Mike Acton
March is always a great month for off-road racing. Both W.E.Rock’s Western rock crawling series and Dirt Riot’s Western and Central rock racing series have season-opening events in March. There are also three open desert races in March, with M.O.R.E hostings the Transaxle Engineering Challenge in Barstow, California, and SCORE International’s San Felipe 250 in Baja California.
But one event continues to get better and more grandiose with each passing year. Under the direction of the Martelli brothers and the staff at Best in the Desert, The Mint 400 has truly become “The Great American Off-Road Race” reclaiming and exceeding its former glory.
First run in 1968, The Mint 400 is legendary as one of the toughest off-road races in North America and an event that brings out the biggest names in motorsports. Revived in 2008 through a cooperation between marketing experts the Martelli brothers (MadMedia) and racing sanctioning body BITD, the legacy has only grown with each passing year. This year the event will be a week-long spectacle in Las Vegas and Primm, Nevada starting Wednesday, March 1st with a vehicle procession down the Las Vegas Strip, and concluding Sunday, March 5th with an awards brunch.
Officially titled The 2017 Polaris RZR Mint 400 Presented By BFGoodrich Tires, this event has broad industry support from major off-road manufacturers and associated businesses. The transformation of off-road racing into a more consumer accessible experience and the popularity of UTVs as measured in unit sales has encouraged Polaris to step up as title sponsor. Companies like BFGoodrich, PCI Race Radios, Rigid Industries, and GoPro have been investing in off-road racing for decades, but the UTV classes have opened new avenues for aftermarket parts manufacturers to get the consumer exposure required to have race sponsorship generate a return on the investment.
The continued sustainability of off-road racing is dependent on sponsor companies investing in historic events like The Mint 400, and organizations like Best In The Desert and MadMedia promoting safe, consumer accessible entertainment. As consumers, we also have a responsibility to patronize those companies who continue to support off-highway motorsports. More than anything else, our involvement as consumers will ensure that the future of off-road racing is preserved for generations to come.
For more information regarding The 2017 Polaris RZR Mint 400 Presented By BFGoodrich Tires please visit the official Mint 400 website www.themint400.com.
Review our SAFE SPECTATING guide before attending this or any off-highway motorsports event.
Also please remember to seek out these companies who support the off-road racing community.
Images courtesy of The Mint 400.
“Southern Arizona’s Ultimate Offroad Facility,” MC Motorsports Park will once again host Dirt Riot Endurance Racing this Saturday, May 6th. Dirt Riot Endurance Racing includes the professional rock racing classes and “everyman” classes for those who want to bring their personal rig out and compete.
All festivities during the UTV World Championship including the Pit Crew Challenge, Kick Off Party, Tech & Contingency, and all four races are FREE to spectators and their families. Get all the spectator details, schedule of events, Google map to Laughlin, a city map to the event, and other important information HERE on Off-Road Spectator.
Off-Road Expo is expanding to meet the growing demands of our off-road community with this past weekend’s Off-Road Expo Arizona Spring Edition sponsored by the City of Scottsdale. Plenty of off-road gear and tech was on hand, plus amazing extreme vehicles from all off-highway sports.
Congratulations to all Dirt Riot Southwest Series Round 1 competitors. Seven classes, roughly 6-miles of course, and tons of action in the most beautiful desert landscape of Congress, Arizona.
Off-Road Spectator is proud to announce the launch of our own YouTube video channel to share videos of the best and the worst drivers in off-road racing.
