January 1, 2021

Steve Olliges

January 1, 2021

About Steve

Growing up in Nevada, Steve Olliges realized his passion for the desert and off-road racing at an early age. At 11 years old, Olliges was invited to attend the legendary Mint 400 race by the late Gordon Grimus, author of The Off-Road Racer. The exciting experience kick-started Olliges’ lifelong passion for desert racing.

After graduating high school, Olliges went on to attend UNLV, where he majored in Sports and Fitness Management. Before his 21st birthday, he entered a Ford Bronco (owned by Hal Sealund of K Bar S Broncos) in the Mint 400 race. Although Olliges did not finish the race, the experience stayed with him, and off-road racing would become an important aspect of his future.

Moving to the San Diego area after college, Olliges temporarily put his love of desert racing on hold while he gained valuable experience working at El Cajon Ford in Southern California. After three years, Olliges moved back to Nevada and worked his way through the ranks of his family’s Ford dealership.

The family business kept Olliges busy, but he never lost his appetite for motorsports. In 1994, Olliges won the SCORE (Southern California Off Road Enthusiasts) International series championship in his Ford Lightning F-150 and was also invited to join the Rough Riders with Ford racers such as Rob MacCachren and Scott Taylor.

In 2000, Olliges partnered up with Rob MacCachren again to win the BITD (Best In The Desert) championship in a Class 7s Ford Ranger Edge. What began as a one-year agreement to race Ford’s newly launched Ranger evolved into a five-year partnership which culminated with three championship titles.

Olliges’ faithful Ford past came full circle with the launch of the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor race program at the 2008 Baja 1000. Staying loyal to the Ford brand throughout their entire racing careers, Steve Olliges and Rob MacCachren once again teamed up as the drivers of record for the Raptor race program for the entire 2009 BITD series.

In 2011, Olliges joined forces with fellow Ford Rough Rider John Swift to compete in the BITD’s premiere Trick Truck class for the entire BITD season and select SNORE (Southern Nevada Off Road) events. They won the SNORE Battle at Primm and finished third in the BITD for the season in their No. 28 Geiser-built Ford Trick Truck with the distinctive retro paint job. History runs deep with the team, as the No. 28 was previously used by John Swift.

Additionally, Steve earned the prestigious BITD Camburg Award three times. The award is earned by having the fastest elapsed time for every mile of the entire race season. Olliges continues to race in the highly competitive Trick Truck class in BITD, Legacy Racing Association, and SCORE; as well as in UTV Rally Sportsman with his daughter Kailee and his son Jack.