The RPI Gold Rush event kicked off with Qualifying at the Dayton Rodeo Grounds on Thursday October 10th.This was the 5th Event in the 2024 Legacy Racing Series Presented by Brenthel Race Trucks and the Final event in the 2024 VORRA Series. The Spectators and teams watched as race vehicles soared over the iconic finish line jump where some were more graceful than others. There were many conversations going on as each racer had their turn to determine “who did it best.”
 The Pro UTV class would take off the line first. Even though he started last and had a disadvantage of a roughed up course, T977 Brayden Baker would take home the Podium Suspension Fastest Qualifier Title. Brayden pushed his Polaris Pro R to the max to get a time of 04:30. T983 Nick Gurries fell short by a mere 8 seconds which would put him in the 2nd starting position. Coming from back to back wins at the Legacy Dirt Rebelution and VORRA’s Stomping Grounds 300, T906 Tim Fitzpatrick wanted to get an advantage for race day and pushed hard to earn 3rd.
27 of Jack Olliges was not just the top qualifier but he also had the farthest jump at the finish line. Jack was on a mission to take the NextGen Fire System top qualifying spot, breaking his rear bumper as he launched the new Geiser truck off the hill creating some incredible video footage. Taking 2nd in their state of the art Class 1 was the 1562 Sean Gilbert. After years of development and design, this car is breathing some fresh air into Class 1 and ready to compete for Overall finishes. Not far behind Sean was the 3 Michael Scafuto in his Team Real Racing brand new Brenthel Industries AWD truck. He was able to secure 3rd position in his Rookie season. 
6101 Brent Fox on his Toyo Tires was able to lay down the fastest time in the 6100 class, winning the Teal Excavation 6100 Top Qualifier. 6109 Jake Johnson was right on his heels and able to secure 2nd. 6123 David Ziegler, with this event being a hometown race for him and his entire team, was able to lock himself into 3rd position.
On Friday, we headed to Virginia City, the perfect backdrop for this epic event. This location has created quite a buzz, leaving everyone talking about it for the last year. Teams came out to support and enjoy this historic town nestled in the high deserts of Northern Nevada. Racers, Pit Crew, Family, Staff, Volunteers and Spectators have voted and agreed that this is the most iconic location to host FanFest. Many racers raved about their drive through tech located on C Street in the business district which created the perfect stage to showcase their vehicles and the hard work their teams have put into them. One of the highlights from the day was the GFI Kawasaki Maxxis Team being able to make a grand entrance on the local steam train. Teammates 1941 Zach Kisman and 316 Steve Austin arrived in style on the Train, pulling through town honking and waving to everyone. Shane Kisman the GFI Team Manager worked side by side with Laura Butcher from VORRA to make this happen creating a story that will be talked about for years to come.. 
Saturday was race day, and the motorcycles and quads would be starting at Pit 1 Weeks. We made the hard decision to have the motorcycles and quads skip the rocky 20 mile section of Old Como. Not only would they be racing directly into the sun, this area is not easy to access so any injuries or breakdowns would be stuck for a few hours. This would also increase the gap between the last bike and the first truck creating the safest possible scenario to avoid being caught by the front runners in the Cars and Trucks. Ultimately this was the best decision as we had a 94% finishing rate for Motorcycles & quads.
First off the line was Open Pro 1X Danny Cooper, Axel Pearson & Matt Combs. They would set the pace and maintain the lead until just after Pit 7 where the motorcycle would have some mechanical issues and allow 77J Stephen Helms to take control. With a flawless day Helms & Kody Moutafidis would take home not only first overall motorcycle but the O-30 Pro class win with a time of 4:48:34. 1X Danny Cooper was able to get back on course and finish with just over 3 minutes separating him from the leader, taking home the Open Pro Win and 2nd overall bike. 
101 Brett Aguilera’s and Team Aggie had a flawless day because teammate Travis Wells built a bulletproof bike. The team pushed hard to get the 3rd overall position and Open Expert Class Win. Coming in 2nd Open Expert, 124 Aaron Potter was the 4th bike to cross the finish line. Aaron has excelled this year going from Ironman Expert to Open Expert. Working with teammate Bryan McDonald to help make it happen. 139 Kale Crotts would charge hard all day to take home 3rd Open Expert.
