Baptism by Sand: Special Stage 1 at Sonora Rally 2025
Sonora Rally’s Special Stage One Pushes Racers to Their Limits Out the Gate
The Sonoran Desert does not forgive. It does not forget. And it certainly does not make things easy. On Special Stage One (SS1) of the 2025 Sonora Rally, competitors got their first real taste of what the coming days have in store—and for many, it was a harsh awakening. What looked like a relatively mild start to the rally quickly turned into a gauntlet of punishing dunes, deceptive sand traps, and mechanical misfortunes.
A short liaison delivered racers to the start of the special, where an unassuming stretch of terrain gave way to a section of dunes that wasted no time proving their dominance. The sand was relentless, swallowing tires and egos alike. Four-wheeled competitors faced a war of attrition. One by one, UTVs and autos fell victim to mechanical gremlins, overheating issues, and that ever-present Sonoran sand. By the time the dust settled, only two Autos emerged from the battlefield unscathed.
But this is rally raid, Isuzu made a bold entrance into the rally this year, with LAP Motorsports fielding three classic VehiCROSS models in perfect racing condition while fan-favorite privateer George La Monte [#206] brought an Infinity Fx45 he lovingly dubbed “the beater” that he hopes to roll (or drag) across the finish line. While La Monte had a clever plan to avoid the worst of the dunes, the desert had other ideas.
The calculation succeeded at veering him away from the mountainous of climbs, but the unknown on the other side left him stranded. Despite a valiant effort to push through, he ultimately had to retreat to the highway after reaching the fuel stop with the remaining group of Autos making their way back to the bivouac, with their tails between their legs. But playing both driver and navigator, La Monte’s story is going to be one to watch.
Bill Conger [#203] and rally raid veteran Angelo Vlcek showcased a masterclass in endurance and navigation, arriving at the A.S.S. with time to spare, while others were left digging themselves out—literally and figuratively. All while Brock Harper and co-driver Steven Geist [#201] had a seemingly smooth cruise from start to finish in their stock UTV. The Yamaha YXZ1000R entry showed flashes of brilliance but struggled in the deep, shifting sand, while another side-by-side team found themselves in an hours-long battle against a stubborn dune before finally clawing their way out.
While the cars will all be at it again tomorrow, they will be significantly disadvantaged with tremendous penalties added to their timecards. By sunset, the remaining autos rolled into the bivouac—some limping, others triumphant—the reality of rally raid set in: every mile is a fight, and the Sonoran Desert doesn’t play favorites.
If Day One on-course is any evidence of what's to come, these competitors are in for a wild ride. But Sonora gives and takes in mysterious ways. And true to the rally raid spirit, you never know quite what lies ahead...You can only hope you read your tulips correctly.
To learn more about the event, head to https://sonorarally.com/. To follow the race and keep an eye on reports and results, stay tuned @SonoraRally on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.
National Auto Provisional Results by Class
2WD Class
- 1st Place: Bill Conger, Angelo Vicek, 4:55:43 (Total), 4:42:43 (SS1), 13:00 (Penalties)
- 4th Place: Bruno Pinillos, Brad Goodfellow, 27:13:00 (Total), 7:00:00 (SS1), 20:13:00 (Penalties)
UTVS Class
- 2nd Place: Brock Harper, Steven Geist, 4:59:17 (Total), 4:58:17 (SS1), 1:00 (Penalties)
- 3rd Place: Gary Payne, Phil Ashworth, 25:44:00 (Total), 7:00:00 (SS1), 18:44:00 (Penalties)
4WD Class
- 5th Place: Lance Webb, Kirk Callanoil, 26:44:00 (Total), 7:00:00 (SS1), 19:44:00 (Penalties)
- 6th Place: Luis Perocarpi, Thomas Crihfield, 27:02:00 (Total), 7:00:00 (SS1), 20:02:00 (Penalties)
- 7th Place: Mikhail Sidorov, Edgar Belikov, 27:30:00 (Total), 7:00:00 (SS1), 20:30:00 (Penalties)
- 8th Place: Bruce Myrehn, Dan Fargo, 28:18:00 (Total), 7:00:00 (SS1), 21:18:00 (Penalties)
- 9th Place: Nathan Hayashi, Shane Hairsine, 33:01:00 (Total), 7:00:00 (SS1), 26:01:00 (Penalties)
