5:15 a.m. staging.

The idea hit me in a basement at LAX, standing in line for U.S. Customs. I was jet lagged, had been traveling for over 30 hours, and my body was saturated with German Beer and strudel.
I blurted it out, “I’m going to race Vegas To Reno!”
My girlfriend Charli, just stared at the endless line.
I said it again, “I’m going to race it solo!”
“Are they going to stamp my Passport here?” She said, with a puzzled look, Char was obviously just as delirious as I was, and didn’t even acknowledge my ridiculous idea.

The next morning I awoke at 4:30am and began to plan my effort; I had been screwing off all summer and hadn’t ridden a dirt bike in almost a month. So my theory was simple, I needed a goal to get myself back into race shape, and I had less than three weeks to get prepared for Vegas to Reno.
First things first, call the boss; I called Johnny Campbell and told him about my idea.
“Johnny I need a challenge, I’ve always wanted to solo this race, and it will be good training for the Baja 1000…”
After a long silence, he agreed, “Yea, yea, that will be good, I’ll have Eric prep your bike.”
I was stoked I wasn’t going to have to build my own bike, also, Eric is the best in the businesss, so I knew I was covered. Just as I got off the phone with Johnny, Charli walked in.
“What’s Vegas To Reno?  She asked.
“Well, it’s the longest off road race in the U.S., 535 miles from Vegas to Reno.” I explained.
“Why cant it be Reno to Vegas? Reno is Gross, and Vegas is way more fun.”
I had never really thought about it, that’s just the way it is.
“Do I have to go? That sounds terrible.” she said.
Yes it is terrible, in a fun sadistic kind of way.

Gas and goggles.

As race day approached things began to fall into place, I lined up Hide Hanawa and Scott Dunlavey as my chase crew. Hide and Scott are the A-team when it comes to Baja mechanics. The two of them are as cool as ice under high pressure race conditions, as a team, they can change front and rear wheels and an air filter in under 2 minutes. So all I needed to do was be able to ride the bike for 9+ hours without screwing up. I began riding moto 3 days a week, road biking and training in the gym as much as possible. My trainer Coach Frazer came up with a super top-secret nutrition plain for race day. I knew this was going to be most important, you can race 3-4 hours without food, but after that, your brain begins to disconnect from your throttle hand and bad things happen.

Dust from first rider into pit one.

Now all that’s left to do is race, my alarm went off at 3:45am. I got my usual race night sleep, about 1.5 hours of actual sleep and the rest tossing and turning. I jumped out of bed, made some coffee and began to put my gear on. I had one new piece of equipment that I was uncertain about using. You see, its hard to go 9 hours without relieving yourself, so, I put on my new piece of gear, ran the tube down my leg through a small hole in my pants, and taped the end of it to my boot.

Just before the race started, I lined up at the staging area, in the small town of Beatty, NV. Next to me were Shane Esposito and Dave Pearson. They both looked at me suspiciously, still not believing that I was going to ride solo, so I pointed to the rubber tube hanging from my boot and the puddle of fluid under my foot peg. It’s always good to gross out your competition on the start line.

Quinn, sixth bike into pit 1 at race mile 33.

At 5:45 sharp the first rider left the line into near darkness, riders followed one every minute. I was 6th off the line; by the time I got a mile down the first 100mph straight I had entered a thick wall of dust that had settled upon the course. For the next 60 miles, I didn’t see a thing but dust. After I left Pit 2, I finally got some clean air and began to have fun on the perfectly graded NV roads. There is nothing like a 90+ MPH power slide done right! It’s the best feeling in the world! Done wrong, well you end up cartwheeling through the desert. After about 20 miles, I noticed that there were only two tracks on the road in front of me. I didn’t understand why, and kept charging. A few miles later I saw Shane pushing his KTM; I figured David must be way out front, but then I began to see some dust, as I approached the famous Cottontail Ranch. I could see a bike two or three miles ahead of me. When I arrived at the Cottontail Pit, Charli, fed me a piece of a bar and told me I was in second and there was a Yamaha team about 3 minutes in front.

