Henderson, Nevada December
3, 2006 – Best In The Desert Kingpin, Casey
Folks, sent off the nation's top off road racers
into the desert for the last race of the 2006 BITD
Silver State Series early Saturday morning. Blustery
weather conditions did not hamper off road racing's
elite as they charged into the Southern Nevada.
Over 100 four-wheel competitors in
different classes took to the silt covered desert
floor. However, Mother Nature cooperated with the
wishes of many teams as the 15-20 mph wind cleaned
the race course of any standing silt/dust.
The perfect weather scenario set in
motion a great battle in many classes including
the elite trucks of the desert, Class 1400 - Trick
Trucks. Fresh off racing the famed SCORE Baja 1000,
Skyjacker's Curt LeDuc arrived to the desert just
outside of Henderson, Nevada in search of another
season championship as charged the #43 Skyjacker
Trick Truck through the harsh terrain of Nevada's
southern point.
Coming into the final race of the
season LeDuc led all other Trick Truck competitors
in the season series point's championship and the
familiar yellow and red Skyjacker Ford was slated
for serious battle against many of the nation's
top truck teams. Only four points behind the veteran
desert racer was rookie sensation, Garron Cadiente,
whose plan was to upset the perennial favorite in
his first full season of desert racing.
Mixed in with two point's leaders
were some big threats to play spoiler in this last
desert race of the season. Pechanga Resort and Casino
sponsored-Mike Voyles arrived with his unlimited
production race truck as did Rob MacCachren/Gustavo
Vildosola, David Scaroni driving the SMD Motorsports
truck, Precision Gear sponsored - Pistol Pete Sohren,
Steve Olliges/Wayne Lugo in the Team Ford truck,
Ron Whitton in the G&R Racing Truck, Mike Voudouris
in the J&J Maintenance sponsored truck, Chet
Huffman in his "Huffman-mobile"and Todd
Wylie in his Geiser Brothers built hot rod.
It only took one 80-mile lap before
the race began to develop and a trio of 2006 BITD
Silver State series veterans emerged as leaders.
Pistol Pete Sohren, Rob MacCachren and Curt LeDuc
ran fast lap times, but G&R Racing's Garron
Cadiente established himself early as the racer
to beat on Saturday morning.
By mid-way through the race Cadiente's
lead expanded over the field as Pistol Pete had
to stop to change co-drivers more than once and
others in the Trick Truck class faded. Curt LeDuc,
racing the less powerful #43 Trick Truck, ran a
strategic race, however he fell off the pace of
the #38 G&R Racing trick truck driven by the
2006 desert racing rookie.
G&R Racing's radio frequency crackled
with split time updates through each pit annoucing
the growing lead over LeDuc and Pistol Pete.
In order for Cadiente to capture the
BITD Silver State Series Championship he simply
needed to win the race and beat LeDuc, a multi-championship
off road racing legend.
"Our plan was to do what we have
all season long and that was to race hard for the
win. My team pulled off a great pit stop and my
Geiser Brothers prepped truck ran perfect. And what
about these 39 inch BFGoodrich tires. Wow, not a
flat all day long!," said a smiling Cadiente.
Cadiente ran his #38 truck hard all
day long and the comments heard among the crowds
in the pits was, "Cadiente is hauling the mail!"
Striking gold in the Nevada desert
isn't something new, but this BITD 2006 Silver State
Series Championship gold medal is unlike anything
that the local assay's office has seen in a long
while.
Crowned the 2006 BITD Trick Truck
Champion, Garron Cadiente has set the mark for rookies
in the future. The 2007 BITD season kicks off with
the Parker 425 Febuary 3-5, 2007.
Visit www.bitd.com
for the latest in Best In The Desert racing.
