Mint 400 was also an album by Australian trio Ammonia. mint 400 was the name of a short lived band in the mid-nineties from England. Mint 400 is Ammonias debut studio album. ... An alternative rock band from Australia, Ammonia made a name for themselves in the1990’s, producing a mixture of grunge and guitar pop (a sound they described as ‘pop-metal’). The group began in 1992, initially comprising guitarist Dave Johnstone (ex Hideous Goldsteins), drummer Alan Balmont (ex Dear Octopus, Cherrytones...

The Mint 400 was an annual desert off road race for both motorcycles, until 1977, and four-wheel vehicles (buggies, cars and trucks) sponsored by Del Webb's Mint Hotel and Casino. ^[1] Del Webb, a well known builder and friend of Howard Hughes, was owner of the famous Mint Hotel in downtown Las Vegas. It became known as "The" Great American Desert Race. ^[2] Annual, from the Latin annuum, or year means pertaining to a year or happening every year. ... For the act of abandoning or withdrawing support from an entity, see desertion. ... In offroad racing, various classes of specially modified vehicles, including cars, compete in races through off-road environments. ... For other uses, see Motorcycle (disambiguation). ... Dune buggy George W. Bush in a Dune buggy A dune buggy is a recreational vehicle with small wheels, and thin tires, designed for use on water dunes or beaches. ... “Car” and “Cars” redirect here. ... For other uses, see Truck (disambiguation). ... Del Webb (1899 - 1974) was an American real estate developer and sports-team owner who is significant for founding and developing the retirement community of Sun City, Arizona. ... The Mint Las Vegas was a Hotel and Casino in Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. ... For the Welsh murderer, see Howard Hughes (murderer). ... Vegas redirects here. ...

History

The Mint sponsored this event from 1968 through the sale of the hotel and casino in the late 1988. For the first few years of the event Jim Beam produced special commemorative decanters. Billed as the richest off-road race, the Mint 400 attracted 528 entries in 1983 and brought in millions of dollars to the Las Vegas business community. Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Hotel (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... The standard white Jim Beam label Jim Beam is a brand of bourbon whiskey, distilled in Clermont, Kentucky. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... United States one-dollar bill Canadian one-dollar coin (Loonie) One New Taiwan dollar Australian one-dollar coin 500 old Zimbabwean dollars The dollar (often represented by the dollar sign: $) is the name of the official currency in several countries, dependencies and other regions. ... Business Community is an organizational concept which can be used to model patterns of communications for business relations amongts trading partners. ...

Pre-race activities included the closing of a portion of Fremont Street to conduct the vehicle technical inspection and race car impound. ^[3] Initially,the race was based at the Mint Gun Club. ^[4] Fremont Street by night. ... Motor racing and Motorsports redirect here. ...

Norm Johnson, in 1967 was the public relations and promotion director for the Mint Hotel, when he created the "Del Webb Mint 400 Off Road Ralley," (the official title of the first race). Johnson was promoting the "Annual Mint Hotel Deer Hunters Contest" and had decided to award a dune buggy as the Grand Prize in 1967. To publicize the Grand Prize, Johnson hired two off-road specialist, to race from the Mint Hotel to its sister hotel, The Sahara Tahoe," completely off-road, with an official of NASCAR timing the car away and when it completed the nearly 600 mile journey. A writer and photographer from the Las Vegas News Bureau accompanied the two off-roaders. They only traveled by day, camping out at night. The publicity was so successful that Johnson asked the two men if they thought a race could be created. At that time a group of Jeeps had just completed running Baja, California (which would become known as the Baja 1000)and it was felt a race could be a great publicity stunt for the hotel and Las Vegas. Johnson contacted a friend and NASCAR race car driver, Mel Larson, in Phoenix, Ariz and asked him to race in the Mint 400. Larson agreed and the two then contacted Parnelli Jones in Los Angeles, who also agreed to race a Ford Bronco.

The first Mint 400 had a guaranteed purse of $15,000 (which grew to more than $30,000 with manufacturers money). A total of 101 started the grueling 400 mile loop in the Nevada desert, with only 32 vehicles completing the entire 400 miles. The first to cross the finish line was J.N. Roberts riding a Husqvarna motorcycle. Just as the sun was coming up over Sunrise Mountain the first four-wheeled vehicle, driven by Gene Hirst, crossed the finish line. Johnson was promoted to the Thunderbird Hotel (a sister hotel on the Las Vegas Strip) and remained a consultant to the race. Mel Larson was hired to be the race director for the 1969 race, and remained in that capacity for a number of years. (Submitted by Norm Johnson from his book "The Off-Road Racer,1976.")

