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Team Skat-Trak Stuart/Granlund
Win Quad Pro ATV Class
2008 Best in the Desert (BITD) - Vegas to Reno
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Congratulations
from Casey Folks - “It’s all
about the finishing pin”
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Las Vegas, NV (8/29/2008) - The
12th annual TSCO – Best in the Desert “Vegas
to Reno” off-road race was held on Friday,
August 22, 2008. Billed as, “The Longest Off-Road
race in the US”, racers from all over the
country descended upon the 1,100 person town of
Beatty, Nevada. With over 325 entries and up to
10 team members per entry, the race quadrupled the
population of Beatty overnight. At 6:00 AM, motorcycle
and quads lined up for what could be anywhere from
9 to 20 hours in the desert.
The ultimate destination was 455 miles north,
just a few miles from Reno. More than 110 quads
and motorcycles would start this race with 74
finishers. In desert racing they say first you
have to finish to finish first. The pro team of
Greg Stuart and Nic Granlund exemplify this statement.
They have raced every Best in the Desert race
together over the past two years on a custom built
Laeger quad. They did not win every race and never
finished lower than first. Do the math, if they
finish, they win. The Stuart/Granlund team held
true to form in the 2008 Vegas to Reno by finishing,
synonymous to winning, the race. At just over
9 and ½ hours on the course, the Stuart/Granlund
piloted ATV was the first quad across the finish
line and gave them a 12th overall finish in a
field that included the top desert motorcycle
pros in the country.
The first quad off the line was Jeff Hancock,
followed by Shaun Moore, Wayne Matlock, Scott,
and Stuart. As Greg Stuart was approaching mile
marker 5, he came upon a crashed Wayne Matlock.
Greg noticed that Wayne was down and still lying
in the middle of the track. Casey Folks, Director
of BITD, takes pride that he stresses sportsmanship
at every riders meeting. Greg followed suit and
immediately got off his quad to check on Wayne.
Mr. Matlock, you’ll agree with the Mr. part
in a minute, told Greg he was ok and that Greg
should get back to the race. Greg tactfully reminded
Mr. Matlock that he was lying in the middle of
the track and that he should allow Greg to help
him off the track. Once he gained composure, Wayne
got back on the quad and rode 27 miles with 5
broken ribs and a broken collarbone to hand the
quad off to his now ironman partner, Goodman.
Hence, the Mr. designation. After stopping to
help Wayne, the Stuart/Granlund team had some
ground to make up on a very fast and determined
Hancock team. Greg handed that quad off to Nic
at Pit 1 in second place.
There were 11 pits from start to finish. By
Pit 7, the Stuart team was only a couple minutes
behind the leader. As Greg Stuart was starting
to reel in Hancock, Greg came around a corner
and up a hill to find the Hancock quad stopped
at a check point with a blown motor. Unfortunately,
the team of Cody Team Skat-Trak Stuart/Granlund
Win Quad Pro Class 2008 Best in the Desert - Vegas
to Reno
Mitchell and Shaun Moore suffered the same fate
blowing a motor around Pit 3, changing it and
then blowing another at Pit 5 to end their day.
The treacherous, Casey Folks designed course was
brutal and demanding. The Stuart/Granlund quad
suffered 8 flat tires over the 450 mile course.
During one stretch around Pit 2, Nic Granlund
rode more than 25 miles, and passed several riders,
with two rear flats. The course was a mix of long
stretches of silt, winding mountain paths, and
of course, a couple Casey Folks signature rock
gardens. The “super quad” underneath
Stuart and Granlund was built for this type of
race. Granlund was able to keep the powerful Honda
650 motor wide open through the open desert for
five straight miles without letting up a hair.
The Fox Shox setup provided unrivaled suspension
and combined with a dialed-in Laeger front end
kep the quad rubber side down and very, very,
fast. Once Greg Stuart captured the lead, they
never looked back. Well, sort of… The Stuart
team estimated a 30 minute lead over the next
pro quad around pit 8 and decided on an extended
pit stop to change oil and filters and a front
flat. Wrenches hit all bolts to assure that everything
was tight. The estimated lead time was off by
20 minutes…on top of that, Nic Granlund,
with adrenaline pumping, beat the chase truck
carrying Greg Stuart to the pit. The Stuart team
was surprised to see the team of David Scott and
Jeremy Sanchez, riding Q2, pulling into the pits
minutes after Stewart took off for two long legs
of the race. The lead was now cut to less than
3 minutes and the Stuart/Granlund team had to
pin it to win it.
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Nic on the
quad and Greg getting interviewed on the
podium
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Greg had two flats but he navigated his way and
held the lead from Pit 8 to 10 and handed off
the quad in great shape to Nic. The Stuart Granlund
pit crew was made up of Scott Taylor from Laeger,
Allen Knowles, founder and motor guru at CT Racing,
and Ken Stuart, founder of Skat-Trak along with
7 others and all gave Nic the same advice –
Ride Smart and No Flats!! The team knew that the
equipment was superior and that the quad had fresh
oil, filters and tires. The crew hoped it was
enough for the ultra aggressive Nic Granlund and
the punishment his 6’4” frame could
dish out. Confidence was high and the team decided
not to install the lights on the quad for the
last 80 miles.
The sun was still high when Nic pulled up to
the finish line with a winning course time of
9 hours and 34 minutes. In second place by 3 minutes
was the team of Scott and Sanchez. Pulling into
the finish line almost three hours later was the
Matlock quad with Harold Goodman bringing it home
with a course time of 12 hours and 36 minutes
and a third place finish in the pro class. Stuart
and Granlund brought world class equipment and
years of experience in one of the toughest forms
of ATV racing to this event. It takes a small
army to compete at this level and the Skat-Trak,
Laeger, CT Racing teaming proved to be
a winning combination in the longest off-road
race in the country.
The Stuart/Granlund team sends it thanks to
Casey Folks and everyone at Best in the Desert
for putting on this massive race. They would also
like to thank their sponsors. Skat-Trak, CT Racing,
Fox Shox, Laeger, Maxxis, Hinson, Fullbore, WebCam,
IMS, Quad, Tech, DWT, Torco, NGR, Fasst, Steamline,
Eibach Springs. Lastly, best wishes and a quick
recovery to Wayne Matlock. Tom Embrogno –
2008 Vegas to Reno
www.skat-trak.com
654 Avenue K
Calimesa, CA 92320
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