Mint 400 race results
- Thread starter NIKAL
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facteryfmf
Looking For a Few Good Men - UTVUnderground Approv
Nobody really finished the mint 400 for many years now
george.felix
George
I don't think anyone who got flagged off the course was happy about it and wasn't disappointed not to do a 3rd lap.....I know we were. We didn't realize it was a gran prix finish. Our fault but still it's retarded it could have stayed open a little longer when you consider 12 th place is the last to complete all 3 laps.
BiggJim
I Hate Rules - UTVUnderground Approved
You think you got hit hard by a jeepspeed? They started the TT's....how hard of hit do you think that would have been had they not stopped your race?
For the record....im not saying I'd want to be stopped....but the guys going back out on course would have made it 20 miles before the TT's started running them down.
george.felix
George
I don't think I said we got hit hard this race just that we were pulled over and stopped. The guy was just a jerk off. We raced with TT before and it's not cool I agree but they could have held them for a later start. The course was fast I think lead TT finished in daylight did he not?
Peak Powersports
Member
We made it onto the course as the TT were staging...not sure how long before BITD flagged the field off the course. We made it to Pit A when the TT crews were signaling us that LOFTON was coming. Kind of an unsettling feeling but we pushed on. At mile 50ish we were on the mountain and could see Lofton flying across the lake...again...nervous feeling knowing he was getting close. We began running like a scared little rabbit. About mile 55 we started having overheating issues and had to pull off every 5 miles or so to cool down. We tried to time our on-course time with the gaps in the dust. Five trucks had passed by the time we got to the Fox proving grounds and we had a gap to run awhile. We saw the helicopters coming our way and AGAIN got nervous One hovered over the course just ahead of us for 2 miles....not sure if he was clearing dust so we could run away or if his driver was coming and we needed to exit the course. We continued to dodge the trucks until we got to the pavement where Nygren was waiting and talking to a course worker. Cody was clearly spooked by the situation and I joined his request to mark our time and location and send all UTVs back to the pit on the pavement. It was clearly a safety issue at this point. Not long after the radio call came in...we could exit but that would not be a finish...we would have to risk the course to officially finish the last lap. We sat and thought for a few minutes and headed back onto the course. The course was destroyed and the car taking a beating but we made it through the gravel pit/spectator area. We pulled off again to cool the car and waited for a gap to enter the course. 200 yards later a 6100 truck crested a small hill and we were headed for a pinch point in the course. We both moved as far to the side as possible and the truck grazed our side. It did not feel hard but it cut a tire on our car and ripped the RR fender loose on the truck. Talk about pucker...could have been really bad!
Next came the last long run on the lake bed...we were running 80 mph following a truck...off to his right trying to find clean air and stay on the edge of the course. Within 1/4 mile we were surrounded by trucks on all sides and saw glimpses of lights in our mirrors. This was spooky shit. My first real dusty desert race and I was afraid of the blinding dust in front of me and how bad it was going to hurt to hit something going 80 mph...and at the same time afraid of how bad it was going to hurt to get ran into from behind at 100+ mph. Thankfully the dust settled a bit further to the right and we worked our way off the course to wait for another gap.
A few more issues with the car and we limped across the line finishing our third lap in our first Mint 400. We got into the car at 5AM and out at 3:45 PM. Long day but grinning ear to ear ...after we checked our shorts...
This was truly a wild experience and there is ample room to discuss safety of UTV on the course with TT. I am glad we stuck it out but I am sure the TT guys would prefer Casey pull us off when able for the safety of all involved.
So many more great memories from this race...I will include in our race recap in a few days.. after we assess all the damage.
Next came the last long run on the lake bed...we were running 80 mph following a truck...off to his right trying to find clean air and stay on the edge of the course. Within 1/4 mile we were surrounded by trucks on all sides and saw glimpses of lights in our mirrors. This was spooky shit. My first real dusty desert race and I was afraid of the blinding dust in front of me and how bad it was going to hurt to hit something going 80 mph...and at the same time afraid of how bad it was going to hurt to get ran into from behind at 100+ mph. Thankfully the dust settled a bit further to the right and we worked our way off the course to wait for another gap.
A few more issues with the car and we limped across the line finishing our third lap in our first Mint 400. We got into the car at 5AM and out at 3:45 PM. Long day but grinning ear to ear ...after we checked our shorts...
This was truly a wild experience and there is ample room to discuss safety of UTV on the course with TT. I am glad we stuck it out but I am sure the TT guys would prefer Casey pull us off when able for the safety of all involved.
So many more great memories from this race...I will include in our race recap in a few days.. after we assess all the damage.
crazywatson
#13 - UTVUnderground Approved
Nice write up!
I understand that you can't use the helicopter for communication but it would be nice from a safety standpoint to let you know who is on your ass getting ready to pass.
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facteryfmf
Looking For a Few Good Men - UTVUnderground Approv
Typically the helicopter will turn sideways and fly notifying you that the lead TT is about to eat you for breakfast...
I work Rescue for BITD and also run SCOREs rescue program, my biggest fear is Bikes/Quads/UTVs mixed in with Unlimited vehicles, I saw some of the riskiest and dumbest moves from UTV racers the last two years at the Mint, What needs to happen when the 2nd race vehicles catch limited cars is you are out of the race and need to remove yourself from the course ASAP, you are not in contention for any part of the race if your still running when the lead unlimited vehicle approaches you, call it a day, save us and everyone else the heartache of dealing with the incident that will soon happen because someone wants to argue about 30th place.
