Words and Photos by Anthony Rivas

It’s Thursday morning and I am in Primm, Nevada to check out the Method Race Wheels time trials for the Mint 400.

I am making way to the start line for qualifying and seeing a few trucks and buggies still on trailers.

If you follow off road at all, maybe you know this truck sporting the green Methods - BJ Baldwin in line for qualifying.

You may recognize some of these race teams by logos. Some were new to me. Regardless of the name on the side of the car they came to race.

I could probably stay here for hours just watching all the competitors. This buggy is almost a green chrome.

People are already gathered for time trials. There are a lot of people here, more than I expected.

These guys are really in it. The sound of the motor screams so loud; it’s a rush.

These guys have some pretty good seats and everything they need.

This is just one section a few people gathered at to watch. There is a jump here. You know, people want to see big air.

I’m headed back to Vegas and I see some of the trucks I just saw on the track. We will see what tomorrow brings at the Tech & Contingency downtown.

It’s Friday morning and I am in downtown Las Vegas on Freemont street.

There are lots of restaurants and casinos here. This is always blocked off for pedestrians.

Well let’s go see what the Mint 400 Contingency is all about.

There are lots of people, so lets make our way through and find some off road vehicles.

I really dig the paint schemes on these two, I wonder if they will be in the race.

UTV’s are present and some will be racing tomorrow. There is a lot of lift pictured above and a lot of lights pictured below.

I can’t help but notice the front shock set up on this bug is wild. Maybe it’s common in this scene, to me its intriguing.

I am from Colorado so I dig the paint, but it’s just a cool Volkswagen.

If you’re into Off Road racing, fabrication, or just a gear head this event is something you should check out.

If you follow Casey Currie than you may recognize this beast.

I saw this passing by on its way to tech and it caught my eye. It looks very unique compared to most of the racers I am seeing.

Cops?! That’s different.

It’s a Toyota and has an Axial Yeti Trophy truck on it – two things I like!

Okay, I see BFGoodrich up ahead. I think that’s half way and I have been walking for a while. On the bright side I am not pushing or pulling a truck.

The vehicles are getting a little more unique as I get closer.

I thought I misread the labels – Honda Ridgeline.

No, I didn’t misread that, it’s a Honda Ridgeline.

Something about the front suspension looked a little off, so I am going to make my way closer.

The engine sits in the back, and way back at that. Curious to know how it performs.

Well I made my way to BFGoodrich and I see the Axial Jeep JK on display.

I also see this scavenger hunt. Win a Casey Currie signed Axial Jeep or a set of BFG tires. Wow, that’s pretty cool.

Some pretty cool vintage and classics down here.

If you’re hungry, there are plenty of food trucks here.

This DJ drove his stage here; this thing is a beast.

The stage for all the competitors, and everyone cheering on their favorite driver.

Rigid Industries has some cool trucks in their area.

This Ford was drawing crowds over at Method race wheels.

This really got my attention. What do you think?

There is lots of carbon fiber on this Chevy.

Some new mixed with the classics.

This is a pretty rad combo right here.

The Bronco looks purpose built wouldn’t you say? The trailing arms mounting as far forward as they do really got me looking.

WOW! Check this out.

This looks like a piece of history right here.

Could you imagine racing across harsh environments in this?

This Chevy seemed to grab a lot of attention also.

This Volkswagon Bug looks like its been around the world.

Speaking of around the world, this Dakar wrapped rig was pretty cool.

HEATWAVE VISUAL had an Axial Yeti TT as a part of their display.
It definitely pulled people in! Who remembers first seeing this rig on Instagram?

On my way out I kept checking out vehicles, even if they weren’t part of the display.

Hmmm… I have got to check this out.

All right, I have to head home. Races start tomorrow morning.

Ok it’s Saturday morning and I am back in Primm. Lets see what we can of the race.

It’s racing and it’s always exciting.

Its amazing how fast these guys go on a makeshift road, they are flat out screaming.

Pass where you can and it’s a full on commitment.

Love the drop out of the suspension on this Chevy, the picture below is in flight.

These trucks were taking a beating, flat tires and broken body parts if you’re lucky.

I have to admit, I was impressed by the Honda. This guy was flat out running this truck.

Some guys pushed and quickly found their limits.

