Wide Open Nevada - Tour - Race Buggy

We were scooting across the ground in deep silty ruts when the rear tire caught an edge and popped the car up and a little sideways. My amateur driving had let the sandy course spit us out of the groove, yet I knew to counter-steer into the slide and lay back into the throttle. The car was quickly righted and we were hauling tail down two-track to our next destination.

We were high in elevation in central Nevada in an area known as the Great Basin. Sprawling, brushy desert runs great distances, yet is pierced by picturesque mountain ranges bordering huge valleys. As I drove, I traded time between reading the fast approaching bumps and curves of the dirt course we traveled and quickly gazing over the scenic views that lay all around me.

Wide Open Nevada Tour Race Buggy Race Buggy

I was driving a Wide Open Nevada tour/race buggy. Wide Open Excursions has offered driving tours in their cars for about 13 years on the peninsula of Baja. Recently Wide Open Nevada has started offering similar trips in The Silver State for those not wanting to travel to Mexico, or for repeat customers wanting to experience a new location. The concept is clever and the execution effective: Put people in $100,000 race cars and let them drive fast and explore this jewel of terrain.

A group of us had converged in Las Vegas for an early fall trip that would span four and a half days. We met the guys from Wide Open at their shop just south of town where we were fitted for helmets and set out for the three-hour trip northward in their RV.

Upon arrival in the town of Goldfield, we checked into our hotel rooms and later headed over to the Santa Fe Saloon, the local watering hole that's been serving cool drinks to dusty miners and travelers for over a hundred years. As with a number of the towns we'd visit over the next several days, Goldfield was literally strewn with mechanical and architectural history from a rich gold mining past that once saw the town swell to over 20,000 inhabitants. Today, about 400 or so still call this quiet town home.

Off-road nuts will want to know a few details on the Wide Open cars. They run a duet of Fox shocks at each corner. A coilover is accompanied by a triple-bypass shock to keep the 265/75R16 BFG All-Terrains on special-built KMC wheels under control in the rough stuff. With about two feet of travel at each corner, there's ample suspension to soak up the big bumps and keep the tires planted during hard cornering. Wide Open has the springs and valving set firm enough to provide good control of the car at speed, yet still supple enough to make the ride fairly smooth and enjoyable.
Off-road nuts will want to know a few details on the Wide Open cars. They run a duet of Fo
The chromoly tube chassis is mature and proven. While a race car may see some test running and a half-dozen races in a season, the Wide Open cars see much more substantial use. They are built a bit beefier to handle more long-term use and abuse, and the crew maintains serialized maintenance logs on each car to ensure their reliability and safety. These cars are also used to compete in the BITD Vegas to Reno and SCORE Baja 500 and 1000 races.
The chromoly tube chassis is mature and proven. While a race car may see some test running
The heart of each car is a 170hp Subaru EJ25 engine. The horizontally opposed four-cylinders have proven to be reliable and provide responsive power for the 2,800-pound cars. Power is fed to a Weddle four-speed synchromesh gearbox and out to axle stubs to the rear corners. Top speed in tour form is about 85 mph. Top speed is increased when the cars are configured with firmer suspension and prepped for racing with the engine unrestricted.
The heart of each car is a 170hp Subaru EJ25 engine. The horizontally opposed four-cylinde

Wide Open Nevada Tour Race Buggy Race Helmets

Closed face race helmets were provided and a Parker Pumper ensured us a supply of fresh air at all times.

Closed face race helmets were provided and a Parker Pumper ensured us a supply of fresh ai

Wide Open had given us a brief orientation and a short test drive in the cars so we knew what to expect as we hit the dirt for our first day of driving. We made occasional stops to take a break or to check out some interesting site. We'd visit several more living ghost towns over the next four days as we criss-crossed the expansive valleys, climbed and descended wooded trails at high elevations, and drove at high speeds soaking up whoops and bumps.

We covered an average of 150 miles each day, swapping drivers as we chose. We followed a guide car and were followed by a trailing support car. The crew and the entire driving experience were both excellent, and we were left to have fun in the buggies pretty much as we chose to.

