Mint 400 Race Report & Pics.

[TutTech]

Ok Brother Dave headed off to the MINT 400.

This is the first time in years that they have re ran the MINT 400.
As this was some of the first races Dave had ever gone to as a kid so he
wanted to be able to race in it.

So he signed up and called a few friends and entered the race.
He took his class 11 car and headed off.
With one pit box of parts, some gas, his small car and a dream.

With help from Many, Many people I cannot even list everyone.
But Chip of course as Daves partner on the car, Matt who chased and
pitted, Rex also pit support, Chuck pit support, *Mark pit support and then
the Co Riders, Lupa, Easy, Zack and Pepper.
Then the Drivers, Dave lead driver and Driver of record of course
took the checkered flag.
Rich, Tim, Dennis and Tut co drivers.


He would have to run 300 miles, actually 3 laps 96 miles each.
16 hour time limit.
11, 11 cars entered the race. Nice.

The race started with Dave heading off to a rough start he rolled the car
onto its side onto another 11 car just off the starting line at the first up hill rocky
silty pass.
After getting up righted and going again he was dead last.

So it was a surprise to see him race back from dead last to first place
by the end of lap one.

Lap one:
One flat, fuel 12 gallons, cracked front beam and a broken front passanger shock, removed from car ran second lap without it.

Lap two:
The 11 Brothers are up for action and take the wheel.
Rich, Tim and their Dad Dennis are going to co ride and drive by switching off for their lap and a half.
They all will drive half of the course each.
They kept the same pace as Dave and we where still running up towards
the front with only one other 11 car moving up ahead of us.
Lupa rode passanger with Dennis on their half of lap with everying
going good other than the pan cracking on them.

Lap two front beam was cracked and needed to be welded as
the cracking was worse. The pan was also welded.
The shock on passanger side was finally able to be switched for a new
shock thanks to the 11 brothers.
And they took in 10 gallons of fuel

Lap 3
Rich, with Zack as co driver took to the first 65 miles of the lap.
With the car warn, damaged and showing signs of stress not to mention
the engine alone has been running for more than 8 hours in pure dust and
dirt. We where off for a rough 3rd lap.

The cars front beam broke in half and he lost the passanger arms nearly
out of the torsion. The wheel was crooked rubbing and tore off the passanger fender. No shock again on that side.
They struggled into pit C do to no chaseing or pitting on track they had
to make it to us.

At pit C Tut took to the drivers seat to try to bring the car home.
Pepper also running pits, chase and now co driveing was in the passanger
seat to help bring the car home.

The Cars passanger torsions where cut off and the arm was just welded onto
the car. No suspension no working arms.
Just welded.

Off we went into the worst rocky section of the track.
The hill climbs and rocks where massive. The rocks where the size of
people lying down on the track and the front passangers welds failed
almost instantly.
So from mile 65 to mile 75 the cars passanger side road in the dirt hitting
every rock we passed over or could not avoid.
Soon the beam tore in half after trying to make it up some large hill climbs and
hitting more boulders. the passanger side of the car started to roll under
the car and the bolts where brakeing off the pan. Welds where all gone and
the beam was only holding on by one bolt and the tie rods ball joints.
So with this seperation and brakeing the drivers side finally brake
and stopped working and fail into the dirt as well.

Now both sides where riding in the dirt.
Rocks, dirt and bushes where now flying into the front window and the dust
made it neary impossible to see where we were going.
The rocks hit at the broken beam until it fulded under the car and we lost
steering.
The car had to be driven into berms and ruts to make it turn.
No brakes as the beam broke so down hill cliffs and drop offs where hard
hitting and sometimes dangerous.
But this area was the worst area and if we could just get ourselves through it
we could get help on the otherside.
Again as no chase can come to you we had to make it to them.

We struggled on.
10 miles with nothing holding the front of the car up took its toll and soon
the hood failed and flew open as the latch was torn off.
Pepper holding the hood down we drove on.

Soon more rocks and some to big to pass over had to actually be removed from
course to continue on.
This was done several times.

The car sometimes did not have enough power to push the broken car
up hills with the rocks it was hitting and pushing along with it and we would
get stuck.
Pepper would have to jump out and push us over the rocks, move rocks or jus
push us out of ditches to deep to drive through and push us back onto course when we could not turn and would get stuck into banks, cliffs and silt.

I could not have made it those 10 miles without her strength and determination
to never give up and never quit.

With blood in are mouths from the bitting of our tongues and cheeks from the hits to the car from rocks to big to pass over so we slammed into and forced the car to half jump and half scrape and slide over. But kept going, never stopping we moved on.

