Annie Seel - Vegas to Reno 2004

Vegas to Reno 500 miles - 2004

Första kvinna i IRONMAN i Vegas to Reno 500 mile öken race

Mike Laenger, som korde i Ward Ogdens team i Baja 500 erbjod mig att kora hans ESP-preppade KTM450 EXC-04, eftersom han tyckte jag behovde elstart. Ett erbjudande jag inte kan tacka nej till. Det kanns lite mer avslappnat att kora IRONMAN med elstart... Sa nu star den har i Mike's garage, i princip tavlingsklar efter att ESP gjort service, nya dack, justerad fjadring + massa sma tekniska godbitar (som amerikanarna gillar). Jag ar otroligt tacksam for detta erbjudande ock kan inte nog tacka Mike Laenger och ESP (Exeptional Suspension Products, i LA).

Och jag gjorde det igen! Dvs krashade OCH gick i mål! Jag är den första IRONWOMAN i Vegas to Reno rallyt, USAs längsta offroad race 800 km, som ingår i amerikanska BEST in the DESERT-serien. Har just kommit tillbaka från målgången i Vegas to Reno rallyt och är ganska mörbultad... kraschade bland stenarna efter ca 22 mil och slog i axeln och höger ben (blå & mycket svullen båda ställena). Sen körde jag soppatorsk 1 km innan depåstopp 6, och började knuffa. Som tur var hjälpte en medtävlare mig med en halvliter bensin så jag kunde köra till tankningen. Det gick lite långsamt på slutet pga smärta och stelhet när skadorna svullnade.
Men jag kom i mål efter ca 14,5 tim körning, 500 miles (ca 800 km). Blev 5:a i Ironman amatör, 67:a totalt. Men de flesta teamen hade fler förare, jag körde själv.
Mike Kay's motor skar tyvärr efter halva racet, och han var tvungen att bryta.

TACK till:
- Mike Laenger för lånet av KTM450
- Mike Kay för racelogistik & juste team kompis
- Klaus & hans hund Luna för depåservice & backup
- ESP (Exeptional Suspension Products) för hojpreppning
- alla som hjälpte att tanka längs banan
- mina sponsorer: Touringbutiken, Fujitsu-Siemens Computers, Siemens Mobile
- Casey Folks på BITD, för super tävlingsorganisation

First IRONWOMAN in the Vegas to Reno 500 mile desert race

Mike Laenger, who raced in Ward Ogdens team in the Baja500, offered me to ride his KTM450 EXC-04, because he thought I needed an electric start. An offer I could not resist. Feels a lot more inspiring to ride the IRONMAN with the button starter! So now its here, ready to race after ESP (Exeptional Suspension Products, in LA) checked it out, changed tyres, etc. I'm so grateful to Mike Laenger and ESP, and can't thank them enough.

And I made it again! Crashed AND finished the race. I'm now the FIRST IRONWOMAN to complete the Vegas to Reno rally, the longest off-road race in th US, organized by Best in the Desert (BITD). I just got back from the race and I'm quite bruised. I crashed in the rocks at mile 160, and my right shoulder & thigh are blue and swollen. Then I ran out of fuel less than a mile from pit 6, and started pushing.

Luckliy a passing competitor gave me fuel so I could ride it to the pits. In the end I was going slower because my shoulder hurt more and was stiff. But I made it all the way to the finish, covering the 500 miles in approx 14 hrs. I finished 5th in IRONMAN amateur, 67th overall.
Unfortunately Mike Kay's engine blew up at mile 267, so he was out of the race.

THANKS to:
- Mike Laenger, for lending me your KTM
- Mike Kay, for taking me racing & being my team mate
- Klaus & dog Luna, for chasing & super pit support
- ESP (Exeptional Suspension Products) for bike prep
- all the guys fueling me along the track
- my sponsors: Touringbutiken, Fujitsu-Siemens Computers, Siemens Mobile
- Casey Folks at BITD, for organizing a great race

Vegas to Reno: Race info

24-26 June 2004

"The Longest Off-Road Race in the United States"

"Vegas to Reno" is an off-road race covering over 500-miles of some of the most beautiful country in the west; 500 miles of off-road adventure traveling through the State of Nevada.
The race begins in Las Vegas, Nevada, and travels north through the historic mining towns of Tonopah, continuing through the Silver Peak Mountain Range, through Hawthorne, Silver Springs and finishing 500-miles later in Reno, Nevada! Quite an off-road adventure!

Casey Folks, Director of Best In The Desert Racing Association, says,
"This is the most incredible racecourse in my series. It encompasses everything the Nevada desert has to offer!
The racers begin this race in the Southern Nevada desert, where it is hot and dusty and they race over rough, rocky terrain.
As the race proceeds north, and the racers climb in elevation, the terrain turns to beautiful mountain passes with a softer terrain and it begins to cool down.
As the racers approach Reno, Nevada, some 500-miles from the start, they are focused on only one thing, getting to the finish!
The first place finishers will reach the finish in a little over ten hours, with the last place teams coming in some twenty-four hours later. After racing for twenty-four hours, it is truly a test of man, mind and machine."
Casey Folks will be at the finish line for every single finisher, just as happy and proud to see the #1 leader as he is to see that last team, knowing that they did everything they could to get to that finish line. "I know most people won't be at the finish line at 3:30, 4:30 or even 5:30 in the morning, but it is just an incredible feeling to see the lights coming over the hill and know that that one team struggled and struggled to get to the finish. I tell people all of the time, 'you have to finish the race!' says Folks."

Racing enthusiasts from across the nation will be hitting everything but the pavement in Nevada to participate in the country's longest off-road race, "Vegas to Reno!"
The race will begin early Friday morning June 25, and for some, continue late into the night.

Best in the Desert Official race website

Race Course Map [start PDF] [finish PDF]

Rider of record:	Annie Seel	Race Class: IRONMAN AMATEUR
Race Bike:	KTM EXC 450 -04	Owner: Mike Laenger
Bike prep:	Exceptional Suspension Products, ESP
Chase crew:	Klaus & Luna