Press Release | January 28, 2020
2020 AZOP Season Launches in Wickenburg
This is a race report provided by AZOP/ Miller Truby
Wickenburg, AZ (January 18-19, 2020) – After a month-long break to celebrate the winter holidays, the Arizona Offroad Promotions Rowley White RV Series has returned in 2020 to kick off what will certainly be another busy and exciting year of premier off-road racing. The packed schedule for this year features no fewer than 15 events, most of which will be points-paying full weekend races. Competitors will return to several of the favorite locations from previous seasons while adding a handful of totally new courses (Yuma, Globe, Winslow, Bagdad) which should provide new racing and spectating opportunities for those who haven’t participated in an AZOP event previously.
The season got off to a beautiful start in the hills west of Wickenburg, Arizona in the now-traditional fashion with Todd Peterson’s Vulture Mine Hare Scrambles. Sponsored by RideNow Powersports and SinFab Industries, the ever-popular January race was graced by typically excellent weather and a typically large turnout. The AZOP crew really put in some extra hours in order to bring something different to this race, working closely with BLM to add about 6 new miles to the already very long track for a total course length of 36 miles. The quintessential desert course featured plenty of rocks, cactus, dust, sand, and whoops and the new sections added some technical rocky climbs and descents just to challenge drivers and riders even more.
Saturday featured the bikes and quads as well as the three peewee races, with the kiddos competing on a 1.5-mile loop near the pits in the morning before the mini bikes and quads ran their races on a 7-mile loop, followed by the adults on the full-length track.
Once the younger racers had cleared their courses, the 57-deep field of Big Bikes headed out onto the long track to face the dust and rocks and chollas. Open A rider James Clark (#824) finished the 2019 season strong and came into 2020 intent on setting the pace. He quickly reeled in the handful of riders who started ahead of him and got onto the back wheel of Pro rider Tate Dyer (#970), eventually wearing down the pro and getting past him and into clear air at the start of the second lap. Clark eventually took the overall with a comfortable 4.5 minute cushion over Dyer.
Grace Vinagro (#1910) – who had won the mini bike race on Saturday – took her second win of the weekend on Sunday.
VIDEO | 2020 AZOP Todd Peterson’s Vulture Mine Hare Scrambles Race
AZOP next heads to Shorty’s Sports Park in Blythe, CA February 15-16 for the Blythe Grand Prix. Registration is open now.
As always AZOP would like to thank all of the sponsors, staff, volunteers, racers, and spectators for making this another successful and fun weekend of racing. For full race results, videos, and photos or to find out about upcoming events, visit www.azopracing.com.