Minga teams with Prudhomme and P.J. Jones to win NORRA Mexican 1000

Rich Minga teamed with Don Prudhomme and P.J. Jones to win the Evolution Stock Turbo UTV class in the 2021 Yokohama NORRA Mexican 1000 race April 25-29.

"It was awesome," Minga said. "To win it was amazing."

The National Off-Road Racing Association competition involved several loops throughout Baja California, and this year's event was a 1,141-mile race. Jones (who is the son of Parnelli Jones) asked Prudhomme and Minga to be part of the team as drivers. "He called me and wanted me to race with his team, and he made me Don's co-driver," Minga said.

"I got hooked up with Rich, and he's a real experienced guy," Prudhomme said. "He was just a great help to get us to the finish line to win our class."

Minga is a lifelong San Diego County resident who has lived in Fallbrook since 1995. Prudhomme has lived in San Diego County for approximately 25 years; he currently lives in Rancho Santa Fe and has a shop in Vista.

Prudhomme is a drag racing legend. "It's 1,000 miles," he said of the NORRA Mexican 1000, "and I'm used to going a quarter of a mile in drag racing, so it's a different world for me."

Minga is a five-time winner of the Baja 1000 as a driver and has also won his class in that race three times as a crew chief, twice as a team manager, and once as a fueler. "I need to go give back. I need to do things that people did for me," he said.

He has some drag racing experience, albeit not as a driver, on the show "Street Outlaws." The credits list Minga as the stunt coordinator, although there are no actual stunts and Minga considers himself to be the safety coordinator of that show.

"I didn't know Rich at all. I think I met him once before," Prudhomme said.

That changed last month. "Riding with him for 1,000 miles, you get to know him pretty good," Prudhomme said. "He was a real pleasant guy to be hooked up with, to be partners with."

Prudhomme and Minga also spent each night in the same recreational vehicle. "We had our own place to stay," Minga said.

That allowed the two drivers to become more acquainted with each other.

As a driver, Prudhomme won the National Hot Rod Association's Funny Car championship four years in a row, and he was the first Funny Car driver to break six seconds. Jones raced off-road, sprint car, stock car, and track truck vehicles before becoming a team owner. "It was just such an honor to be called by such a highly incredible individual in the sport," Minga said. "I was just blown away because I'm almost 60 years old and I'm getting these opportunities."

Prudhomme and Minga drove a Can-Am Maverick Turbo utility task vehicle.

Although the race headquarters were in Ensenada, the race began in Santo Tomas. The April 25 leg was from Santo Tomas to San Felipe. On April 26 the vehicles took the route from San Felipe to Bahia de Los Angeles. The third day involved driving from Bahia de Los Angeles to the state line and back to Bahia de Los Angeles. The racers' April 28 portion of the course went from Bahia de Los Angeles to San Felipe. The final day's drive was from San Felipe to Ensenada.

"We put together a plan, and we stuck to the plan," Minga said.

Prudhomme was the driver on the first day with Minga sitting in the navigator seat. The two shared the driving on the second, fourth, and fifth days. Minga did all of the third day's driving. The 80-year-old Prudhomme yielded the navigator's seat to a mechanic when Minga was at the wheel.

"Rich's navigation was a key part of the victory. He's a great navigator," Prudhomme said.

Minga noted Prudhomme's contribution in the win. "He was consistent, never made mistakes," Minga said.

Not taking the lead until the third day wasn't Prudhomme's fault but rather part of the long-term plan. "We had plenty of time," Minga said. "We just kept a fresh car the first few days."

Caution was part of the plan. "In Baja you have to expect the unexpected every corner," Minga said.

The course also has long distance speed zones with penalties for exceeding the speed limit. A tracker recorded an impulse on each vehicle every three seconds and a nine-second penalty was assessed for each impulse above the speed limit.

After taking the lead on the third day Prudhomme and Minga pulled ahead. Minga cites the maintenance of the crew as a significant reason for remaining in first place. "We never had to work on our own cars," Minga said. "I had a really great crew chief named Hector Camacho, and he did a great job for us."

The decision to pace for the 1,141-mile course ensured the team's ability to have a strong finish. "I had plenty of car left underneath me," Minga said.

Minga was driving on the fifth day until the crew replaced an axle 80 miles from the finish line. "The guys jumped right on it and changed the axle," Prudhomme said.

Prudhomme, who turned 80 on April 6, then drove the final segment. "I thought that was quite appropriate that he's 80 years old and drove the last 80 miles," Minga said.

The final time for Prudhomme and Minga was 19:50:39 which includes 81 seconds of penalties as well as the 19:49:18 driving time. The second-place Evolution Stock Turbo UTV driver, Richard Staunton, had a time of 22:57:21.

"To have that trophy or be in the record books for winning the race is quite an achievement, especially at my age," Prudhomme said.

The NORRA Mexican 1000 race was the first for Minga. "It's such a dream because it's something I've wanted to do for so long," he said. "The icing on the cake was to win."

Prudhomme and Minga finished 31st overall. Jones drove in the Evolution Modified Turbo UTV class and won that division while placing 18th overall.

"Rich did a great job," Prudhomme said.