Greetings race fans,

Today I'm reporting to you from the sweltering heat of Nevada's incredibly hot desert, just north of Las Vegas. I'm embedded with Team Off-Road Design to capture what happens as they attempt to capture a podium finish at the Best in the Desert Vegas to Reno off-road race.

Photos by Charlene Bower.

Yesterday I arrived via commercial airline and let me tell you, the trip has been action packed since I set foot in Nevada.

Upon my late arrival, B.I.T.D. officials were conducting the driver's meeting in the outdoor amphitheater at the Sunset Station hotel and casino in Henerson, Nevada. I caught the tail end of this meeting and then it was out to the parking lot to help Stephen Watson and his crew finish prepping their King of the Hammers rock buggy. Your probably asking why a rock buggy is racing a desert race, right?

As some of you may remember, K.O.H. was a huge success in 2009, and now thanks to some smart negotiating by KOH officials, Best in the Desert has created a special K.O.H. class (ULTRA 4) specifically for K..O.H rock racers. The one-time opportunity is a test to see just how a K.O.H. rig would fair against the real-deal desert racers in their go-fast terrain.

Today our team is headed to Beatty, NV where the race has already started for the motorcycle and quad classes.

You can track our progress live at the following website. Link

I'll be in car # 4488.

The K.O.H. field consists of 12 rigs, all are 4WD and due to the fact that B.I.T.D. hasn't ever seen them in action yet, they are all starting at the very back of the pack. The 10 K.O.H. rigs to finish first earn a entry at K.O.H. 2010.

This is the first race of its type for the K.O.H. class.

The majority of the terrain is high-speed, unlike the Johnson Valley event where racers had to go slow in the extreme rock crawling sections.

I'll try to keep everyone updated on our progress throughout the race.

Here are the official BITD Registrations for the K.O.H. Ultra4 Class

:4403
Jason Carner (34) Birmingham, AL,
James Schofield (27) Birmington, AL,
Troy Johnson (40) Riverside, CA,
BlueTorch Fab, Superior Axle, Turnkey, JE Reel, Ruggeo Radios, SpiderTrax, PRP,cQal, Fox, The Fab School, Howe, CTM, BFG, United Rentals, ProComp Wheels, Safety Solutions

4405
Travis Carpenter (28) Orangevale, CA,
Dan Trout (24) Rancho Cordova, CA,
Hasa Pool Products, Yukon Gear, Powertank, infinit Graphx, Solid Axle, Fishmouth Fabworks, MFS, Rock Zombies 4x4 Club

4406
Robert Usnick (36) Fayetteville, NC,
Steve Tolbert (37) Fayetteville, NC,
Brandon Kasnick (25) Raeford, NC,
Billy Brown () Fayetteville, NC,
Performance Off-Road, Final Touch Powder Coating, Trail Tough, HeiserOil.com, Paraclete, Raceline Wheels, BF Goodrich

4411
Dean Bulloch (51) Cedar City, UT,
Tom Allen (49) Weatherford, TX,
PSC, MasterCraft, BFG, Stak, CTM, Currie, Mast Motorsports, Heavenly Bodies, Winchline, Tom Woods Driveshafts, MS Inc, Seymour Martin, Warn, TrailGear, D&P Perf

4435
Kevin Sacalas (26) Riverside, CA,
Douglas Williams (32) Redlands, CA,
Jon Jonsson (51) Ferndale, WA,
Sam Wiseman (44) Riverside, CA,
Viking Off-Road, Winchline, Bilstein, Griffin Thermal Products, RCV
Performance, Trail Gear, BFG, Twisted Stitch, Livorsi Marine, JE Reel Driveline

4454
David Cole (38) Twin Peaks, CA,
Chris Ridgway (38) Apple Valley, CA,
Brandon Naves (29) Camrillo, CA,
Steve Schneider (30) Temecula, CA,
Kirby Off-Road, Griffin Rad, BFG, Raceline Wheels, RCV, Vision X, PRP, High Angle Driveline, Longfield, G&J Aircraft

4455
Joseph Thompson (38) Grass Valley, CA,
Richard Mooneyham (33) Lake Havasu City, AZ,
Scott Ward (36) Lake Havasu City, AZ,
Les Figeuroa (44) Lake Havasu City, AZ,
Trick Toys Fab, Sims Trucking, BFG, Raceline Wheels, PSC Steering Comp, Turnkey Engine Supply, Sway-A-Way, Figspeed.com, Longfield-Super Ax, Brannik Machine

4461
Ben Napier (26) Sydney, Australia
David Camp (32) Brisbane, Australia
Randy Slawson (32) Cotton, CA,
Bomber Fab, BFG, Raceline Wheels

4464
Matthew Legg (32) Boulder, CO,
Jason Tomas Walton (30) La Porte, CO,
Camron Abernathy (31) Fort Collins, CO,
Philip Christensen (26) Wellington, CO,

4471
Jeff Knoll (39) Menifee, CA,
Dave Schneider (34) Reno, NV,
Wayne Israelsen (40) Menifee, CA,
HammerKing, Raceline Wheel, BF Goodrich, Vision X, PSC, Griffin, Bilstein, Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Superior Axle & Gear, S&N Fab, The US Stimulus Package!

4488
Brandon Watson (34) Glenwood Sprongs, CO,
Stephen Watson (36) Carbondale, CO,
James Watson (58) Carbondale, CO,
Our families, Off-Road Design, PSC, Bighorn Graphics, Tom Woods Custom Driveshafts, Premier Power Welder