Ryan Roglin is like any typical local 18-year-old; he loves driving his truck.

Submitted photo. Ryan Roglin’s Ford F-150 bounces over the desert during last year’s Parker 425. The Lake Havasu High School senior will take a second run at winning the off-road race when the 2009 Parker 425 gets underway this weekend.

But unlike the others, Roglin likes hopping washes and gullies with his.

The Lake Havasu High School senior will kick off his second year of off-road racing at the Parker 425 this weekend.

“I hope to finish it,” he said. “That’s my main goal. That and not beating up my truck. The guys in my class run hard and beat up the trucks. I want to run steady.”

Roglin’s first race was last year’s Parker 425, where he finished in 6th place in the 8100 class and 186th of 318 overall.

It was a race he didn’t originally intend to run.

“I wanted to race dirt bikes, Roglin said. “But my dad said it was too dangerous. He said if he could get me in something with a cage around me it would be ok though, so that’s when we got the truck.”

The truck is a Ford F-150 with the only modification, improved shocks to handle the desert. In addition to Parker he took the truck to Primm, Nev. and Mesquite, Nev. but mechanical problems forced him to drop out during both races.

Roglin, currently sponsored by Midwest Internal Medicine, Peterson’s Family Home Care, TCS and Havilah Concrete Coating, is also looking for more support because he’s looking at a dull slate of racing this year. In addition to the parker race, he’s scheduled the Terribles 250 in April, the TCSO Vegas to Reno race in August, The Bilek Racing Silver State 300 in September and the Henderson Fabtech Desert Classic in December.

Total cost for entry fees, fuel and parts is almost $20,000.

“We’re knocking on doors,” he said.

But in the meantime, Roglin and his co-driver Karl Hartmetz of Parker have been getting ready for the Parker race.

“The truck is in great shape. It feels really good and the suspension is a lot better. It handles really good,” he said. “I’ve been practicing as hard and as much as I can. North of the city and in Parker.”

You may contact the reporter at dbell@havasunews.com.