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The United States Autobahn Series is pleased to announce an exciting change in the format of our Flagship Event, the Pony Express 130. Last year, this event was changed from the traditional 1-way, 83.55-mile format to a 2-way format, with a total distance of 131.15 miles! This year, the Pony Express 130 will start at the traditional Start Line at Battle Mountain, MM 116, just out of town, and run south to the traditional finish line at Austin, NV, a distance of 83 miles. Then after refreshments and a turnaround at the Austin High School, the cars will re-grid and run 47 miles back to Mile Marker 79.47, near the Rest Area at “Pay Phone Ranch.” This makes the Pony Express 130 the longest Open Road Race in the Country, a total of 130 miles of speed!
This exciting new format permits the racers to run the south end of the course, with its exciting up-and-down straights, fast sweepers, and the fantastic 7-mile Canyon Run in both directions! Under this format, racers will get the biggest “bang for the buck” in Open Road Rallying today. Upon returning to Battle Mountain after the second leg, there will be a reception and bar-b-q at the Park, followed by the Awards Banquet on Sunday evening. When you add in the Practice session on Friday and the Saturday Car Show and games, you have the formula for a great weekend of fun and speed!
Revised Course Notes can be downloaded from the website here and the Pre-Run Video matching the new format is now available from USAS. This is one Open Road Rally event that you MUST put on your calendar for 2006! Watch the “Pony Express 130” page on this website for the latest updates!
If you've never participated in an open road racing event before, you are in for a treat. We race in AVERAGE speed classes starting at 95 MPH, going up every 5 MPH to 170 MPH. Cars race against the clock, with the object being to average your chosen target speed EXACTLY. You are allowed to bring some help along, in the form of a co-driver, to guide you through the course and keep the time. The speed class you choose to enter will be partly determined by the amount of safety equipment on your vehicle -- the more equipment you have, the faster you will be allowed to go. All racers are assigned a "Tech Speed" based on the safety equipment aboard their car. This speed is higher than the target speed you are aiming for, and you are not allowed to exceed this speed for any reason. For example, if you are in the 120 MPH class, your tech speed will be 140 MPH. If you want to go faster, you must upgrade the safety equipment in your car.
Race weekend will be filled with lots of exciting activities to keep you busy. There will be a general practice session on a 10-mile closed section of the actual race road on Friday, along with Rookie Qualifying, to give everyone a chance to loosen up their machines and check their speedometers against our radar guns. On Saturday, everyone puts their machines proudly on display in the park for the spectators in a Car Show, and there will be “Car Games,” plus, of course, a lot of "bench racing" going on! Saturday evening, you will attend a mandatory Driver's Safety Meeting. Then, early Sunday morning, the real fun begins about 8:00 AM, when you are given the green flag! After the run, and lots of story-swapping, there is an Awards Banquet in Battle Mountain where the victors earn their trophies and bragging rights!
If you'd like to be a part of this great weekend, just fill out the membership form here and return it to us. We will process your membership and send you the race entry forms, along with course notes and a race video of the course for practicing. I promise you, it will be a weekend you'll never forget!!
Mike Borders
General Manager, United States Autobahn Series
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