Rhys Millen

Rhys Millen

Rhys Millen Driving

With more than 20 years racing experience, Rhys Millen has carved out a solid career and reputation, becoming one of the most sought after performance divers in the motion picture and U.S automotive scene.

Born in New Zealand in 1972, Rhys is the son of famed rally and off-road racer Rod Millen. Rhys joined Rod in the United States as a teenager and founded Rhys Millen Racing (RMR) at the age of 21. RMR is an automotive fabrication, composite and design facility concentrating on Rally, drift, off-road and movie car preparation.

Rhys Millen has been the driving force behind all seven Pennzoil Films, taking precision driving to new heights across the globe. Pennzoil Synthetics has provided complete protection for top engine performance for Rhys behind the wheel of all seven of these power-hungry vehicles–the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat in Pennzoil Airlift Drift, 2016 Ferrari 488 GTB in JOYRIDE Circuit, Jeep Wrangler Rubicon in JOYRIDE Baja, BMW M6 Coupe in JOYRIDE Tundra, Dodge Viper ACR in The Last Viper, Dodge Challenger SRT Demon in Exorcising the Demon, and in his most legendary performance yet, Rhys takes the BMW M4 CS through the famed Nürburgring in Escaping the Ring.

With each jaw-dropping turn, Rhys Millen asserts himself as one of the premier precision-drivers of just about any vehicle. He counts on Pennzoil Platinum® to deliver top engine performance in Stage Rally, Rally-Cross, Formula Drift and stunt driving. Along with countless titles in Stage Rally and Rally-Cross, 2005 Formula Drift Champion and 2008 World Drift Champion, Rhys also holds several world titles at the famed Pikes Peak Hill Climb winning overall in 2012. In 2015 Rhys's second overall win at Pikes Peak made history when he completed the race in a specially prepared four-wheel drive 1200hp electric vehicle designed specifically for the event. 

In his 2016 return to Pikes Peak, Rhys Millen conquered the fiercest competitor in racing – the clock. His outstanding run resulted in becoming the first driver to break the nine-minute barrier in an electric vehicle. He shattered the previous record by achieving the summit in 8:57.118 with Pennzoil Platinum™ 75W-90 gear oil coursing through his vehicle.

In the 2016 Score International Baja 1000, Rhys and his RZR XP 1000 EPS earned the top honors in the Pro UTV (naturally aspirated) class by beating out all 16 high-powered starters in his division. The Baja 1000 is one of the most grueling races in the world, and we are proud to say that Rhys Millen relied on Pennzoil 10W-40 motor oil and Pennzoil Platinum™ 75W-90 gear oil to power him through to the finish line.

Outside of racing Rhys is also a stunt driver for Hollywood films such as The Dukes of Hazard, Indiana Jones, Herbie Fully Loaded, Fast and Furious 3 Tokyo Drift, FF4, FF5 and FF7.

Escaping the Ring with the BMW M4 CS and Pennzoil Synthetics (Official)

Title: BMW - Film

Duration: 2:57

Video: PENN-2018-26_BMW_Film

[Sound Effect]

Electronic crescendo joined by mechanical whirring and footsteps.

[Graphic]

The Pennzoil Logo--a yellow oval with "Pennzoil" written in black letters across a red Liberty Bell--zooms forward until it disappears and gives way to video footage.

[Text Displays]

Pennzoil Synthetics Presents: "Escaping the Ring."

[Video Footage]

Silhouetted against a wall of windows, a person pushes an industrial floor sweeper across a vast, empty space occupying an upper floor of a complex.

[Sound Effect]

Beeping.

[Video Footage]

The person stops and checks a phone message.

[Text Displays]

"Last job! Make it out. It's all yours."

[Video Footage]

The person types with a gloved hand.

[Text Displays]

"Already inside."

[Video Footage]

Next, the person holds a card to a reader on the wall, which flashes green. Wearing coveralls over a black hoodie, the person---who appears to be a man-- leaves through frosted glass doors adorned with signs bearing the Pennzoil logo and the words: "Vehicle Research. Synthetics." He tosses the coveralls in a trash bin and heads down a stairwell. Now wearing dark pants and a khaki jacket over the black hoodie, he walks through a parking garage and stops at a vacant spot marked "86." He flips the keychain around to read "98," then later presses the key fob.

[Sound Effect]

Beep.

[Video Footage]

His hood still pulled over his head, the mysterious person looks to the left.

[Sound Effect]

Loud engine.

[Text Displays]

A disclaimer appears in small white letters at the bottom of the screen: "Professional driver on a closed course. Do not attempt. Respect all traffic laws and never drive recklessly."

[Video Footage]

A yellow sports car emerges from the garage and drifts right, leaving a trail of white smoke. Shifting gears, the driver zooms past a complex marked "Nürburgring" in large red letters.

[Sound Effect]

Tires screeching.

[Video Footage]

The car skids around a track.

[Sound Effect]

Distant motor.

[Video Footage]

A sweeping, aerial view of a stone castle on a hilltop overlooking a town nestled in a green landscape of dense woods and rolling hills.

[Sound Effect]

Engine roars.

[Video Footage]

A close-up of the speeding sports car reveals a black grill, curved, string-style headlights and a round, blue-and-white "BMW" logo on its hood.

[Sound Effect]

Engine fades.

[Video Footage]

Viewed from high above, the car races down a road cutting through densely forested hills. Kicking up smoke, the car drifts around a track. Next, an overhead view of the track as it winds through the forest. In close-up, the car skids around a curve, passing a sign: "Make The Switch: Pennzoil." Now viewed through trees, the car continues speeding down the track. The driver shifts gears as the tachometer passes seven. In slow motion, the car kicks up dirt and grass as its right tires ride on the grassy median. The car rolls back onto the track. Viewed from above, the Pennzoil logo and scattered chalk graffiti adorn the surface of the track. The car drifts around another curve. Passing through a gate, the car skids sideways, knocking over an orange-and-white cone as it enters a country road.

[Sound Effect]

Engine briefly drops and a bell tolls.

[Text Displays]

A disclaimer appears in small white letters at the bottom of the screen: "Professional driver on a closed course. Do not attempt. Respect all traffic laws and never drive recklessly."

[Video Footage]

The car speeds through an alley of trees.

[Sound Effect]

The engine noise drops briefly, then resumes full force.

[Video Footage]

The car emerges from over a hill strewn with leaves, briefly going airborne in slow motion. A close-up of the tachometer and the driver's hand on the gear shift. Sparks fly when the car lands. A grazing sheep raises its head.

[Sound Effect]

Sheep bleats.

[Sound Effect]

Loud engine.

[Video Footage]

The car drifts onto another road, leaving a thick trail of white smoke. The driver shifts gears. Next, a bird's-eye view of the car passing through the wooded landscape. The car careens toward an exit to the Autobahn, then drifts its way around a loop. Next, the car crosses a long bridge spanning a winding river and farmland. The driver rolls down the window.

[Sound Effect]

Clatter.

[Video Footage]

The phone flies out onto the pavement. As the car continues down the road, a message on the shattered phone reads: "Wait! You're not the only one."

[Graphic]

The Pennzoil Logo against a black background.

[Graphics]

On a black background, the yellow Pennzoil logo appears out of a flash of light and a wisp of smoke. Beneath the logo in uppercase white letters, words rotate and transform into other words: "Synthetics…Complete Protection…For Top Engine Performance…Make The Switch."

Behind the Scenes of JOYRIDE Circuit

Pennzoil Airlift Drift