NEWS FROM AROUND THE DIRT

Last year the Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative contributed over $350,000 to public land conservancy. This year, that funding continues. Yamaha issues quarterly grants to non-profit organizations that support the needs of riding groups, outdoor enthusiasts and land stewardship organizations.

“Public land belongs to everyone and we all have a responsibility to take care of it. Yamaha is proud to continue supporting our riders’ favorite outdoor activities, including OHV riding, hunting, camping and fishing, through the Outdoor Access Initiative,” said Steve Nessi, Yamaha Motorsports Marketing Manager.

Some of those grant recipients include the BlueRibbon Coalition, East Branch Sno-Rovers and ATV club, Reno Area Dirtriders, Swampsiders Snowmobile Club and Idaho Single Track Alliance.

You can now charge your 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid right before you hit the trail. Jeep’s charging network will expand to popular Jeep trailheads across the United States. Jeep is positioning these charging stations in places like Moab, Utah, the Rubicon trail and Big Bear, California. More locations are expected to be added by the end of 2021. The stations can be connected to a power grid or in some locations utilize solar power. The charging stations can fully charge a Jeep Wrangler 4xe in two hours. Jeep owners can unlock the free charging stations via a custom mobile app made by Electrify America. The idea behind the charging stations is to allow electric Jeep owners to top off their vehicle before or after they hit the trail.

One of the most iconic off-road vehicles is up for auction in Indiana this month. The original Big Oly Ford Bronco owned and raced by Parnelli Jones will be auctioned off by Mecum Auctions. Jones raced Big Oly in Baja during the 1971 and 1972 Baja 1000 winning back to back victories. It is the single most significant Bronco-inspired vehicle ever built. The Mecum auction will run from May 1422nd at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

Wild West Motorsports Park has announced the property will be permanently closing. The park located in Sparks, Nevada north of Reno was a favorite for short-course off-road racing and Ultra4 rock crawling events. The track was known for its extreme elevation changes. The venue closure was announced in a post last month via its Facebook page. It read: “This message is to inform all the race fans, promoters, sponsors and racing family. We are sadly announcing that Wild West Motorsports Park will be closing due to unfortunate circumstances. We would like to thank all of our fans, sponsors, promoters and race teams that have helped us put on amazing and action-packed events for the last 9 years. We ask that you support all of our partners, promoters and race teams that have helped make the last 9 years possible.”

Both the newly formed Great American Short Course Series and Ultra4 had events scheduled at Wild West Motorsports Park this year.

Southern Nevada enthusiasts has been forced to cancel the Weddle Industries Caliente 250 due to permit issues. The race was scheduled for June 4th – 5th in Caliente, Nevada. The Caliente BLM office only allows two truck/ car races each year. With permit applications from three from three different race series, a drawing was held. The BLM worked with SNORE to move one of the competing series permits over to the Tonopah office because their race did not come close to town of Caliente and very little of the race course was actually in the Caliente BLM area boundaries. The decision was ultimately left to the Ely district manager who denied SNORE’s request to hold the Caliente 250 race, forcing the series to cancel the event.