Guthrie Racing 2016 Vegas To Reno Race Report

[JoeyD23]

Vegas 2 Reno is a special race for Guthire Racing. It was this race last year that made them switch from short course GP style racing to desert.

Vegas 2 Reno 2016 was a two day format. Stage one started in Alamo and raced to Tonoaph NV. This stage had a unique section that BITD called the "Transfer Section". This 38 mile section of race course would take the drivers through a national monument. This section was limited to 35 miles per hour and no passing. Leading up to the race many people had issues with this section. The morning on the race BITD put out a notice that a military aircraft had crashed during the night. The aircraft was on the race course and BITD was forced to have the racers load machines at Pit 1 and trailer them to Pit 2. Many people were questioning how timing and position would be handled.

Going into V2R we had months to get prepped and have the car 100% ready so we took advantage. With all the stupid issues, which were plaguing my car in the first few races, we really took our time to make sure the car was perfect for this race.

"I had a main strategy for day 1 which was to have a good day, make our way up to the front of the pack, and have an easy prep on the car for day 2. Day 1 was exactly that, we made our way up to 5th overall and 3rd in class after starting 18th and had a relatively easy day. The only real problems were dealing with the major silt and pileups in the first 10 miles. But also making it from pit 1 to pit 2 on the trailer, getting out and back in to race definitely through a wrench in our program!"

951 Polaris RZR Turbo headed to restart at PIT 2.

Vegas 2 Reno is full of surprises. Silt turn with a water crossing.

We prepped the car, got some good sleep and were ready for Day 2! There was a huge difference between Day 1 and 2 however. On Day 1 we started with our own class, however, on Day 2 we started where we finished overall which put us with trophy trucks, buggies, etc…. We started Day 2 with one thing in the back of my co driver and my head, which was, keep an eye on that mirror! We also had a 350 mile day of silt, rocks, and whatever the Nevada desert could throw at us. We did basically what we did on Day 1, we kept a smooth pace and made sure the car could make it to the finish line. The beginning of the race began with a lot of silt but as the race went on and everyone spaced out we were running by ourselves most of the race. The last 50 miles though was definitely a battle! We passed a few cars toward the end of the race and new we were competing for at least a podium. We kept at it and eventually passed Carver about 20 miles from the finish and were told on the radio to push hard we were catching the Murrays (the first turbo on track) We push hard through the last 10 miles which was gnarly rocks, hill climbs, and all around stuff that was beating the car to death. Before we knew it we crossed the finish line and were anxiously waiting for results.

In the end we came out with a 3rd place finish. Of course we always want that win but I was very happy with a podium after how our season has been going so far.

The biggest part of this race for me wasn’t the race, or even the finish itself. It was when we were about to leave the finish line when suddenly the man Joey D handed me the phone with Polaris’ Craig Scanlon on the other line. He went on to tell me he was giving me a full ride factory sponsorship to race for Polaris. Now I could go on and on but I was at a loss for words and all I can say is this is what I have been dreaming of, and working for my entire life. I can’t thank my friends family team sponsor for getting me to this point and of course Polaris for believing in me all these years.

Day 1 video recap by UTVUnderground.com

Day 2 video recap by UTVUnderground.com

MITCH GUTHRIE JR 951 POLARIS RZR TURBO FEATURED ON UTVUNDERGROUND.COM