AZOP 2019 Gila Bend Grand Prix

Gila Bend Mudfest

The 2019 AZOP Rowley White RV series pulled into Gila Bend at the beginning of December for round 12. A significant amount of rain in the days before the 2019 AZOP Gila Bend Grand Prix race left some massive puddles.

Photo by Miller Truby

This is an excerpt from a race report provided by AZOP / Miller Truby

With most of the class championships for the 2019 AZOP Rowley White RV Series having been awarded after the previous race in Lake Havasu, the series pulled into Gila Bend at the beginning of December intending to finish off the remaining points races for the trucks and buggies with a bang. There were five classes potentially up for grabs on Sunday and a track designed to punish heavy vehicles, the opportunities were plentiful for those in position to gain points and positions.

Unusual weather for central Arizona brought a significant amount of rain in the days before the race—which was sponsored by Nash Powersports and Arizona Differential—and left some massive puddles (some of which were better described as ponds) strewn around the course. While the standing water would prove problematic for several vehicles, the rain also tamped down the infamous Gila Bend silt beds which are normally the major concern for this race.

Photo by Miller Truby

Photo by Miller Truby

The hare scramble-style weekend began with perfect weather and clear skies for Saturday’s early races, but the inches of rain that had fallen in days prior forced AZOP staff to run the PeeWee races on a makeshift course to avoid the deep water on the regular infield section of the track.

Photo by Miller Truby

The non-points races for the various bike and quad classes were hotly-contested considering there was nothing beyond pride and a little bit of cash on the line. As the Saturday races finished up, the skies clouded over and a light rain fell most of the night, adding to the mud and standing water as the UTVs and Truck/Buggy classes took to the line for practice. Needless to say, attrition was heavy, with several vehicles being forced to call it a day after only a few practice laps.

Photo by Miller Truby

The UTV classes were also non-points for this race, but that didn’t stop drivers from throwing their cars through the water and mud at full-send speeds, which resulted in more than half the field retiring in the first half of the race. The Trucks and Buggies didn’t fare much better, with every vehicle except one being forced to come off the course at one point or another, either to retire or the make repairs. The exception to that was Savannah Wyllie who managed to finish 12 laps and take the overall win in her first race ever, beating out pro buggies and class 14 trucks while driving a Limited Sportsman buggy!

Video | Official 2019 AZOP Gila Bend Grand Prix Race