Somewhere in that wall of dirt is a high horse powered truck with a driver standing on the gas. We can all hear it screaming like a banshee.

Big air, coming in hot is a crowd pleaser, but was gamble for the drivers. This unfolded so quick that I missed the shot of impact.

He hit the cinder block wall carrying some speed.

Track officials were quick to respond.

Driving styles varied; hard on the brakes then accelerate through the corner.

Some drivers would just through it in the corner and drift it.

It was hard to get good spots for the action, but this just made his way on the course.

As the day winded down I made my way to the stage.

After checking out the stage and some of the finishers I headed out.

These guys made sure there was no shortage of Ford Raptors.

BFGoodrich had a pit challenge going on for every day people to see what the pros go through.

That center median is not even close to a parking place, but this place is busting at the seams with people. I am headed back to Vegas to unwind, maybe it won’t be so crowded.

2016 Portland Auto Show

By Ryan Gerrish

Started in 1910, the Portland International Auto Show has been giving Oregonians a chance to see all the latest automotive makes and models, as well as exotics, custom vehicles, motorcycles and more. This was the 6th consecutive year that Axial Racing had been invited to run a booth allowing visitors to test drive the SCX10 line of scale crawlers, and we gladly accepted! With attendance expected to be over 100,000, it’s a great opportunity to expose the joys of crawling to new potential enthusiasts.

Every year I build a course in my shop ahead of time and transport it to the show. This year I decided to make the pieces half the size to be more easily moved, as well as make the course a bit bigger to give drivers various lines to try. My standard construction consists of a wood subframe with carved foam on top, and the a layer of Quickcrete on top of that for traction. I spray paint it and add details like lighting effects, rocks, logs, bushes and sometimes fog. After the show the courses find new homes, usually with local hobby shops or businesses.

I lay out the plywood bases, which I cut to 3′ x 3′, and begin building the wood support structures and elevation changes. Blocks of foam are cut and secured to the wood using gap-filling spray foam insulation.

I try to have some idea of where the trucks are going to go, keeping in mind their capabilities and dimensions, and ensuring that it’s not too easy or too difficult.

I cover the foam with Quickcrete, which can take serious abuse, as well as V/O Patch concrete, which sticks to vertical surfaces well. This make the pieces pretty heavy, but also gives them excellent traction to really show the trucks capabilities.

The pieces are loaded on my trailer bright and early the day of move in and delivered to the show. This year they were light enough that I didn’t need forklift assistance!

The pieces are put on tables for easier viewing, and the display trucks and handouts are spread around. It ends up looking pretty cool!

Once the show opens, the trucks are literally driven non-stop for 12 hours a day for 4 days. They are equipped with lower gearing and 85 turn motors, so we get around 4-5 hours of run time per 4200 mah 7.4 volt Lipo. I also build them up with metal rear links, and some machined screws in strategic places instead of the self tappers.

Kids and adults alike have a wonderful time trying to navigate the rigs through the mountains!

Of course, no auto show would be complete without a few highlights of some of the full-size rides out on the floor!

Best of show in my opinion: The Jeep Africa concept.

After the show, I went camping out on the Oregon coast with a large group of friends and had a chance to exercise the demo trucks in the sand. (With the 27 turn stock motors reinstalled of course!) Everyone had a blast.

The course was sold to a local crawler. His kids and their friends will be enjoying it year round in one of the bays of his garage!

We raffled off a new SCX10 Deadbolt, a lucky young lady from Gladstone won it! She and her brother (and certainly their friends!) will definitely put it through its paces!

I’d like to thank Axial for their continued support, and Jeff at the Auto show for having us back every year to entertain. According to him, this booth is “heavily requested” every year, so it’s nice to know we are appreciated! Hope to see you next year!

Visit www.portlandautoshow.com for more information!

Skeeno’s Bikepacking Experience
Words and Photos by Matt ‘Skeeno’ Soileau

Lots of us enjoy Axial products. For some reason, we also enjoy other outdoor adventure activities. For me, and other Axial staffers, bicycles and camping are two of our other interests. Most of the time, I take my Axial SCX10s and mountain bike with me on a camping trip and do a little scaling and riding whilst at a campground. A couple years ago I tried bikepacking after stumbling upon some posts about it on mtbr.com.

