Last weekend saw the return of the Best In The Desert race series and the World Hare & Hound championship at Tonopah in the US state of Nevada.

Many top off-road desert racers arrived from across the US and beyond to try and snatch the title of World Champion, and some unseasonable rain and even a few flurries of snow certainly made the conditions more challenging for them.

Beta Factory USA’s Joe Wasson and Zane Roberts were just two of the riders on a packed Pro grid, hoping to finish on top.

As well as the coveted title, Pro riders were also in the hunt for a cash bonus of up to $1000 if they could catch the hare before Pit 1, or $500 before Pit 2.

The hare had a three minute head start on the first wave of Pro riders, who all started as a group on one line, much like the traditional hare & hound setup of former years. Nic Garvin took the holeshot, but was passed early on by Wasson on the Beta, who led the tight knit pack as they headed into Pit 1.

By that point Wasson and Roberts had cut the hare’s lead down from 3 minutes to just over 1 minute, and in the next run to Pit 2 Wasson caught him to claim the $500 bonus, with his eyes firmly on the race win. Roberts would come in to Pit 2 just a few seconds behind, snapping at the heels of his teammate.

In the final section from Pit 2 to Pit 3, Joe opened up a lead over Zane to take the win and ‘World Champion’ title by 1:05s with Hayden Hintz in 3rd.

That result made for a Kenda 1 – 2 on the podium, and is further testament to the quality and versatility of our off-road range which is a proven winner across a wide range of disciplines and conditions.

Congratulations to Joe and our partners at Beta Factory USA!