Desert racing is the act of
racing
In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific goa ...
through the
desert
A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...
in a two- or four-wheeled off-road vehicle. Races, which generally consist of two or more loops around a course covering up to , can take the form of Hare and Hound or
Hare scramble
Hare scramble is a form of off-road motorcycle racing that varies in distance and time, with the riders completing multiple laps around a marked course through wooded or other rugged natural terrain.
Course
Hare scrambles are conducted on clos ...
style events, and are often laid out over a long and harsh track through relatively barren terrain.
Point-to-point–style races, including the famous
Mint 400
The Mint 400 is an annual American desert off-road race which takes place in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was resumed in 2008 after a 20-year hiatus.
The race was for both motorcycles, until 1977, and four-wheel vehicles ( buggies, cars and trucks) s ...
and
Baja 1000, attract nationally ranked and celebrity drivers. This type of racing tests the
endurance
Endurance (also related to sufferance, resilience, constitution, fortitude, and hardiness) is the ability of an organism to exert itself and remain active for a long period of time, as well as its ability to resist, withstand, recover from a ...
and capabilities of racer and machine, and while organized clubs or teams sometimes field multiple sponsored riders for particular events, desert racing in its purest form is largely an individual endeavor. Winning racers accrue points to advance their rank and placement in future contests.
Desert racing vehicles, which include rugged
enduro-style motorcycle, four wheeled
all-terrain vehicle
An all-terrain vehicle (ATV), also known as a light utility vehicle (LUV), a quad bike, or simply a quad, as defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI); is a vehicle that travels on low-pressure tires, with a seat that is stra ...
s, trucks (like
Group T4
In relation to motorsport, Group T4 is a set of technical specifications for modified production cross-country side-by-side vehicles used in off-road Cross-Country Rallying (also called Rally Raid). The group is governed by the Fédération Int ...
), pickup trucks (like
Trophy Truck
A trophy truck, also known as a Baja truck or trick truck, is a vehicle used in high-speed off-road racing. This is an open production class and all components are considered legal unless specifically restricted.
Although any truck that meets t ...
s), and
dune buggies, have specialized suspensions with increased wheel travel. The now-defunct Barstow to Vegas, which was held in the
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily in ...
from 1967 to 1975 and 1983 to 1989, was a well-known example of desert racing in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
. Desert racing, in its most organized form, began in Southern California in the 1920s.
The sport has also seen rapid developments in other countries. In
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
, the Cholistan Desert Rally began in 2005,
with more than 100 drivers in the 2018 event won by
Mir Nadir Ali Khan Magsi.
See also
*
Off-road racing
Off-road racing is a form of motorsports consisting of specially-modified vehicles including cars, SUVs, trucks, motorbikes, quadbikes and buggies racing in off-road environments (e.g. snow, dirt, mud, etc.).
North America Desert racing
Desert ...
*
Dakar Rally
The Dakar Rally (or simply "The Dakar"; formerly known as the "Paris–Dakar Rally") is an annual rally raid organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation. Most events since the inception in 1978 were staged from Paris, France, to Dakar, Senegal ...
*
Budapest-Bamako
The Budapest-Bamako or Great African Run is a charity car race in Africa, and the largest amateur rally in the world. It is a low-budget version of the Dakar Rally, and goes from Budapest, Hungary to Bamako, Mali through t ...
*
Cholistan Desert Rally
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Desert racing
Rally raids
Auto racing by type
Motorcycle racing by type