39TH ANNUAL MOTION PRO NEVADA 200 TRAILRIDE
Epic Trails, Fellowship & Fun
By Scot Harden
The 2023 Motion Pro Nevada 200 Trailride recently concluded, marking the 39th anniversary of the iconic event that I co-founded along with fellow enthusiast and off-road legend Casey Folks in 1985. Held over an extended three-day weekend from April 14th to 16th, this year’s edition brought together over 225 off-road enthusiasts, special guests, sponsors, families and staff to remote Lincoln County, Nevada, and the ride’s home base in Caliente. Truly a labor of love, the Nevada 200 is special for many reasons, foremost among them the men, women, friends and families it brings together.
This year riders came from as far away as Massachusetts, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee and Texas. A contingent of eight friends from Ohio alone joined riders representing almost every western state, all determined to fulfill their “bucket list” dream of participating in the Nevada 200. All together more than 50% of the entries were first-time Nevada 200 riders experiencing an event they have heard about for a long, long time.
The 2023 edition of the Nevada 200 followed in the footsteps of one of the longest and wettest winters in recent memory, creating ideal conditions for the trail-savvy group and even some additional challenges as recent warm temps and snow run-off in the mountains caused some of the usually dry creek beds to rise to levels not typically seen creating some deep-water crossings and challenges. As a result, some last- minute changes to the actual route were required at least to the order in which we ran the daily routes.
Although the changes could be described as minor nuisances, it just ensured a mostly dust-free event, as trail conditions were ideal. Riders were treated to three days of riding and nearly 200 miles of trail. In addition, there were parties, banquets and other special events connected to the ride.
The “star” of the event were the trails themselves. With literally thousands of miles to select from all developed over 39 years by Casey and me, the ride consists mainly of single-track and two-track jeep trails with occasional dirt roads connecting the two. It is without question a real rider’s event, something that was very important to both Casey and I when we designed the ride initially to satisfy our own personal riding expectations. The die-hards who started and finished all three days felt a sense of accomplishment as it provided a real workout.
As always, the Nevada 200 Trailride draws some of the biggest names in the sport, and this year did not disappoint. Legends and Hall of Famers like Jack Johnson, Rodney Smith, Johnny Campbell, Chuck Miller, Chris Carter, Max Switzer, Fred Hoess, Suzy Moody, Jeff Kaplan, Lori Conway and Andy Kirker attended this year’s ride. Johnny Campbell gave a special presentation at the Welcome Party at the end of Friday’s ride on the history of American Honda’s Baja/Off-Road racing program and, particularly, Johnny’s 30-year career with Honda. He even brought along the XR600; he won his first overall race in Baja on the 1996 Baja 500, where he teamed with mentor and fellow Hall of Famer Bruce Ogilvie. Supported by American Honda’s Chuck Miller, a Baja 1000 champion in his own right, the group of riders assembled hung on every word. It’s amazing to think that 19 Baja 1000 overall victories and over 40 ISDE medals were represented by the group. Truly a who’s who of off-road racing!
Plans are already underfoot for the 40th Annual Nevada 200 Trailride, where an additional weekend of Dual Sport/ Adventure Riding will be offered. Dates for the 2024 Motion Pro Nevada 200 Trailride are April 18-20, with the Dual Sport/ Adventure Ride taking place the weekend before.