You may be asking yourself, what is bikepacking? Bikepacking is a combination of camping and bicycling. There are many variants of bicycle camping from road touring to mountain bike bikepacking. I gravitated towards bikepacking because I love mountain bikes and I love the cool gadgets that go along with lightweight backpack camping.

After researching as much as I could, I decided to give a bikepacking trip a go. I easily roped in my good friend, Mike, to accompany me on this journey. My riding buddy and I started to prepare by sorting through our collections of mountain bike parts and camping supplies. What we didn’t already have, we acquired. We didn’t want to spend too much money on bikepacking, in case we decided it wasn’t for us on our first trip, so economy was major decision making factor while gathering our supplies.

First up was a steed to ride.  We both had hard tail mountain bikes, so that’s where we started. Mine was a little old and definitely shaky. I started with new tires and a tune up to make sure the brakes and shifters were working properly. Once they were, the next step was to make sure the gearing would suffice for our trip. Our first bikepack was up near Lake Tahoe, so I needed some low gearing to make sure I could spin the climbs. Luckily, I had the parts to create the lowest gearing combo on my 26″ wheeled bike, 22/36. My legs and lungs would be my limiting factor.

The second order of business was to collect camping gear. With the help from some local connections, I was able to get some steep discounts on some budget brand backpacking supplies. I got hooked up with a Eureka Solitaire one man tent and a Teton Sports Trail head sleeping bag, both solid, but not Gucci, choices; and I got both for under $100.

I also needed a way to heat up my Mountain House meals. I decided to try making some alcohol stoves out of old beer/soda cans, practically free and simple to build. Testing the stoves was also fun, as I compared various designs to determine the easiest and most efficient to use.

Last order of business was figuring out a way to get all my camping gear on my bike. Some bikepackers are pretty hardcore about weight and bring only minimal supplies such as a tarp to sleep under at night. Since we are a bit glampy when it comes to camping, I had quite a bit of stuff to load. I decided to try out a frame bag.  That’s a bag that goes into the frame of your bike.  These cost around $150+ from cottage companies such as RockGeist, Porcelain Rocket, and Relevate Designs. I decided to go a cheaper route and enlisted Grandma to do some sewing.

First, I made a pattern for Grandma to follow.

Then, I bought some fabric supplies and Grandma worked her magic. She even made one for Mike.

For well under $20, it was great result. Definitely not as sturdy and fancy as the retail choices, but absolutely serviceable.

I ended up finding a rear rack and pannier bag set on sale at REI for 33% off, so I splurged.

Then, it was off to Harbor Freight for a $10 pad. Had to cut it down a bit, as it was a little long.

I loaded up all my supplies and did some test rides around the hills behind my house to make sure everything would stay fastened during our rapidly approaching real ride.

Once we were prepared as best we could, we headed out on our first overnighter. Some people call these S24O, or sub 24 hour overnighters. With our bikes fully loaded, I soon learned that the weight adds up quickly. I never weighed my bike, but it was very heavy fully loaded.  I would guess over 60 pounds, probably closer to 70.

Our destination was a back country campground above Lake Tahoe and Marlette Lake. We found this campground a few week prior on a ride along the Tahoe Rim Trail. I quickly discovered that my legs and lungs were not prepared for the miles of steep sandy climbs.

The ride up to Marlette Lake was only four miles, but humbling. I had to push quite a bit up that climb. At this moment I decided it was time to get serious about my bicycling cardio and leg strength.

I jumped in to get a little refreshment. Marlette is even colder than Tahoe. It woke me up and got me steeled for next half of the climb.

The ride into the single track was prettier and much more fun that that sandy fire road.

Lucky for me, the second part was easier than the first. I was able to make it up to the campground with a little energy left.

The sign at the campground did not inspire confidence. Luckily, I brought some bear spray. I hoped that it would work on mountain lions. Mostly, I prayed that I didn’t need it.

Once off the bike, I changed out of my sweaty riding clothes and into some fresh coverings.

Then, we got to work setting up our campsite. See the green bear box. I think that helped keep the bears away since no accessible food makes for an unfruitful hunt.

Water is one thing that you need to make sure you have access to on a bikepack or you will have to carry it in. And at 8lbs/gallon, it’s not light.

