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Team Skat-Trak Wins the
Battle Again…But Not the War!!
2008 Best in the Desert (BITD) - Henderson
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Nic Granlund navigating
a technical section of the course
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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.
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Greg Stuart - low
altitude flying on Q4
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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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