The next 60 miles I began to rapidly pull in the Yamaha. By Pit 5, I was completely immersed in their dust, having to back off to let some of it clear so I could stay on the road. At Pit 5 I had a planed wheel and air filter change, I put on a new 150oz Hydration pack and stuffed down some more food. This gave the Yamaha a small gap, but by the next pit, 50 miles later, I was right back in their dust. I was using a lot more energy than I would have liked to too, riding in their dust, but I wanted to be close enough to capitalize if they made a mistake. By Pit 9, at about mile 300, I was frustrated and expected them to change a rear wheel. When they blew through the pit with no wheel change, I knew I had to do something. About 5 miles later we dropped into a whooped out sand-wash that was not too dusty. I held it pinned, and started railing all the outside lines trying to miss the big chop and rocks. I got right on their wheel, and went to the inside in a righthander and finally got the lead!

Just a bit tired after 534 miles.

I knew I had to pull at least 2.5 minutes in the next 60 miles, so I could do my next wheel change without loosing the lead. I rolled into Pit 12 with no other bikes in sight and again, Scott and Hide went to work. Char began to feed and change my Hydration pack. The bike was ready before I was; I jumped back on with 150 miles left to race. I kept it together pretty well over the next 100 miles which was probably the roughest part of the race. The last 50 miles was a struggle, I began to second-guess myself, and everything started to bother me. I just had to block the pain out of my mind and hammer through the last 30 miles of rocks. When I reached the finish I’d never been so happy for a race to be over. Best in the Desert promoter Casey Folks was there with a proud look on his face “ Great job! This is the first time in history that someone has won the overall solo!” he said. I was just happy to finish and it took a while for it to sink in that I had won.

In the end, it took me 9 hours 21min 18seconds to finish the 534-mile course and I finished 14 minutes ahead of the second place team. This was probably the toughest race of my life but it couldn’t have gone any better, I need to thank everyone who helped me with this crazy idea, Hide and Scott AKA The A-Team, Eric Siraton for building the baddest bike, Johnny Campbell, Jim Boggs, Jim Castillo, Coach Frazer and of course Charli, maybe next year Casey will do Reno to Vegas for you.

photo by Charli Brodeur

When the green flag dropped at 5:45 this morning Quinn Cody merged into a thick cloud of dust and the beginning of  “the longest off-road race in the United States”— the infamous annual Best in the Desert Vegas to Reno desert race.

Over 250 teams of off-road enthusiasts in 23 divisions came to Nevada to race the tough desert terrain and endure the brutally hot temperatures and extreme elevation changes. Like the SCORE Baja races, the Vegas to Reno consists of a mixture of 4×4 trucks, ATVs, motorcycles and professionally-built race vehicles often approaching up to 110 mph in remote areas.

Quinn’s goal for this year’s Vegas to Reno was a private one. “I was going for a personal accomplishment,” he explained. “I’ve always wanted to ride the Vegas to Reno solo and this was my year to do it.”

On board his JCR Honda CRF450X race bike, Quinn also figured that his riding endurance would increase with a solo run here and would prove invaluable at his upcoming Ensenada to La Paz Baja 1000 run with the JCR Racing Honda Team.

From the beginning Quinn said he wasn’t going to try for a win on his solo Vegas to Reno ride, but it turns out you just can’t keep a good racer down. At 30 miles into the 533-mile race Quinn was riding in second place, one minute behind the Jerry Parsons-Anthony Westbury Yamaha team, (overall winners of this year’s Parker 250).

photo by Charli Brodeur

For the next 200 miles Quinn’s JCR Honda CRF450X shadowed Parson’s Yamaha. Until the two reached a massive Nevada desert sand wash. “I’d already changed tires by that point, but Parson’s tires were spinning in the sand wash,” Quinn said “it gave me the advantage I needed and I passed him.  He never really got close to me again.”

After he crossed the finish at Dayton, Nevada with a finish time of 9 hours, 21 minutes and 18 seconds and no other riders in site, an amazed sports commentator, George Antill of Tracking International LIVE, asked in the post race televised interview,  “How does it feel to know you’re the only racer in the history of the Vegas to Reno ever to win this race riding solo?”

