Mark Miller

[WildCat]

I've just read in El Vigia (a newspaper in Ensenada) that Mark Miller is not coming out to play at the Baja 500 due to sponsorship issues...is this true?

[SPONSOR]

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[MikeLeung]

His web page says the same thing.

[Dan McMillin]

thats a bummer hes not racing

[notime]

i heard some rumors about he's racing with Larry Ragland .............. true or false

[J_Lothringer]

Ryan told me they wernt running due to sponsership,so ryan is driving with Cam Theriot but not sure about Mark

[robbie_goerke]

Larry Ragland is driving solo.

[ntsqd]

Ya know, I read that press release and I think his attitiude sucks. Bringing in major sponsorship money would increase the exposure of Dez racing. It would also up the ante for everyone from the Class One's and TT's down to the entry level classes.
I've been around various forms of racing for nearly 20 years and I can not say that an increase in sponsorship money was good for the sport, in any of the venues I've been involved in, only directly for the team getting the money. For a while. Look at NASCAR, has the large increase in money really made that venue better? For who? The fans who've had to start ponying up even more cash just to get in? How does that help them?
The day that the board room goes racing changes the focus of the endeavor, and it is NOT a good change. Take your Corporate, Performance Required advertising somewhere else.

[Mark_Miller]

Obviously Thom is independently wealthy and can afford to spend a million dollars a year to compete in the trophy truck class. Good for you, thats what makes a market, differing opinions. I am not so fortunate as you though. If you think that by my team getting a sponsor it will up the ante over what is being spent today then I am flattered at your perception of the impact I have on Off-Road Racing. What you might not know is although my team has won the last 2 Baja 500's and last years Baja 1000 in
TT my budget is about 1/8 of what the other big teams are spending. I have spent over a million dollars racing buggies and trucks in the last 8 years, creating a team and a vision. I have done everything possible to support off-road racing around the world with an emphasis on Baja. I was having breakfast with Colin McRae one morning in Africa this year and he was asking me all about Baja racing. I told him of the excitement, I told him it's like his WRC except the stage is 500 miles not 5 miles, and I told him it blows me away that we can't bottle the excitement the way the Europeans do with The Dakar. It costs over a million dollars just to race the Dakar in a vehicle capable of winning. Since there are about 3 drivers in the USA who could win Dakar it is my goal to bring a Dakar overall championship to the USA. The integration of Dakar and Baja is a very important aspect of my plan.

Anyone who knows me and my team knows that we go to a race to win. It takes a massive amount of planning and logistics to do it that way. Some people would say everyone goes to win, but I can assure you all there is a big difference between thinking you are going to possibly win and knowing you are going to win.

So if you disagree with my goals I understand, if you ever met me I'd place a bet you'd change your mind. If you think sponsors ruin a sport I guess you fall into that category of hobby enthusisast. Everyone has hobby's nothing wrong with that. Professional sports take tremendous commitment, not only financial. Myself, Ryan Arciero, Don Tebbe and every last guy on my team have committed to professional behavior and I have to defend them and myself for the sake of our future.

If and when we pull this program together I assume you all will TIVO the NBC coverage while your down in Baja competing with me and against me.
Mark Miller

[J_Lothringer]

Well said Mark...................And good luck...................

[bubnel]

anybody got a link to the article ??????????