2024 Laughlin Desert Challenge Results

| October 22, 2024

Keeping up with the trend this year, the racing was nothing short of exciting at the King Shocks Laughlin Desert Classic, the fourth and final round of the 2024 Best In The Desert Championship season. Defending champions Hayden Hintz and Trevor Hunter powered to the overall win after 150 miles and 10 laps of racing, their first win of the year for the duo.

Hayden Hintz (left) and Trevor Hunter at 2024 Laughlin Desert Challenge — **Hayden Hintz (left) and Trevor Hunter won the BITD Desert Challenge in Laughlin, Arizona.**

Photos: Harlen Foley

As the sun rose above the surrounding mountains early Saturday morning of the October 19-20 weekend, the green flag waved and the first row of Pro motorcycles came to life and rocketed into the first turn. The N2 KTM team of Shane Logan, Corbin McPherson and Connor Eddy grabbed the holeshot and led the N1 team of Hints and Hunter and the rest of the Pro field into the watered infield section before heading into the unprepped desert landscape that was less than a mile in the course. A few corners into the loop, the N1 team powered their DirtBikeTest.com/Honda CRF450X around the outside of the N2 team and into the lead just as they left the watered section and hit the dry, dusty roads. Utilizing the dust to their advantage, the N1 team built a small gap over the rest of the field as they made first dust and had clean air through the opening lap.

Even with clean air, it wasn’t a clean lap for Hunter, as some course changes compared to previous years caught him off guard, and he missed a few of the new corners and then had to regain his position on the track. Despite a few mishaps on the opening lap, the N1 team held the lead over their first two dust-free laps over the following N2 bike, both of which had built a sizable gap over the rest of the racers. As the race settled in, the front-runners began catching lapped riders as early as lap three, with dust now becoming a factor for all of the racers, including the ones out front.

A new feature of the race implemented this year was the use of a Joker Lane, an approximately 20-second-longer section that each team was required to take at least once during the race. Rather than sitting in dust for the entirety of the race, the N1 team opted to take the Joker Lane on lap two to allow for a bigger gap and break in the dust in hopes of making up time on the leader with some clean air. By the end of lap four, the first pit stops came into play and the N1 team exited with approximately 30 seconds over the next bike after the rider swaps and refueling.

**N2 KTM team of Shane Logan, Corbin McPherson and Connor Eddy were third overall.**

Over the next two laps, the N2 team lost considerable time and was forced to pit early due to a rear-tire malfunction. The team was testing a different tire, and it had worn through the center knobs entirely and the mousse was exposed. A long pit to change the rear wheel cost them valuable time, dropping them to over four minutes behind the leader.

Then, just as the race seemed under control and everyone was settling into their finishing positions, the N1 team ran out of gas a couple miles before the pit, leaving them stranded on the side of the course. Luckily for them, a photographer nearby had some gas handy and gave the CRF450X enough to make it back into the pit. After refueling and swapping riders once again, the Honda team set out for the final two laps just seconds ahead of the N1 team and the hard-charging N15 bike with Nic Colangeli onboard, riding solo in the Open Pro class.

Nic Colangeli at 2024 Laughlin Desert Challenge — **Nic Colangeli did all the work himself to take second overall.**

With less than 30 minutes left in the race, there was a three-way battle shaping up in the outskirts of Laughlin. The N1 team made quick work of some lapped traffic through the dust early and started building a gap over the rest of the field, eventually bringing it home for the overall win. Behind them, the N2 team crashed in the closing lap, resulting in front brake issues that cost them valuable time. They eventually brought the bike home in third overall behind Colangeli who came from dead last off the start to pass up into second overall at the checkers.

With the third-place finish, Shane Logan and the team secured the coveted Open Pro class Championship and will carry the N1 plate in 2025. Other notable finishers include Hayden Roberts/Frank Goodson winning the 30+ Pro class and finishing fourth overall, with Ironman Pro winner Aiden Poulson rounding out the overall top five.

Aiden Poulson at 2024 Laughlin Desert Challenge — Aiden Poulson won the Pro Ironman class in fifth overall.

Wyatt Seat’s team won the Open Expert class and finished first overall Expert, Dick Wilk and company won the 60 Expert class, and Tyler Simpson’s team won the Open Amateur class and finished top Amateur overall.

The 2025 Best In The Desert Championship will start up next spring, April 29 to May 3, with the new Nevada 1000, a three-day stage race set to traverse the Nevada desert for 1000 miles. CN