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Team Skat-Trak Wins the Battle Again…But Not the War!!
2008 Best in the Desert (BITD) - Henderson

Greg Stuart ATV Racing

Nic Granlund navigating a technical section of the course

Las Vegas, NV (12/24/2008) - The Best in the Desert, Henderson FabTech Desert Classic was the finale of a long season and brought with it the end of the Championship points race for the Pro Quad Class. The Skat-Trak team of veteran ATV pro’s Greg Stuart and Nic Granlund started and finished the race in second place – for the points race - to the Q2 quad piloted by David Scott and Jeremy Sanchez. Desert racing is as much about finishing as it is winning. The premium for consistently finishing these incredibly challenging races was proven this year as Q2 earned the Q1 number plate without winning a race. And, they did it against the best ATV desert racers in the world. The Skat-Trak team won 4 of the 6 races and the other two were won by SCORE Baja 250, 500, and 1,000 and BITD champion Wayne Matlock with co-rider Harold Goodman.

On a cold December morning with temperatures in the 30’s, a low for Las Vegas, racers lined up in rows of two. This was a new starting configuration for Best in the Desert. Q4’s team Skat-Trak would leave on the second row next to the Q11 team of Mitchell/Moore and thirty seconds behind row one. Nic Granlund started the race and barely passed Q11 going into the bottlenecked first turn. By mile marker four, Nic caught and passed Q2. The Q2 team finished every race this season and was not taking any unnecessary chances in this race. A finish guaranteed them the title. In stark contrast was the Skat-Trak team and the Q1 Matlock team with only a point separating them going into the race. These guys have been racing against each other for years, and bragging rights were at stake. Nic now lifted his head and started to look for the dust of Q1.

Within five miles, Nic pulled to within a 200 feet of Q1. The course was a mix of high speed roads along with stretches of extremely dangerous and rocky terrain. The race is located a few miles from Las Vegas in the Eldorado Valley and the earlier starting motorcycles created a low hanging dust cloud. This combined with the sunrise made it difficult for Nic to see well enough to pass Q1. Matlock kept it pinned for the next 25 miles and it was only when they reached the roughest and most whooped out section of the course that Nic was able to make a move and pass Matlock. The rougher the terrain the better the Skat Trak/Laeger/Fox Shox quad handles. Within 200 yards of entering the whooped out rocky section, Nic managed to get around the Q1 quad. “I knew this section of the course was coming up so I was just trying to ride smart and keep the pressure on. Once we hit the rough stuff a lot of throttle and our quad would take care of the rest”, said Nic Granlund. With less than 10 miles to go on the first of four 48 mile loops, Nic passed Q1 and was able to hand off the quad to Greg with a two minute lead.

Greg Stuart ATV Racing

Greg Stuart - low altitude flying on Q4

Greg Stuart knew a 2 minute lead was slim and hammered down. He rode flawlessly passing several motorcycles on the course and managed to gain even more time on their competitors. For most of his career, Greg’s view of racing has been from the front of the pack. He is a rider who knows how to protect and increase a lead once he gets out front. When Greg handed off to Nic they had over a five-minute lead. Again the Skat-Trak/Laeger quad equipped with Fox Shox and Maxxis tires kept running strong and the only problem Nic encountered was trying to pass the slower running UTV’s as they were being lapped. As Nic handed off the quad for the fourth and final lap, the team had gained and even bigger margin over Q1.

As Greg set out on his last lap knowing what needed to be done he rode fast and smart and brought the quad home in 1st place with over a 10 minute margin over second place. Q4 ultimately finished 3rd overall only 8 minutes behind two very fast motorcycles. At the end of the day, the Q2 team finished in 3rd place securing a well-deserved season championship. And, although the Q2 team did not win a race, they won the series, proving that finishing is as or more important than winning at Best in the Desert. And, they won it over the reigning BITD champion Honda sponsored Team Matlock, the very fast KTM team of Mitchell/Moore, and the winner of 4 out of 6 races this season - Team Skat Trak. An amazing display of consistency and endurance was displayed this season by Sanchez and Scott.

2008 was a great season for the ATV Pro Class at Best in the Desert. The competition was as fierce as the camaraderie was strong. Each race was a battle, and borne out of competition, speed and danger the battles were truly fierce. Most impressive were the incredible gestures demonstrating true sportsmanship. There were times when teams sacrificed winning or even championships in the spirit of sportsmanship. In several races, we saw riders stopping for downed riders regardless of position. In the Jean 150, the Skat Trak team broke a spindle while in the lead five miles into the last lap. According to the rules, Q4 had several hours to fix the quad and cross the finish line and the only option was to send someone 25 miles back to Las Vegas to get a replacement part. Carl Moore, sponsor of Q11, showed incredible sportsmanship and lent Q4 a much needed front hub. Q11 had finished when the part was needed and Mr. Moore actually lent a hub off their race quad. Casey Folks, Director of Best in the Desert, stresses safety and sportsmanship in every riders meeting. This year proved that the riders not only listen, but have firmly adopted a family culture among competing teams.

As this has been a great year, Team Skat-Trak would like to thank Ken Stuart for endless hours race prepping the quad, all of their sponsors, crew members, BITD, and family and friends for their support during the 2008 season. Team Skat-Trak will return for the 2009 season and are already preparing for the first Best in the Desert race of the 2009 season in Parker, Arizona on January 10.

Official sponsors for Team Skat Trak are Laegers, Fox Shoxs, Maxxis Tires, NGR, Shift, CT Racing, Torco Oils, Hinson Clutch Components, DWT, FASST Handlebars, Full Bore, Dragon Optics, Quad Tech, AC Racing, Streamline Brakes, Precision, Web Cam, and Eibach,

By: Tom Embrogno and Nic Granlund – December 2008


www.skat-trak.com

654 Avenue K
Calimesa, CA 92320

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