2005 MotoUSA Vegas to Reno Photo Gallery

The wheels were a little worse for wear.

The XR's Only bike was dirty and had a few dings in the wheels and skidplate, but the beast got us across the finish line.

The PC bike got a couple of dents in the exhaust.

The air filter got on fire after the crash, but the bike ran just fine.

The Pro Circuit exhaust bent during the crash and was a loss.

Don's little spill left the back end kind of skewampus.

The Precision Concepts bike after all the dust had settled.

The red white and blue kind of changed to brown dirt.

Our pair of XRs might be smashed up, but they still run. Now if we can just get them back to Honda in the same condition...

Just one of the trucks that wailed past Ken in the dark.

The XR's Only bike fresh off the finish line.

Water never tasted so good, as when you've just finished 150 miles through the dark with monster trucks trying to run you over.

Best in the Desert - Vegas to Reno? Why not, it sounds like fun...

Possibly the best part of racing; the post-race 'you would not believe what happened' narratives.

It looks worse than it really was, but still... JC came into the pits a bloody mess.

You muggles shouldn't laugh, JC earned that lightning bolt scar.

Hey JC how does 180 miles feel?

Don fades off into the mountains and beyond... at eventually a Reno Hospital.

Don pulled an aggressive move out of the pits as a rider bore down.

Joe attaches the headlight while JC and Don make the exchange.

JC pulled into the pits and the Honda Pit filled 'er up with gas as we got ready to get the headlight on.

Adam's hands told the story... this race took its toll.

Only 150 miles to go, with about half of them in the dark with trucks and buggys breathing down his neck.

It's go time.

Adam hops off, Ken hops on, the Honda boys drop the quick fill and Don works on the headlight.

Adam pulls into Pit#11 with some approaching dust clouds in the background.

The buggies were loud and scary - like the trucks, but the worst thing was the blinding dust you had to eat after they passed.

The TSCO buggy tore through the pits.

The TSCO buggy ripped into the pits with a massive cloud of dust behind

Then more quads came rolling by followed by...

The quads started to pass through the pits.

Our Honda pit support crews weren't this cute.

Ken and Don got to wait all day. Plenty of time to think about what could happen.

The Honda Pit was ready to go at Pit # 11.

Most of the race course went through the middle of nowhere.

150 miles of rocks and whoops but Joe still managed a smile... a filthy smile. Of all the riders, it seemed like the first two had to contend with the most dust.

BC: 'I have a newfound respect for these desert guys. Not only is the terrain unbelievably rough and unforgiving, but you usually can’t see where you are going. Three hours straight of hard riding in these conditions definitely puts your ability, conditioning, and mental state to the test.'

BC hands the XR's Only bike of to Adam as the Honda Pit Support earns its money.

It's all smiles as Adam and JC get ready to start their 180-mile 5-1/2 hour ordeals

Dust clouds announce that riders approach.

Chuck Dempsey takes over for Mike Childress at the Cottontail Pit.

Johnny Campbell didn't stick around long. A few words and he was off to the next exchange.

Campbell make a lightning quick exchange with Hengeveld.

The Honda B-team of Kendall Norman and Robby Bell nearly stole the show from Campbell and Hengeveld. They were out in front the entire race even though they lost by 42 seconds.

Steve Hengeveld was waiting at the Cottontail Pit for Campbell. That meant that the pros were splitting it up into smaller sections than we were. Our first lesson.

The desert between Vegas and Reno was a series of wide barren valleys surrounded by mountains.

The light of dawn accompanied the first riders off the line.

BC gets some words of encouragement at the start line from BITD Director Casey Folks.

Joe was ready to roll at the start.

The line of riders stretched for quite a ways. While there were plenty of different bikes present, by far the most common was the XR650R.

'Hmm...mile 80 open mine shaft. Was that on the right or the left side of the course?'

On top of the general danger, BITD had specific warnings for the worst hazards.

BC and Joe get their gear on and ready for the race.

Steve Hengeveld and Mike Childress chat at the start line. We were racing right behind the pros!

Steve Hengeveld started things off for the Honda A-team.

The Red Bull KTM team of Andy Grider and Chris Blais were hoping to contend with Campbell and Hengeveld but a crash and bike trouble shut em down early.

JC lathers up the goggles with a little Vasoline to help keep out the dust.

This LC4 belongs to James Embro who travelled all the way from Georgia to get ready for Dakar.

Racing vet Rich Voss was there to race this ProTruck, but he has raced just about everything out in the desert. He was very generous to us with his advice.

Don (with his ribs still unmangled) gets comfortable on the bike, making adjustments to his gear.

And we thought our 150-mile runs were going to be tough. Elmer Simmons was planning on riding this 250 the whole way by himself.

What would a racing event be without some super cute umbrella girls?

The Red Bull girls appeared bearing super-caffeinated liquid refreshment.

Herbie Goes Desert Racing.

There bikes, buggies, and trucks ready to race Vegas to Reno, including this Hummer.

Honda red was predominant out in the parking lot, but there were plenty other bikes out there including this Kawasaki.

The LC4-based KTM that Chris Blais and Andy Grider were hoping would challenge Campbell and Hengeveld.

BC, Joe, and Adam hobnob with Mike Childress and the XR's Only crew out in the parking lot.

The buggys look a lot nicer when they aren't passing you out on the course.

You didn't want to lose this piece of paper out on the course. You just might need it.

We had to get both our XRs inspected by race officials.

It would be a restless night and long day before we brought at least one these bikes back under the blue arch and finish line.

The #918 XR's Only fitted bike clean, polished, and ready for punishment.

Both our bikes were equipped with IMS tanks.

It looks just like Johnny's bike. So what's the difference? About 4-1/2 hours in overall times, that what.

Our Precision Concepts bike was up to near Johnny Campbell specs.

The Precision Concepts bike was perfect right down to the details, including the red, white, and blue.

Heading into desert racing our biggest fear was the idea of changing a tire out in the middle of nowhere. JC puts in some practice.

Both of our XRs set up in front of the Gold Coast in Vegas.