BF Goodrich Tires Changes the Mint 400 Race

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BF Goodrich Tires Changes the Mint 400 Race

The Mint 400 is a strange race in many ways. Instead of a racetrack, it takes place in the skirts off Las Vegas, and BF Goodrich Tires is there. While most races take place every year, this race has taken a 20-year hiatus. The race is also the setting for the book and film, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Dr. Hunter Thompson, who used the race as an excuse to document his mischievous behavior with “gonzo journalism.”

The Mint 400 Race is, and always will be a big deal to off-road enthusiasts that like to go fast. However it seems like there is always some weirdness afoot during that blistering hot 3-day weekend in the middle of the desert. Once, even Steve McQueen even raced in it.

“In some circles, the Mint 400 Race is a far, far better thing than the Super Bowl, the Kentucky Derby and the Lower Oakland Roller Derby Finals all rolled into one. This race attracts a very special breed,” said Thompson.

This year was no exception. Drivers from all over the world came to compete in the legendary endurance race. There are lots of different classes of racers including dirt bikes and off-road buggies, but one of the most exciting races to watch is the light trick truck races. These trucks have around 700 horsepower and bounce across the desert at incredible speeds.

This year all of the racers came out in their machines to try to find their place on the podium. Nearly every major tire brand was represented in the race; BF Goodrich Tires, Mickey Thompson, Federal and General to name a few, but it was BF Goodrich that got everyone’s attention when the winners were announced.

A Clean Sweep of the Mint 400 Race

After the four-hour race, when the dust started to settle and the talk of after parties and casinos were murmuring around the crowd, it started to become painfully obvious that there was something in common with the top racers from the event. The entire top 10 racers from the Light Trick Truck class were riding on BF Goodrich Tires.

BF Goodrich racer Andy McMillan and co-driver Steve Sourapas dominated the class by winning the race by more than 13 minutes.

“The conditions changed lap after lap after lap,” said Andy McMillin on the winners podium. “Just running conservative and keeping the steady pace really paid off. The tires held up great. We wanted to keep them fresh and changed just a few times. The course was so rocky and rough, it was crazy, glad to have BFGoodrich under me.”

Making Big News at the Mint with a Baja Tire

The most popular off-road tire for BF Goodrich Tires is without a doubt the Baja T/A. The Baja T/A is a race-spec tire that has won more Baja championships than all other tires combined. The tire was specially designed to handle some of the toughest conditions in the world, which sounds just list the situation in Las Vegas this year.

“Strategy was to not push too hard through the dust. To survive,” said racing legend Travis Pastrana. “We had no flats all day – the BFG’s were awesome. I just couldn’t believe the amount of side force we were putting on and in the rocks and shale. These are really heavy trucks and hitting rocks and shale, the fact that they got traction and didn’t roll was something. With such a big tire I didn’t understand how it was compliant and didn’t roll. I was stoked!”

Baja T/A tires mold traction tread compound into an aggressive, deep-lug, self-cleaning symmetric tread design that literally spit out loose gravel in high-speed situations.

The tire’s internal core combines two full-width steel belts on top of four nylon sidewall plies to fight bruises bruise resistance and enhance sidewall puncture resistance without sacrificing structural strength.

At the Mint 400, it wasn’t just Light Trick Trucks that were using the Baja Tires. By the end of the event, BF Goodrich tires claimed wins in eight different classes in the desert, most of which used the Baja tire.

So, if you’re considering doing some off-road racing this season, and you don’t already have a set of BF Goodrich tires under your truck, consider what Dr. Thompson said in the desert at the Mint 400, “Buy the ticker, take the ride.” Just be sure you have enough gas in your tank, because it’s not going to be the tires that slow you down.

By Sean Bowes

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