The side-by-side races were...
The side-by-side races were probably the most entertaining portion of the event.
The pro ATV races were an absolute blast to watch, they ran an unlimited class on Saturday and a 450 class on Sunday. Even though only a handful of big-name pros were competing, it was still extremely exciting to watch the younger guys take the spotlight for once. Relatively new pros like Chris Riley and Dennis Capogni had a great showing, taking second and third place respectively. Everyone ran a good race, but no one was a match for the smooth speed of seasoned ATV supermoto racer Nic Granlund. He has won the race every year since 2004, except for last year when he had to settle for second. Determined to take his title back, Nic consistently took the lead and won both the 450 and unlimited classes.
The UTVs, however, were definitely a sideshow and an awesome one at that! Other than the ATV pros, the side-by-sides were probably my favorite racers to watch. Last year the organizers allowed the UTVs to run an exhibition-style race with five Rhinos, and it was instantly a crowd favorite. This year the utes got their own official class, with 25 vehicles signed up to race. There was the usual assortment of high-dollar long-travel platforms, as well as a couple of rigs where the only racing bolt-on was a number plate. Half the fun was seeing these guys try to keep their 5-foot-wide, long-travel behemoths on the narrow sections of the track. Many of the rigs ended up using the hay bales more like obstacles than course boundaries, often having to drive around or just over them to get back on course. The extra long travel of some of the rigs didn't seem to help very much on the supermoto track as the winner of both the heat and the main event was piloting a relatively stock Rhino.
Granlund leads the pack through...
Granlund leads the pack through the whoops and makes it look easy.
Through the course of the weekend, about 5000 spectators showed up to watch the 350 bike, ATV and UTV racers lay down some rubber. With 130 quad entries, this is by far the largest ATV supermoto event in the country, and according to the promoter, the Stateline Challenge has the largest overall rider turnout of any supermoto event in the world. Along with the racers and fans, I was stoked to see the number of ATV-specific vendors that piled in. iTi Performance was showing off its sway bars and UTV products. Triumph Motorsports had a mobile ATV shop on hand with all kinds of fluids, filters and bolt-on and stick-on products. Steve Abbott from ATV Cycle Sports teamed up with the guys from Duro Tires to have an on-site tire shop with a hydraulic mounting machine and stacks of supermoto tires. You could literally show up clueless and (with enough cash) get your quad completely set up for racing on the pavement in no time.
Whether it's the appeal of supermoto's roadracing side or the near-Vegas location, Stateline attracts racers and athletes from all different backgrounds. Pro BMX rider T.J. Lavin showed up and raced a trick, trophy truck-looking Rhino. Alongside him in the UTV class was pro IndyCar driver Paul Tracey. Freestyle MX rider Carey Hart was also on the scene with his Hart & Huntington race team. Even ATV racers from completely different disciplines showed up to try their luck on the pavement. Polaris factory rider Doug Eichner took a break from the WORCS series to put in some blistering fast laps on the asphalt. No matter where they came from, they all left the track with grins from ear to ear.
It wouldn't be Vegas without...
It wouldn't be Vegas without the hotties.
Aside from the racing, the location of the event certainly adds great appeal to its enjoyment factor. The track is literally in the parking lot of Buffalo Bill's Resort & Casino. It's not very often you have an ATV race within walking distance of a hotel, casino, miniature theme park and outlet mall. The Stateline Challenge would make a great weekend for the whole family, with plenty of distractions for the members who don't need or want to be at the track 24/7. Not to mention the perk of being able to shack up at the hotel and walk out to the track every morning. And if racing doesn't burn up your money quick enough, you can always hit up the casino at the end of the day.
As the weekend wrapped up, I drove away with a new appreciation for a lesser-known sport and possibly a new favorite type of ATV racing. Since this was my first story for ATV Rider, I didn't want to miss out on anything, so I was shooting photos all day, every day. After all that, I still don't know if I got enough to completely convey the awesomeness that is the Stateline Supermoto Challenge. But in the end, the only thing I really missed out on was getting in some seat time for myself. It definitely looked like a blast, so when next year's challenge comes along, you probably won't see many photos or words from me-I'll be racing. ATVR
A mixture of fast asphalt...
A mixture of fast asphalt sections paired with a mild dirt MX-style track made for lots of intense hard-core racing action.
There's nothing quite like...
There's nothing quite like watching a supermoto quad rail around the fast corners.
Pay attention, you might learn...
Pay attention, you might learn something!