This was a hometown event for the Pro Ironman 11M Colton Scudder riding solo. Having a large support system, his team loved being there to root him on. Colton is the points leader for Ironman Pro Champion. He was challenged for the 300 mile race by Ironman Expert 741 Justin Moore riding his Yamaha Rally bike through some of Nevada’s most difficult conditions. 
69J Brett Stevens took 2nd place in Over 30 Pro and 8th overall. Brett needed a last minute partner and called up Dustin Slade, asking him if he was over 30 and wanted to race with him on Saturday. These two had a flawless day and good run considering Dustin had never ridden this motorcycle prior to race day.
Over 30 Expert 349 Luke & Josh Baca had an early race get off injuring Luke’s foot leaving brother Josh to tackle the remainder of the race without him. They would finish 1:30 just ahead of the 328 Ryan Bunderson. Ryan and teammates Dustin Vasquez, and Travis Lewis would have a smooth day and take home the Silver place in Over 30 Expert.
The Perseverance award for this race would go to 269 Mike Sampson who early on in the race, decided to take a dirt nap injuring his leg in the process. He would gather himself up and pass the bike off to his teammates at the next pit area but refused to sit it out. At the final pit stop, he got back on the bike and rode the remaining 52 miles to the finish line. Upon arriving home that afternoon, he visited his local hospital where he found out he had done all those miles while riding on a fractured leg. Some may think racing motorcycles is crazy. Well Mike, thanks for doing your part to help confirm those thoughts.  The Over 40 Expert class has been a fun one this season. 440 Casey Seagle and Ron Honea enjoyed this hometown event, being from Virginia City. With their wives as their sponsors and biggest cheerleaders, they had something to prove. They did just that by taking home the class win!
444 Christopher Ellis and Joseph Sears were on a roll, keeping a steady pace when Joseph spotted 349 facing some trouble. Without missing a beat, Joe stopped to lend a hand—because that’s what makes the off-road racing community truly special. It’s not just about speed; it’s about sportsmanship, camaraderie, and lifting each other up. That’s what makes this sport so incredible
The Over 50 Expert class brings its own level of grit, where every team member must be over 50 to qualify. Team 554, featuring Dean Taylor, Bill Daugherty, and Lance Marshall, traveled all the way from Idaho and Washington to compete. With experience and determination, they pushed hard to reach the finish line and took home the first place trophy.
Riding solo in the Ironman Amateur class, 766’s Scott Gray gave it everything he had over the grueling 300 miles. Battling through challenges along the way, he was running on pure grit by the time he reached the finish. True endurance in action.
The quad amateur 885 Davan Busicos had a major oil leak on the quad. By major we mean they were dumping gallons of oil in at a time. Making for a long day. Having to stop every 5 miles for a refill. Their team was doing a great job keeping them in the loop of where the first trucks were. Being the last quad on course was stressful. Luckily they were able to make it to the finish with plenty of time to spare. With this being their rookie season they have overcome many obstacles to be the class champion!
 The Cars, Trucks and UTVs were set to take off at 10:30am and the first 20 miles of their race was very rocky. This section of the race course is known as Old Como which leads to the abandoned Como mining district just outside of Dayton Nevada. At 10:30am 27 Jack Olliges launched off the starting line followed by 1562 Sean Gilbert 1 minute later. These 2 vehicles would push each other hard and gap the remaining field by over 20 minutes. 27 Jack Olliges led the pack and was setting a fantastic pace with 1562 Sean Gilbert close behind him. At Pit 4, Jack would jump out and team partner Kevin McGillivray would jump in and continue the lead until he would get a flat just before Pit 7, thus giving 1562 Sean Gilbert the opportunity to get around and take the lead. Sean would charge hard with clean air towards the finish and open up a substantial lead to give the Gilberts Racing team their very 1st Overall win in their new Class 1 with a time of 5:25:21. 
