Ontario, Calif. - ITP Tire & Wheel Company announced that it has signed on as title sponsor for the Murray Racing off-road racing team. ITP is the official tire-and-wheel source for the entire squad, which competes in several off-road racing series in the Desert Southwest and Southern California.
"ITP is fortunate to have the opportunity to once again work with the Murray brothers and their race teams,” Rhett Turpin, Director of Sales and Marketing – Powersports, said. “The accomplishments these gentlemen have stacked up, as well as their leadership and guidance in the sport, shows they are true professionals. The Murray Brothers race team has become an authority in SxS competition. ITP is proud to have shared in their success thus far, and we look forward to a mutually successful 2014."
The Can-Am/ITP/Murray Racing team is headlined by brothers Derek and Jason Murray, who have grown their racing effort from a weekend hobby to a successful multi-tiered team with numerous victories in several off-road series. The Murray brothers compete in both the Best In The Desert racing series and SCORE International, running two different Can-Am vehicles.
The Murray brothers have finished second in the UTV Pro class in the BITD series two consecutive seasons, having tallied the most overall points a year ago, but came up short due to a mandatory throwout and tiebreaker. The 2013 season resulted in a BITD Vegas To Reno round overall class win and a podium at every round. The Murrays also have finished 26 consecutive BITD races without a DNF.
"We are extremely excited to work with ITP for another year of racing, because we are able to race with the best tires available and ITP is now our title sponsor," said Derek Murray. "The commitment from ITP shows its support of the sport and commitment to constant product development to make the best tires available for both racing and recreational use."
Both Murray vehicles will run the 30-inch ITP Ultracross R Spec tires for its desert competition. "We have had a tremendous amount of success with the ITP tires, from the Bajacross to the Blackwater Evolution to the more recent Ultracross tire and custom T-9 wheel setup we run, they have all exceeded our expectations in the most challenging conditions,” Derek Murray said. “The 8-ply radial construction, low profile and the compound result in the most reliable and toughest tire we have ever used."
The Can-Am/ITP/Murray Racing team will also support PURE series pilot and reigning Production 1000cc Pro class champion, Logan Gastel. He just finished second in the class at the 2014 PURE opener in California City, CA. Gastel will run the 30-inch Ultracross tires and T-9 Pro Mod wheels, like the Murrays.
Rounding out a spot on the team is World Off-Road Championship Series and Dirt series Pro racer Dave Martinez, who took ninth in the WORCS SxS Pro Production class in 2013. He will run 27-inch Blackwater Evolution tires on 12-inch SD Series Beadlock wheels.
For more information on Murray Racing, visit www.murrayracing.com/.
