2026 marks the 50th birthday of McMillin Racing. Fittingly, before the family takes to the desert once more, the anniversary began with the return of their first car: the #913 Hi-Jumper single-seater buggy that Corky McMillin and his son Mark raced in the 1976 Baja 1000.

Rory Ward, an off-road historian and racer, led the Class 9’s restoration. In a video published by McMillin Racing on Thursday, Mark went over the Hi-Jumper’s history and reviewed the restored product.

“Rory did a great job restoring it,” said Mark. “I’m very, very proud of it.”

That 1000 was the family’s first time competing in a desert race. The McMillins, who run a real estate and home building firm, piloted dirt bikes and buggies on a recreational basis but never raced competitively.

The family had already been at previous 1000s as a pit crew or to help their friends, but Corky wanted to take part to tick it off the bucket list. He borrowed the Hi-Jumper from the Greaser family for the race, put rock tires on the buggy, and went down to Mexico. John McNair prepped the car.

Mark was due to open the race before passing off to his dad for the finish. The younger McMillin flipped the buggy five miles before Nuevo Junction, landing in a massive puddle of water before being rescued by passing bike racers. He continued on until the car started losing power, ending the race before Corky ever had a chance to drive.

Scott McMillin, Mark’s brother, joined the team in 1978 after buying a second Hi-Jumper.

“I’m surrpised my mother let us go out again,” Mark quipped.

The other buggy scored the family’s first win at that year’s Mexicali 250, while the #913’s final action was in 1979. Corky eventually built a two-seater model, turning McMillin Racing into one of the premier desert buggy constructors. Volkswagen and Chenowth came aboard as partners, leading to Mark dominating the Baja 1000 in the 1980s with five overall wins. Three of those victories came in “Macadu”, a Chenowth buggy that Mark continues to race sporadically in NORRA and considers his personal favorite car.

Eventually, the team switched to Trophy Trucks. His sons Dan and Luke still race trucks today, while Scott’s son Andy is a six-time 1000 overall champion. Last year, Mark and Luke did NORRA’s Mexican 1000 together with Macadu, finishing 35th overall and winning the Vintage 6-Cylinder Buggy class.

Given the team’s successes with later models, Mark was frank about the original Hi-Jumper’s value.

“The historicness of this car now is only because it was four first and what our family has done in 50 years of racing,” he opined.

50 Years in the Making | Mark McMillin, Original Class 9 Bug & The Race That Started a Baja Legacy on YouTube

Featured image credit: McMillin Racing