The 26 Jonathan Brenthel in their AWD Brenthel Industries truck had a 15 minute flat due to a jack malfunction but was able to keep a good pace and secure 1st place in Unlimited Truck. Behind the wheel of the number 1 truck, Eric Hustead he was racing his son’s 6100 truck in the unlimited class while testing out some new tires for Maxxis. He tried his best to drive the tires off of the truck but they held strong all the way to the checkered flag. One of the most competitive classes in off-road racing is the 6100’s. Brent Fox was the first 6100 off the line. Unfortunately he would have transmission issues which would force him to watch 6109 Jake Johnson take the lead and allow him the opportunity to charge ahead. Jake was locked into a neck and neck battle with the 6123 David Ziegler. They were running a blistering pace and challenging each other at every corner. The battle was so intense that Johnson would get a flat a few miles from the finish but knowing there was no time to pull over and change it, he gunned it towards the checkered flag. It’s a good thing he did because Ziegler would cross the finish line right behind Johnson. It’s incredible, there were only 10 seconds between them, ultimately giving 6109 Jake Johnson 1st in Class and 2nd Overall with 6123 David Zeigler taking home 2nd in Class and 3rd Overall finisher. Adding to even more excitement in the 6100 class was 6150 Ryder Swanson who kept these 2 trucks within striking distance all day. Not only did he stay right on their bumpers but he would cross the finish line in 3rd place separating the Top 3 in 6100 Class by only 16 seconds after 351 grueling miles and nearly 5 and ½ hours of racing!
  
In Class 1, 1562 Sean Gilbert would take home the Overall and Class win but there was still a great battle brewing behind him.1513 Mike Frye had a flat tire that put him towards the back of the pack not far from the starting line. At that point he decided that he was just going to have fun and get the finish. But after passing a few other Class 1’s on the side of the road, he began to realize he might actually have a shot at the podium positions. 1592 Jeff Kary was one of the cars he passed who also was having some mechanical issues early. But after getting those resolved, the race was on between the two of them to see who could keep it moving forward the longest. Kary would cross the finish line in 6:36:25 just 3:38 behind Frye giving the 1513 Mike Frye the Silver medal and 1592 Jeff Kary taking home the Bronze.  In the UTV divisions, there was $25,000.00 up for grabs thanks to Driven Off-Road. This large pot was split amongst five classes:$12,000 to 1st Pro UTV $6500 1st Naturally Aspirated UTV$2,500 to 1st Unlimited UTV$2000 to Pro Stock 1 UTV $2000 to Pro Stock 2 UTV
T977 Brayden Baker led the pack of UTV’s off the starting line. He would have to pass a lot of other vehicles along the way as the UTV’s made their way to the front runners. He had some minor issues causing his UTV to not perform at its best while still battling for the top position with T906 Tim Fitzpatrick and T909 Alex Baker. At Pit 4, Alex would change co-drivers and surrender his normal co-driver to take over driving duties for the 6149 truck. Alex is known for being fast, but his fortieth is consistency and silky smooth driving which he executed by finishing 3rd place in UTV Pro missing 2nd place only by 6 seconds. Fitzpatrick and Baker would battle all the way to the finish but the advantage of starting 1st was too much to overcome and T906 Tim Fitzpatrick would take 2nd place while T977 Brayden Baker would lead from green flag to checkers, not only taking 1st place but also the $12,000 prize money from Driven Off-Road.  2994 Andrew Rightmire started 82nd overall and had a great day, getting into the top 20, finishing 1st in UTV Unlimited class, and winning the VORRA Unlimited UTV Championship. Andrew along with his friends and family made the trip from Oregon to come and race across the Nevada desert. Without the support of his family and friends he would have struggled to the finish line, so needless to say, it was a whole team contribution helping him get to the finish. The UTV NA Class saw the top 3 UTV’s finish within 6 minutes of each.1980 Deegan Gonzalez was leading the class until they had some engine issues 55 miles from the finish turning the lead over to 1950 Becker Chase. Becker has finished 2 races this year with his vehicle barely limping across the finish line so he could relate to the difficulties Deegan was having. But he was not sympathetic enough to surrender this victory to either 1980 Deegan Gonzalez or the 1985 Nathan Batchelder as he was chasing them down coming into the finish. Ultimately, Becker would stand on the top step followed by Deegan and then Nathan would take home the final podium position.
