Racers begin responding to the changes:
"'Yellow Brick Tracking' will be used for tracking, the blue transponder will handle timing, and the IRC box will be a wheel chock."
"IRC is DONE."
UPDATE! March 6, 2016 at 9:42 Pacific Time
Five days after our first reports>>>
The other shoe drops...
BFGoodrich and Polaris RZR to the rescue!
Mad (Fail) Media finally admits...2015 Event Failure and they needed MORE MONEY and MORE Trackers to plug the Hole!
Proof, the last three years IRC & BITD Tracking and Race Results have been Totally Bogus!
From the release:
"Race participants have complained in the past about the diffuculty and cost of installing race tracking technology-"
Yea- and having to deal with Steve, smiling as he took your money and Casey, smiling as he laughed all the way to the bank! For Years
Do you think this change would have happened without OFF-ROAD LIVE!? Not a chance in HELL
More: "The Mint 400 announced today that is has launched a new tracking application with the primary goal of allowing the entire planet to watch “The Great American Off-Road Race” live online and on mobile devices. The Mint 400 has partnered with YB Tracking from the UK, who have built their business tracking global events in yachting, adventure sports, and expeditions.
“Following our recent success tracking car racing events in Europe and Asia, and the recent US-based King of The Hammers, we are thrilled to be involved in the biggest off-road race in the world! The Mint has a huge vehicle count for a single-day event which makes it both challenging and exciting,” stated Nick Farrell, CEO of YB Tracking.
During The Mint 400, tracking points will be transmitted every 2 minutes, with 30-second GPS fixes – giving great track definition for later playback. Live segment split times will be made available to the public, adding excitement for race followers who will be able to see just how many minutes/seconds are between each racer!
No, the racers are not paying for this. Seeing the value in globalizing off-road racing, Mint 400 sponsors BFGoodrich Tires and Polaris RZR have stepped up to cover the cost of the new tracking system rather than passing the cost onto the racers!"
CLICK HERE LINK FOR MOBILE USERS
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UPDATE! March 5, 2016
Dateline Las Vegas: After numerous interviews with teams being required to place new tracking devices on their race cars for this years BITD race, the MINT 400 is requiring YBTracking.com devices, because of the flak Mad Media has received over the race failures last year, by Best In The Deserts service provider, International Racing Consultants (IRC).
For years, the service provider for the race sanction, IRC, has not met the minimum service provisions set by the sanction, BITD.
QUESTION: Why have the changes, for this race event, taken place now, after years of BITD fraud?
ANSWER: The heat by OFF-ROAD LIVE! coverage of the issue.
Best In The Desert's ignoring the problem piled up complaints from racers, which the promoter, Mad Media, finally took action to resolve. Over a week ago, the promoter began discussing the tracking changes with its key tech vendors. But, no general news provisions nor any team/customer communications have taken place as of this update.
Over the course of an annual season of racing, these services and associated promotions are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. At stake, are sanction contracts for service providers that are worth, a MINT!
That's why the sanction BITD, has failed to adequately resolve the failures of its service provider, IRC. Money. Best In The Desert is reaping a small fortune from racers through, "Entry Fees".
So many dollars are involved, that an announcement yesterday of the sale of the sanction, VORRA, is bad news for BITD. Increased competition by other sanctions like MORE and VORRA will impact the Nevada based sanction, BITD.
Desert racers, the customers, typically don't speak up when they're getting hosed. Even seriously hosed, like when they get handicapped by injuries! That's why BITD thought it could get away this, fraud.
As OFF-ROAD LIVE! ramps up our coverage of the race, on Saturday, March 12, we will continue to follow this breaking story.
[This update has been emailed directly to BITD, just in case they aren't keeping up with our LIVE! coverage]
OFF-ROAD LIVE!
OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT (March 2)
LIVE MINT 400 WILL USE YELLOW BRICK TRACKING, "We are very pleased to be the tracking company for the event", the YBTracking.com rep said this morning, from Britain.
"We'll be in Las Vegas, installing equipment and answering questions", YBTracking rep said today in a trans-continental, trans Atlantic phone connection. Satellite tracking in desert off-road races, has been the BIGGEST shock to racers for the last ten years.
The NEW! ShockWave HITS! Desert Racing>>>
Desert Off-Road racers first hear about the change in tracking services, here today, on OFF-ROAD LIVE!
UPDATED! March 6; Answers known at this time:
Why hasn't BITD announced these changes?
Shame on Casey! They've been caught and they are SKEERED.
This story didn't blow-over like they prayed it would!
*How long has this information been known to Mad Media? Over a week. Possibly, some months. $Finally, after nearly a week of the cat out of the bag, MM tells the racing community about its deal with YBTracking!
*Why is this information being held away from the very contestants that will be using their services? Still unanswered. $Because all of this is being foisted at the last minute, expect problems at contingency and problems during the race.
*Is the IRC deal finished from Martelli events? Most likely. A shared tracking program is disruptive. But, teams have already given money to IRC, making this event one of the most upset in modern desert racing memory.
$As long as Casey at BITD is protecting Steve at IRC, the damage to racers, continues!
*Just days away from the March 12 racing event, a brand new system is going to be required of the racers to use? Yes. All at the last minute, with little or no notice given to the racers. The customers of the race. $As we broke this story, it became clear that damage to the racers was not important to Mad Madia. Just Money.
$= After the MM Announcement of YB Tracking at the MINT 400 2016
MATT MARTELLI (MAD MEDIA) REFUSES TO ANSWER QUESTIONS...CASEY FOLKS (BITD), REFUSES TO ANSWER QUESTIONS...Steve Myers, REFUSES comment!!!...Why are all these grown adults not talking? It's ALL ABOUT THE MONEY.
Racers begin explosion of outrage over mistreatment by BITD!
**"Doesn't surprise me, though a little heads up from Casey would be nice...IRC Out?! It's about time!"
**"This is Mad Media making a decision that Casey and the racers have to swallow...better be good, otherwise it'll be two years in a row of a very expensive and time consuming Nevada CF".
BLOCKBUSTER NEWS!...Exclusively on http://www.off-road1.com/ RELEASED TODAY!