITD, NORRA, HDRA, etc and therefore the Baja 500/1000, Vegas to Reno, Parker 400, Mint 400 and Las Vegas 400. It’s the most transparent form of rider comparison and as a result I place slightly more weight on this on my list. “Desert” to me is highly individual, man to man racing and would include D-37 desert racing (any local desert racing association for that matter), AMA Natl H&H and all the classic H&H events of the day like BtoV, Check Chase, Moose Run, Whiskey Pete’s and Cherry Creek. For me a clear distinction needs to be made up front between “desert” racing and “off road” racing. My Top 10 list is based on the following criteria:ġ.) Desert vs Off Road. Before sharing my list though, I gave a lot of thought to the selection criteria so lets’ start there because I think its very important to understand on what basis a rider is selected. I know as much or more about their strengths and weaknesses, their backgrounds and personal stories as anyone else and most of all I know how they were viewed by their peers. Afterall I have the unique perspective of competing against many of the riders who would be on such a list and I’ve also had the opportunity to work with, manage, and even team with many of them as a racer and as Off Road/Desert Racing Team Mgr at Husqvarna and KTM. After giving it some thought I decided to create my own list. Its about pounding mile after mile, hour after hour sometimes night and day across some of the toughest terrain on the planet and risking everything just to be the first rider to see the lights of La Paz or the finish line of a long hare and hound. It’s about lining up for a bomb run and once the banner drops twisting the throttle longer and harder than anyone else is willing to for as long as it takes. “Desert Racing” is about racing a motorcycle across the desert faster than anyone else. ![]() ![]() When someone says “best desert racer of all time” it means something very special to me. It’s hard to compare riders from different eras, the overall level competition faced and each rider’s impact on the sport. Picking a Top 10 isn’t an easy thing to do because there is always going to be room for debate. Like everyone else I read the lists and found areas of agreement and disagreement. I recently came across a couple of lists for the “Top 10 Desert Racers of All Time” and naturally they caught my attention.
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