Press Release | December 16, 2022
Best In The Desert announces an updated 2023 schedule, including the cancellation of the Parker 250 and Parker 425, originally set for January of 2023.
Update from December 16, 2022:
A Special Message from Bryan Folks regarding the cancellation of the Parker 250 and Parker 425:
Following is the text from Bryan’s video posted on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/p/CmQEqI8gDFb/) :
Hello everyone, on behalf of myself and the team at BITD we appreciate your time.
First and foremost, please know the following, the Future of off-road racing with BITD is as strong as it has ever been.
We at BITD are heavily invested in the long-term growth of our series and the entire sport. We hope the next few min will answer many of your recent questions & concerns.
My message to you today is to provide a clear direction on the future of off-road racing with BITD. Firstly, to address the recent cancellation of the Parker Events.
As acting president and the director of day-to-day operations I take full responsibility for the cancellation of these events. To our racing community, to the town and businesses of Parker AZ, to the Mohave County and all involved, you have my most sincere apologies. We know how much this event means to you all.
When BITD moved the Parker events-main pit from the CRIT land to the old Parker side main pit onto exclusive BLM land it changed the event in more ways than most can understand. When the event was run on CRIT land the spectators were much more spread out and easier to manage and control.
When the event main pit moved to Shea Road all of our spectators also relocated. An estimated 15 to 20k spectators now congregated into a small area causing more than a few challenges. The largest of these challenges was how to effectively control spectators at this event. There were several promoter infractions that we incurred at the 2022 Parker event, of which we addressed in our operations plan for 2023. However, the major infraction in 2022 was controlling the spectators.
The resounding factor that caused BLM to deny our 2023 race permit was due to the fact that we did not provide a satisfactory action plan on how we would control the spectators in 2023. We do not begrudge the BLM! The BLM are our partners, and we ultimately agree with their decision in regards to this year’s Parker Events. BITD is in the process of managing these spectator issues for future events.
Moving forward into the future, BITD will be installing a full-time safety and security team to participate at all events. After the intimate review of the current situation we feel this is our best step forward. It is our determination that such action will not only secure the survival of BITD, but also ensure the survival of all off-road racing that we all love so dearly!
As I said earlier – The Future of off road racing with BITD is stronger than ever! And now we are taking measures.
BITD is heavily invested in the long-term growth of this series. We have publicly shared our 2023 and future growth plan in an extensive series deck you will find it available now on our website in the coming days. The purpose of this outline is to give not only our invested partners & sponsors a clear path forward, but this is also for each of you to continue building your future plans with BITD. We developed this as a tool for you to share with your current and future sponsors. The health of each racer and team is equally important to the growth of our community.
SCHEDULE: due to the Parker events we have revised the 2023 schedule. However, you can confidently know we have a commitment to return to Parker in 2024.
IN CLOSING I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU SOME GREAT NEW & PROGRESSIVE INFORMATION FOR 2023
In addition to securing familiar series sponsors, BITD has many new partnerships in development for 2023 including some big brand names! We are excited to share this news in the near future.
BITD is in the process of aggressively growing our UTV racing efforts. The past 6 months we have been in direct and harmonious discussions with every OEM manufacturer for 2023 planning. We are preparing to make a significant announcement and a first of its kind for off road racing before the end of year!
BITD is committed to growing our live TV package with Ryde TV and our continued CBS Sports Relationship.
BITD – has revised its numbering system for those of you that earn a series championship you will now have the opportunity to own this number the following season.
Because BTID is the proving grounds for off road racing in the US we will be offering “BITD Best In Class Performance Awards” to OEM & Performance Product Categories. This is a big opportunity to talk to your current and future sponsors. These end of season awards can be used to broadcast to their community that they have earned the coveted “BITD Best in Class Award” proving their products outshined all the rest!
THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE BIG CHANGES HAPPENING FOR THE BITD COMMUNITY.
WE HOPE THIS MESSAGE CLARIFIED CONCERNS AND MOST IMPORTANT PROVIDES YOU NEW HOPE FOR THE FUTURE OF DESERT RACING WITH BITD.
Bryan Folks, co-owner and CMO of the organization, issued the following statement on December 13, 2022: “At Best In The Desert, we strive to deliver off-road races that are the pinnacle of our sport’s racing experience, and have done so since 1984. Due to circumstances that surfaced, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the Parker 250 and Parker 425. These two Parker AZ races are set to reconvene in 2024, at a date to be announced.”
Best In The Desert will replace the World Hare & Hound Championship event as the Golden State 250, which will now include Car and Truck classes, as well as Motorcycles, ATVs and UTVs as part of the event set for February 17-19, 2023. More details on the race itself will be forthcoming in the coming days.
At this time Best In The Desert is releasing an updated 2023 race schedule. The new schedule reflects the removal of the Parker 250 and Parker 425 races, plus updated events and locations.
2023 Best in the Desert Schedule (updated)
| 2/17-19 |
(Rnd 1) Golden State 250 |
| 4/20-22 |
(Rnd 2) Silver State 300 |
| 5/18-20 |
(Rnd 3) AZ 150 |
| 8/16-20 |
(Rnd 4) Vegas-to-Reno |
| 10/12-15 |
(Rnd 5) Laughlin Desert Classic |
| 11/9-12 |
(Rnd 6) World Hare & Hound |
Daryl Folks, co-owner and CEO added, “Racers who have registered will have several options for their registration fees, including transferring fees to another race or races, or full refunds. We appreciate the support of the Best In The Desert racing community, and we look forward to seeing many of you at the new Golden State 250 event on February 17-19, 2023.”
Please stay tuned for upcoming important announcements to follow in the days to come.
