The Race That Started It All: Best In The Desert Revives the World Hare and Hound Championship with Rocky Mountain ATV/MC as Title Sponsor and GPR Presenting Sponsor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: LAS VEGAS, NV (March 5, 2021): Best In The Desert fans, racers, and staff are looking forward to this coming May with tremendous excitement and just a taste of nostalgia. A Best In The Desert staple, the World Hare and Hound Championship has been revived in the 2021 schedule. Originally billed as “One Man, One Machine, One Desert, One Way,” the 2021 event will be sponsored by Rocky Mountain ATV/MC and presented by GPR, and is scheduled for May 21-23, 2021 in Tonopah, Nevada. 

Best In The Desert founder Casey Folks first organized the World Hare and Hound Championship in 1984, and it quickly became one of the premier events in off-road desert racing. It was known as an event that tested the best desert motorcycle racers in the world. Past winners include renowned desert legends Dan Smith, Chris Crandall, and Garth Sweetland among many others.

The 2021 Rocky Mountain ATV/MC World Hare and Hound Championship Presented by GPR, open to motorcycles only, will be run point-to-point on a 110+-mile course. And while racers will have their skills fiercely tested, pit crews will have easy access to pits as they chase their rider during the race. The event will see Pro, Expert, Amateurs, Family, Ironman, Women’s, and Youth Motorcycle Classes.

“We’ve been working on this one for quite a while,” stated Best In The Desert co-owner Daryl Folks. “This is going to be very special. The desert around Tonopah is a mixture of decomposed granite, shale, and gravel and has a solid base to it. The trails are some of the most flowing and technical that I’ve ever ridden and make for an ideal racecourse to test everyone’s skills and abilities. The winner of this race will have earned it.”

The event has been in the development phase for three years with the course and location meticulously planned. Tonopah, Nevada was selected due to its geographically central location in the western United States and the fact that it provided a neutral race site where no rider has home-field advantage. To top it off, the area hasn’t been used for motorcycle competition in over 15 years, and as a result, conditions are ideal for an old-school hare-and-hound type race. 

The event is expected to draw a large, talented pool of off-road racers ready to compete, not only to be crowned as a World Champion but also to compete for some significant prize money. A guaranteed purse of $6,000, in addition to Best In The Desert’s normal pro payback, will be awarded to Pro class winners, including a $1,000 bonus to the top Woman Expert. 

Best In The Desert is also very excited to announce that representatives from The Kurt Caselli Foundation will be on hand at the event. The Kurt Caselli Foundation is noted for the tremendous work they are doing on behalf of rider safety. They will be offering their Moto First Aid Kits on site for a small donation.

“Our staff, and my brother in particular, have really put a lot into this,” commented Best In The Desert CMO Bryan Folks. “Our goal is to give back to the motorcycle racing community, the community that gave Best In The Desert its start with a very special race. The biggest difference between 1984 and today is that we intend to honor the women competitors as much as the men with their own World Championship crown. In addition, we plan to have a great event for the kids.”

The event was made possible through the support of Best In The Desert’s extensive sponsor list and especially through the efforts of title sponsor Rocky Mountain ATV/MC and presenting sponsor GPR. Both companies have a long history of supporting off-road racing and jumped at the chance to help bring this legendary event back. 

Entries will open on April 1, 2021. 

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