Mint Hotel PR executive, K.J. Howe, who competed in GT, Formula and Sports Car Races, and Hillclimbs and Rallys throughout Europe, succeded Larson as Mint 400 race director in the early '70's. He headed the race until 1985, which attracted a record more 528 four-wheeled entries in 1983. Howe and Mint 400 Vice President , Andrew Zorne, regularly competed in the unlimited two-seat division in the Mint race, while Howe competed with brother, Sandy and son, Scott in off road events throughout the western US and Mexico. (ed note: Motorcycles were dropped from the Mint 400 in the mid '70's due to astronomical insurance increases for the "bike" divisions, deemed by the hotel to be unreasonable.)

Mint 400 Chief Steward, Walt Lott, founder of Walt's Racing Assoociation(WRA),and later, High Desert Racing Association (HDRA, was Howe's operations right hand, along with Chief Technical Inspector, Denny Selleck, and course marking guru, Tom Camp, who, along with wife Irla, set the standards and procedures for off road race course marking found in all desert races today. Lott, Selleck and Tom Camp are deceased. Lott will be indicted into the Off Road hall of Fame in ceremonies to be held in Reno, Nevada in August 2007.

One of Howe's many innovations was to conduct the racing cars' Technical and Safety Inspection on famed Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas. "Tech" became one of the highlights of the Mint 400 race as it drew thousands of spectators to the downtown locale to view the extraordinary and innovative off-road racing machines. He also changed the name to "The Mint 400 Desert Race" to depict its true "racing" stature.

At the urging of racing journalist, Jean Calvin, an Off Road Hall of Fame inductee, Howe was the first major off-road racing promoter to allow a class for 1200 cc VW powered, open wheeled racing machines, realizing over 100 entries in that class alone in just its second year. Former motorcycle world champion, Rolf Tibblin of Husquavarna fame, nearly won overall honors in 1976, finishing second in a VW powered 1200 cc, single seater.

The Mint 400 became the "must" event all off road racers would enter due to its exciting Las Vegas locale, the demanding 400 mile course, its rich purse, and, its independence as an "open-to-all" racers regardless of affiliation.

Significant of the Mint 400's import was the fact that Speed King, Mickey Thompson, founder of SCORE International, an off road racing sanctioning body and promoter of the famed Baja 1000, and Baja 500 events, was the first entrant in the Mint 400 every year.

Howe is currently writing a book, "Remembering the Mint 400", expected to be completed mid 2008, and maintains an association with the off road racing fraternity as a member of the "Off Road Motor Sports Hall of Fame" advisory committee. He is an Event Manager of the "Vegas Grand Prix", a "Champ Car World Series" event, for open wheeled racing cars, held through the streets of downtown Las vegas in early April.

Winners

Motorcycle

• 1970 Drino Miller, Vic Wilson 9:54:5 ^[5]
• 1971 Max Switzer, J. N. Roberts 9:54:5 ^[6]

Year 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Vic Wilson was a Formula One driver from South Africa. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. ...

Truck

• 1970
• 1971 Fritz Kroyer, Bill Harkey 13:30:42 ^[4]

Notable entrants

Entrants in this event were world wide and included some of the most well-known names from all racing genres as well as the television and motion picture industry. Indianapolis 500 winners Parnelli Jones, Al Unser, Rick Mears, Rodger Ward, off-road champions Mickey Thompson, Ivan Stewart, and Walker Evans, power boat champion Bill Muncey, movie- and television stars James Garner and Steve McQueen are among the many racing and entertainment luminaries who competed in the Mint 400. ^[7] The adjective global and adverb globally imply that the verb or noun to which they are applied applies to the entire Earth and all of its species and regions. ... This article is about motion pictures. ... “Indy 500” redirects here. ... Rufus Parnell Parnelli Jones (born August 12, 1933 in Texarkana, Arkansas), is a retired American racing driver and racecar owner. ... Alfred Unser (born May 29, 1939 in Albuquerque, New Mexico) is a former U.S. automobile racer. ... Rick Ravon Mears (born December 3, 1951 in Wichita, Kansas) is an American race car driver. ... Rodger Ward (January 10, 1921, in Beloit, Kansas - July 5, 2004 in Anaheim, California) won the 1959 and 1962 Indianapolis 500. ... Mickey Thompson, born December 7, 1928 - died March 16, 1988, was an American racing legend. ... Ivan Stewart is best known for his off road racing career. ... Walker Evans (born December 3, 1938) is an Off-road Motorsports Hall of Famer . ... William Edward Bill Muncey (November 12, 1928 – October 18, 1981) was an American hydroplane racing legend from La Mesa, California. ... A movie star or film star is a celebrity who is a person known for his or her roles in motion pictures. ... James Garner (born April 7, 1928) is an American film and television actor. ... Steve McQueen (March 24, 1930 – November 7, 1980) was an Academy Award-nominated American movie actor, nicknamed The King of Cool.[1] He was one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s due to a popular anti-hero persona. ... A stilt-walker entertaining shoppers at a shopping centre in Swindon, England Entertainment is an event, performance, or activity designed to give pleasure or relaxation to an audience (although, for example, in the case of a computer game the audience may be only one person). ...

