2001 Vegas to Reno - Longest Off-Road Race in the US

Beilman & Stuart Pilot the Alba Raptor to A Win in Reno

It has taken months of preparation to gear up for the longest off-road race in the United States - The Las Vegas to Reno desert race. The 526 mile long race in the grueling Nevada desert would take its toll on both rider and machine. With tech inspection and contingency out of the way on Thursday, we were ready for the race to begin on Friday.

Friday morning at 7:02 am the race for us was under way. We were the 9th Quad off the line starting 8 minutes behind the leader. Steve started the race and was set to ride to pit #2, 58 miles away. Between the start and pit #2, however, some course markings were misread by most of the quad and motorcycle riders who all ended up off course. Due to Steve's remarkable sense of direction, he lead the Alba Yamaha 660 Raptor back on course and into pit #2 in the lead. A quick splash of gas and it was Greg's turn to tear it up.

Greg's jaunt to pit #4, 61 miles away, wasn't easy - with four flat tires to contend with. Our awesome crew had already changed the first two rear flats at pit #3 only to see two more by pit #4. Casey Folks, the director of the Best in The Desert Racing Association, said that it was the rockiest and roughest Vegas to Reno to date. Our tires would have to agree.

At pit #4, Steve was back on the Raptor for a 41-mile ride to pit #5. Steve's "Ace" riding style and the super strong and reliable Alba motor once again put the Alba Yamaha Raptor further into the lead. Just gas and go at pit #4.

At pit #5, Greg, "The Tire Shredder" Stuart was on the bike for a 69 mile ride to pit #7 - with a stop for two front tires and gas at pit #6. At pit #7 we had one more flat rear tire and Steve "EZ" Beilman again mounted the 4-stroke monster. We had a few scouts hang around to see how far back the second place quad rider team was. They arrived 20 minutes behind us. Steve had a trouble-free 19-mile ride to pit #8 where we once again switched riders. (Here's a photo of the flat left rear tire at the finish - the brown thing is part of a branch)

Greg was back on the bike at pit #8 for the 71 mile ride to pit #10. Upon entering pit #9, however, the crew noticed that the front hub was loose and, upon further inspection, figured that the wheel bearing had gone out. So the plan was for Greg to ride the rest of the way to pit #10 where the magnificent crew would change out the blown hub.

Pit #10 was the first time we experienced any down time with a quick front hub change and yet another flat tire, (that's Greg's 7th flat so far) and a quick splash of gas. Thanks to the excellent work of our crew, we were on the trail again in only 4 minutes 8 seconds. Pit #12 was 72 miles away. Steve was riding again and arrived at pit #11 for a shot of gas and continued on to pit #12, where our lead had grown to 45 minutes. With such a solid lead, we decided to take some time to check over the bike and do some "routine" maintenance before continuing on. We changed the air filter, tightened a few bolts and checked the oil. The mood in the pits was that of excitement. Although we didn't want to get too confident, we could taste victory.

Greg climbed aboard the Raptor for his last leg of the race. It was 69 miles from pit #12 to pit #14 and other than a splash of gas from one of our 5 chase trucks at the remote pit #13, Greg's ride was "event free." At pit #14 Steve hopped aboard for the run to the finish, with only one more pit standing in his way. As the sun was setting, Steve pulled into pit #15 for a final splash of gas and a quick bike check and was off to the finish line. At 6:52.05, the Alba Yamaha team of Steve Beilman & Greg Stuart crossed the finish line in 1st place for the Quad Class. That's 11 hours and 50 minutes after we started the 526 mile ride. And, to top it off, the Sun hadn't quite gone down yet. An hour and a half later, the 2nd place Pro Quad crossed the line. By the way, Steve finished the race on two flat rear tires. Greg just smiled.