Off-road racers set for Vegas to Reno competition
By Sean Collins, Reno Gazette-Journal
The 14th annual Vegas to Reno race, the longest off-road vehicle competition in the United States, will kick off Friday despite safety concerns after a crash at a similar event in California caused eight deaths last week, officials said.
“If you look at the videos of that race, it’s not a safe atmosphere,” said Casey Folks, director of Best in the Desert, which puts on the Nevada race. “If you wanted to go watch Vegas to Reno, we’re going to direct you to a controlled area. We don’t allow spectators out on the race course.”
The race is scheduled to begin at 5:45am Friday in Beatty, just north of Las Vegas, and finish in Dayton in Lyon County at the end of the day. The 535-mile course runs through federal property managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which was criticized for its inability to enforce safety measures after the California incident.
Yup, life is dangerous. You can have fun or not, you’re still not gettin’ out alive.