Every year the off-road season starts off with a trip to Parker, Arizona for the BITD Parker 425. Well known as one of the most brutal off-road races North of the border, this year’s edition would be no different. Testing man and machine against the elements this race always separates the men from the boys in quick fashion.
Race one of the two heat format saw last years Class 1000 champion Brock Heger lead most of the day, but the sun would not shine brightly on the young phenom this time as he was chased down and beaten by Doug Fortin. Fortin, who had recently resurrected his overall winning 2003 Baja 1000 car as a Class 1000, took his 20+yr old Jimco to the front of the pack for not only the win in heat one but an impressive 2nd overall time for both heats.
READ MORE: An Off-Road VW That Will Make the Class 11 Bugs of Baja Jealous
Starting from the pole, Andy McMillin was set up for a repeat performance of last year’s overall win and he would eventually take the win in the Trick Truck category, but it wasn’t easy.
Harley Letner, Rob MacCachren, and Justin Matney would all challenge for the lead but to no avail. For the second consecutive year, Andy McMillin would put his stamp on the Parker 425 as the overall winner.
READ MORE: Parker 425 Qualifying Results and Photo Gallery
“I’m really speechless,” said McMillin in a post-race interview. “The race went absolutely flawless. We never got out of the truck, never stopped for any issues whatsoever. The brand new Mason Motorsports truck ran absolutely perfect. The Toyo Tires were amazing, great hookup on the Parker roads and not one flat tire. I knew that attrition would take its toll on the competition, so I tried to run my pace and stay on course and not have any downtime. That strategy paid off and to be able to win back to back at Parker is a fantastic achievement for me and my team. From getting the pole in qualifying to winning the race on Saturday, we showed the other teams that this truck and this team are the real deal and we’re very much looking forward to the next race.”
Rounding out the top spots for the podium was newcomer Brett Sourapas in 2nd place and Justin Matney in his 4×4 Trick Truck for 3rd place. All of the race results can be found here: Group C Finishers and Group A Finishers.
Going forward, the Mint 400 is the next race on the schedule for the BITD season and will take place on March 9, 2018.
Boasting record entry numbers for the resurrected event in Nevada, this year’s Parker 425 has already set the stage for even greater numbers to get out in the deserts surrounding Primm Nevada next year. When the blinding dust settles we will see who makes it out of that one on the top of the box.
