Start Your Race Surrounded by Flaming Sculptures and Bedazzled Buicks

When you imagine the start of a gravel race, you probably picture something like this: a quiet morning chill, the low hum of nervous pre-race chatter, and the sound of cleats clicking on pavement. What you probably don’t picture? A life-sized rhinoceros made out of chrome car parts. Or a VW Beetle transformed into a fire-breathing dragon.

But welcome to Art Car World, the official headquarters of BorderLands Gravel.

Yes, it’s a real place. Yes, it’s as wild as it sounds. And yes, this is where packet pickup, race start, and post-ride festivities will all take place on November 15, 2025.

What Is Art Car World?

Tucked in a quiet corner of Douglas, Arizona, just a short ride from the border with Mexico, Art Car World is a living museum and creative compound dedicated to “art cars:” wildly imaginative vehicles transformed into rolling sculptures. It’s part Burning Man, part Mad Max, and part your childhood Hot Wheels collection on a heavy dose of espresso.

The project is the brainchild of artist and visionary Harrod Blank, and it’s slowly but surely transforming Douglas into a destination for eccentric automotive art. Some cars bounce. Some glow. Some breathe fire. All of them turn heads.

And on race weekend, you’ll be toeing the start line among them.

A Venue Like No Other

Let’s be clear: this isn’t your typical bike event setup. Art Car World isn’t just a backdrop. It’s part of the experience. Whether you’re picking up your packet, waiting for your race to roll out, or cheering on friends from the sidelines, you’ll be doing it all surrounded by a rotating cast of bedazzled Cadillacs, glitter-coated hearses, and psychedelic school buses.

Expect color. Expect character. Expect a strong urge to take selfies.

And when the ride is over? Stick around. We’ll celebrate finishers and fire up the festivities back at Art Car World, a fitting end to a ride that’s anything but ordinary.

BorderLands Gravel Is Built Different

It makes sense, really. A race like BorderLands Gravel deserves a venue that matches its soul, rugged, creative, and totally unexpected. This isn’t a “staged in a field” kind of race. It’s a journey through borderlands history, desert beauty, and yes, art on wheels.

From the International Parade Lap into Agua Prieta, Mexico, to the rolling, remote roads of the Geronimo Trail, this event is about movement ... across land, culture, and imagination. And it all begins (and ends) at one of the most wonderfully weird places in the Southwest.

So … Ready to Ride?

You bring the bike. We’ll bring the art cars.

Space is limited. And if you want to cross an international border, conquer a borderland gravel route, and party next to a flame-throwing van covered in garden gnomes … you know what to do.