AUGUST 18, 2015 | WRITTEN BY: TEAM DRAGONFIRE [0COMMENTS]
DragonFire Racing’s Queen Of The Desert Lacrecia Beurrier Is The Best In The Desert
Queen’s historic rock anthem is apropos as Team DragonFire/AZ West/Rockstar Racing’s own "Queen Of The Desert" Lacrecia Beurrier clinched the Best In The Desert Pro Unlimited UTV championship with a win at the infamous Vegas to Reno off-road this past weekend. Billed as the longest point-to-point off-road race in the country, Buerrier had a score to settle at V2R in addition to a championship on the line… she definitely doubled down by winning not only the 545-mile race, but also locking up the 2015 BITD title.
After suffering a heartbreaking DNF stuck in the silt last year, Lacrecia was looking for revenge this go round… but her chances weren’t looking that promising. Recent storms made the challenging terrain even worse than normal — which is saying something in a race that three quarters of the field failed to finish last year. One thing stuck in the back of everyone’s mind at the start was the fact that every time Lacrecia has tackled V2R in the past, she had been taken out. Two years in a row “The Longest Off-Road Race In America” was too much for the team.
Hoping to avoid strike three, Lacrecia stepped up to the plate, taking the starting line just after 11:00am. At the green flag, the team rocketed off straight into the blinding sun in their Unlimited Pro UTV. They found that this racecourse more than lived up to its reputation. “The silt beds were so deep and long that even the high horsepower trucks and buggies were having issues with the dust,” says co-driver and DragonFire social media manager Chris Moore. “Mounds of silt were exploding in front of the RZR and would actually blot out the sun at times!” The team was flying blind in more ways than one due to GPS issues. The duo decided that line-of-sight was the only way to fly, so they put the hammer down and hoped for the best. “Lacrecia is a thoroughbred desert racer and she knew that the only way to compensate for a lack of horsepower and 35-inch tall tires was to keep it pinned to get through the sections torn up by the trophy trucks… or get stuck like last year.”
After nearly 200 miles in the silt and the dust churned up by hundreds of other racers, Team DragonFire was stoked to find out they were still running in the top three at the pits. A scheduled driver change pulled Lacrecia and Chris out of the car for some much needed rest before nightfall. With the temperature in excess of 90 degrees, the two were cooked, but unable to sleep, so they watched as the car disappeared into the distance in the capable hands of relief driver Brian Thomas and Dustin Hoffman (not Rain Man, but a real savant when it comes to race strategy).
Shortly after leaving the pits, Brian came on the radio relaying the bad news that they had hit a rock in the dust and were in need of two tires. Problem was, they only had one spare onboard! Chris and crew chief Eric Beurrier were quick on their feet, grabbing a tire and taking off running through the pits. Chris located Brightside Racing pits where they were busy fueling their Can-Am Maverick. Despite racing a competing brand, the Brightside Team from Oregon didn’t hesitate to help a fellow UTV racer. They strapped an additional tire to the back of their own with instructions as to where the DragonFire car was stuck. Brightside dropped off the tire in no time flat (pun intended) and continued on. The DragonFire team’s season was saved! "We can’t thank them enough for helping us out in a bind," said Lacrecia. "They are truly a stand-up group of racers!
After another 200 miles, Brian and Dustin came into the pits very ready to hand the car back over to Lacrecia and Chris. As Lacrecia strapped in, crew chief Eric delivered a simple message: “Just drive to the finish line!” The two were off into the inky blackness of the desert night, being as careful as possible and not taking any unneeded risks. The two battled through the massive washouts and rain ruts to cross the finish line at 4:00am in first place. Lacrecia received an extra pat on the back for being the first lady to cross the line that night and #100 overall finisher.
Talk about a trifecta! First woman finisher, Pro Unlimited UTV class winner and the 2015 Best In The Desert Champion! The third time at V2R was definitely a charm for Team DragonFire/AZ West/Rockstar Racing. Time to crank up the Queen… We are the champions, my friend!
Special thanks to Denise and Jeff Scolman and the entire Brightside Racing Team as well as all the sponsors who made the V2R win and the championship possible, including AO Coolers, Axxis Rod Ends, AZ West, Bell, BS Sand, Bulldog Lighting, CP-Carrillo, Dalton Industries, DragonFire, Factory UTV, Gates, ITP, Lonestar Racing, Monster Seal, Mothers Polish, Muzzy’s, Polaris Industries, Queen Racing, RadFlo Suspension Technology, Raceline Wheels, Rockstar Customs, Royal Purple, Rugged Radios, Tred 4×4, Sharq Skinz and Wicked Bilt.
