Octane Fest: READY TO RUMBLE

It’s finally here.

Octane Fest 2017 kicks off Friday night, bringing a weekend of motorsport fun with everything from track races to monster trucks.

The Monster Truck Motorsports Jamboree begins at the Churchill County Fairgrounds at 6 p.m. The event features monster truck rides, truck pulls, kart races, stunt drivers and all manner of heavy vehicle entertainment. Chris Lumsden, of the Lahontan Auto Racing Association (LARA), said he expects this year’s demolition derby and stunt drivers to be good shows.

LARA will close out the day with a fireworks show at 10:45 p.m. Lumsden said the racing association hosts the fireworks every year since he has a pyro-technician’s license.

Saturday’s events begin bright and early at 8 a.m. with a car show. The morning will feature lighter events for visitors to get an up close look at the cars and meet the drivers. After the car show, interested drivers can show off their cars down Maine Street. Only road-legal vehicles will be allowed to participate, and the street will not be closed to traffic.

Saturday evening will continue the jamboree with rides as well as a cyclone competition and a freestyle competition. Quad and kart races and more stunt driving will round out the evening before a second fireworks show that night.

As of Wednesday, the fairgrounds rodeo stadium was in the process of being transformed into an arena; dirt will be moved into plateaus with hills and other temporary obstacles constructed for the event.

Tickets for the jamboree are available at O’Reilly’s Auto Parts. Jerry Roseland, a board member of the LARA, said tickets have been selling rapidly and there seems to be lots of excitement for the event.

Sunday, the final day of Octane Fest, will be dedicated to racing. Rattlesnake Raceway’s events kick off at noon and will go until the last race is finished. The gates will open at 9 a.m. for kart races leading up to the noon start.

Roseland said they expect a full race day and anticipates there will be many cars involved in each event.

He added they are accepting registration of competitors for all events up to the start of the show. He noted most drivers waited until the day of an event to register, rather than signing up early.

“We don’t do that (register early) at the track,” he said. “You never know if drivers will really show up.”

More information on Octane Fest and the events can be found at www.visitfallonnevada.com/octanefest.