In Class 10, 1036 Corey Goin would lead the class off the line and hold it until mile 150 where he would get a flat tire handing the reins off to 1098 Dane Miller. Miller would play it smart and keep it smooth and steady all the way to the finish to take first in class. He was followed in by 1028 Ryan Etter who has had a rough start to the year so he was very excited to see the checkered flag. 1036 would recover from the flat and get back a lost position to come across the line in 3rd place. Within the UTV Stock 2 Class U948 Corry Weller has been on a roll, winning 4 out of the 5 events this year in the Legacy Racing Series. But U922 Trapas Wilde and U905 Sarah Stewart were determined to bring that streak to an end. Ultimately these 3 Cars would play tug of war making their way to the finish where U922 would anxiously await the official time to be recorded determining his 2nd place finish. U905 Sarah Stewart would come across the finish line just as the sun was going down but it was 20 minutes behind the class leader landing her a 3rd place. And U948 Corry Weller would take home the 1st place trophy and keep her undefeated season rolling in the UTV Stock 2 Class.
In the 4700 JeepSpeed class, 4714 Scott Biehl, 4733 Andrew Hulse and 4744 Brett Maister would all cross the finish line while challenging each other throughout the race. 4744 Maister racing the LAPD truck would not capture the villains this time, taking home 3rd place honors while 4733 Hulse would take 1st and 4714 Beihl would finish in 2nd. But Beihl would maintain his points lead where he has 1 more race to keep the vehicle moving forward to lock up the 2024 points championship.
 S921 Steven Radtke looked to continue his perfect season. At 16, Steven is competing in his first full season. He shared the driving duties with his dad, and about half way through they swapped seats. Taking the win at Gold Rush meant the Radtke family went 6 for 6 in 2024. S919 Bradley Hindman would take home the 2nd place honors with S986 Smokey Del Mar rounding out the Top 3 in the UTV Stock Mod Class.
1685 Tyler Flippin would bring out the 1/2 1600 car to challenge the 351 mile race course. Not only did they beat the terrain, they did it at an impressive 52 mph average speed taking home the 1st place trophy.
 1425 Craig Christy showed up with his retro 1970’s F150 truck rocking a beautiful light blue and white 2 tone color scheme. Not only did it look good in the pits but it performed even better taking home the Class 1450 win.
In the VORRA Sportsman UTV class, the Top 3 in points showed up to do battle as this race determined their series points championship. As the green flag dropped. 316 Steve Austin took off like a bat out of He** headed into the Historically Rocky Old Como where co-driver Shane Kisman had to stress to Steve that they just needed to finish. That seemed to calm Steve down, for the majority of the race at least. With about 50 miles left, 5934 Matthew Bertero started experiencing overheating problems and the 316 could see the dust and taste blood in the water. Steve put the hammer down and Shane braced and held on for dear life all the way to the finish, ending up taking the win by 40 seconds. 5934 Matthew Bertero would still make it to the finish line taking 2nd place. 5959 Cody Wolfe stated at the finish line, “ I was not sure about this point to point race, I’m used to the loop races where you see the race course multiple times and you can choose when to go for it but we had a great time nonetheless.” Cody would end up 3rd for the day.
In the Group T, 8035 Nick Gust would drive hard to be able to take home the win. 8712 Jason Armstrong had a really eventful day, running out of gas not once but twice, dealing with some mechanical issues but they stuck with it and crossed the finish line. They were one of the last finishers but that’s exactly what they needed to not only take 2nd place at Gold Rush but secure the VORRA Group T championship.  8163 Cade Myres running their Ford Expedition had so much excitement surrounding their team it was contagious. Running as a family Cade and his mother Debbie shared the driving duties. It had been 15 years since this truck had raced after an unfortunate accident that left his dad Matt almost paralyzed. With a lot of hard work, determination and a stubbornness unmatched by almost any man to not give up, he would recover. And with Matt recovered, the family felt it was time for the truck to do the same and make its return to racing at this event. Not only did they finish, they gave the family another 1st place trophy in their beloved family race car. With tears in his eyes, Cade told us this heartfelt story about how his Dad had given him the race truck just months before the event and how both Mom and Dad felt it was time to get the “Bull Frog” back to racing.
