Maxxis Triple Crown, Best In The Desert 2020 American Off-Road Series, Adventure Championship, and 4 Wheel Parts Youth UTV Championship Concludes with BlueWater Desert Challenge; Huge Payouts and Coveted Off-Road Racing Titles at Stake
Posted October 16, 2020
LAS VEGAS, NV (Oct. 16, 2020): Best In The Desert racers and fans are gearing up to return to the desert for the final race in the 2020 American Off-Road Series. The Bluewater Desert Challenge will be held on October 22-25, 2020 in Parker, Arizona to round out the Maxxis Triple Crown, the Best In The Desert American Off-Road Series Championship, the Adventure Championship, and the 4 Wheel Parts Youth UTV Championships.
With all the championship payouts combined, $600,000 worth of cash prizes will be awarded in 2020 to winning racers along with hundreds of thousands more in contingency.
The BlueWater Desert Challenge will be a 23-mile-long loop course run over two days along the mighty Colorado River, notoriously one of the most challenging, scenic, and fun courses in the Best In The Desert series. Due to the finale of various championships and series, there is a lot of money on the line for BlueWater Desert Challenge racers which will make the competition even more exciting.
The race is open to all classes: Cars, Trucks, UTVs, Motorcycles, and Quads. Registration is open until October 19, 2020.
Race Operations Manager Jeff Phillips is excited for Best In The Desert to return to Parker, Arizona, saying, “I think the racers are in for a real treat at the BlueWater Desert Challenge. This racecourse offers a little bit of everything with the opportunity for passing and close racing at the top of the list. I can’t say enough about the support we’ve received from the town of Parker and the Colorado River Indian Tribes for working with us to secure the land to hold the event on. This event is a testament to what can happen when people come together for the betterment of the sport.”
Best In The Desert series points, including standings from the BlueWater Desert Challenge, will determine the winner of the organization’s own American Off-Road Series, and the classes are tight.
Only four points separate Class 1500 leader Sam Berri from Brandon Bailey and Michael Frye. In the Motorcycle Division, Class 399 Pro leader Tayson Weeks leads the series by six points. The top three competitors in Class 6100 are separated by a single point. In fact, Ray Griffith and Kyle Jergensen are tied for first with 441 points followed by Troy Messer with 440. Jason Voss leads the Trick Truck class followed by Steve Olliges, Kevin Thompson, and Tracy Graf with only 23 points between first and fourth place.
Other hotly contested classes include the UTV Production class with Seth Quintero leading Kaden Wells by just five points while Phil Blurton leads the UTV Turbo class over Mitch Guthrie. In the UTV Unlimited Class, defending series champ Michael Isom leads Randy Raschein 472 to 463. In the Women’s MC Class, just 10 points separate the first-place team led by Felicia Webb followed by Shania Stevens in second.
For a full update on season points, visit https://bitd.com/point-standings/.
The racing at the BlueWater Desert Challenge is expected to be fierce to name the series championships with cash bonuses amounting to $67,500 on top of Best In The Desert’s normal payout.
The BlueWater Desert Challenge is also the final race for the Maxxis Triple Crown Series which means $67,500 of series championship bonuses is on the line. The Maxxis Triple Crown Series includes points from the 2020 Tensor Tire Parker “250” Presented by Polaris, the BlueWater Parker “425” Presented by Jimco, and the “Casey Folks” Vegas to Reno. Results from previous races in the series can be found here.
Leaders of the Maxxis Triple Crown series include Hayden Hintz for the Motorcycle/Quad Class Overall, Phil Blurton in the UTV Class, Ryan Hancock in the Car/Truck Limited Class, and Jason Voss in the Unlimited Car/Truck Class. However, each of these class leaders has their races cut out for them with minimal points separating them from racers hungry for the title.
The winner of the 4 Wheel Parts Youth UTV Championship will also be decided at the BlueWater Desert Challenge on October 22-25, 2020. This series is also going down to the wire with Deegan Gonzales leading Chase Mankin by a single point.
“We look forward to finishing the year on a high note at the BlueWater Desert Challenge,” commented Best In The Desert CMO Bryan Folks.“ This year has been unlike any other and yet we have managed to rise to the occasion every time and put on quality events despite the challenges. We could not have gotten here if not for the steadfast support of the off-road racing community and their willingness to work with us and comply with all the special COVID-19 safety measures we put in place. We learned just how resilient and dedicated our customer base remains and we salute everyone who has gone the extra mile with us to get this race season in the books.”
The BlueWater Desert Challenge schedule is as follows:
- Thursday, Oct 22, 2020
- Registration and Time Trials for Classes 1000, 1400, 1500, 6100, 6200, and 7200
- Friday, Oct 23, 2020
- Registration for all other classes at the Parker Town Senior Center (1100, 1200, 2000, 3000, 4400, 4500, 5000, 6000, 7100, 7300, 8000, 81000, All UTVs, All Motorcycles and Quads, Youth, and Jeepspeed)
- Tech Inspection for all Classes in Downtown Parker
- Youth Races
- Saturday, Oct 24, 2020 – Racing
- Sunday, Oct 25, 2020 – Racing
For a full schedule including class registration and race times, go here.