Friday morning, Aug. 20, Riot Racing heads to Beatty, Nevada for the TSCO Vegas to Reno race, a 534-mile adventure that will test the team’s endurance. Riot is completing the finishing touches after spending eight weeks completely overhauling the trophy truck from bumper to bumper. After testing the past few weeks and nailing down loose ends, confidence in the truck and within the team is building.

“It’s definitely a contender truck,” Steve Sloan, Riot’s shop manager said. “It’s run better than it ever has before,” Ira Conn, Riot’s co-driver said after a test session this week.

Taking the reigns for the second half of the race will be Josh Daniel of DanZio Racing. He and his co-driver for his Class 1 car, Allen Hickerson, have joined Riot Racing as a back-up driver and a back-up co-driver. They come with an exciting race record of four overall wins in the past two years.

“I’m psyched to have Josh and Allen on Team Riot for the Vegas to Reno race!” Marc Ewing said. “They bring a passion for racing and record of winning with them. They are a great fit for Riot, and I’m looking forward to some great racing!”

Josh Daniel and his co-driver are thrilled as well.

“It seems like Riot’s going on the right track and I’m hoping to be a part of that and be successful. It’s a privilege to be able to race on a team like this,” Daniel said.

Time Trials on Wednesday in Primm will determine Riot’s start position on race day. The team has a 22nd start position for the trial, which begins at 1:30 p.m. They hope to use this opportunity to help them get in the front of the starting order.

In Beatty, Nevada, two hours northwest of Las Vegas, the first truck will start at 9:30 a.m Friday morning. The race will take approximately 10 hours to complete, ending in Dayton, Nevada, an hour south of Reno.

The course is a very fast, dusty race with a high attrition rate and drastic elevation changes. The first 150 miles are silty and require a higher level of finesse to maintain the drive line in areas of poor traction and visibility. There’s an extremely rocky decent that has to be negotiated toward the end. Ewing and Conn plan to start the race and then have Daniel and Hickerson take over about halfway through.

“It’s a long, silty, dusty race. The first half is trying to keep a good pace… and you start pouring it on in the end,” Daniel said. “I have a feeling there’s going to be about four or five teams in the hunt at the end. I think we can be one of them.”

Currently in second place in Best in the Desert’s points standings, it is vital for Riot to cross the finish line in order to stay in the hunt for the championship.

“We’ve got a great team, and a lot of people are working very hard. All I wish is just that we do our best and we get to the finish line,” Sammy Zaranti, the lead truck mechanic said. “Gotta finish to win it.”

Crossing the finish line bears much more meaning at this race for the Riot crew. At Vegas to Reno one year ago Tony Sorensen, Riot’s co-driver who was driving the truck, passed away while racing. It was a tragic day, and the loss was devastating for his family members, many of whom were present including his son T.J. Sorensen who was co-driving with him.

But what has brought some solace is that Tony passed while doing something he loved.

“For him to get to drive that truck in that race in many ways was a dream come true, and it’s tragic. The whole thing was tragic,” Ira Conn, Riot’s co-driver said.

Tony was an integral part of the team who has enabled the team to be what it is today. His brother Derral and Tony’s children plan to attend the race in his memory.

“I want to go to honor Tony and cheer on the team that’s continued on,” Derral said. “I really felt like that was Tony’s race and now it’s Marc and Ira’s turn to kick some butt and win, and I know Tony’s gonna be with them in spirit.”

Although it has only been a year since Tony’s passing, the team has transformed in many ways. It has continued to grow and reorganize with new crew members, but the road has been challenging. This was the new Riot mechanics’ first prep on the original Riot trophy truck, which was last raced at Battle at Primm in February.

“It’s tough learning a new truck. As time goes on you get to know the truck and it gets to know you,” Sloan said.

Riot welcomes a new mechanic, Brandon Johnson, who has been familiarizing himself the last few weeks with Riot’s vehicles in preparation for this race. Before Riot, Johnson worked at Collins Motorsports prepping trophy trucks and building pro-2 short course trucks. For six years he worked at Grove Lumber Racing in Ontario, California covering all aspects of truck prep for a Porter class 1500. In 2007 and 2008 that truck finished second in overall points for the Best in the Desert Series, and it finished every mile of every race.

“He’s a hard worker and a great prep guy,” Sloan said.

“It’s one of the nicest shops and there’s still room for it to grow,” Johnson said about Riot Racing.

“The talent that’s in the shop now is really impressive. They know how to do it right and have fun,” Zaranti said. “The guys have done a great job. It’s a long road and you cross your fingers every day and hopefully on race day it shows,” Sloan added.

On Thursday before the race, Riot will have a booth at Contingency and Technical Inspection at the Aliante Station Casino Hotel in North Las Vegas. They will be selling Riot apparel while debuting their new Geiser Pre-Runner from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The 650 horsepower Chevy engine has 26 inches of wheel travel in the front and 33 inches the back. It holds 90 gallons of fuel and weighs 6,500 pounds. It’s running 39” BFGoodrich Baja TA/KR tires and a Vision X 42” LED light bar. This was Geiser’s first four-door truck with four seats that each have five-point harnesses.

Ewing and Conn tested out the machine this week in Jean. “That rig is a cross between a Rolls and a rock crusher. Geiser Bros really outdid themselves on this project. Every detail was carefully manicured and expertly executed,” Conn said.

In addition to all of the action taking place at Riot’s shop, the team is also unveiling a new graphic design on the truck this race. Riot is excited to show off this new look and their talent in America’s biggest off-road race this Friday. Follow the team throughout this race on http://www.riotracing.com or http://twitter.com/riotracing, where photos, video and the latest information will be available. Listen to in-car communications and watch the truck kicking up the dust out on the course. Feel like you’re part of the crew as we hope to take you across the finish line.

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