Mint 400 girls

K.J. Howe, Mint Hotel executive and longtime Mint 400 Race Director, conceived "The Girls of the Mint 400" in 1972 to add glamor and PR value to the race. Each year the Mint racing committee chose a contingent of women to reign over the events' activities. Local media representitves would help select the final ten from the hundreds of entries received from contestants from around the US, Canada, Mexico and Europe. The Mint racing committee would select the final five who became known as the Mint 400 girls. This group includes Lynda Carter (who portrayed Wonder Woman in the television series) and Wheel of Fortune's Vanna White. Mint 400 Girls Tracy Vaccaro and Donna Speir were Playboy centerfolds and Vickie Reigle graced Playboy's cover subsequent to their Mint 400 publicity. Lisa Soulé, Anita Merritt, Angela Aames, Lisa Hunter and Suzanne Regard later appeared in various movies and television series as well as Mint Hotel and Casino advertising campaigns. For the two Marvel Comics nurse characters, see Night Nurse (comics). ... Wonder Woman is a fictional DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. ... This article is about the current, syndicated nighttime edition of the U.S. game show, which began in 1983. ... Vanna White (born Vanna Marie Rosich on February 18, 1957 is a American television personality, best known as the hostess and puzzle board operator on the long-running game show Wheel of Fortune. ... Tracy Vaccaro (born May 4, 1962 in Glendale, California) is an American model and actress. ... For other uses, see Playboy (disambiguation). ... Standard Lenna image famously used in many image processing experiments, taken from the (non-revealing) top third of a November 1972 Playboy centerfold. ... Angela Aames (born February 27, 1956 in Pierre, South Dakota) was an American actress with a promising career as a blonde bombshell type and an able acting presence. ... Information Portrayed by Gemma Atkinson Lisa Hunter is a fictional character on the long-running British television soap opera Hollyoaks and later its spin-offs Hollyoaks: Let Loose and Hollyoaks: In the City. ...

Impact on journalism

Hunter S. Thompson's novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas depicts the 1971 race in one of the earliest and best known instances of gonzo journalism. His suggestion that he would ride a Vincent Black Shadow (one of the fastest production road bikes ever made) was most likely tongue-in-cheek, since this bike is too large for offroad riding and the last one produced would have been 16 years old by that time. The Mint is also featured in the movie based on Thompson's book. Hunter Stockton Thompson (July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005) was an American journalist and author. ... The hard cover version of the book. ... Hunter S. Thompsons famous Gonzo logo. ... Vincent Rapide advertisement, The Motor Cycle, December 1945 The Vincent Black Shadow was a hand-built motorcycle produced by Vincent Motorcycles, introduced in 1948. ... Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a 1998 film adaptation of Hunter S. Thompsons 1971 novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream. ...

Weblinks

• www.themint400.com, rivival of Mint 400

References

1. ^ [1] "The Mint 400", Las Vegas Sun, Retrieved January 7, 2007
2. ^ [2] ORC Staff, "Off-Road.com Presents Coverage of the 2000 SCORE/Laughlin Desert Challenge", February 1, 2000, Off-Road.com
3. ^ [3] "Fremont Street Historical Facts", information provided by the Fremont Street Experience, Las Vegas, 1995
4. ^ ^{a b} [4] "California Pair Take Mint 400", dated between March 21 and 23, 1971, Las Vegas Sun, Retrieved January 7, 2007, Warning: PDF file
5. ^ [5] "Champs Aren't Disqualified", dated between March 21 and 23, 1971, Las Vegas Sun, Retrieved January 7, 2007, Warning: PDF file
6. ^ [6] "Vegas Rider Finally Wins Mint Jackpot", dated between March 21 and 23, 1971 [7], Las Vegas Sun, Retrieved January 7, 2007, Warning: PDF file
7. ^ [8] "Buggies roll at night", dated between March 21 and 23, 1971 [9], Las Vegas Sun, Retrieved January 7, 2007, Warning: PDF file