2021 Legacy Racing Association 4WP Desert Showdown
Words: Brandon Bunch
Photos: HighRev Photo, Brandon Bunch, Savannah Rose
On paper, this may have been Legacy Racing Association’s first ever race, however this was clearly not their first rodeo. The 2021 4 Wheel Parts Desert Showdown went off without a hitch, proving they have what it takes to successfully organize and direct a world class desert racing event. They provided a fast and treacherous race course for drivers to push the limits; some exceeding their own expectations, while many exceeded the limits of their machines on the journey to the finish line.
The two hundred thirteen mile course featured wide open belt-melting straightaways littered with blinding silt and nasty day ending rocks, rutted gravel washes with more large day ending rocks, and deep rollers filled with—you guessed it—tire shredding, day ending rocks. Precise line choice is always important in professional racing, but is beyond crucial when the top four turbo UTVs all finish within three minutes of race winner, Vito Raunio, and a flat tire can cost several minutes or more. The Lone Star Racing Can-Am driver made it through with just one blown CVT belt, and no flats, granting him the win in only his fifth race. Winning the race puts Vito in position as the only driver that can earn the $100,000 prize put up by Quantum Motorsports. All he needs to do is win all three remaining races in the season, and the cash is his… No pressure.
Second place in UTV Turbo went to Dan Fisher, owner of Lone Star Racing, who also managed to avoid flats but suffered from CVT issues and brake issues in his blazing fast Can-Am Maverick X3 after qualifying and starting first. Third place went to Polaris RZR Factory Racer, Ryan Piplic, who took a rock to the radiator when pushing hard to make a pass, lost coolant, and fried a turbo. A quick fix by his team allowed him to push hard and make up time before the end of the race.
The UTV N/A class was also hotly contested, with third place going to Tim Fitzpatrick and Mark Levrett in their newly built Wildcat XX after having no issues, besides finding out they need a bit more power to run out front. Maddie Wedeking and Kaden Wells battled all race long as Maddie found immediate comfort in her new 4-seat chassis Polaris RZR, and kept the throttle held wide open. She however found a hidden rock and lost a tire with only twenty miles to go, letting Kaden Wells run away with the win, after Kaden himself lost a tire to a rock earlier in the day.
It was a quick and dusty day but it was all smiles at the finish line, and Legacy Racing Association proved that they are here to stay. Click Here for the full RACE RECAP and gallery, and be sure to follow along as the Legacy continues… They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so enjoy this story in photos.
