Mojave Traveler
Well-Known Member
High Desert Racing Association
Mint 400
Mint 400
1988 Mint 400
- Thread starter Mojave Traveler
- Start date
Mojave Traveler
Well-Known Member
I've got a ton of La Rana and MDR races i need to start posting. Plus the old Crandon races...Plus the Mickey Thompson stadium races..Plus the....oh never mind, where's that damn vcr?!, i got work to do!..lolAnother awesome vid keep em coming
sb4pro
Well-Known Member
All of the above please
Mojave Traveler
Well-Known Member
Here's a picture i took of Ivan at the starting line for this race. Below that is another picture i took of Ivan at the 1987 Great Mojave 250 on Soggy dry lake that i had him sign at the '88 Mint 400. His race truck was on the starting line waiting for him to get there, but i caught Ivan just as he was leaving the trailer at his pits. As it turned out, i left my pen in my truck. He waited there holding my picture until i went back to my truck and got a pen. He not only took the time to sign my picture, but he did a full autograph with well wishes, and inquired about where i took it..Then he hustled over to his race truck on the starting line.There's no wondering why he has so many fans.
Mojave Traveler
Well-Known Member
It has to have the "rock garden" i guess..lol
J Prich
Well-Known Member
I guess. I would guess that most of the folks who raced and especially who won in those last couple of years that the race was run in Jean still feel like it was "real" Mint. I was all of about 13 I think. We camped out at the railroad underpass just a few miles off the start, where the course went in and came out. I think about that every time we make the big turn towards the long whoop section headed towards Primm now. 13 year old me wouldn't have imagined much older me racing past that same spot.
A lot of fond memories of those early (to me at least) days.
Mojave Traveler
Well-Known Member
Yeah, i've always liked that area around Jean and Primm..I like the strip of pavement that parallels the freeway. That was used perfectly for the desert races...I remember watching the '88 Gold Coast 300 at the railroad underpass too.
J Prich
Well-Known Member
I "think" the year before, the 1987 Mint, actually started down in Sloan, kind of around where the old go kart track used to be. Where the super car deal is now. We camped out just off the 15 before Sloan and watched the race from there. I get my years a little mixed up but I remember it got really nasty and rained for a bit in the late afternoon. Can't remember if that's the one they ended up cutting short or not. We have a lot of grainy home video from that one. Low quality but one of these days my intent is to cut out the boring stuff, my Dad filming me doing nothing and calling me names and stuff (LOL) and try to get that all on Youtube.
Mojave Traveler
Well-Known Member
Yeah, it did rain that year because we walked up and down pit road while mother nature tinkled on us..I still have a checkered flag i found on the ground near the main pits with rain spots on it..lol...I remember the tank rolling down the course too in the morning. I got pictures of it...If you're looking for a good program to get your vids from vhs to your computer, the one i use is great: The Diamond VC500
J Prich
Well-Known Member
Yeah we have video of the tank when it rolled past us. The problem with our old vids is that they aren't VHS, they're Super 8 or whatever. Still probably not that hard to get them converted. Just the issue of pulling out the race stuff from family crap that's on the same tapes. I think we have some stuff from a late 80s HDRA Firecracker 250 too somewhere. I'll have to bug my Dad for that next time I'm in town.
randy68
#1 Enemy of Google
Do you happen to have the 1987 Mint?
Mojave Traveler
Well-Known Member
Sure do!..I just gotta find it..lol..I'll try to post it up within the next couple of days though