Las Vegas NV, March 24, 2012 Murray Motorsports Can Am Commander 1000 rolls out onto Freemont St. in glamorous Vegas fashion for viewing in front of thousands of attendees looking to admire some of the best built off-road race vehicles in the world! Murray Motorsports set up their booth, representing its brand and sponsors, while also unveiling its limited edition 2012 Mint 400 shirts and hats. For the first time in the history of the famous Mint 400 Off-road Desert race, UTV’s were invited to be a part of this prestigious event. The downtown Freemont experience was unlike any other off-road race in the USA being promoted, and in the class of the well known Baja races. There were 325 entered race vehicles exclusively Trick Trucks, Buggies, and UTVs, with a total of 30 UTV teams being the 4th overall largest class. Mad Media and Best in the Desert (BITD) teamed up to raise the bar in Off-road racing at this event. 5 days of festivities, events, and racing were held to bring the fans and racers closer together, and on race day over a 30 man team filmed from ground and sky to capture the full essence of what desert racing is all about.
Early Saturday morning the 1917 Murray Motorsports Can Am Commander was lined up in the 18th position in class 1900, starting after nearly 150 teams in other classes. This would make for a very dusty, and rough ride. When the light went green two UTV’s would leave the line every 30 seconds to race out into the desert. The Commander started on the outside line being driven by Derek Murray, and pulled the hole shot and set out into the dusty dark desert. One by one they passed several other UTV teams, moving towards the front of the pack physically, and on time. In the process, many other “faster” classes were overtaken by the Commander. The course was extremely rough. Miles on end of 2-3 foot whoops, rock areas, and soft sand mixed with fine powder dust, and no wind made for plenty of carnage. Many other class vehicles were scattering the course like sitting obstacles to dodge as the 1917 Commander passed by. At the end of the first 93 mile lap, the team was sitting in 3rd place physically and 4th on time. At main pit the team did a quick systems check, fuel, and driver change. Jason Murray took over the wheel to try and move up to the lead. Five miles into the second lap they moved up into second, and begun the hunt for the lead. The good news was the current leader was teammate 1904 the Desert Toyz Can Am Commander. The two Commanders pushed hard knowing that at the Mint anything can happen, and its not over until the checkered flag drops. The two teams were less than 40 seconds apart for nearly 45 miles, making some great racing and battling for the win. When the dust settled it would be a one, two finish for Can Am and the Desert Toyz built Commanders with 1917 Murray Motorsports pulling ahead for the win and 1904 teammate Desert Toyz with an amazing second. With this result at the Mint 1917 Murray Motorsports and the Can Am Commander pull into 1st in points for the BITD 1900 Pro SXS class. With two 1st place finishes in the last 3 BITD races, look for a competitive season and big things from Murray Motorsports!
Murray Motorsports would like to thank the wonderful support of our sponsors. Can Am for building one of the best, most reliable and fast Side by Sides on the Market. ITP for producing the toughest baja cross tire on the market and rims to hold up the most grueling conditions. Not one flat in the entire race which is amazing. Dragonfire for making some of the industry leading accessories to push more power out when you want to go fast! Elka for suspension components that gets abused to the limit and somehow they keep the team fast and get them to the finish line. Desert Toyz for building the most durable desert suspension and race chassis for the Commander. Cory Sappington knows how to build race cars that will be durable even in the most abusive situations. Dead Rabbit clothing for all the help with Shirts, apparel, hats, and Marketing material so the team can look good and represent the industry! UTVunderground.com the best source of information in the industry, and amazing photos! Sunset Vans for keeping the program alive, and allowing the team to get out and do what they love.
