UTV World Championship makes historic debut
Inaugural Polaris RZR World Championship is the world’s largest UTV race
After a spectacular day of racing in front of thousands of race fans, two champions were crowned at the first ever Polaris RZR UTV World Championship. The race took place near the banks of the Colorado River in sunny Laughlin, Nev., at the Laughlin off-road park and is part of the Best in The Desert Off-Road racing series. The event featured a world-class field of UTV racers as well as the who’s who of the UTV off-road industry.
Branden Sims (#1913) put together a flawless run in the Walker Evans Desert Championship to take the win and the grand prize package, including a new Polaris RZR. Sims led the entire race from Lap 1. Second place went to Christina Perkins of Bakersfield, Calif.
After a long and hard-fought desert race, the track deteriorated making it rougher for the production racers. The field took to the challenge without question, running hard through dust for a brutal 90 minutes. The land rush start intensified the begnning of each race as 15 racers battled for position into the first turn. Jacob Shaw rose above the world-class field and came out on top, taking the win in the Holz Racing Production Championship and a prize package including a brand new Polaris RZR 1000.
The Production RZR 170 Class was the highlight of the event. Dozens of kids battled it out to prove they are the future of the sport. Seth Quintero took the top spot on the podium and won the Production RZR 170 race.
The 122 UTV entries make the Polaris RZR UTV World Championship the largest race in the history of the sport.
Hardware for DragonFire
Lacrecia Beurrier’s DragonFire/AZ West/Rockstar Racing team from Lake Havasu City, Ariz., finished third in the Holz Racing Championship UTV Unlimited ranks.
A two-time winner of the infamous Mint 400, Lacrecia used Laughlin to learn what needs to be done to the new car before tackling the world’s toughest off-road race coming up in March.
“The UTV Championship course was tough, probably tougher than people expected … but it was the perfect test for moving up to the Unlimited UTV Pro class. I want to win The Mint 400, again,” she declared.
ITP racers crowd podium
Team ITP had five podiums, including the top Pro UTV class winner in Sims. Team racers also took second and third in the Pro class, third in the Unlimited ranks and a second-place finish in the Sportsman division.
“Our racers have been on a roll as of late, and continued their recent success by capturing the UTV Pro class win, sweeping the Pro podium and netting five total podium finishes at this historic BITD and SxS racing event,” said Ryan Edwards, tech support representative and West Coast race coordinator. “Branden [Sims] was just on the gas out there from the start and really put together an impressive victory. All top five Pro teams ran our 8-ply, 30-inch ITP UltraCross R Spec tire, which continues to be the tire of choice for harsh desert environments such as these.”
