REUNION EVENT: HUEVOS PRO ATV INVITATIONAL

On Feb 22, 2023

Bryce Ford takes the $10,000

By Logan Huff Photos by Eugene Boothe, Charlie Thomas, Harlen Foley

It’s been 25 years since ATV-racer-turned-filmmaker Wes Miller picked up a camera and started capturing images of ATV lifestyle from that time. Wes had the idea to put ATV riders in a light equal to the fame dirt bike riders of the day were getting. His first film in the series, “Huevos Grandes,” was an instant hit and highlighted racers at tracks across the country, free riders in exotic locations and early ATV freestyle competitions. There was even a cameo from the Dirt Wheels crew at one of the 24-hour shootouts we were doing with a Honda 250EX and a Polaris 250 back in the day. Wes also tagged along with us when Jeremy McGrath did photo shoot riding for a Yamaha Banshee test at Glen Helen. Twelve Huevos films in total defined a generation of our sport and highlighted the careers of the best and craziest ATV riders ever. You can buy the DVDs at www.bombsquadracing.com.

Fast-forward a couple decades and Miller has decided to go through the stacks of footage to produce a documentary film with a working title of “The Huevos Years” chronicling what went on in front of and behind the cameras in locations around the world. The documentary will no doubt inspire the next generation of ATV riders when it’s released this fall.

In hopes of gathering and interviewing some of that talent from the past, Miller put on an event in and around Las Vegas, Nevada, called “Huevos Reunion,” along with a Pro Invitational race to kick off the weekend. We sent long-time Dirt Wheels test rider Logan Huff to not only cover the event but compete in it.

HEAD-TO-HEAD RACING

The event took place just outside of Las Vegas at Sandy Valley MX where the best ATV racers in the world would go head-to-head. It was a winner-take-all bracket-style showdown for a $10,000 prize. Invites went out to top pros in all disciplines of ATV racing—MX, XC and desert. Pro ATV riders Joel Hetrick, Walker Fowler, John Natalie (yes, veteran racer John Natalie showed up and actually did very well), Bryce Ford, Hunter Hart, John Glauda, Max Lindquist, Jeffery Rastrelli, Brad Riley, Roberto Villalobos, Brandon Hoag, Jeremy Ledonne and Huff made the trek out to Sand Valley Raceway for the one-off event.

**Bryce Ford finished off last season on top winning this event and was an integral part of the U.S. team at Quadcross of Nations. Photo by Eugene Boothe**

Races were two laps long on a unique course that was a traditional MX track with a tough EnduroCross section starting each lap, and it all happened under the lights. The EnduroCross section had two distinct lanes each rider had to go through. The start was behind a log leading straight to the EnduroCross portion. Starting in the left lane was ideal, as it was a little faster, but would be super dusty the second lap. Faster qualifying determined first gate pick in each bracket. You can see live footage from every bracket on the Dirt Wheels Facebook page if you scroll back to November 4, 2022.

Other than TT racing, there is very little night racing going on these days. It brings a new dynamic to the event. We hope the Huevos Pro Invitational spurs venues across the country to go night racing again.

Every moto came down to the wire and had fans leaning over the fences. The large tractor tires that laid down flat in each lane became the deciding factor of each moto. If you made it over the tires clean, it was going to be a good lap. There wasn’t much time for these guys to make up in the motocross section because it was so fast-paced.

**Hunter Hart and Walker Fowler were on hand to represent the top GNCC racers at the Pro Invitational. Both were fast, but Walker made it a bracket further. Photo by Harlen Foley**

At the end of the night, it came down to Walker Fowler, Joel Hetrick and Bryce Ford. Bryce and Walker had to line up first. Walker started on the left and got through the EnduroCross clean! Meanwhile, Bryce Ford got hung up on the tires! Walker was getting away, but Bryce put his head down and got going quickly! As Walker entered the right lane and began to go over the tires, he also got stuck! Bryce caught back up and managed to get through the dusty left lane clean, while Walker had tipped his quad over during his extra efforts to get going again in that right lane. Bryce finished up his final lap and won the moto.

Local boy Logan Huff (#4) by day handles rider support at Fasst Co. and is a top WORCS pro on the weekends. He helped with this article and competed against the likes of Joel Hetrick (#88) and veteran John Natalie. Photo by Charlie Thomas

FINAL BRACKETS

Next up was Bryce Ford and Joel Hetrick for the $10,000! It started with Joel up front out of the EnduroCross. Ford got hung up a little bit on the tires, but didn’t lose much time and kept Joel in his sights. Joel took the lead, but he still had to make one more clean pass over the bigger tractor tires in the right lane! He approached the tires and got stuck! Hetrick was under some pressure, as Ford was catching back up. Ford got his opportunity to get back into the lead. Joel got over the tires and then went over the handlebar. At the same time, Ford made the pass in the left lane as he also almost went over the bar hitting the log exiting the EnduroCross! Ford saved it and rode his tail off to the finish. The crowd was ecstatic, and the race turned out better than anyone could have expected. Ford celebrated with a burnout in the dirt at the checkered flag throwing big roost!

**Although not a perfect run, Bryce Ford ended up making the least mistakes in the final round against his MX colleague Joel Hetrick.**

Wes presented the big $10,000 CST Tires Huevos Years Pro Invitational check to Ford. Hetrick ended up second, and GNCC star Walker Fowler took third for the night. Wes Miller and the crew at Sandy Valley MX hosted a great event and the pros put on a show. It’s not often that you get to see the best-of-the-best quad racers from different disciplines go head-to-head like that. The bracket-style racing was great entertainment and kept everyone on their toes all night. We are sure Wes is trying to figure out how to put on the next bracket-style ATV race. Miller tells us the next one may happen this fall in conjunction with the release of the “Huevos Years” documentary.

**A $10,000 check for winning one race these days is huge. Lady Luck was on Ford’s side this weekend as he won at the as Vegas casinos as well.**

CATCHING UP

The next day many of the pro racers and several riders who took part in the original film series competed in a go-kart race in Las Vegas for even more bragging rights. That night a Legends dinner sponsored by Rox Speed FX got many of the past riders together to reminisce downtown. The event finished off with a concert featuring band members from the original bands featured on the soundtracks of the films, including Breaking in a Sequence, Nonpoint, and HED PE. The weekend turned out to be the perfect mix of legends and younger generation ATV racers. We hope to see more events like this in the future! We know it can breathe life into sport ATVs.