If you're looking for a memorable experience that treats you to majestic desert views, high-speed off-road challenges, meeting new friends, all while dripping with old west history, then check out the Wide Open Nevada trips. They offer the Great Basin loops in central Nevada and Mohave Desert runs that leave from the Vegas area. It's a trip we won't forget!

A support car trails the group and is a near identical buggy, except it carries some snacks and drinks, along with a supply of repair parts should the need arise. Wide Open has logged over 4 million miles in their fleet of cars and has refined their car design over the years. The result is a reliable rig that can take the rigors of extensive use under near race-like conditions for days on end. We had no mechanical failures that caused us problems on our trip.
A support car trails the group and is a near identical buggy, except it carries some snack
The support crew was friendly and attended quickly to any needs we had. The on-road support crew converges with the cars once or twice a day to top off gas tanks, replenish spare tires as needed, and attend to any driver requests.
The support crew was friendly and attended quickly to any needs we had. The on-road suppor
Flats happen in the rocky desert from time to time. When they do, it's easy for the crew to manage a quick tire change with each car carrying a spare. A lightweight, but tall, hydraulic jack rides on the chassis of each car and has a fixtured head to mate easily to the cage tubing or an A-arm.
Flats happen in the rocky desert from time to time. When they do, it's easy for the crew t

Freedom And Formation
So how does it work? Typically, when one conjures up notions of a follow-the-leader-type tour, one might imagine a scenario where everyone runs a steady pace, often dictated by the slowest participant, or a reserved guide. I found the tour let each of us play at our own pace and were allowed plenty of freedom to get ourselves into trouble if we so chose. That is to say, Wide Open doesn't want you to trash the cars, but certainly lets you push them to your limits. Fun indeed!

Radio communication is used between all the cars, with drivers and co-drivers having radio sets in their helmets. The lead guide storms ahead and relays back turn information and terrain cautions to the cars based on odometer readings clicked off on the Lowrance GPS unit in each car. "Caterpillar" stops are used on occasion to regroup or hold a car at a stop point until the next car arrives. This helps keep the group on the same trail and moving forward, with minimal stop time or delay. Once our group got comfortable communicating we had a fun rhythm going with keeping the cars moving at a good pace.

We never went hungry when it came to meals and we enjoyed some delectable eats in some unusual settings. Lunch stops found us at historic locations or scenic overlooks. We stayed in small hotels and inns in the tiny towns we visited. The accommodations were clean, but pretty basic. Lodging is fairly sparse in this region.
We never went hungry when it came to meals and we enjoyed some delectable eats in some unu
As the saying goes...if these walls could talk. We ventured into and around scores of historic buildings like the aged bar at the Belmont Bed & Breakfast. Proprietor Henry Berg grew up in the area just over the mountain and told us some interesting stories about the boom town that Belmont was. The bar was once an old newspaper office and holds a lot of history spanning some 150 years. The inn provides interesting accommodations, including an old restored miner's cabin made from local field stone.
As the saying goes...if these walls could talk. We ventured into and around scores of hist
After a few days in the cars, we were more proficient and pushing them harder and faster. We were taking turns with greater speed and catching some air when we could. The cars let us get away with a fair number of driver mistakes. I found them to be stable and driver friendly-Even for those not well versed at high-speed off-road driving.
After a few days in the cars, we were more proficient and pushing them harder and faster.

Portions of our travel took us to elevations over 7,400 feet. We spent much of our time on expansive high desert plains, but also wound our way through some twisty trails amongst junipers and pines. My favorite driving experience was weaving through the hills in the wooded areas.
Portions of our travel took us to elevations over 7,400 feet. We spent much of our time on
A view from the driver seat. Sometimes we were playing chase on the tail of the car in front of us and other times the driver ahead was way too fast and leaving us behind. Our group had a good mix of driver skills which kept the pace of the trip varied and the cadence interesting.
A view from the driver seat. Sometimes we were playing chase on the tail of the car in fro
Amongst the usual domesticated animals you'd expect to find in rural areas, we spotted a number of deer and assorted small, furry critters. One highlight was encountering several herds of wild mustangs that roam the high desert north of Goldfield.
Amongst the usual domesticated animals you'd expect to find in rural areas, we spotted a n