Big Sky 200 | 200 Miles of Dust

The YORR Big Sky 200 in Broadview, MT is known for being a grueling, high-speed test of endurance, and this years race absolutely lived up to the hype. Serving as a double-points "Joker Race" for the national Ultra4 USA circuit, this multi-class off-road battle threw everything it had at us and other teams over almost 200 miles of wide-open terrain and technical obstacles on an incredible ranch.

Here is how our race weekend went down as we took on both the Ultra4 4600 class and the YORR Comp Modified class in our V8 Toyota 4Runner.

Qualifying Strong
The event kicked off on Thursday with a day of pre-running and afternoon qualifying. Coming off a rigorous prep following King of the Hammers, the car was running incredibly strong, we made sure no bolt was left untouched.

We took off for our sight lap of the 40+ mile course, knowing we'd have to tackle four laps on race day. The layout was similar to years past, so our navigational notes were relatively light, but one thing was immediately clear: it was unbelievably dry and dusty. We knew right away that securing a good qualifying position would be absolutely critical, as passing in those conditions was going to be a nightmare.

After a smooth sight lap and logging our notes, we headed to the qualifying course for about 30 minutes of practice, testing different lines to maximize our speed. Once the green flag flashed for our official qualifying run, we put our heads down. Despite blowing one corner just a little wide, we laid down a solid 2:36 lap time, putting us comfortably ahead of second place in our class, who clocked a 2:43. Because multiple classes race simultaneously, this P1 start also gave us some crucial physical separation from the other cars starting behind us as the start was intermixed based off of qualifying time.

Race Day
When Saturday arrived, the plan was set: complete three laps for the Ultra4 4600 class and push through a final fourth lap for the YORR Comp Mod class. Smooth is fast...
The day started strong, but the track had changed drastically. After 12 hours of UTV racing prior to our start, the course was chewed up, deeper, and far siltier than it had been during pre-running. Dust was destined to be our biggest rival. Even the start line was stopping vehicles in their tracks with how deep the silt was. Requiring recovery vehicles to pull them out not 30 seconds from getting the green flag.

We clicked off two beautifully clean laps before pulling into the pits to re-strap a spare driveshaft that was bouncing around and take on two dump cans of fuel. The car was performing flawlessly, and as we peeled out of the pits, we were holding a comfortable 4-minute lead over second place.

The Dust Battle of Lap 3
Heading into Lap 3, the race dynamics shifted. We quickly found ourselves trapped in the thick, blinding dust trail of a similarly paced car from a faster class (packing more horsepower and suspension).

We made multiple attempts to get around them, hitting the sirens to initiate a pass. Unfortunately, every time we'd catch them, they would hammer down in the straights, completely blinding us in their dust and forcing us to back down for safety. This constant leapfrogging and bouncing in and out of the dust severely slowed the great pace we had set on the first two laps.

Meanwhile, John Williams in the Ford Bronco (running second in the 4600 class) was making up time in presumably clean air or pushing harder in the dusty conditions. Our Crew Chief came over the radio, telling us we needed to light the fire and push hard to the finish if we wanted to hold onto first place. We drove the second half of that lap as hard as visibility would allow, but the dust kept checking us up.

Pushing across the finish line for the end of Lap 3 completely blind, the 4600 class race came down to an agonizingly close 11-second split. We narrowly missed the top step, securing a hard-fought P2 for the Ultra4 4600 class. That is 11 seconds over almost 4 hours of racing.

Pushing Through Lap 4
It was a total nail-biter, but our day wasn't over. We still had one more 40+ mile lap to finish for the Comp Mod class.

Taking off for Lap 4, the dusty conditions persisted all the way around the track. We focused on keeping our speed consistent and keeping the pressure on the cars ahead of us. When we finally crossed the finish line for the fourth time, we secured a dominant P1 finish in the Comp Mod class, crossing the checkers nearly an hour ahead of second place!

Looking Ahead
All in all, it was an incredible weekend. The car performed amazing with absolutely zero mechanical issues, and the team absolutely crushed our pit stops during the race. Everything went smooth; we just know that gaining more experience pushing hard in zero-visibility dust will be the key to changing the outcome of that 11-second split in the future.

A huge thank you to our crew and everyone who supports us. Next up on the schedule is Reno to Vegas, a race that promises to continue testing our skills in heavy dust and silt. We'll be ready!

A Massive Thank You to Our Sponsors
We couldn't push this car to the absolute limit for 200 brutal, silt-choked miles without the backing of an incredible lineup of partners. The fact that the car suffered zero mechanical issues and crossed the finish line ready for more is a direct testament to the quality of the brands that support us.
To our primary sponsors, thank you for keeping us competitive, safe, and moving forward:

Off-road racing is a team effort that extends far beyond the driver and co-driver in the cab. To all of our sponsors, our crew, and our families, thank you for believing in this team. We are going to carry this momentum straight into Reno to Vegas!
– Alex Fleming, Sherpa Motorsports