| February 20, 2024
After hosting the final stop of the 2023 season, California City welcomed Best In The Desert with open arms to host the opening round of the championship with the Rigid Industries Golden State 250, February 15-16. The vast 62-mile racecourse through the California desert consisted of high-speed and flowing two-track roads, sand washes and a good mix of elevation, all nestled just a few miles outside of the High Desert town.
The Shane Logan and Carter Klein team kicked off the Best In The Desert Series with a win at the Golden State 250 in Nevada.
Photography by Harlen Foley
Starting with time trials on Thursday afternoon to determine the starting position for the main race, Carter Klein on the N2 KTM put it all on the line to throw down the fastest overall time and secure the first starting position for the following day. Ciaran Naran, Trevor Hunter and the rest of the Open Pro field followed closely behind heading into Friday’s 184-mile race.
Leaving the line first at 12 p.m. sharp, Shane Logan made first dust and set the early pace on the DT Racing/KORR/AHM-backed N2 KTM. Through the opening 40 miles to Pit 1, Logan stretched his lead to over 40 seconds ahead of Ciaran Naran on the Deus/AHM-backed N3 Honda. Sitting in third through the first pit, Hunter relinquished 30 seconds to the N3 team, but the defending champions on the American Honda/Dirt Bike Test-backed N1 bike did a quick rider swap early to keep a fresh rider on the bike to handle the rougher-than-normal Cal City loop. Starting at the back of the pack, Open Pro soloist Bryce Stavron climbed through the ranks and sat mere seconds outside of third overall on adjusted time by the end of the first 62-mile lap.
The defending champs, Trevor Hunter and Hayden Hintz, were second overall.
As the race went on, the gaps started to form, with the N2 team stretching it out over the rest of the field. At the halfway point, Logan handed his KTM 450 XC-F off to teammate Klein to finish the remaining 80 miles with a four-plus-minute gap to the next rider. Holding his own on a bike built completely out of spare parts in his garage, Naran gave his nearly 20-year-old CRF450X to teammate Forrest Minchinton for the final lap and a half with a few minutes ahead of the N1 team. Like the others, Hintz and Hunter swapped riders again to stay fresh and try to find some speed on the back half of the race.
Despite running strong in the early stages and showing tremendous speed, Stavron suffered from a rear flat tire midway through the second lap. Without a spare wheel of his own, Brandon Krause gave up his spare tire and mousse to get Stavron back on track and to the finish, though out of contention after a lengthy pit stop.
Ironman winner Dustin Slade was the top solo rider in seventh overall.
Making his comeback after suffering from significant injuries down in Baja a few years back, multi-time event winner Nic Garvin ran top speed early on, but some vision issues in the first half of the race lost too much time for Garvin and teammate Derek Ausserbauer to make up on the back end on their City Service Paving/AHM-backed CRF450X to ultimately finish fifth overall.
The top Open Expert team in eighth overall went to the trio of Cameron Wilson, Wyatt Seat and Nick Stover.
At the front of the race, Carter Klein continued to set the pace on the final lap, cruising to the overall victory. Behind Klein, the race for second heated up as the N1 Honda team chased down the N3 Honda team. Steadily making up time, the N1 bike made the pass for second overall just a few miles before the final pit, where they’d hold that position all the way to the finish. Proving you don’t need the latest and greatest machinery to be competitive, Minchinton and Naran finished a close third overall. Narrowly missing the podium, Brandon Krause and Austin Keys crossed the checkers just over one minute outside of third place on adjusted time on their Air Cleaning Technologies/Malcolm Smith Motorsports-backed KTM.
After a lengthy recovery from injuries, Nic Garvin (pictured), along with teammate Derek Ausserbauer, was back in action en route to fifth overall.
Outside of the Open Pro battles, Dustin Slade finished top Ironman and sixth overall on his Warrior Built/Monster Energy Kawasaki. The Top Expert team went to the Wilson Construction/Prairie Dogs MC trio of Cameron Wilson, Wyatt Seat and Nick Stover, finishing seventh overall. Top Amateur honors belong to Kevin Daniels, winning the Ironman Amateur class in the process.
Forrest Minchinton and Ciaran Naran were third overall.
With a stacked field of Pros contesting the opening round, the 2024 Best In The Desert Championship battle is looking bright as racers head to the favored Silver State 300 in two months’ time.CN
Overall
- Shane Logan/Carter Klein (KTM)
- Trevor Hunter/Hayden Hintz (Hon)
- Forrest Minchinton/Ciaran Naran (Hon)
- Brandon Krause/Austin Keys (KTM)
- Nic Garvin/Derek Ausserbauer (Hon)
