Tag: Mint 400

Jay Leno to Race The 2017 Polaris RZR Mint 400 presented by BFGoodrich Tires

Former “Tonight Show” host brings Jay Leno’s Garage to “The Great American Off-Road Race”

The Mint 400 announced today that Jay Leno will be racing The 2017 Polaris RZR Mint 400 presented by BFGoodrich Tires in a nearly stock Camburg Engineering built Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro. An avid automotive enthusiast, Leno will start the race with Ryan Millen as his co-driver and then hand over driving duties to builder/racer Jerry Zaiden who will finish the race with off-road journalist Fred Williams as his co-driver. (more…)

February 14, 2017
FOX Puts up $10k Purse to the Overall Winner on FOX at The 2017 Mint 400

The FOX Proving Grounds returns to The Great American Off-Road Race

The Mint 400 today announced FOX, an industry leader in design and development of high performance shock absorbers and off-road racing suspension products, has returned as a sponsor of the 2017 Polaris RZR Mint 400 Presented by BFGoodrich Tires. A ten thousand dollar purse is now up for grabs for the overall winner on FOX shocks courtesy of FOX. Additionally, the FOX Proving Grounds returns as the ultimate performance test in one of the toughest and most challenging sections of The Mint 400 race course. (more…)

January 27, 2017

BFGoodrich Tires 2016 Mint 400 Highlights

The 2016 Polaris RZR Mint 400 presented by BFGoodrich Tires took place March 12th just outside Las Vegas, Nevada. The Race featured one of the most stacked fields in off-road racing history. 350 of the world’s best off-road teams showed up to battle each other and the brutal Mojave desert, for the chance to call themselves a Mint 400 Champion.

Rob MacCachren, Bryce Menzies, Justin Lofton, Cameron Steele, Jason Voss, Josh Daniel, Justin Matney, and Apdaly Lopez all came to battle and pit strategy became a chess game of who could stay out front. Teams fought for every second as they sent their driver back out into the off-road war. The course quickly deteriorated into a nightmare of rocks and dust.

This Mint 400 was one of the biggest unlimited fields in history, with the deepest field of world class drivers. A win here means you have beaten the best.

After over 12 hours of intense off-road racing BFGoodrich won the Mint 400 overall with trick truck driver Justin Lofton by a mere 42 seconds. BFGoodrich took 7 of the top ten positions and 16 separate class wins once again proving their dominance in off-road racing.

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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!

About Mad Media
Mad Media (www.madmedia.com) is a San Diego based marketing and creative agency, with in-house film and television production. We craft authentic, culturally engaging brand messages, and deliver them across print, web, photography, and film platforms. Mad Media has been leading the online content revolution since 1995 producing major commercial, television, online content and viral film projects such as The Gymkhana Series and XP1K Series.

April 9, 2016

FOX Athletes Dominate 2016 Mint 400

2016 POLARIS RZR MINT 400 PRESENTED BY BFGOODRICH TIRES FOX HIGHLIGHTS

For the 4th consecutive year, a FOX athlete has taken the Overall win in one of the most infamously brutal off-road races, The Mint 400. In 2016, Justin Lofton made history in the #41 FOX Trick Truck affectionately known as BadCo, becoming the first driver ever to collect back-to-back Mint 400 overall wins. 13 FOX athletes would stand atop the podium in their respective classes, dominating “The Great American Off-Road Race.”

THE MINT 400 TAKES OVER LAS VEGAS STRIP, LED BY LEGEND ROD HALL
The 2016 Mint 400 kicked off with the roar of over 100 of the fastest off-road vehicles in the country echoing off the walls of the casinos and hotels on Las Vegas Boulevard. Leading the way was off-road legend Rod Hall, in his FOX-equipped 1969 Stroppe Ford Bronco, grabbing the attention of everyone on the strip.

FOX ATHLETES TAKE TOP 4 SPOTS AT TIME TRIALS
To set the starting order for the race, Time Trials were held in Primm, NV and Justin Lofton wasted no time proving that his win last year was no fluke, outrunning a field of 69 Trick Truck and Class 1500 competitors. FOX took the top 4 spots with Andy McMillin, Bryce Menzies and Jesse Jones all within 1.5 seconds of Lofton’s qualifying time.

MENZIES MOTORSPORTS UP TO THE CHALLENGE
Following Time Trials, the Method Race Wheels Pit Crew Challenge took over Fremont Street. 8 Trick Trucks and 8 Unlimited Buggy teams of three pit crew members would face-off in a race to change two tires the fastest. The local favorites of Menzies Motorsports would emerge victorious in the Trick Truck category, each member earning a set of FOX Performance Series 2.0 IFP shocks along with the coveted Method Race Wheels Golden Jack.