- 10th Place: George La Monte, 33:45:00 (Total), 7:00:00 (SS1), 26:45:00 (Penalties)
- 11th Place: Andrew Sellers, Mark Wells, 34:01:00 (Total), 7:00:00 (SS1), 27:01:00 (Penalties)
Provisional Overall SS1 Auto Results
- 1st Place: Bill Conger, Angelo Vicek, 4:55:43
- 2nd Place: Brock Harper, Steven Geist, 4:59:17
- 3rd Place: Gary Payne, Phil Ashworth, 25:44:00
- 4th Place: Lance Webb, Kirk Callanoil, 26:44:00
- 5th Place: Luis Perocarpi, Thomas Crihfield, 27:02:00
- 6th Place: Bruno Pinillos, Brad Goodfellow, 27:13:00
- 7th Place: Mikhail Sidorov, Edgar Belikov, 27:30:00
- 8th Place: Bruce Myrehn, Dan Fargo, 28:18:00
- 9th Place: Nathan Hayashi, Shane Hairsine, 33:01:00
- 10th Place: George La Monte, 33:45:00
- 11th Place: Andrew Sellers, Mark Wells, 34:01:00
Moto Provisional Results by Class
Pro Class
- 1st Place: Preston Campbell, 3:52:59 (Total), 3:52:59 (SS1)
- 2nd Place: Brendan Crow, 3:53:45 (Total), 3:42:45 (SS1), 11:00 (Penalties)
- 3rd Place: Mike Johnson, 4:06:03 (Total), 4:04:03 (SS1), 2:00 (Penalties)
- 4th Place: Jordan Huibregtse, 4:06:27 (Total), 4:06:27 (SS1)
- 5th Place: Willem Avenant, 4:27:08 (Total), 4:10:08 (SS1), 17:00 (Penalties)
- 7th Place: David Pearson, 4:34:52 (Total), 4:34:52 (SS1)
- 8th Place: Matthew Ransom, 4:36:12 (Total), 4:33:12 (SS1), 3:00 (Penalties)
- 9th Place: Justin Jumet, 4:47:37 (Total), 4:46:37 (SS1), 1:00 (Penalties)
- 10th Place: Brandon Krause, 4:49:00 (Total), 4:22:00 (SS1), 27:00 (Penalties)
- 12th Place: Jim Pearson, 4:59:26 (Total), 4:22:26 (SS1), 37:00 (Penalties)
- 14th Place: Kyle McCoy, 5:08:46 (Total), 5:08:46 (SS1)
- 15th Place: Mike Shirley, 5:14:10 (Total), 5:10:10 (SS1), 4:00 (Penalties)
- 16th Place: Armando Alonso Morales, 5:20:23 (Total), 5:20:23 (SS1)
- 21st Place: Adolfo Alonso, 5:59:42 (Total), 5:58:42 (SS1), 1:00 (Penalties)
- 25th Place: Alexander Kachaev, 6:21:51 (Total), 6:09:51 (SS1), 12:00 (Penalties)
- 27th Place: Vladimir Malyarevich, 6:36:53 (Total), 6:15:53 (SS1), 21:00 (Penalties)
- 29th Place: Matthew Glade, 5:31:50 (Total), 10:01:50 (SS1), 4:30:00 (Penalties)
Enduro Class
- 6th Place: Julián Sánchez Dabin, 4:31:25 (Total), 4:23:25 (SS1), 8:00 (Penalties)
- 13th Place: Ryan Nariño, 5:03:48 (Total), 5:05:48 (SS1), 2:00 (Penalties)
- 17th Place: Maciej Obryk, 5:11:38 (Total), 5:28:38 (SS1), 17:00 (Penalties)
- 18th Place: Gareth Jones, 5:10:11 (Total), 5:31:11 (SS1), 21:00 (Penalties)
- 19th Place: Ben Howard, 5:45:08 (Total), 5:40:08 (SS1), 5:00 (Penalties)
- 20th Place: Ramsey Carr, 5:10:59 (Total), 5:48:59 (SS1), 38:00 (Penalties)
- 22nd Place: Larry Engwall, 6:02:48 (Total), 5:44:48 (SS1), 18:00 (Penalties)
- 23rd Place: Bryan Pedersen, 5:37:00 (Total), 6:06:00 (SS1), 29:00 (Penalties)
- 24th Place: Olof Sundstrom, 6:16:45 (Total), 6:15:45 (SS1), 1:00 (Penalties)
- 26th Place: C J King, 6:33:41 (Total), 6:29:41 (SS1), 4:00 (Penalties)
- 28th Place: Dawson Stanley, 7:16:00 (Total), 7:00:00 (SS1), 16:00 (Penalties)
- 30th Place: Ben Lauderdale, 7:00:00 (Total), 15:35:00 (SS1), 8:35:00 (Penalties)
- 31st Place: Wes Carr, 7:40:23 (Total), 35:13:23 (SS1), 27:33:00 (Penalties)
- 32nd Place: Ladislao Hendández Artesi, 48:30:00 (Total), 7:00:00 (SS1), 41:30:00 (Penalties)
- DNF: Daniele Bartolucci
Thump Class
- 11th Place: José Daniel Miranda Fumero, 4:56:48 (Total), 4:53:48 (SS1), 3:00 (Penalties)
Provisional Overall SS1 Moto Results
- Preston Campbell, 3:52:59
- Brendan Crow, 3:53:45
- Mike Johnson, 4:06:03
- Jordan Huibregtse, 4:06:27
- Willem Avenant, 4:27:08
- Julián Sánchez Dabin, 4:31:25
- David Pearson, 4:34:52
- Matthew Ransom, 4:36:12
- Justin Jumet, 4:47:37
- Brandon Krause, 4:49:00
- José Daniel Miranda Fumero, 4:56:48
- Jim Pearson, 4:59:26
- Ryan Nariño, 5:03:48
- Kyle McCoy, 5:08:46
- Mike Shirley, 5:14:10
- Armando Alonso Morales, 5:20:23
- Maciej Obryk, 5:11:38
- Gareth Jones, 5:10:11
- Ben Howard, 5:45:08
- Ramsey Carr, 5:10:59
- Adolfo Alonso, 5:59:42
- Larry Engwall, 6:02:48
- Bryan Pedersen, 5:37:00
- Olof Sundstrom, 6:16:45
- Alexander Kachaev, 6:21:51
- C J King, 6:33:41
- Vladimir Malyarevich, 6:36:53
- Dawson Stanley, 7:16:00
- Matthew Glade, 5:31:50
- Ben Lauderdale, 7:00:00
- Wes Carr, 7:40:23
- Ladislao Hendández Artesi, 48:30:00
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