Vegas to Reno Additional COVID-19 Safety Measures and Race Protocol
Posted August 6, 2020
LAS VEGAS, NV (Aug. 6, 2020): As part of Best In The Desert’s efforts to ensure the highest level of safety and protect its racers and the public from potential COVID-19 exposure, the following protocols have been established for the 24th Annual Maxxis Tires “Casey Folks” Vegas to Reno Presented by Fox. Compliance by racers, support crews, volunteer staff, staff, and the general public is of the utmost importance.
1. Face masks are mandatory at the Maxxis Tires “Casey Folks” Vegas to Reno Presented by Fox race. This includes while on Sunset Station Hotel and Nugget Hotel property, and during the race at start line, finish line, and all pit locations. No exceptions.
2. Best In The Desert is advising all teams to only bring essential pit support crew members to the race. Only essential race support crews are allowed. Actual participants are limited to Drivers/Co-Drivers/Riders and their support crews. The support crew includes not only the pit crew but also the operators of the chase vehicles.
3. No spectators are allowed in the pits, checkpoints, or at the official race start or finish. Those areas will be blocked off by race officials in accordance with the Bureau of Land Management permit.
4. Spectators along the route who appear on public lands must abide by the CDC recommendations and Governor Sisolak’s Executive Orders regarding COVID-19. Anyone showing signs or symptoms of infection, are elderly, or have a compromised immune system should not participate. Everyone must practice social distancing and wear a mask while in public. Anyone who has tested positive and has not been cleared by a medical professional should obviously not be in public or at the Vegas to Reno Race.
5. Each team will be spaced at least six feet from one another in the race pits. All support personnel will be required to social distance and wear masks where possible based upon other safety concerns. For example, the fueler will not be required to wear a mask while fueling the vehicle due to fire safety concerns, but instead will be wearing a fire-rated head covering (balaclava) and helmet while fueling the vehicle. Likewise, the actual race drivers and riders will be wearing helmets and some form of ventilation filtration system.
6. Best In The Desert asks that interaction during the race between other participants, crew members, and the general public is kept to a minimum. Competitors and fans should be considerate and respectful while traveling through the rural communities along the route of Vegas to Reno.
7. Start Line – There will be a Best In The Desert START MONITOR at the entry of the start area. Your vehicle MUST have a 2020 Vegas to Reno START LINE PASS in order to enter the start area. Racers are required to off-load as quickly as possible, suit up the rider/driver, and go to the start staging area. No one is allowed to accompany their racer or race vehicle to the start staging area or start line. Once the race vehicle heads to staging, the support crew will return and stay inside their chase vehicle until their race vehicle has left the starting line. Once the race vehicle leaves the starting line, the support crew may depart for the next destination. No one is allowed to walk up and watch the start of the race. This rule must be strictly adhered to.
8. Finish Line – There will be a Best In The Desert FINISH MONITOR at the entry of the finish area. The vehicle MUST have a 2020 Vegas to Reno PIT PASS in order to enter the finish area. Competitors should park their vehicles in the on-load area. They must NOT go to the actual finish line where the Best In The Desert box van is located. Racers will be stopped and diverted if they attempt to approach the finish line. Racer passes will be available at FORD MESA. Competitors will be afforded time to celebrate at the podium with fellow racers and crews. Once celebration is completed, vehicles will be loaded at the on-load area and must depart as quickly as possible.
9. All Drivers/Riders Meetings will be conducted via Facebook Live and posted Thursday morning.
10. Best In The Desert will be conducting random thermal scans at Tech Inspection and Contingency to ensure none of its racers are COVID-19 symptomatic. Best In the Desert medical staff will be on-site to monitor activities.
11. Entrants are to arrive at Registration during their specified registration time slot and must adhere to all social distancing and face mask regulations. Please see the schedule of events for those times.
12. No one should attend the Maxxis Tires “Casey Folks” Vegas to Reno Presented by Fox if they have tested positive in the last 14 days for COVID-19 or are symptomatic and experiencing fever, cough, shortness of breath, or any other signs of infection.
Best In The Desert CMO Bryan Folks adds, “We are confident that the racing community will come together and shine in this moment of challenge. The future of off-road racing depends on our ability to demonstrate we can be reliable partners within the broader community and that we understand the tenuous nature of the times we live in. We look forward to seeing everyone in Las Vegas.”
Best In The Desert Staff will be monitoring everyone’s compliance with these stipulations. Racers and support crews are asked to please follow all staff directives during the event.