2023 VT Construction Battleground Results

| June 27, 2023

Hot on the heels of a dramatic weekend of racing at the previous round, the third stop of the Legacy Racing Association visited Caliente, Nevada, for the VT Construction Battleground, a 338-mile point-to-point race that would finish in historic downtown Caliente.

Cooper/ Pearson at 2023 VT Construction Battleground race — **The duo of Axel Pearson and Danny Cooper led the way at the VT Construction Battleground in Caliente, Nevada.**

Story by Trevor Hunter | Photography by Harlen Foley

The three main contenders from the previous race (Danny Cooper 1x, Cory Skaggs 22x, and Trevor Hunter 57x) all returned with sights set on the win while joined by newcomer to the series Eric Holt on the 15x machine. Per usual, the bikes fired first and headed into the open desert one by one at 5:30 am Saturday morning.

First off the line was the 1x bike with hometown hero Axel Pearson joining Danny Cooper as the duo made first dust on their Cooper Motorsports/Kenda Tires backed Honda. Utilizing his local knowledge of the area and putting his desert background to work, Pearson set the pace for the first 280 miles solo, building a sizable gap back to the rest of the field in the process. After building well over 10 minutes on the next rider, Pearson handed the CRF450X to Cooper who would bring the bike into the finish nearly nine minutes ahead of second place.

Behind the lead bike, a dramatic turn of events took place just minutes into the race. Fresh off a win at the Baja Nevada, Cory Skaggs’ 22x Honda was stuck on the side of the course a mere five miles into the race. After staging second, a tire/mousse malfunction left the Skaggs Racing/TAS Insurance CRF450X helpless on the trail. A fair amount of time later, the team was able to remount and continue their race, though they lost nearly one hour in the process and were forced to come through the field all day long to crack the top ten at the finish and gain valuable championship points.

Holt/ Whiteside at at 2023 VT Construction Battleground race — **Eric Holt and Brian Whiteside finished eight minutes behind the Cooper team for second overall.**

The biggest benefactor to the Skaggs breakdown was Eric Holt’s team who started right behind the 22x bike. With Skaggs going out, Holt was faced with less dust than expected (now only one bike was ahead with a two-minute gap) and was able to put in fast miles early on with the Trevor Hunter team in tow.

The opening stages of the race were the traditional fast roads and washes, making visibility through the dust and low light a key factor in the race. Those who started further back credited dust playing a pivotal role in the opening miles as there was no wind to carry the dust off the racecourse.

The Eric Holt/Brian Whiteside duo maintained a stranglehold on second overall from pit one through the finish, slowly building the gap with fast and consistent miles all the way to the checkers on their Norman Racing/Kenda Tires backed Husqvarna.

Rounding out the podium, Trevor Hunter/Hayden Hintz piloted their Dirt Bike Test/1-800-Dent-Doc Honda CRF450X to the bronze position. A big crash early in the day left Hintz with a small hand injury that slowed their overall pace, but the team soldiered on to reach the finish with no major injuries to the bike or body.

While it wasn’t the nailbiter we saw just one month prior in Tonopah, the VT Battleground provided stellar racing for all involved and a very well-received racecourse from those who lined up. One of the closest battles of the day was in the Ironman Expert division between Joe Kidd #747 and Vinny Ruiz #711. The first half of the race saw a dogfight between the two solo racers as they tackled the 330+ mile racecourse with no other relief riders. In the end, Kidd took the class victory en route to 11th on the day. Other notable finishers include Karson Boyce/Kody Livreri (first 399 Pro), Tanner Jacobsen (first Ironman Pro) and Nick Lopez/Cole Burdick (first Expert O/A).