JoeyD23
#utvunderground
Murray Racing, 1st UTV to ever WIN the legendary Mint 400
Words can not describe the event that took place last week and into the weekend in Las Vegas, NV at the 2012 General Tire Mint 400 race. Mad Media along side BITD put on not only one of the coolest desert races ever, but also put on a show that I personally have never seen outside of Baja. Contingency was bigger and better than those hosted in Ensenada during the SCORE Baja Races. It was big, fun, exciting, and VEGAS! I can't tell you how many times I had to explain what these vehicles were being pushed down the street to unsuspecting tourists. Many asked where the race was and vowed to even go watch it.
From the Trophy Truck parade to the pit challenge both held on Wednesday night, clear through this mornings awards ceremony, planning and execution were spot on. Having been a part of some of the pre planning I knew just how hard Mad Media was working to make this event go off without a hitch. I was fortunate enough to be included in many of the weekends events, but my favorite was being able to play UTV liaison to Mad Media in making sure UTV's got the love and attention we all wanted. In all we owe a huge thank you to the Martelli Brothers who not only made sure UTV's were in this race, but also felt welcomed and included in all of the weekends events.
As for the race, well I don't think many are calling it BLADE IN THE DESERT anymore! Having been fortunate enough to have all access track exposure all day on race day I witnessed the carnage and terrain in all its beauty and shear ugliness. Silt, Rocks, and nasty ruts made this one of the toughest loop races many will ever run. In the end 2 Can-Am Commanders would cross the finish line 1 and 2 with a Polaris RZR XP900 in 3rd. Jason and Derek Murray of Murray Racing were the victors, and the first ever UTV to win a Mint 400 title. It was cool to see them pop Mint 400 champagne bottles on the roof of their car at the finish line, celebrating just as Robby Gordon would do later in the night.
Many story lines unfolded but I must admit, my eyes are closing as I type this so I will let the racers tell it themselves along side our images. I want to thank everyone at Mad Media and BITD for letting UTVUnderground.com be such a large part of this event. We also want to thank each and every racer, team, crew member, and site member for all of the support. Again, we keep these crazy schedules and hours for all of you so your support means the world to us!
For now, enjoy the pics. I will post more as Vinny from Mad Media and Jason from High-Rev Photography get them over to us. Rusty5150/Fatography also got some sweet shots for us as well!!
Until next year.....
Current Un-Official Results: http://www.bitd.com/images/stories/pdfs/Mint400/results/2012Mint4002LapClassesRes.pdf