The VORRA OG Pro Stock Class had a really interesting day. 3944 Lucas Bates got out front early, and held a great pace taking 1st place competing in only his second ever race. 3913 Taryn McCalla, the points leader coming into Gold Rush ran hard, but at pit 2 had an odd mechanical failure that caused the engine to overheat and blow a head gasket. Coming into Gold Rush running 2nd place in points in his rookie season, 3983 Talon Harris tried to take advantage of Taryn’s misfortune. However, just before Pit 3 the front end decided to exit the chat. Talon did not give up and basically rebuilt his entire front end, but ultimately timed out of the event before completing the final repairs. 
Class 9 offered an exciting race. 9990 Maclain McBride needed a first-place finish—and a bit of luck—to secure the VORRA championship. In his rookie season, he pushed hard, clinching the class win and the Overall Nevada Championship.Meanwhile, 9000 Travis Weir knew he just needed to finish to secure the VORRA Class 9 title. He drove a smart, skillful race, finishing in second place and earning the Class 9 championship.
The Group T light class basically became a “Battle of the Jeeps”. 768 Mark Saum ran really hard, knowing that starting the race would lock up his championship. Mark ran a great race, not only starting but finishing with the class win. 717 Christopher McDonald and his family had a great race, running on the same set of tires all year! The father/son duo did what they wanted to do and never changed a flat tire all year long, having great family adventures and fun all while finishing the longest race of their season.
The fan favorite was the Class 11 Volkswagen Bug, 1137 Jack McCormick had a hard day. They had issue after issue, making this a very long day inside and out of the bug. With the story of the race, his co-driver Michael Rasp had to ride on the back for the last 20 miles to hold open the throttle due to the cable breaking. As they neared the checkered flag, we watched as their headlights flickered in the darkness as they came down the hill and then all of the sudden, they stopped. As we all watched and wondered what was going on, hoping that the Bug didn’t breathe its last breath of silt and dust, we saw the headlights flicker to life and the front of the car bounce into the air as the faintest sound of a motor came to life. As they rounded the last corner and crossed the finish line, they were met with applause and excitement from their team and fellow competitors. As the emotions died down, Michael explained what we were all wondering about, why did you stop? “We were coming down the trail and the car hit a small bump in the road causing me to fall off the back of the car into the poof dirt at the high rate of speed,about 4 mph. Without me holding the throttle open, the flame went out in the little engine causing our progress to come to a grinding stop.” 
This event had such a great finishing rate, a 92% rate to be exact, which is completely unheard of in a 351-mile desert race!!! This also created some challenges by creating a very dusty day. Typically there are more gaps due to mechanical issues but the racers kept a great pace all day. With fewer breakdowns, vehicles came across the finish one right after the other which was very exciting in more ways than one. There were so few calls for assistance that our retrieval teams were fairly bored and our Motorsports Safety Teams responded to zero medical calls which is exactly the way we like it.
A huge thank you to all of our Staff, Volunteers, Medics and Mineral County Search and Rescue. Without the support of these amazing people, this event wouldn’t have been so flawless. We appreciate your time, efforts and professionalism. We have the best people out in the Desert!
Working with Storey County Sheriff Mike Cullen and his entire department, all strong supporters of off-roading, helped us make this event truly exceptional. We’re also grateful to the Silverland Inn for their hospitality in hosting registration. Virginia City has been fantastic to work with, offering outstanding support as hosts. The Bucket of Blood Saloon and Delta Saloon played a key role by allowing Tech to take place in their parking lots, making this race an unforgettable experience.
Thank you to Mineral County and Esmeralda County for the use of their roads. The Town of Tonopah for the great finish line location and OHV use area. The Tonopah Convention Center for use of the facility for the Gold Rush awards ceremony. The local businesses for their support and for the off-road community supporting them in return. NVORA for their continued support and dedication to the whole off-road community.
Thank you to the BLM offices throughout Nevada for collaborating with us to create an epic event that’s set to continue for many years to come.
Last but certainly not least, we extend our heartfelt thanks to RPI Racing Products for their unwavering support and commitment to off-road racing. As the title sponsor of the 2024 Gold Rush event, RPI Racing went above and beyond to help bring this event to life, showing extraordinary dedication to the off-road community. Their partnership was instrumental in making the event a success.
For official results head to LegacyRacing.net
Photos Courtesy of Dirt Nation & Jeff Waldaias Photos
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