If you’ve been following Barker’s Exhaust for the last year, you’ve probably noticed Juan Pirruñas Dominguez and the Pirruñas Racing Team. Juan partnered with Barker’s Performance as a sponsored rider in February 2015 and has since made quite an impression on us and the desert racing industry.
Sponsored Rider Snapshot
- Racing Number: 9A
- ATV: Honda TRX450R
- Age: 25
- Occupation: Accountant
- Hometown: Yuma, AZ
- Started Racing: Age 17
- First ATV: Yamaha Banshee
This year we watched as Juan and the Pirruñas Racing Team endured rigorous racing schedules and dominated extreme desert racing conditions. Because of Juan’s commitment to running our exhaust system on his machine, we have had the tremendous opportunity to learn more about desert racing and how our exhaust system performs under these conditions. We thank Juan and the Pirruñas Racing team for their continued dedication and support and we look forward to another year of outstanding performance!
Sponsored Rider Interview
We wanted to get to know Juan better and thought you might want to too, so we reached out to ask him a few questions about himself and the Pirruñas Racing Team. Here’s what he had to say:
Q. Juan, you seem to be incredibly dedicated to racing. Can you tell us a little about your roots and how you got started in desert racing?
I got my first quad when I was 14 years old and my whole family was always into off-road racing and going to the dunes on the weekends. Since we live in the Sonoran Desert, I started to love riding out in the beautiful desert scenery that Yuma has to offer. After watching the documentary of the Baja 1000 " Dust to Glory," I saw there were quads participating and that's where my dream begun. I decided to attend the Baja 500 when I was 16 years old and absolutely got hooked on the Baja racing atmosphere!
Q. Clearly the Pirruñas Racing Team plays a big role in your racing career, can you tell us a little more about your team?
Pirruñas Racing started back in 2008 when we did our first ever CODE Offroad race right across the border in San Luis, Sonora. We raced a stock Raptor 660r and placed 7th out about 25 quads. The team consists of my brother and I who are trying to follow the same dream in being champions and maybe one day pick up a Honda Factory ride. In Desert racing, without a support team you are nothing out there, so I am blessed enough to have family and friends come out and help us out in different sections of the course and help us get the quad to the finish. As a matter of fact, the name Pirruñas came from my nickname and it’s a pretty noticeable name in Mexico.
Q. In 2015 you raced some pretty intense courses, can you tell us a bit about your experiences riding in desert races like the SCORE international series?
2015 was a great year for us! We won every single race in the SCORE series and to be honest it is not an easy task to accomplish. Those races are hard enough just making it to the finish line. Preparation is the key to get to the checkered flag and running durable products on your race quad such as Barker’s Exhaust is another factor in getting to the finish. The terrain is tough enough on your machine and a bit worse on your body so you have to be in top physical shape to be competitive. In order to win you must first finish so you just have to trust in your other co-riders and ride at a smooth fast pace.
Q. We understand that a ton of thought, modification, and maintenance goes into making a machine, and a man, race ready. Can you share a little bit about how you get yourself and your machine ready for a race?
As we all know Desert Racing is a true test for man and machine so preparation is the difference between winning and losing. We start prepping for our next race as soon as we cross the finish line of our last race. After every race, we sit down and write notes on what went wrong and how we can improve. Being in top physical riding shape is a priority for every rider in the team so that means a lot of blood, sweat, and tears in the gym as well as getting as much seat time as we can before the next race. As for the race quad, we tear it down all the way to the frame as well as the motor. Although Honda is known for their reliability, we tear the motor down and replace everything that is necessary to get us to the finish line for the next race. The only part we re-use on our quads is our Barker’s Exhaust. We put thousands of miles on them and they still retain their race condition. Most durable exhaust on the market in my book!
Q. It looks like 2016 is shaping up to be another big year for you and the Pirruñas Racing Team! Can you tell us about what this year has in store for you and what you are most looking forward to for this year?
After winning a championship in the SCORE International Series and in the CODE Offroad Series in 2015, we are setting sights in winning the SCORE International Pro Open Quad Class for 2016 and make our dream come true in running the 1A plate for 2017. Tons of money, time, and sweat will go into this goal but we have the team and sponsors to make it happen! One change that we'll be doing this year is that my brother Alonzo Dominguez will be focusing on prepping our race quads and pre-run quads instead of riding and being a mechanic at the same time. This will allow me to focus on logistics for the races and be a more competitive rider for the Pro Class. We also have a new team of riders for 2016 and they consist of myself; Gilberto Ramirez from Phoenix, AZ; Julio Banda Jr. from Mexicali, Baja California; Jose “Moño” Contreras from Tecate, Baja California; and Jorge “Wero” Contreras from Tijuana, Baja California. All these guys have what it takes to accomplish our goal in being Open Quad Pro champs for 2016! The whole team can’t thank Barker’s Exhaust enough for their durable exhaust systems and allowing us to come out on top!
To keep pace with Juan’s story as well as other sponsored riders, follow Barker's Exhaust on Facebook.
