LOS ANGELES — McMillin and Wilson, two of the biggest names family names in the world of desert racing, have both made big plans for the new decade, starting with commitments to run high-profile, multi-vehicle teams in the 2010 SCORE Desert Series, the world’s foremost desert racing series. Both with second and third generation drivers, McMillin Racing of San Diego and Wilson Motorsports of Long Beach, Calif., each are planning on having five entries in January’s season-opening 16th Annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge. The computerized drawing for starting positions for the pre-registered entries in the unique two-day race will be held Wednesday at the SCORE headquarters in Los Angeles.

Mopar is in full swing with more than 400 slick new performance parts for Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles in 2009. Mopar will showcase all-new products at the 2008 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show, which runs from Nov. 4-7 in Las Vegas, Nevada.  “From the all-new 2009 Dodge Challenger to the all-new 2009 Dodge Ram 1500, Mopar’s accessories and performance parts create a personal statement for your vehicle,” said Simon Boag, President – Mopar/Global Service and Parts, Chrysler LLC. “We offer a variety of options for appearance and power enhancements to meet customer individuality. If you can dream it, you can build it with Mopar.”

Looking to ride, party and raise a few bucks and some needed awareness for a worthy cause? Load up the toy hauler with family, friends and toys and make way to the 2ND Annual BRP Fun Ride on December 13-14 at Cougar Buttes in Lucerne Valley, which is a part of the Johnson Valley OHV area. This year's event serves a dual purpose by increasing awareness of the proposed 29 Palms Marine base expansion into the Johnson Valley OHV area and providing support for the AMA District 37 Legal Defense Fund. The entire off-road community is invited, including dirt bike riders, trials riders, dual sport motorcycle riders, ATV riders, UTV riders, rock crawlers, Jeepers and 4X4 enthusiasts. Representatives from the AMA D-37, ORBA, CORVA and BRC will be at the event to help educate the OHV public on how they can be heard and what they can do to make a difference. Events will include rock crawling and trials demonstrations as well as organized rides and loops for various vehicle types.

EDITOR NOTE: Being one of the greatest threats to the off-road lifestyle, it is a logical action to post the Sierra Club's Conservation Policy concerning off-road vehicles (OHV) here and in the face of a fraction of the populace who commonly suffer by the actions of environmentalists. This document has been posted here exactly as it is seen upon the Sierra Club website. The URL has been provided at the bottom of the page for reference purposes.

The California Off-Road Vehicle Association (CORVA) just posted an interesting series of graphs and pie charts that reveal the projected breakdown of where off highway vehicle (OHV) funding comes from and where it is delegated to. The Off-Highway Vehicle Trust Fund projected incomes for the fiscal year 2008-2009 shows a grand total of $85,028,000. Approximately 70 percent comes from gas taxes to the tune of 60,009,000. The second largest income arrives from OHV Registration Fees with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) at 19.99 percent for a total of $17,000,000.

A new slogan will greet visitors to the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area (ISDRA) this season, asking everyone to "Pack it Home," as trash collection service will be phased out as a necessary cost-cutting measure by the end of January. BLM District Manager Steve Borchard said with costs rising and available funding declining, trash collection "simply became a luxury we could no longer afford for our visitors," he said. "We want to provide a safe, quality recreation experience," Borchard added, "so we're asking our visitors to take home their trash so our available funding can be used elsewhere in the Dunes."

LOS ANGELES — The Bush administration on Wednesday recommended another reduction in protections for the endangered Lane Mountain milk-vetch by downlisting it to threatened status under the Endangered Species Act. This despite the fact that only four populations of the plant remain on the planet; that recent studies indicate that the number of individuals is declining; and at least 20 percent of the populations will be destroyed by tank maneuvers on Fort Irwin.

The Bureau of Land Management has issued a Notice of Proposed Legislative Withdrawal to enable the eventual transfer of 365,906 acres of fragile public land in the Mojave Desert to the U.S. Marine Corps for bombing, tank training and other “live fire” exercises.  The lands identified by the Marine Corps for its Air Ground Combat Center training grounds near Twentynine Palms include habitat critical for survival of the threatened desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) and desert bighorn sheep. The Marine Corps says it needs the expansion for national security.

Because a lot of hard work by some the nicest off-roading families in the world, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors is finaly considering changes to OHV ordinance 3973. But, the Friends of Giant Rock (FOGR) believe that most people affected by this ordinance are still unaware of its history, its significance or its present status. FOGR needs the help of everyone who recreates in San Bernardino County and anyone who believes that requiring a permit for a family to assemble on their own land, is just plane wrong.  So, please continue to petition the Supervisors for an ORV friendly outcome.

For off-road enthusiasts, both Johnson Valley (Lucerne Valley) and Stoddard Valley (Barstow) are among the hottest off highway vehicle (OHV) recreation destinations in Southern California. Their proximity to major metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles County, Orange County , San Bernardino County and San Diego County make them a perfect place to ride and race dirt bikes, ATVs, 4X4 vehicles, Jeeps, trucks and buggies.