Second straight Baja 500 for Mark Miller Racing Teams

Mark Miller of Carefree,AZ and Ryan Arciero of Foothill Ranch, CA, drove the UMI/Mark Miller Racing Trophy Truck to a first place finish in last weekend’s Baja 500. The win marks the second year in a row that Mark Miller Racing Teams have topped the Baja 500, as well as the second win this year for the drivers, having taken the Parker 425 earlier this Spring.

Miller and Arciero dominated the 35th running of the famed SCORE International Baja 500 much of the off-road race. Considered by many to be one of the roughest Baja 500 courses in recent memory, the team took advantage of its front starting position and jumped to an early lead.

By race mile 117, there was only one Trophy truck within a minute of their position, and by the 150 mile mark, the team began to build a serious lead - as much as 10 minutes - on the field. The furious pace came thanks to a UMI prepared General Motors Vortec 6Liter V-8 engine package that has been designed exclusively by Scott Urschel at UMI Racing.

“Unlike many of the teams out there, we’re using what is basically a stock GM engine and parts purchased through local GM dealers. The savings [over modified race engines] allows us to put more resources into race logistics and team operations - which paid off greatly this year.”

Indeed, as Miller drove, a worn washer caused a rear break failure, and forced him to gingerly manage the car 55 miles into the pits prior to the driver change. “We had a race plan that contemplated a problem like this and we stuck to the plan, my stint for the first half of the race was scripted to force a pace that was uncomfortable, it seemed to take a toll” As Arciero slipped into the seat, the team - lead by manager Don Tebbe - deftly made repairs.

With the truck back to 100%, and a one-minute lead departing the pits, Arciero set off on a blistering pace. Within 120 miles, (mile 341) he was again over 9 minutes ahead of the second place vehicle.

"I was actually driving a pretty conservative pace for me, saving the truck. In spite of that, and even with a flat tire that we had to fix, we were maintaining a very nice lead over everyone.”

Roughly 150 miles from the finish, bad luck struck again when an internal fuel pump malfunctioned. Thankfully, co-driver and navigator Chris Crampton saved the day by diagnosing the problem and figuring out a way to bypass the fuel system through the external pumps. Though the break cost the team nearly 45 minutes, and the overall race lead, the UMI truck was still a good deal in front of any other in its class, and crossed the finish line as Trophy Truck Champions.

Wade Weaver, Miller’s co-driver and navigator commented, "This team perfectly executed every aspect of the plan - from the drivers, co-drivers, to the pit crew and chase personnel. Everyone worked quickly and intelligently. It’s no wonder we'll be celebrating tonight."

For more information, contact Mark Miller Racing at 480-575-5771.

POWER and more POWER is what the Syko/Westhem Class 8 truck likes to feed the driver. Of course we all know what happens to most men who taste power. Corruption is what comes to mind. For me and the Class 8 truck power brings BIG ROCKS faster upon the truck than I would prefer. Yes, I tasted power and so did my drive shaft after we slid sideways into a 50”.rock (T.V size). A race that is decided by minutes sometimes hinges on moments like this. But on the other hand, having no rear brakes for 80 miles, getting stuck in silt for 15 minutes, sliding over 30’ cliffs (that is what happens with no brakes) and having the wrong face shield for the last two hours of driving (made the dusk look like the night) might have had something to do with our finish. But, the good news is that we drove our THIRD race without a single flat tire on the tires built by B F Goodrich.

So we settle for a SECOND place at our first BAJA 500 in the new Class 8 fire breathing truck. Our new GM Hydrormatic 4L80 four speed transmission really helped us out in those high speed roads. Sure was nice having that extra gear. What a great asset.

The Syko and Westhem crew worked great at this race. We were also supported by the B F Goodrich and Brian Collins pit crews who dumped our gas and provided other great task. I would like to thank my brother for being prepared to drive the truck if I needed to be relieved. While it turns out I drove the whole 500 miles and finished in 12 hours, today I know that Marc should have relieved me. Funny how the mind works and the body doesn’t after that much fatigue.

We were beat by the “got milk” truck driven by the Vanderways and Curt LeDuc. Funny how things work out. We got stuck in the silt and the “got milk” truck would not give us a tow out of our situation. 80 miles later, we come upon the “got milk” truck stuck in silt and we give them a tow out. So, nice guys do not always finish first? Or another one is, what goes around comes around.

So after three races into the SCORE series, we still lead the points race with three races to go. Next race is July 12th in Henderson Nevada. Good spectator race. See you there!  

Parker, AZ - Heading into last Saturday's SCORE Tecate Baja 500, Jim Beaver had high hopes for his #15 PMC Racing/Goodyear/Ford. Starting 3rd off the line in a field of 14 of the best desert racers in the world, Jim was looking to advance his position in the points standings and further push his bid for the SCORE Rookie of the Year Award. If success in the race was measured by these factors, then Jim Beaver and his PMC Racing team left Baja better off than when they arrived.

"We ended up with a 7th place finish after all was said and done," stated Beaver. "I really had hoped for a little better result, but Baja was tough this year, and I made a mistake early on, so we'll take it. When you go to Baja you go to win, but in order to win, you must first survive. We did not win the race, but I sure can say that we survived it, and that is more than a lot of people can say."

As one of the only Trophy Truck drivers to attempt a solo Baja 500 run this year, Jim Beaver was the only one to successfully accomplish the feat. Experiencing only minor mechanical problems throughout the course of the race, the bulk of the team's downtime was spent in some of Baja's best silt beds.

"My Goodyear Wrangler MT/R tires and Ford power plant helped us out tremendously all day long. Our engine never missed a tick, and I think we are one of the only trucks in the class who can say they went all 500 miles without a flat tire. If it weren't for our downtime with the silt, we would have been right there fighting for the win."

As Jim Beaver continues his quest for the SCORE Rookie of the Year Award, as well as his fight for the Trophy Truck Points Championship, he returns with PMC Racing to defend their Henderson Terrible's 250 title July 10-13 in the next round of the Optima SCORE Desert Racing Series. PMC Racing and Jim Beaver would like to thank all of the following sponsors who made this season possible: Goodyear Tires, Ford Trucks, King Shocks, MSD Ignition, Tube Service Co., RiverInfo.com, RLH Communications, Motorcraft/Parts Mart, Kofa Inn, Penn Sign Co., and Parker Motor Co. PMC Racing can be contacted through Dan at (800) 266-2291 and more information on Jim can always be found at JimmyBeaver.com.