Phil Blurton was the fastest of 93 entries to take on Thursday’s UTV Night Race presented by Baja Designs, the kickoff race event of the third annual Method Race Wheels Laughlin Desert Classic. Blurton, racing the #944 in the Best in the Desert UTV Turbo class and pursuing his second straight championship, completed eight laps on the 16-mile loop in a total time of 2:28:40.715, nearly three minutes faster than any other racer.
Brett Comiskey was second overall and tops in the UTV Unlimited class with a time of 2:31:17.520, while Justin Lambert’s 2:34:00.098 completed the overall top three and was second to Blurton in the Turbo class. While Can-Am swept the Turbo and Unlimited wins with Blurton and Comiskey, Robert Van Beekum delivered Polaris a victory in the Production race at 2:41:17.302, as RZR vehicles swept the class podium.
65 of the 93 entries in Thursday’s UTV Night Race were able to finish, including a high of 29 in the Turbo class. Production and Sportsman vehicles raced in the first session, while the Turbo and Unlimited vehicles competed together in the second. The event was unique as the first-ever BITD round to take place completely at night.
Unofficial class podiums from the Method Race Wheels Laughlin Desert Classic UTV Night Race were as follows:
UTV Turbo:
1. Phil Blurton, #944 Can-Am, 2:28:40.715
2. Justin Lambert, #918 Polaris, 2:34:00.098
3. Branden Sims, #913 Polaris, 2:34:17.023
UTV Unlimited:
1. Brett Comiskey, #2910 Can-Am, 2:31:17.520
2. Dustin Walker, #2950 Can-Am, 2:58:24.678
3. Jeramiah Drew, #2925 Can-Am, 3:00:44.050*
UTV Production:
1. Robert Van Beekum, #1964 Polaris, 2:41:17.302
2. Macy Poelman, #1962 Polaris, 2:41:50.172
3. Seth Quintero, #1903 Polaris, 2:43:21.864
UTV Sportsman:
1. Garrick Lastra, #2955 Can-Am, 2:56:31.796
2. Justin Bor, #2972 Can-Am, 2:57:32.280
3. Sam Berri, #2973 Polaris, 2:58:12.489
*penalty applied
The 2018 Best in the Desert season resumes with the season-ending Pahrump Nugget “250” presented by Polaris RZR. The championship-deciding race will take place from November 28-December 2, before the 2019 calendar kicks off in Parker, Arizona in January.
Words by: Chris Leone // UTVUnderground.com
Photos by: Harley Foley // UTVUnderground.com
