Downey, CA (1/13/2017)
- Murray Racing’s Jason and Derek Murray overcame
bad luck to record their 46th consecutive finish
at the UTV Nationals Parker 250 in Arizona with
a ninth place finish. The brothers were driving
the Can-Am X3 in the Turbo Class in a continuation
of development of the new machine.
|
The
Can-Am / ITP / LSR / Murray Racing team
finished their 46th consecutive race
with a 10th place finish at the Parker
250 |
The brothers were in the hunt for a podium
finish until about three-quarters of the way
into the event when they had one of several
flat tires. In addition, a fuel delivery issue
slowed their charge. Both took it in stride,
knowing that the new Can-Am has acres of competitive
advantages.
“Obviously, we must have some sort of issue
since we had more flats today than we had
all year last year,” said Derek Murray. “Other
than that, the Can-Am ran perfectly. The shocks
and the suspension were perfect. It’s part
of racing: you have your good days and your
bad days. We finished in the top 10 and we’re
looking to back up our win last year at the
Mint.
“This was our 46th consecutive finish,” added
Murray. “That shows some serious consistency.”
Derek Murray drove the entire race while
his brother was tasked with keeping the car
running. They are still developing the new
X3 and, with any development program, there
are going to be setbacks.
“We’re always making little changes,” explained
Murray. “We made some minor changes and did
some testing. The fuel delivery issues really
held us back. We couldn’t get full power.
We didn’t want to cook the engine, so we took
it easy and stayed in the points. We knew
there was going to be a lot of carnage. We
took the lead at the beginning, but three-quarters
of the way in, we had our first flat and it
went downhill from there.”
Jason Murray was pleased with their start,
which showed the Can-Am X3’s potential. He
was happy to record another finish and stay
in the points heading into the next race.
“Bad luck, I guess,” said Jason Murray. “We
finished the first race of the season and
there was a lot of car count. This really
set us up for the rest of the year. I was
hoping to get into the driver’s seat, but
after having to change tires so much, I was
kind of beat. My brother kept it to the finish.
It is what it is. We’ll be back for the Mint.”
The Murrays will look to rebound as they
head to the Mint 400 March 2-5 in the desert
outside Las Vegas..
Murray Racing
2017 Sponsors:
Can-Am, ITP, Lonestar Racing, FOX, Yoshimura, Lazerstar, Torco, Beard Seats, K&N, Berts UTV, AMR Racing, Shoria, OMF, Rugged Radios, Streamline, Visual Impact, Pyrotech
