The 2009 Best in the Desert series opened today with Time Trials for the BlueWater Resort & Casino Parker 425 in the Colorado river town of Parker, Arizona, with unseasonably warm weather to the delight and surprise of the thousands of participants and fans in attendance.

Time Trials opened with a recon and practice lap at 11 a.m., with over 80 cars and trucks hitting the course to try and take the pole position for Saturday’s race. The Time Trial course was run in the reverse direction from past years, forcing many racers to really slow down and learn the new course rather than just go for the typical hot lap that they usually throw down during practice.

When the dust settled after the timed lap some familiar faces were at the top of the time sheet. Multi-time off-road racing champion Rob MacCachren (above), driving Steve Sourapas’ Corona Extra Class 1500 buggy (Sourapas is listed as the driver of record for the race), laid down the fastest lap, posting a time of five minutes, 28.937 seconds at an average speed of 58.01 mph to take the number one starting position.

Less than two seconds back on the five-mile Time Trial course was Johnny Herder, driver the Speedtech Racing Jimco for driver of record Chuck Dempsey.  2008 Fabtech Henderson Classic winner and Andy McMillin was the top Trick Truck qualifier. McMillin, in his Geiser Brothers-built Ford Trick Truck, finished 8.8 seconds behind MacCachren. Josh Daniel and BJ Baldwin rounded out the top five.

Today also saw the return of Terrible Herbst Motorsports to desert racing. The team’s legendary Class 1500 Landshark truggy (above) is now sporting a new, black paint scheme thanks to a recently inked sponsorship deal with Monster Energy drink. Driver Troy Herbst qualified 11th in the Landshark.

Another off-road racing legend, Curt LeDuc (above), was on hand to drive the Trick Truck of Tracy Rubio, which now sports a throwback Motorcraft paint scheme in honor of the late, great Parker legend, Manny Esquerra; LeDuc qualified 24th. 

Will Staats was also showing off a new Mastercraft Seats paint scheme on his Trick Truck, and Jesse Ashcraft debuted a new Trick Truck as well. Another new face to Trick Truck was also present, as reigning Baja Protruck Champion Jason Voss was behind the wheel of his newly purchased “Prophy Truck,” which was formerly raced by Clyde Stout and Cameron Steele.

Friday will feature tech and contingency at the BlueWater Resort & Casino. Racing begins Saturday at 7:15 a.m. with the start of the Parker 425 in downtown Parker.