Vegas To Tonopah

After a promising start to the General Tire "Vegas to Reno" Saturday morning, things went South quickly for Sven Ellstrom, Chazz Arenibas and the Ellstrom Racing Pro Turbo UTV.

From the 20th position on the starting grid, the Ellstrom team got off to a strong start, passing half the cars who started ahead of them in the first 50 miles. The fun ended a short time later when the front end differential failed.

After limping into the first pit area at the 100 mile mark, the team spent almost an hour replacing the differential in temperatures nearing 115 degrees. With repairs completed, Ellstrom and Arenibas headed out into the blazing heat of the Nevada desert with plans to do some catching up.

Those plans went up in desert dust 46 miles later when a blown engine turned the Vegas to Reno into the Vegas to Tonopah, which is as far as the very frustrated and over heated team made it on a day they would like to forget.

The team will return to the cooler conditions in Seattle to prepare for the season-ender; The Method Race Wheels Laughlin Desert Classic October 12 in Laughlin, Nevada.