We had this water pump to access water at the top of the mountain. We were also blessed by swarms of bees that flew out of their hive every time we pumped it. Luckily, they were not aggressive.

My homemade alcohol stove worked great even up here at elevation.

I had my favorite Mountain House meal ready to go in no time. Louisiana Style Rice, Mmmm. It’s amazing how wonderfully good these meals are when you are hungry.

Of course, you gotta have dessert. First lesson of dehydrated meals, get a long handled spoon. This shorty LightMyFire spork got the job done, but I had to lick my fingers clean.

On this first night of bikepacking, I learned that a Harbor Freight foam pad is worse than sleeping on concrete. I highly suggest investing in a high quality inflatable mattress, especially if you are a side sleeper. I’ve got a Big Agnes air mattress now and sleep like a baby.

After a little morning breakfast, we packed up and prepared for the ride back to the car.

The ride back was easy, since we mostly coasted back down the mountain. Our first bikepack was a success. We wanted to go again, but first I needed to make some adjustments to my camping kit, because this first trip taught me many things, so many things have changed since that first trip.

One thing it taught me was that I wanted some new bike parts. Since this first trip, I’ve changed lots of parts on my bikepacking steed. It now has a different fork, wheels, tires, brakes, front derailleur, stem, handlebar, saddle, crank set, and bags. Most of these parts were swapped to reduce the weight of my bike, but comfort and reliability were also factors in my choice of parts.

This is what my bike looked like on its second outing.

I also bought a new tent. The Solitaire worked fine, but I wanted to be able to sit up in the tent. This Spitfire is ultralight, and it was less than $50 on the Eureka Outlet. But it requires stakes, so I’m currently on the lookout for a deal on a freestanding tent. I also got that REI backpacking chair. It’s a 1.5lb weight penalty, but well worth it to sit in a proper chair at the end of the day. Like I said, we’re a little on the glampy side. We’d rather suffer the weight penalty than sit and sleep in the dirt. If you try bikepacking, these are all decisions that you make for yourself.

I got Grandma back on the sewing machine making new sleeping bag and tent bags.

And, I also swapped the rear rack and pannier bag for a lighter seat pack set up. Seatpacks are just as expensive as framebags. I sourced a seatpack from Uraltour.com, a couple from Russia.  It took a few weeks for delivery, but the price was 1/3 of my retail choices. But, with bikepacking gaining popularity, companies such as Blackburn and Giant have started producing some budget friendly options. The benefit of going with a cottage manufacturer like the ones mentioned earlier is that you can have the bags customized to fit your bike and needs perfectly. With the less expensive options, there are some compromises you have to live with.

Mike decided to take some sewing lessons from Grandma.

He made these great feed bags for our handlebars. I’ve got some on both of my bikes. He’s also begun making some new bags for his bike.

We also started to use Google maps to help us plan our route.

Google Maps can help with distance as well as elevation. Ride time is a little optimistic for my slow legs.

You can even use Google Earth to find good stealth camping spots.

I’ve also gone through a few different stove options. This Vargo one was titanium and awesome, but my cook pot didn’t quite fit on it.

Got an MSR Pocket Rocket as gift, but it’s a little more than I needed.

I finally settled on this Trangia stove and Snow Peak pot. Simple and effective for me. I also finally bought a long handled spoon to reach the bottom of the Mountain House bags without getting my hands dirty.

By now I’ve acquired quite a collection of camping supplies and gadgets. My cabinet is beginning to fill up.

At the end of the day, we like to toast to a good ride…

…and in the spirit of glamping, we watch a movie out in the middle of nowhere.

So, this what my bike and kit looks now. Can you see Mike’s yellow feed bags he made to match my wheels? I’m really digging this current set up. Could it be the final configuration? Probably not, since the next bikepack will most likely result in me wanting something else. It’s sort of like RC, you can never leave stock alone.

So, we’ve learned not to be in a hurry. We plan rides that don’t require monster, all day efforts to reach our stopping points, so we can relax and enjoy the scenery along the way. For us, bikepacking is like RC, it’s about having fun. That’s why we do what we like. If you decide to try bikepacking, you can customize your kit and routes to do what you like, just like RC.