Photo: Mint 400
Since 1968, the city of Las Vegas and its surroundings have been home to what is presently described as “the oldest and most prestigious off-road race in America.” The world largely knows it as the Mint 400, and if you thought the competition was extreme, just wait and see what the organizers have prepared for this year.
During the 2020 edition of Mint 400, a number of military vehicles took position on the starting grid. They included a General Dynamics Ground Mobility Vehicle (GMV) with the 5th Special Forces Group, a Flyer 22 Vintage Military Light Strike Vehicle fielded by Warfighter Made, and a 1988 AM General Humvee.
Needless to say, seeing such machines going at it—the GMV, for instance, was raced combat-ready—was quite the sight, and Mint 400 plans to repeat it now on a regular basis. So, enter the Military Vehicle Desert Racing class starting this year.
“We had some bad ass vehicles show up to compete last year, and one of the highlights was seeing a fully loaded GMV leave the start line in combat-ready condition!” said in a statement Mint 400 COO Josh Martelli.
“There are some fantastic US military vehicle makers out there including GM Defense, Flyer Defense, Oshkosh, AM General, and Polaris Defense, and we want them all to get involved with this class!”
Designed according to the organizers as a means to “pay tribute to off-road racing heritage and honor current service members,” the class will be open to all military-spec vehicles, coming from either manufacturers or owners. Unlike last year, when no rules governed their racing due to the late arrival on the roster, by the time the 2021 edition gets going, a set of rules will be developed and announced in the coming months.
This year’s edition of the Mint 400 takes place from December 1 to December 5.
Needless to say, seeing such machines going at it—the GMV, for instance, was raced combat-ready—was quite the sight, and Mint 400 plans to repeat it now on a regular basis. So, enter the Military Vehicle Desert Racing class starting this year.
“We had some bad ass vehicles show up to compete last year, and one of the highlights was seeing a fully loaded GMV leave the start line in combat-ready condition!” said in a statement Mint 400 COO Josh Martelli.
“There are some fantastic US military vehicle makers out there including GM Defense, Flyer Defense, Oshkosh, AM General, and Polaris Defense, and we want them all to get involved with this class!”
Designed according to the organizers as a means to “pay tribute to off-road racing heritage and honor current service members,” the class will be open to all military-spec vehicles, coming from either manufacturers or owners. Unlike last year, when no rules governed their racing due to the late arrival on the roster, by the time the 2021 edition gets going, a set of rules will be developed and announced in the coming months.
This year’s edition of the Mint 400 takes place from December 1 to December 5.
Google News