Hundreds of off-road racing fans will show their appreciation for the Mojave Desert on Feb. 29, by cleaning up tons of trash illegally dumped near the Mint 400 racecourse before the race even begins.
The BFGoodrich Mint 400, known as the Great American Off-Road Race, and Republic Services, a waste solutions company, have made an annual tradition of cleaning up the desert before the race.
Republic Services is providing large dumpsters and hauling out the collected waste. BFGoodrich, the title sponsor of the race, has joined in the effort by providing employee volunteers and a set of tires to raffle off to volunteers after the event.
The Mint 400 runs through the Mojave Desert south of Las Vegas. Most of the land is open to the public and managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Unfortunately, many of these public lands become dumping grounds in the months before and after the race, with everything from furniture, large appliances and even vehicles illegally discarded.
“BFGoodrich has called the desert home for more than 40 years,” said Harold Phillips, global general manager for BFGoodrich Tires. “Desert racing has served as a real-world R&D laboratory for the brand, resulting in the toughest off-road tires in the market today. Supporting the cleanup is a natural fit for a brand that has a love of the desert found in its DNA.”
