RACE WRAP I MINT 400
T
heroadfromBarstow
toLasVegasis
nothingspecial.Apart
fromtheWorld’s
TallestThermometer
inthetownofBaker,
thereisnotmuchto
seeotherthandesert
anddistantmountains.Barstowserves
asthehalfwaypointontheroad
betweenLosAngelesandVegas,but
alsoseemsliketheedgeofcivilisation.
Everythingafterthatwouldberightat
homeinaMadMaxfilm.
It’snotuntilyougettoPrimm,on
theNevadaborder,thatyoustarttoget
asenseofnormalityagain.Then,not
longafter,the outlineofVegasbegins
toriseoutofthegroundlikesome
kindofmirage.Andsoon,thatoutline
becomesafullyformedcity;anoasis
surroundedbydesertplains.
Withitspalmtrees,glisteningpools,
brightlightsandpromisesofwealth,
you’dbeforgivenforthinkingthat
Vegasisaparadise.Itain’t.It’sfartoo
evilandtwistedforthat.Beneaththe
glossyexteriorliesadarkunderbelly
wheredreamsarestolen,crushed
andburnt.Theydon’tcallitSin
Cityfornothing.
Incidentally,whatwecallLasVegas
(i.e.thefamedLasVegasStrip)is
actuallyanunincorporatedtown
calledParadise.Doyouseewhatthey
didthere?FEAR AND LOATHING
Hunter S. Thompson’s legendary book,
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,
captured Vegas in all its glory.
Published in 1971, Fear and Loathing
is part autobiographical and part
fiction. The story follows Thompson,
under the name Raoul Duke, and his
attorney, on a wild, drug-induced trip
to the resort city.
The novel helped popularize “gonzo
journalism” but, at times, makes no
sense thanks to it’s rambling
descriptions of hallucinogenic events.
But it did provide exposure to one
lesser-known piece of Vegas history.
As the book explains, the basis for
Thompson’s trip to Sin City was to file
a report for Sports Illustrated on the
Mint 400.
The 400, which later became known
as ‘The Great American Desert Race’ is
comparable to our own famous event,
the Finke Desert Race. While the
format differs greatly, the Mint’s place
in American off-road racing culture is
much like Finke, in that it has taken
on a mythical status among rev heads.
But the Mint’s origins are a little
more outlandish than the humble
beginnings of Finke. Las Vegas is run
by casino tycoons looking to add to
their fortunes, so typically, the Mint
400 began as a publicity stunt.
In 1967, Norm Johnson, the PR man
for the Mint Casino on Fremont Street,THE MINT 400 IS TO VEGAS WHAT THE
FINKE IS TO ALICE SPRINGS BUT IT’S BEEN
43 YEARS SINCE BIKES LAST RACED
98 | JUNE 2019 http://www.adbmag.com.au
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