Pirelli Claims Victory at 30th Anniversary Vegas to Reno With Hero Racing Ducati

Hero Racing Ducati earns Vegas to Reno victory as Pirelli-equipped teams deliver strong results across the Nevada desert

ATLANTA, GA  – August 15, 2026 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Pirelli celebrated another standout performance at the legendary Casey Folks Vegas to Reno off-road race, with Hero Racing Ducati claiming the overall motorcycle victory for the second consecutive year. Pirelli-equipped Johnny Campbell Racing Honda secured a hard-fought second place overall, while the FOHSE LED Ducati team added to the brand’s impressive results by capturing the Over 30 Pro class win at the iconic event.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the 2026 Casey Folks Vegas to Reno featured a historic change to one of America’s most iconic off-road races. For the first time, competitors tackled the course in reverse, racing nearly 500 miles south from Reno to Las Vegas through Nevada’s rugged high desert. The new direction presented teams with an unfamiliar challenge across rocky canyons, mountain ranges, dry lake beds, and fast desert valleys.

Hero Racing Ducati riders Ciaran Naran, Callum Norton, and Cody Simpson rose to the challenge, topping a field of 147 entries and completing the grueling course in an official time of 7:44:26 to claim the overall motorcycle victory and secure the team’s second consecutive Vegas to Reno win.

The winning Ducati relied on a Pirelli SCORPION™ XC Mid Hard 80/100-21 front tirepaired with a Pirelli SCORPION™ Rally Race 140/80-18 rear tire, a combination selected to handle the wide range of terrain encountered throughout the demanding Nevada course.

“It was awesome,” said Cody Simpson. “We had some cool moisture for the first 280 miles and a few rain ruts out there. The course was great and had a little bit of everything, which made for really good conditions. Even the dry lake beds had some moisture in them. There were huge battles all day long, back and forth, and it was just an unreal day.”

Johnny Campbell Racing Honda riders Preston Campbell and Skyler Howes added another strong result with a second-place overall finish, further demonstrating Pirelli’s performance at the front of one of North America’s toughest desert races.

Pirelli also celebrated success in the Over 30 Pro category, where the FOHSE LED Ducati team of Jordan Graham, Travis Damon, Kyle Tichenor, and Brett Stevensraced their Pirelli-equipped Ducati to the class victory.

“Vegas to Reno is one of those races that puts every part of the motorcycle and tire package to the test, and this year’s reverse course added an entirely new challenge,” said Josh Whitmire, Director of Sales for Pirelli North America. “To see Hero Racing Ducati win this race is an incredible accomplishment and a testament to the riders, the team, and the performance of our products in extremely demanding conditions. To also come away with the Over 30 Pro victory and another strong overall result makes it a great weekend for Pirelli in the desert.”

From high-speed desert sections to rocks, hardpack, and changing terrain, the 30th anniversary running of Vegas to Reno provided an extensive test of durability, traction, and consistency. The results continue Pirelli’s strong presence in American off-road competition and demonstrate the performance of the SCORPION™ range under some of the most demanding racing conditions in North America.

Pirelli Vegas to Reno Results

Open Pro Motorcycle

1. Hero Racing Ducati – Ciaran Naran / Callum Norton / Cody Simpson
2. Johnny Campbell Racing Honda – Preston Campbell / Skyler Howes

Over 30 Pro

1. FOHSE LED Ducati – Jordan Graham / Travis Damon / Kyle Tichenor / Brett Stevens

Winning Tire Combination

Front: Pirelli SCORPION™ XC Mid Hard – 80/100-21
Rear: Pirelli SCORPION™ Rally  – 140/80-18

ABOUT PIRELLI

Pirelli was founded in Milan in 1872 and today stands as a global brand known for its cutting edge technology, high-end production excellence and passion for innovation that draws heavily on its Italian roots. With around 30,000 employees, Pirelli is a major player in the tire industry and the only global player focused solely on the consumer tire market, which includes tires for cars, motorcycles and bicycles. In particular, Pirelli is a global leader in the production of racing and high performance motorcycle tires both for on and off road applications. Pirelli has a long link with motorsport and the multitude of successes include a record of seventy-two world titles gained in the FIM Motocross World Championship thanks to the performance of its mx product range. In road-racing, since 2004 Pirelli has made the FIM Superbike World Championship for production-based motorcycles the ideal proving ground to develop not only the products used in competition, but also tires used daily by motorcyclists all over the world. Inspired by the philosophy now become a motto “We sell what we race, we race what we sell”, Pirelli has managed to bring to fruition all the experience acquired in this championship, applying some of the patents and materials developed for racing activity to the product portfolio dedicated to road use.

Source: Pirelli Tire LLC

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