Let’s talk Vegas to Reno. How did things go for you guys?

J.D.: The event could not have went any better, for a bunch of East coast GNCC guys and girls I think we exceeded everyone except for ourselves expectations.  The race itself is such a unique event and the atmosphere surrounding it is surreal.  As far as results went on the quad our team of Mike McAvoy, Nick Davidson and I ended up 1^st in Quad Expert and the 2^nd Quad overall.  On the bike side of things the team of Steward Baylor, Jacob Argubright, Rachael Archer, and her dad Kevin ended up 9^th overall in Pro bikes.  On the quad side we could not have asked for a better race overall, the 3 of us each made our own mistakes Bab Mac missed a turn costing us a bit of time, on my last section I smoked a rock which made for a wobbly final 80 miles for poor Nick, through the last 2 sections which are absolutely brutal Nick dinged up some tires and wheels, but other than that our BNR motorsports prepped machine was absolutely on point.  On the bike side the team did absolutely phenomenal they experienced a broken shock bolt about an hour into the race which also destroyed the airbox, so after a full subframe swap from the spare bike they rode bike and made up some incredible time on everyone in the pack.  Looking back at the results if you take away the time in the pits the bike team is right there contending for a podium spot which is unreal considering the overall lack of desert experience.

Nick Davidson: It was a once in a lifetime experience to be able to do it with such good friends and sponsors. I couldn’t be more thankful to be able to have participated and to have finished this event first in our class and second ATV overall. 

Michael McAvoy: The Event was an awesome experience. I have never been racing west of Missouri so the lack of trees was something really different. Our team had a great day with no mechanical issues and ended up 2^nd quad overall and we won the quad expert class.

What brought the Red Bear team together to decide to do the event?

J.D.: So the idea of going is something that I had been tossing around in my head for the last couple years with my good friend Zac Phillips and to be honest the logistics, time and help required seemed pretty daunting, but after the talks become more involved and more serious and Baby Mac and Nick decided to commit to riding it with me the ball started rolling.  Then when the RM Red Bear Kawasaki team came into fruition then it was a no brainer to try and get Stew and company on board.

Nick Davidson: JD Higgins had racing the Vegas to Reno event on his bucket list. I am fortunate enough to be close friends with JD and Michael McAvoy for them to invite me to race with them. 

Michael McAvoy: The OG Red Bear ( JD Higgins) came up with this idea late in 2023 about doing this race as a bucket list item of his. Once he told me of this idea, I was 100% in and couldn’t wait for the experience. After JD acquired the Rocky Mtn Kawi team we presented the Idea to Stew and he was jazzed on the idea as well. 

How did you guys prepare for the race compared to how you prepare back home on the east coast?

J.D.: Well it started off with a brand-new Yamaha YFZ450R and enlisting Ryan and Bert Smith and the team at BNR Motorsports to build us what we thought was the ideal desert racing machine.  There were countless phone calls and texts exchanged between numerous racers picking their brains about setup and how to build the best machine possible.  As far as preparation and riding, nothing special I made an honest attempt at spending a good bit of time in the sauna to prepare for the temperatures, but to be honest nothing can properly prepare you for that.  On the riding side of things Nick spent an afternoon shaking the bike down and fine-tuning things, but short of loading it in the trailer my first real ride on it was as I went to the starting line ha-ha!

Nick Davidson: None of us knew what to expect out West. No one knew how to prepare with the bike, we came in blind. The best thing I thought I could do was spend the most time on a quad to get as much seat time as possible to try and tackle the out west terrain. 

Michael McAvoy: I am not sure that we prepared any different for this race. None of us have ever done a race this long, this fast, or in this kind of heat, so we did not really know what to expect. That being said, since the race was based around being in Vegas we ate some really good food, consumed some adult beverages, and tried our hand at the casino beforehand. 

Was the run remotely comparable to anywhere we race in GNCC as far as terrain?

J.D.: The only thing I would say is comparable at all at least on the sections I rode was possibly Florida for the softer sand sections which were rare, but aside from that other than the rock sections I don’t think there’s anything even close to our typical GNCC terrain.

Nick Davidson: This was nothing like I have ever raced before on the East Coast. Our average speed was around 62 MPH and our max speed was 88 MPH which is nothing like GNCC.

Michael McAvoy: The race provided a little bit of everything, There was sugar sand, hard pack, gravel mines, lake beds, all kinds of different terrains. I don’t think anything on the GNCC circuit directly related or  was able to prepare us for what we went through out there. 

Your group is loaded with fun-loving people. Did you guys get a chance to have some fun outside of the race?

J.D.: Absolutely  hit it on the spot the group of people we took out their racers, friends, pit crew could not have been a better set of fun-loving people.  We did make it a point to do a full crew “family” dinner every night which was a great time getting to relax and enjoy a good meal together.  Once the race was over Friday night in Reno everyone in the crew cut loose Friday and Saturday night which made for a few missed flights and a lot of hung over plane rides home on Sunday.

Nick Davidson: What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. The only thing that can be mentioned is Stew Baylor’s tattoo. Sorry Stew! 

Michael McAvoy: Oh man…. I have never been to Vegas before and it was an absolute blast. I think Stew Baylor and I have been planning places to eat for months now and they did not disappoint. On top of the great places we ate we got to enjoy the typical Vegas Casinos, Night life and even a roller coaster ride.

Do you think this is something you’d do again, or was this a one-and-done bucket list race for you?

J.D.: Initially I had always planned on it being a one and done bucket list type event, but I think I echo the rest of the teams excitement that by the time I hit the first mile into it I knew it would definitely not be my last.

Nick Davidson: This was definitely a bucket list race for me. I would love to do it again but it takes more preparation and support than any other racing I have ever done. 

Michael McAvoy: Since we have returned, we have already been thinking about some adjustments we can make to the machine to make a return out west and try to win the atv overall. There are quite a few races out there between Best in the Desert and the Legacy series so who knows If Jd says hop on a plane we are going racing I’ll be there.