Mint 400 CEO Matt Martelli to Race RECORD’s Ensenada to San Felipe 250

Matt Martelli teams up with Justin Park in his Bilstein #7147 truck to battle a field of 33 trucks!

June 20th, 2016 – San Diego, CA – Mint 400 CEO Matt Martelli announced today he will be racing in the exploding 7100 truck class at the 2016 RECORD Ensenada to San Felipe 250. Martelli has teamed up with Justin Park and the Bilstein #7147 race team. The RECORD Series has been operating for 27 years in Baja and the 2016 Ensenada to San Felipe 250 will bring over 274 racers to tackle the ultra technical course.

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The 7100 Class is a budget-conscious class, built on production mini/mid-sized pickups or SUV’s.  Martelli is continuing his campaign to race every class of off-road vehicle to write and share information on his experience and teach people how fun off-road racing is.

“I’ve raced this race in Class 11 and had a blast! Ramón Castro and the RECORD crew do a great job! It is important to me that we as Americans show respect to Baja and the Mexican people who allow us to use their beautiful country. We want to continue to race here and invite all the Mexican racers to come race The Mint 400,” stated Mint 400 CEO, Matt Martelli. “There is no place like Baja! We want to keep it clean and sustainable for generations to come!”

To make things more interesting, Justin Park has organized a 7100 Class prize package worth thousands of dollars in retail value for the 33 entries (See below).

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“We are stoked.  This is our first time the 7100 Class will be officially racing in Baja! Our goal is to unify the rules and get everybody racing together in Baja and America. The RECORD Race Series has some great racing and we have 33 trucks currently entered! It’s going to be some great racing!” stated 7100 Class Representative, Justin Park.

American off-road racing was forged in garages and backyards all over the country by packs of friends and grease monkeys who modified stock trucks and made them into stronger, more reliable race vehicles.  No class represents this spirit of do-it-yourself racing better than the 7100 class.

7100 class vehicles are modified to race but unlike their big brothers, they must be built with a chassis and motor that are readily available to the general public and must retain stock steering.  The suspension of these vehicles is the same configuration as originally produced. They are strengthened and reinforced but the original stock geometry must be left intact and they are limited to 18 inches of suspension travel and a 35” tire.

As part of the safety specifications for the class, a race fuel cell is installed, as are race seats, a racing harness, and of course a roll cage.  While the brake, hubs, and rear differential components can be upgraded, the hoods, trunk lids, doors fenders and bedsides are required to resemble the original stock vehicles. The vehicles must weigh 3250 lbs. minimum in order to compete. All of these class restrictions keep the class affordable to race and also push the drivers to focus on becoming better racers, instead of relying on their trucks for a particular advantage.

For more information on the RECORD off-road race series go to: http://www.recordoffroad.com/

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About the Bilstein 7147 racing team
The Bilstein #7147 Racing Team has been racing in Baja since 2010 and have worked their way into Best in the Desert.  Made up of local friends that own pre-runners and enjoy off-roading, the Bilstein #7147 Racing Team applies the tricks and technical adjustments learned in off-road racing to their own vehicles.  To the Bilstein #7147 Racing Team, it’s all about the learning process and getting more involved in off-roading!

About The Mint 400
Known as “The Great American Off-Road Race™,” The Mint 400 is the oldest, most prestigious, and most challenging off-road race on the planet. This annual four-hundred mile marathon between the top off-road racers in the world includes over three hundred and fifty race teams in twenty-four different classes of off-road vehicles. Established in 1967, The Mint 400 is steeped in American lore. Thousands of racers and celebrities from around the world have attempted to tame the brutal Nevada desert, but less than half of them have ever finished the Mint. An entire week of events lead up to the famed off-road contest in and around Las Vegas, including a vehicle parade down the Las Vegas Strip, a drivers meet and greet, a pit crew challenge contest, the Miss Mint 400 beauty pageant, massive parties, a qualifying race, and a huge ten-block “contingency” gathering on Fremont Street East. Over forty-thousand spectators gather to watch the worlds best off-road race teams do battle at The Mint 400!

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