THE MINT 400 CONTINGENCY EXPERIENCE ON FREMONT
Over 350 vehicles descended upon Fremont Street for contingency and technical inspection. Race fans were able to get up close and personal with the race cars as they rolled down the street, get autographs from their favorite drivers and pick up the latest FOX swag.

ROGER STARKEY CLAIMS BACK-TO-BACK CLASS 1000 WINS
Race day commenced with the limited class race and Roger Starkey took the win in Class 1000, repeating his 2015 win. Starkey’s total time was just minutes short of a top 10 overall time in the unlimited race with only one limited and one unlimited buggy clocking faster overall times.

SIMS & LAMBERT ON TOP IN UTV, FOX DRIVERS SWEEP PODIUM
In the highly competitive and rapidly growing UTV classes, Branden Sims took the honors as 1st Overall UTV, finishing 1st in the Pro UTV Turbo class. FOX athletes rounded out the UTV podiums with Wayne Matlock finishing 2nd and Ryan Laidlaw finishing 3rd in the Pro Turbo class and Kristin Matlock coming in 2nd in the Pro Production class.

Following up on his UTV World Championship win, Justin Lambert crossed the line in 2nd overall for the UTV’s, winning the Pro UTV Production class. Lambert’s win also marks his third consecutive Best in the Desert win this season.

JUSTIN LOFTON NAMED MINT 400 OVERALL CHAMPION…AGAIN!
2015 saw Justin Lofton take the Overall win at the Mint 400 in his rookie Trick Truck season and 2016 was no different. Lofton was first off the line and held his lead amongst lapped traffic, until Bryce Menzies was able to pass him in during a routine pit. Lofton was able to reclaim the lead after Menzies retired with mechanical issues and would battle with Andy McMillin all the way to the finish line.

After five and a half hours of racing through the Nevada desert, only 42 seconds on corrected time would separate McMillin and Lofton, giving Justin Lofton his second consecutive Mint 400 Overall win and making him the first driver ever to earn back-to-back wins.

TAKE A RIDE WITH THE CHAMP
Not only did Justin and his navigator, Derek Balcunas, walk away with two brand-new Polaris RZR XP Turbo’s, but Lofton also claimed the big $10,000 FOX check for finishing 1st Overall on FOX shocks.

CODY PARKHOUSE TOPS CLASS 1500
Cody Parkhouse was the first unlimited buggy to finish, earning the Class 1500 victory and a 7th place finish overall.

CHRISTIAN SOURAPAS VICTORIOUS IN 6100
Continuing the trend of FOX-equipped trucks dominating the 6100/TT Spec class, Christian Sourapas took 1st place, rounding out a successful day for FOX competitors.

FOX MINT 400 WINNERS

Overall & Trick Truck – Justin Lofton
1500 – Cody Parkhouse*
6100 – Christian Sourapas
1000 – Roger Starkey*
UTV Turbo – Branden Sims*
UTV Production – Justin Lambert*
6000 – Todd Jackson*
2000 – Kevin Smith*
3000 – Reid Rutherford*
Unlimited Pro – David Martinez*
Vintage – Todd Richards
Stock VW – Alex Rivas Alvarez*
1200 – Greg Foutz*

*Fast lap in class

#RIDEFOX

About Race-Dezert.com
Race-Dezert.com was created by off-road enthusiasts, giving off-roaders a place online to share information about the sport and culture of off-road racing. Based in Southern California, Race-Dezert.com highlights the off-road disciplines of desert racing, short course off-road, stadium truck racing, rally raid, rally racing and rock crawling.

Our goal is to connect the world of off-road racing globally, bringing people together through the common denominator of off-road culture. Whether you are a racer, a promoter, a chase team member, a casual fan, or just interested in learning about off-road, Race-Dezert.com is a place where you can learn about the sport and culture of off-road racing.

April 4, 2016
Baja Designs’ Team BD Wins 6 Classes at The Mint 400

Baja Designs LED lights were the first thing that crossed the finish line in just about every class at The Mint 400 off-road race in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Results:
Trick Truck: 1st Place: Justin Lofton 2nd Place: Andy McMillin 4th Place: Brett Sourapas
Class 1500: 1st Place: Cody Parkhouse
Class 6100/TT Spec: 1st Place: Christian Sourapas
Class 10: 1st Place: Roger Starkey 2nd Place: Milk-N-It Motorsports 3rd Place: Jason Coleman
UTV: 1st Place: Branden Sims
Vintage: 1st Place: Rory Ward

Team BD Trick Truck Race Summary

Justin Lofton took the overall victory and the top spot in the Trick Truck class; making him the second “Team BD” racer to take back to back wins that day. Finishing only 42 seconds behind Lofton was Andy McMillin in his new TSCO Trick Truck. Finishing just off the podium in fourth was “Team BD” racer Brett Sourapas.

“We turned our Baja Designs lights on with about 20 miles to go to the finish. It was hammer down from the start. Our Baja Designs Lights worked great when we needed them the most!” said Justin Lofton.