“Well, I came here just wanting to ride solo, finish and have a good race. I did all that … and won too….wow! It feels really great!”

Cody Wins Best in the Desert TSCO Vegas to Reno Off-Road Dirt Bike Race

The cover photo shot by Mark Kariya, features Quinn Cody exploding a berm on his Honda CRF450X. The magazine delivers on 41 practical Pro Riding Secrets to make you a faster, safer and more competent rider.

The secrets are revealed by Quinn Cody, his JCR/Honda teammates and others from around the Off-Road racing world.

This is a must have for every rider so pick up the magazine at your local bike shop/newsstand now or head over to www.DirtRider.com and order you subscription.

The Magazine is full of JCR/Honda superstars.

Also be sure to check out the Pro Circuit ad on the back cover featuring Kendall Norman getting busy on his Honda CRF450X.

Quinn Cody leaves Honda pit two, heads for the summit in the lead.

Kendall Norman and Quinn Cody Team Win the 2010 Baja 500! The JCR Racing Honda Team of Norman & Cody took top honors in the 2010 Tecate SCORE Baja 500 in Baja California, Mexico, June 4-5 by finishing first overall in the dusty 438-mile event. With the exception of the leaders, the remaining 288 racers battled extremely dusty conditions for the 42nd running of the Baja 500.
“It was a flawless race,” said Cody. The win gave Honda its 15th overall motorcycle victory in the Baja 500, with a winning time of 8:47:00, averaging 49.96 mph on their JCR Honda CRF450X.
In the elapsed-time race, the duo edged the twin Honda CRF450X of teammates Colton Udall & Jeff Kargola by 5 minutes, 36 seconds, officially.

It was a close battle to the finish. Norman started for the team, Cody rode the middle half, and Norman finished off the last part.
“We didn’t have a single problem all day – which is pretty darn amazing, considering how tough and gnarly this course is,” Norman said. “I’m just really tired, but it feels good to be here in one piece and to get my fourth Baja 500 win.”

Many race teams will spend up to 5 days pre-running the rugged terrain that varies in extremes of desert, to a flat dry lake bed, to a sheer mountain crossing which runs between the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez.

JCR/Honda team Kendall Norman and Quinn Cody are on board the SCORE championship 1x bike for this year’s Baja 500, riding the dominate JCR/Honda CRF450X race bike.

The rugged 438.81-mile course in 2010 is very similar to the last two years, although it is about eight miles longer and the terrain has changed significantly due to torrential rains that impacted both sides of the race course on the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez and in the middle in the summit section.

Traditionally one of the most popular events on the SCORE schedule, over 100,000 spectators are expected to enjoy the world’s best desert racers in action at this year’s 42nd anniversary of the Tecate SCORE Baja 500, the original desert race produced by SCORE on July 26, 1974.

With late entries accepted up to race morning, entries are expected from 26 U.S. States from Hawaii to Connecticut, and along with the additional countries of Mexico, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Japan. The green flag will drop for the race at 6 a.m. on Saturday (June 5) for the motorcycle and ATV classes in the Tecate SCORE Baja 500, followed by the car and truck classes three hours after the last ATV at approximately 10 a.m. The elapsed-time race will start and finish in front of the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center on Boulevard Costero in the heart of Ensenada, leaving and returning into the city through the spectator-laden Arroyo Wash.

The course consisted of a technical 37 Mile first loop, followed by a high-speed 35-mile dash to the finish. Riding his Honda CRF450X, his finishing time was slightly over 2 hours. This was the first AMA District 37 Hare and Hound overall win of Quinn’s career.

Congratulations Quinn!

Also congratulations to Colton Udall also on the JCR/Honda team, who in his inaugural D-37 hare and hound Desert race captured 3rd overall.

Special thanks to the JCR/Honda pit staff. Your expertise and speed are vital to our race winning success.

Quinn Cody at Red Mountain blazes his way through a rocky section on his way to the overall win.

NBC shot a special on the race featuring the JCR/Honda team and it aired December 19th on NBC at 2pm.

