Industry News

DragonFire and KeysCrete Racing Tackle the Longest Offroad Race in the U.S.A.

DragonFire Racing

Fort Worth, TX (September 20, 2017) – August 18th and 19th saw the running of the General Tire “Vegas to Reno” Race Presented by FOX. KeysCrete Racing, sponsored by DragonFire Racing, was there in full force. Considered the longest offroad race in the United States at 540 miles, it took the KeysCrete/DragonFire team 13 hours, 7 minutes and 35 seconds to complete, coming in second place in the Pro Production 1000 class and 11th overall.

“We want to thank DragonFire Racing and all their incredible employees for the fantastic support! This has been a blast – as usual!” said Jimmy Keys and Russell Griffin.

KeysCrete/DragonFire

KeysCrete/DragonFire

The race featured desert terrain with mountain elevations of 6000+ feet, thick dust, deep washouts thanks to heavy rain that came through the area before the race and intermittent cold temperatures.

The conditions didn’t stop the team of drivers, Russell Griffin and Jimmy Keys, or their navigators Justin Hardin and Evertt Crowfford. Running the #1970 Polaris RZR 1000, the team arrived eager to get on dirt after a break following the UTV World Championships. Griffin hit the dirt from the starting line in 3rd position and passed the leaders within the first 15 miles of his run. He entered into pit stop 6 for fuel with a five-mile lead.

KeysCrete/DragonFire

KeysCrete/DragonFire

His lead was cut to about a mile just before pit stop 8 thanks to a flat tire. The crew arrived quickly with a new one and he continued the race. With plans for a driver change at pit stop 10, the team discovered a broken axle. Griffin and his navigator, Hardin, quickly swapped out with driver Keys and his navigator, Crowfford. With the axle changed, they returned to the trail about 15 minutes behind the leader. Instead of trying to catch up, Keys continued at a conservative speed to make sure the team finished the race. Another pesky flat right before pit stop 13 didn’t get the team down and they maintained their strong position to win second place.

“The only real problem we ran into once we fixed the axle was dust accumulating in my helmet,” said Keys. “I had to run the rest of the race with my shield up. It’s something we are going to address before the next race. We were glad to see the finish line after a long day!

KeysCrete/DragonFire

KeysCrete/DragonFire

About DragonFire

Since 2005, DragonFire has been providing riders with premium side-by-side accessories made to set the trail on fire. Backed by a racing heritage that started at Baja and continues today, we are proud to call ourselves hardcore and passionate offroad enthusiasts. Our premium accessories are untamed and uncompromising because they are designed, manufactured and sold by people who live the life. Riders can bring the heat with DragonFire products. For more information, visit DragonFire Racing.

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