BEST IN THE DESERT BITD MINT 400 March 14, 2015

The Polaris RZR Best in the Desert Mint 400 presented by General Tires is one of the most coveted off-road races and has always been well celebrated, but this year was perhaps the biggest and best celebration of the event ever. Events kicked off on Wednesday with the Mint 400 parade that goes right through downtown Las Vegas. After truck qualifiers on Thursday, racers headed to downtown Las Vegas once again where the qualifying order was announced followed by live music and festivities folowed by Contingency and tech inspection on Friday

The BITD Mint 400 Sxs race started before sunrise at 6AM & dust combined with the pre-dawn light added to the challenge of the race

Racing commenced early Saturday morning before sunrise at 6:00am, just as the first light became visible over the horizon. UTV’s were released two at a time at 30 second intervals for the three lap race. With a record turnout of SxS Racers for the BITD Mint 400, dust would be an issue for many of the racers especially those starting towards the back.

S3 Racing's Dustin Jones quickly moved into the 2nd spot in the BITD Mint 400 with their Can-Am Maverick MAX Turbo

S3 Racing’s #1978 Can-Am Maverick MAX Turbo of Dustin Jones and Shane Dowden got off to a good start, and Jones soon took over second place and began to chase down the leader, John Angal. As they were closing in during the second lap, they suffered a slight mechanical issue, which slowed there charge for the lead, but after a quick pit stop to fix the issues, the S3 Racing team was back on track and chasing down Angal once again. Less than five miles from the finish line, Jones and Dowden caught a break. “We had been chasing John Angal the whole race and five miles before the finish, he was broke down and we passed him to take the lead,” said Jones.

S3 Racing's Dustin Jones launches through the Red Bull arch for the final time as he heads for the BITD Mint 400 checkered flag

From there it was smooth sailing for the S3 Racing team as they took the Mint 400 UTV Pro win. “It feels amazing to get the win. Just to finish the Mint 400, but to get the win is absolutely amazing. We never thought we would be competitive this season. We thought it would be more of a learning experience, but to finish physically first at the Mint 400; there’s no feeling like it!” exclaimed Jones, who finished with a time of 7:29:27.714 for the 2015 Best in the Desert Mint 400 win

S3 Racing's Dustin Jones & Shane Dowden claimed the BITD Mint 400 Win