The amount of UTV still slogging while 2nd lap Trucks are passing was not good, we already flew a 10 car driver out that day, someone is gonna get punted hard, the Monster Mav/Herbst incident was a light tap compared to 80mph to 130mph.
I have a shot of a Teryx last year getting eaten by Dondel, the closing speed was insane, its just not safe.
The amount of UTV still slogging while 2nd lap Trucks are passing was not good, we already flew a 10 car driver out that day, someone is gonna get punted hard, the Monster Mav/Herbst incident was a light tap compared to 80mph to 130mph.
I have a shot of a Teryx last year getting eaten by Dondel, the closing speed was insane, its just not safe.
badassmav
Well-Known Member
You can pull far off course where you are seemingly safe. Wont matter. Marc was a good 100+ feet off course when Herbst punted us out of the V2R race. So, whose to blame? Casey's got to bear the bulk of it. This expiring permit excuse has got to end. I heard it again at the mint when I asked how come a grand prix finish. It almost always mixes up a dangerous race cocktail right pedal only and rear view mirror driving. Not only were we taken out of contention in an expensive race effort where a podium was in the cards, but the burden of repair costs hopped a ride home with us as well. I heard the Herbst guys were pretty fair at helping with repair costs in this kind of situation. I exchanged a couple of emails with Troy regarding said issue, but to no avail.
If Casey continues to allow the classes to overlap each other where slower cars are bombarded by unlimited trucks, he should at least respond to the incidents in a timely manner. It was 4 hours minimum until BITD got support to Marc. He sat with a concussion into the frigid temperatures of the night before support arrived. So late in fact, that I was already on my way down the hill (from chkpt 13 I believe) in our prerunner Maverick to assist Marc when I got the call BITD was finally towing him back up. Just lame.
If Casey continues to allow the classes to overlap each other where slower cars are bombarded by unlimited trucks, he should at least respond to the incidents in a timely manner. It was 4 hours minimum until BITD got support to Marc. He sat with a concussion into the frigid temperatures of the night before support arrived. So late in fact, that I was already on my way down the hill (from chkpt 13 I believe) in our prerunner Maverick to assist Marc when I got the call BITD was finally towing him back up. Just lame.
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Rynomx785
Active Member
I am assuming the first pic is how far off course Marc was when Herbst made contact? Were they making a pass on another vehicle? That is pretty far off course. Excuse my ignorance... I was unaware of this happening.
This is not a safe sport, there have always been dangers, always have been and always will be, wouldnt have any other way. I have been on both sides of being run down by bigger faster race cars literaly thousands of times over the years, never a good feeling on either side, but its part of the deal. Point to point races are obviously much different than loop races, but the dangers are still there when getting caught by a back running unlimited car in a point to point race. There is no way to make rules to make this a completely safe activity and I for one would not want them to. This is of course all just my humble opinion, and it is the danger that is alluring to me and kept me coming back all these years.
///Airdam Clutches
Active Member
Marc saw him coming and pulled off course.
Herbst was chasing his tail lights in the dust and chased him off course rather than staying on course.
From what I can remember Marc telling me. He crested a small ridge and pulled off course. Herbst crested the ridge at speed and following Marc's lights ran right into the back of him. I've seen all the pictures Fernando took. And they were a good ways off course clearly moved way out of the way. But the truck was chasing tail lights not looking at the GPS.
Herbst was chasing his tail lights in the dust and chased him off course rather than staying on course.
From what I can remember Marc telling me. He crested a small ridge and pulled off course. Herbst crested the ridge at speed and following Marc's lights ran right into the back of him. I've seen all the pictures Fernando took. And they were a good ways off course clearly moved way out of the way. But the truck was chasing tail lights not looking at the GPS.
the stripping shop
RACER - UTVUnderground Approved
Joey D said it best the show is the TRICK TRUCK no matter how you look at it, everyone else is red headed step child. So the question is how do you work around that. The safest place is off the track no matter how you look at it when trucks are going.
george.felix
George
Speaking of solutions this last race could have started the trucks an hr or so later and timed out the Utv race. If you don't cross before time expired you DNF.....but that would be a rule and Casey has a hard time sticking to this kind of rule especially. I know we've been given more time to finish in the past when we radioed and asked but he just needs to learn how to say no.
If I'm on the course and trucks are coming and I know I'm DNF I'm just going to scam me for the nearest exit and get the fuck outta there. I remember my very first race was V2R and was a scary thing all the TT that passed us......no one needs that desert racing "experience". Lol
If I'm on the course and trucks are coming and I know I'm DNF I'm just going to scam me for the nearest exit and get the fuck outta there. I remember my very first race was V2R and was a scary thing all the TT that passed us......no one needs that desert racing "experience". Lol
How you fix this problem is you have Polaris move their Sponsorship to a series like Snore. The big teams & racers will go where Polaris is and where Polaris wants them. If they moved their sponsorship, the racers will follow.
The benefits of racing Snore is you would not have the TT's or the volume of TT's to deal with. Snore would make sure the UTV's are the "rock stars" of their series and not the TT's and Snore has never catered to the TT's. You would run full miles and not be dealing with Grand Prix finishes. Entry fees would be less then BITD. Snore runs the exact same courses BITD does, so you would not lose out on racing the same tracks, and even a few that BITD does not run. Snore can and would be able to oversee the UTV rules with a Committee as Snore uses class reps. Snore could also manage Tech, without the extra tech fee's currently paid by the racers.
At the Mint I was speaking with a well respected member of the UTV racing world and the discussion was regarding Tech, ECU's, protesting teams and the idea of moving to Snore. This Well Respected person agreed that Snore could be a good option. Will it happen, NO!
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