2024 UNLTD Championship Chase: Limited Car, Vintage, and Military Classes
The 2024 UNLTD Off-Road Racing season concludes on October 2-6 with the return of the California 300. As we prepare for an epic finish to this year’s campaign, we’re going to take a look each week at the top racers across the dozens of classes that make up a typical UNLTD entry list.
This week, the focus shifts to many of our limited car classes, from iconic air-cooled buggies to vintage and even military machines:
Class 12, 5-1600, and Class 9 Challenger
As the lone Class 12 entry in Parker, Sean Harrington leads the division standings, even as he finished just off the podium at the Mint 400, where Sammy Ehrenberg, Dustin Miller, and Corey Ellis scored the top three spots. Ehrenberg’s 8:49:31 at the Mint put the #1206 Wilson Motorsports entry, which he shared with Larry Job, Rob MacCachren, and Ronny Wilson, an impressive 21st overall.
Ernie Negrete is in the same spot in Class 5-1600, finishing fifth at the Mint as the only driver to start both races. Raul Solano, Daniel Ledesma, and Mele Valencia were the 5-1600 podium in the Great American Off-Road Race, but both Negrete Boys entries scored top-five finishes, with Larry Negrete Jr. coming home fourth.
Jonathan Harstad and Jose Pereyra’s face-off in Class 9 Challenger began at Parker, where only Harstad was able to make it to the finish line. However, both entries failed to finish at the Mint, keeping the door open for Pereyra in Barstow.
Class 11 and 1/2 1600
No class to see its first entries of 2024 at the Mint exploded more than Class 11, which boasted 16 vintage Volkswagen Beetles on the start line. When all was said and done, Blake Wilkey’s three-lap time of 7:50:43 was over an hour and a half better than runner-up Ralph Castillo, while Brandon Toy completed the podium. Half of the Class 11s to take the green flag in Primm were able to make it to the finish.
The Mint also attracted a deep field of six Class 1/2 1600 entries, with Travis Reese besting Jean-Paul Cyr in the finishing order. Reese managed to sneak in his four laps of the course in just under 10 hours, the last racer in the field to do so.
Vintage Classes
Eric Pond’s Vintage class Ford Bronco is always one of the most popular Limited class entries, and his title chase took on an extra dimension after finding out that his cancer is in remission just two weeks after racing in Parker. Pond finished second to only Buck Vinson at the Mint, but has a substantial point lead as the only Vintage starter in Parker—and he’s raised over $14,400 for the Cancer Research Institute along the way.
The other Vintage classes only saw entries at the Mint 400. John Griffin finished two laps in 5:26:08 as the lone Vintage Open entry, while Steve Grinter failed to finish as the only Modern Vintage starter.
Open Sportsman, Military, and Gambler 500/Hooptie X
While Wade Porter pulled double duty in Parker in both Open Sportsman (as its lone starter) and Unlimited Truck Legends, he wasn’t among the eight Open Sportsman starters at the Mint. Kyle Washington took the class win in the latter as he and teammate Ryan Arciero tuned up for a run up front most of the next day in Unlimited Truck.
Military vehicles have been a regular addition to the Mint 400 in recent years, and 2024 was no exception. Before taking on 4400 Unlimited in Saturday’s main event, Cole Johnson led Jonathan Schaffer among eight Modern Military entries in Friday’s Limited race, while both Vintage Military entries to start the race, led by Alex Hernandez and Robert Blanton, were also able to finish.
Likewise, the Gambler 500/Hooptie X classes regularly boast some of the most unique entries in off-road racing. In the Modified division, Emme Hall’s Mazda Miata survived its lap of the Mint 400 course in 3:43:57, while Chuck Brazer’s Nissan defeated Bryce Ronsonet’s Mercedes in the Stock class.
Catch up on all of the 2024 UNLTD Championship Chase posts:
July 18: UTV Modified/UTV Stock/Youth
July 25: Limited Truck