“We were in the lead pack all day. It was nerve wracking as it started to get dark, we couldn’t tell who was behind us. It was real dusty coming across the dry lake bed. We flashed our lights to let a slower car in front know we were coming. When our lights lit him up, he knew he better get out of the way. We had no time to spare with McMillin only 42 seconds back,” said Lofton.

Cody Parkhouse checked out from the rest of the class 1500 field and crossed the finish line 35 minutes ahead of second place to take the unlimited class win.

Team BD Class 6100/TT Spec Summary

Finishing well after sunset in the 6100/TT Spec class, Christian Sourapas used his Baja Designs lights to pierce through the dust and darkness to take the win.

Team BD Class 10 Summary

Class 10 winner, and now back to back champion of the Mint 400, Roger Starkey, took the top spot after setting a blistering pace. “Team BD” member T.J. Tuls, of Milk-N-It Motorsports was 2nd and Jason Coleman was 10 Seconds behind to put Baja Designs on the podium in 3rd. It was a clean sweep of the highly competitive class 10 podium.

Team BD UTV Summary

Branden Sims, who recently joined Baja Designs, took the overall win in the UTV class. Showing incredible sportsmanship, Sims jumped out of his race car after taking the overall win, and ran back onto the course to help push a fellow competitor with a mechanical issue across the finish line.

“Getting 1st and the overall be an all-time great moment in my life. I am excited to announce I have partnered with the top name in lighting!” – Branden Sims

Branden Sims, who recently joined Team BD, took the overall win in the UTV class. Showing incredible sportsmanship, Sims jumped out of his race car after taking the overall win, and ran back onto the course to help push a fellow competitor with a mechanical issue across the finish line.

Baja Designs Welcomes Cameron Steele & Desert Assassins

The Mint 400 was also a chance to welcome our latest team member to Baja Designs. Trophy Truck driver and icons in the sport of off-road racing Cameron Steele and the Desert Assassins. They debuted their new light setup at The Mint 400 which created quite the buzz. Baja Designs, Cameron Steele and the Desert Assassins will be changing the lighting world as everyone knows it. Stay tuned!

About Baja Designs:
For 20+ years Baja Designs (BD) has engineered revolutionary ways to stay at the forefront of motorcycle and automotive lighting. The first product developed was a Dual Sport kit that made a pure off road motorcycle minimally street legal. This intimate knowledge of motorcycle electrical capabilities led to a natural evolution to engineer the first HID motorcycle race light. Owner/Lead engineer Alan Roach is an avid Baja 1000 racer who has successfully been able to fine tune a motorcycle’s limited light optics to maximize rider comfort, speed and safety. As a result, Baja Designs (BD) has won every professional and amateur motorcycle and ATV Baja 1000 class for over 15 years.

As their engineers and racers advanced to truck and buggy racing, the next evolution began. Baja Designs quickly adapted their race winning HID motorcycle lights to their new race vehicles. With amazing speed, Baja Designs (BD) HID lights were adopted by the vehicle race community and could be found on the majority of Baja 1000 winning vehicles. In the process, Baja Designs (BD) engineers became well known as “The Scientists of Lighting” and were sought out by professional race teams to develop and aim their vehicle lighting.

LED lights were the next natural evolution of lighting and Baja Designs (BD) was the first company to develop a forward projecting LED light bar that was introduced and raced in the 2005 Baja 1000. That original LED light bar has evolved into a line of the highest performing and race winning LED lights on the market. Revolutionizing industry leading lights is not just a job at Baja Designs (BD), but a lifelong passion for both their owners and employees. The Baja Designs (BD) product line is dedicated to being BRIGHTER, BOLDER, and BETTER, which is why they truly are “The Scientists of Lighting”.

About Mad Media:

Mad Media (www.madmedia.com) is a San Diego based marketing and creative agency, with in-house film and television production. We craft authentic, culturally engaging brand messages, and deliver them across print, web, photography, and film platforms. Mad Media has been leading the online content revolution since 1995 producing major commercial, television, online content and viral film projects such as The Gymkhana Series and XP1K Series.

March 25, 2016
BFGoodrich® Tires Claims 27th overall win at 2016 MINT 400

GREENVILLE, S.C., March 16, 2016 – Justin Lofton powered his Ford Trick Truck consistently through the dust, rocks and silt and outpaced the field for his second consecutive overall win and BFGoodrich Tires’ 27^th overall title at the Polaris RZR^® Mint 400 Presented by BFGoodrich^® Tires last weekend held just south of Las Vegas.

Lofton crossed the line first and waited as Andy McMillin came charging hard but fell just 42 seconds short of the leader and settled for second place. Lofton experienced no flats on this BFGoodrich Baja T/A KR2 tires, as that tire captured its 20^th overall desert race win since being launched in 2013. (more…)

March 18, 2016