Mickey Thompson and SMU Racing – a partnership that continues to deliver results

When the SMU Racing Jimco was getting reassembled after an excursion through the trees at the 2015 Teagle Excavations ARB Pines Enduro, a number of significant changes were made to the SMU Jimco as racing life was contemplated.

One of the most crucial of these contemplated changes was the initial trial, and then resolute adoption of the Mickey Thompson Baja MTZ P3 tyres.

“We were wanting to trial the MTZ P3s to see if there were any significant benefits over the tyres that we were running at the time. Having tried a number of tyres over 30 plus years of racing, we had found that none had really stood out as excellent and a lot stood out as not that great”, said Matt Hanson driver of SMU Racing car #7.

“The team first trialled the Mickey Thompsons at Tyrrell Downs in a club race that was the first race back for the team after the accident at Pines. What was stood out was two fold. The grip out of corners was immediately noticeable with greatly reduced wheel spin as a result of better traction. This allowed the then new Shane Wilson Completion Engine Ford Twin turbo V6 Eco boost to get the power to the ground”, said Matt

“The other striking observation we saw straight away was the ability of the tyre to pull the car up due to this traction. This allowed the car to break a lot deeper going into corners.”

Both of these advantages made an instant impact on the timesheet and in a world where a number of off road tyres feel the same, the Mickey Thompson stood out straight away. SMU Racing won the race and looked forward to the next race at Pines where the Mickeys again were on the SMU Jimco.

After 420 gruelling kilometres at Pines shortly thereafter, same impact with grip and braking and same result with the team coming away with the win again. Two from two and the Mickey Thompsons were doing the job!

It is fair to say that SMU Racing has been converted and are now a firm believer in the Mickey Thompson product. Since those initial two races the team have won more events and prologues, with no punctures adding further weight to the performance that these tyres have added to the car. The team is proud to partner with Mickey Thompson Australia and love being involved with the band of Off Road racers that race on Mickey Thompson tyres around the country.

“We think the support and focus that Mickey Thompson Australia has put behind Australian Off Road racing has been nothing short of spectacular. Jeff Newick and his team are to be commended on getting behind the sport one hundred per cent. The rise of the Mickey Thompson brand been universal and I don’t think there has been such a profound change in the off road racing tyre landscape that I can remember. Having the best tyres in the MTZ P3s obviously helps and I think the number of podiums over the last few years with cars running MTZ P3s is testament to the performance of these tyres”, said Hanson

SMU Racing is on its way to the Finke Desert Race where the team is hoping to start the weekend in good fashion on Saturday morning in Prologue. The team’s Mickey Thompson tyres are sure to be spinning hard and doing their job!