The team raced on an Eric Siraton prepped Honda CRF450X. The course was a brutal 672.85 mile loop of the toughest trails in Baja and the JCR/Honda team averaged 49.97 MPH, the fastest of all competitors finishing in 13:27.50.

When Kendall Norman crossed the finish line he knew he had just lead his team to the Baja 1000 victory. He celebrated with a massive burnout that ignited thousands of spectators surrounding the finish of the 42nd annual SCORE Baja 1000. Thus kicking off a party of flash bulbs and congratulations that lasted until early the next morning with the team celebrating the accomplishment of winning in Baja, a feeling very few will ever know.

Quotes from the winning team:

Johnny Campbell said: I’m beyond excited. It was a solid effort from both JCR/Honda teams. The racers did a phenomenal job, pre-running and preparing their race. Kendall Norman did an excellent job leading this team to victory. SCORE put on a great race. Giving us the info we needed and a challenging race course. It takes a whole team of people, most of them operating behind the scenes, people like Peter Postel, Hide Hanawa, Scott Dunlavey, Tom “TJ” Jones, Jim Boggs, Chuck Miller, Eric Siraton and many more. Special thanks to the JCR team sponsors including American Honda, Dunlop, Berkeley Honda, Pro Circuit, Pro Honda Oils & Chemicals, Truth Soul Armor, DID, IMS, BRP, Alpinestars, Renthal, Dirt Digits, Hinson Clutch Components, Acerbis, VP, Works Connection, Arai and Motion Pro we couldn’t do it without you. I give tons of credit to the JCR/Honda pit staff who’s job is to stand out in the desert and wait for us to come by. Without the dedication of our legendary volunteer pit staff this would be impossible and my hat is off to them, what a tremendous team effort! The 1X plate is home where it belongs thanks to you all.

Kendall Norman said: It was definitely a good battle at night. There was a lot of dust out here. Steve (Hengeveld) was going. I’d get in his dust and slow down, get in his dust and slow down. He rode a great race and it was war out there today. We had all of our guys positioned and they put in a lot of hard work. I couldn’t be happier right now. I rode from the start to Borrego, at mile 200, and Robby (Bell) was up about ten minutes. I started way back and there was a ton of dust and I just couldn’t get through it. By the time I finally cleared the dust, he was gone. When I got the bike back from Timmy Weigand at the Meadows (mile 504), I was only a minute and half down. Quinn Cody and Timmy did some great work out there. I figured it was going be close to impossible to pass Steve on the final run because of the dust and being at night but I know if I was in his dust, that is all I needed to do (to win). It feels great to win the 1000 three years in a row and fourth total. I am really stoked.

Quinn Cody said: I just tried to be smooth and fast and hit Matomi Wash (mile 278) as hard as I could. I have ridden that wash a lot and I was able to put in a really good run. It’s challenging to set up a bike for a 150-pound guy like Timmy (Weigand) and a 210-pound guy like me. We both had to compromise on the settings of the bike. It’s mostly Kendall’s settings. We were having a little trouble with the jetting of the engine in testing so Johnny (Campbell) jumped on it because he is so good with that sort of thing. Next thing we know Johnny didn’t come back; he crashed and totaled the bike. So this bike was completely rebuilt for the race. We were able to test it before the race, we finalized all of our settings and headed to Mexico. We had a heck of race like this one at the Baja 500, but not in the 1000. It feels great to win it.

Timmy Weigand said: The race went all right for me. I had a really rough section and I just tried to race smart and smooth and not go down and keep the bike on two wheels. Quinn and Kendall did an awesome job also and we just put the race together. Our game plan was just to ride within ourselves … but we were six minutes behind at one point and I was on the bike so, of course, I wanted to hang it out a little bit and try to gain some time back up. That changed our game plan a little bit because you’re not riding comfortably, you’re putting it on the edge a little bit and trying to make up time and get back in the race. The course is super rough everywhere and it’s hard on the body. It’s Baja – no surprise

Note, see: BajaSpain.com for more info about this classic European race held every July in Spain for past two decades. Lots of dust, high temperatures and rough terrain, it’s a part of the World Cup rally series.