Finally with the road in site we moved up onto the road.
The car was sitting less than 4 inches off the ground and the tires where
rubbing on the side of the car and doors.
Smoke soon came off the tires and with no steering with the beam folded 6 inches
under the car we eventually slowed and almost could not move forward.
The cars body and pan was rippled so bad from impacts it is almost 5
to 6 inche shorter!
Doors no longer would stay closed or openned as they no longer lined up
with the door jams from the blows to the car.

Their was literally no front end left.
But with us on the road we could get help.

With some quick radio work again by Pepper she had Matt, Dave, Chip and the 11 Brothers, Dennis and sons to us and cutting the car apart as quick as possible.
But time was running out.
At this time we had been on course for over 15 hours and the race course
would only stay open 16 hours total.

With all their work I am sorry to say we could not get the car fixed
quick enough as the check points started to close.

Without a big enough welder that could burn such thick steel we could only tack weld the beam and hope it held.
And so with little hope off we went anyways to just get to the finish line.
With the check points closed we just needed to make it to the finish
and call it done.

"Please car just hold together a little longer" is all Pepper and I could think as we had Dave in front of us leading the way down the roads and trails to the finish
line and Matt, Rex and the 11 Brothers fallowing behind to make sure
we make it back in one piece.

With no brakes, almost no steering we went as quick as we could to
try to just make it to the finish line.

But as we where within a mile of the finish the passanger side broke and the wheel pulled out of the car and we again dragged the car on the ground.
With little steering and again slowing speeds we did what we could to just
make it to the finish.

We turned, looked down the last few feet of the race track and we finally had the finish line in site.
But it was too late the finish was closed.
They shut down, black and closed for the end of race had come and gone.
As if the car new it as well the driver side broke and the car once again
dove into the earth.
With both side broken and the car digging itself into the ground we slowed
and crawled to a stop.
Done.
The poor car just could not go any further.
It did all it could do for us.
It gave its life for us to have an awesome day, a great adventure and one
heck of a camp fire story.
The little car never gave up and neither did all the great people who joined
in with Pump Gas Racing to make this race possible.

Thanks goes out to all the people who supported us and to all those
I was unable to mention I am sorry. I know tons of you helped.
Snore for setting up and making this possible thank you.

To the one single guy at the top of the cold, lonely mountain who was
out there helping without asking to move rocks for us, to help us
get un stuck and push us back and forth taking shooting rock and
dirt from our spinning tires to the face.
We THANK YOU.

I appreciate all people like you for what you do.
Without you we would not be able to do this.
This goes to friends, family and sponsors a like.

Thank you.

I am glad I was able to be a part of helping my brothers dream come true.
I do feel as I let him down by not being able to get the car to the finish in time.
To race in the first race he ever went to as a small child to racing it as and adult.
To then go back years later and race in the MINT 400 what a dream come true.
Very few people get to say when I grow up I am going to race and then to
actually do it.
Thats awesome!


We will be back next year!


Never give up and with great friends and family anything is possible.





Here is an update.
found a photo of it in daylight from the next morning



You can see the rest of the pics down the page.

[K-fab]

[TutTech]

Here I am giving my brother some last minute words of advice.







Little radio trouble and what not.







And off he goes into the dust on his first lap



Here he comes into the first check area.


Looking good even though he is in dead last at the moment



some of the competition also heading by





Ok and now heres where things went bad. *
No fenders, no way to keep hood closed.
Body is crunched up almost 6 inches shorter.
Doors will not close
Bottom splash and lower bumper, aprin etc gone.
No brakes, no lines and no master cylinder
tires are nearly above the hood and leaning and rubbing on the car itself.
No turning is possible.

[rowycoracing]

I'm with Kfab ... great off road racing story!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

[Gene]

Incredible! What a fantastic story and team.

[TutTech]

Wow thanks guys I appreciate the kind words and feedback.
We are so soar, beat up and defeated at the moment that its nice to hear
some kind words.

Its a tough race in a bone stock bug... dang!
16 hours is a long time with only about 4 hours sleep the nights prior.

But at the same time we are all proud, happy and full of achievement.
We set out to race in the Mint 400 and we did.



Next the Baja 1000!


My brother wants to have a new car with better cage, structure, reinforcement etc.
ready to go by the 1000.
I told him to just take 3 of everything.
3 complete front ends, 3 rear ends, 3 sets of arms.
Every so many hundred miles we will stop and put on a new front end, rear end etc
and the car will be like new again.

Thats what I think.



Thanks again everyone, Im going to go lick my wounds and take some pain killer.
*

[CABRIOLET]

You guys are incredible!!!! Great team, great story,great adventure!. * * * *

[TutTech]

Thank you.
You know anytime any of you would like to meet up at these races just let us know
we can always use the support and help.
Or just hang out and cheer us on we can always use that.

[TutTech]

Here look at this U tube video and at 1 minute in you can see my brother for some reason
try taking out a faster buggy... why the buggy was stopped?
*

Too funny.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=snqqg2dsX8o