Libellum Raceday reports on The Inaugural Biltwell 100 , held at Randsburg in the desert of the Indian Wells Valley of southern California , in April . Photos by Geoff Kowalchuk
For sure Biltwell didn ' t invent the offroad Sportster , but when they became the first ever to finish the NORRA Mexican 1000 in 2019 , the idea of desert racing with such an apparently inappropriate motorbike immediately went mainstream . At 1,300 miles over five days , Baja proved that such an overweight underdog could actually do it . Fast forward to April of this year , and the scrappy helmet and hard parts company partnered with veteran offroad race logistics team DP4 to produce the very first Biltwell 100 . Sign-ups were quietly announced on social media in December and were sold out in 48 hours . With a tag line for the event that promised " Good Times , not Lap Times ," riders immediately knew what the Biltwell 100 was all about . Behind the scenes , things were more serious with professional EMTs on site , a medivac helicopter on stand-by , BLM permits , expensive insurance contracts and dozens of seasoned desert rats ready to sweep the course for injured or broken down riders . Race classifications at the Biltwell 100 were unique . Women had their own classes , but this was no " Powder Puff " race . Ladies started on the same rows as the men and went the same number of miles . Multiple vintage classes were well attended with 60s British iron strongly represented and plenty of 70s and 80s Japanese bikes . Of course , with Biltwell ' s history with Harleys and Hooligan racing , there was a solid showing of Sportsters in the Hooligan Expert and Novice classes - 22 in total . That ' s approximately 11,000 pounds of Heavy Metal ! Just in case someone or some bike didn ' t fit into a category , the Misfit class was designed just for them . Since the race was a series of 25-mile laps , different classes did 2 , 3 or 4 laps and the Misfits only had to complete a single lap . Misfits indeed , as the class included a few noobs who just wanted to try it out , plus a knucklehead named Jedd on his rigid , tank-shift 45 " Harley ( he made it a stunning 15 miles ) and two complete loons on pull-start minibikes who inexplicably finished the entire 25 miles . Not to be left out , there were plenty of experienced riders on extremely capable and fast modern bikes . The dynamic on the starting line was
nervous . 150 + riders lined up in seven rows for a rubber band style start , just like the old days . Fighting dust and overriding fear , the fastest rows went off first , with the Misfits bringing up the rear . Five hours later , riders were not allowed to enter for another lap and by 4:00 pm or so , the sweep teams had rescued the stragglers , and everyone was safely back at camp and ready to party . The attrition rate was high in most classes , especially for the Harleys , with some of the fast favorites like Mikey Virus ending the day with a blown engine before completing lap one . This added to the excitement and showcased how important mechanical empathy and pace discipline is in offroad racing - even when it ' s supposed to be laid back . After a gruelling weekend in the California sun and wind , riders from every skill level and corner of the US map agreed - the Biltwell 100 was built for fun . The terrain had proven plenty challenging , but not so rough that two idiots on mini-bikes with more determination than brains couldn ' t make it . In typical Biltwell fashion , there will be an internal ' After Action Report ' where pros and cons are debated over beers and legal pads , with the plans for 2022 starting to crystalize into task lists and the whole thing will start all over . But first , the crew must survive their other infamous event - the El Diablo Run , which takes place in Baja at the end of April . One has to wonder how " work " could be so much fun ? www . biltwell100 . com
28 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - MAY 2021 www . AMDchampionship . com