Picture Credit score: Nelson Flores / Polaris Manufacturing unit Racing
When the oldsters at Polaris Manufacturing unit Racing invited me all the way down to Mexico for the SCORE Baja 500, I used to be tremendous stoked, as I’ve been following the race collection for ages now, and I even received to dwell out my off-road racing fantasies in a wildly enjoyable (and scary) expertise with Large Open Baja practically a decade in the past. Whereas I’ve been lucky to do some critically cool stuff over time, that one most undoubtedly ranked on the prime of the listing!
For these of you unfamiliar with the Baja 500, it’s a prestigious off-road motorsport race held yearly on Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula. This grueling single-day occasion covers roughly 500 miles of difficult desert terrain. Opponents in dozens of auto courses, together with trophy vehicles, bikes, UTVs and buggies, navigate a punishing course that options sand, rock, and mountain passages.
Now in its 56th yr, the race attracts each skilled groups (like Polaris Manufacturing unit Racing) and novice lovers from around the globe. Identified for its excessive issue & unpredictable situations, the Baja 500 checks each driver ability and car sturdiness, making it one of the crucial revered occasions in off-road motorsports.
Picture Credit score: Nelson Flores / Polaris Manufacturing unit Racing
Given how punishing the course is, it comes as no shock that many opponents are piloting high-horsepower trophy vehicles, purpose-built buggies, and the likes. However Polaris, alternatively, has been dominating the sector with their second-generation RZR Professional R Manufacturing unit (albeit with some race modifications), which is predicated on the present manufacturing RZR Professional R platform.
The RZR Professional R Manufacturing unit sports activities an all-new one-piece chassis, upgraded entrance and rear bumpers, a brand new manufacturing facility muffler, improved cage design, Alcon high-performance brake system, FOX 3.0 Stay Valve X2 Inner Bypass shocks w/ a brand new in-house race-tuned DYNAMIX DV Suspension Management Module, MoTeC elements (together with ECU, electrical energy distribution, and change panels), a carbon fiber prop shaft, carbon fiber bodywork, an upgraded ATL gas cell with a variety of as much as 200 miles, and upgraded higher management arms.
Whereas the Polaris RZR Professional R Manufacturing unit options premium, race-enhanced components, a lot of the principle componentry on the car stays fully inventory, together with the ProStar Fury 2.0L engine, entrance and rear drive, transmission, energy steering rack, wheel bearings, all CVT elements, together with belt, plus management arms, entrance and rear knuckles, ball joints, and trailing arms. This can be a assertion to the true energy, power, and management of the RZR Professional R you could buy straight off the showroom ground.
Picture Credit score: Nelson Flores / Polaris Manufacturing unit Racing
For Polaris Manufacturing unit Racing, they’re not simply competing in some of these races for the enjoyable of it. Successful is massive enterprise. As Alex Scheuerell, Group Director of Racing defined to us, they’re enjoying to win, to point out to potential clients and followers alike that their UTVs are the quickest, greatest, and most dependable. It’s just like the outdated saying goes, “Win on Sunday, Promote on Monday.”
Not solely that, however racing is a useful type of analysis and improvement for Polaris, and it’s “became a pre-development arm for our off-road division. We will go and take components, develop it, check it in probably the most grueling situations on the planet, and get immediate suggestions. There isn’t any different firm on this planet doing this proper now.” It actually makes a variety of sense, as they will determine weak factors, create new components to deal with them, after which roll them out on the buyer aspect within the close to future, rushing up improvement at an incredible charge.
That stated, competing in a race like that is fairly the endeavor, with Polaris sending numerous managers, engineers, technicians, and assist crews throughout the border to assist the 4 Polaris Manufacturing unit Racing drivers. In spite of everything, if one thing goes awry in the course of the race, who higher to assist than the folks intimately concerned with each facet of the RZR. As well as, every race automotive has two devoted assist automobiles available, with a plethora of instruments and components, ought to the necessity come up.
Picture Credit score: Nelson Flores / Polaris Manufacturing unit Racing
Whereas Polaris Manufacturing unit Racing drivers Brock Heger, Cayden MacCachren, Max Eddy Jr., and Craig Scanlon must carry out come race day, so do the assist workers. There’s an incredible quantity of planning that goes into the race within the days and weeks main as much as the principle occasion. Just a few days beforehand, we went to the staff’s short-term race compound and watched as they did observe pit stops the place they refueled, swapped on the spare tire, or repaired any injury, again and again (and over) once more, nicely into the evening.
In the course of the precise race, the crew makes use of a Stress Professional gas system, which might dump 32 gallons of fuel into the automotive in roughly 10 seconds. Whereas these observe pit stops had been dry, they made positive that each facet of it was excellent, as any error in the course of the race may value them invaluable time, which actually might be the distinction between a podium end or not. It’s superb that even in a 500-mile race, the distinction between first and second may come all the way down to mere seconds.
On the Friday earlier than the race, Group Operations Director Adam Arsenault held a staff assembly, the place the previous U.S. Marine coated all the things from pit cease areas, to route steering, to radio communications with navy precision. It was recreation time, and every staff member was intently centered on the duties forward, a binder with all the instruction of their palms.
Picture Credit score: Nelson Flores / Polaris Manufacturing unit Racing
Saturday was race day, and the Polaris staff was feeling fairly assured, as their automobiles have been operating nice, they usually’ve been on a profitable streak. Not like most motorsports, the place all the vehicles line up collectively and take off when the flag drops, racers within the Baja 500 go away in intervals, racing in opposition to the clock. Alongside the best way, they must cope with a wide range of street and desert terrain, digital checkpoints (VCPs) and velocity zones. Miss a checkpoint or drive to quick within the velocity zones and you’ll rack up some pricey penalty time.
Being a 500-mile linear race, watching all of the motion as a spectator on the bottom could be a bit difficult, as it’s important to plan forward and determine the place you wish to cease and watch a part of the race, after which easy methods to get from one spot to the subsequent. All whereas contending with a great deal of site visitors, loopy pothole-ridden roads, and a basic lack of cell service (no surprise why everybody was driving Raptors and had Starlink). It additionally helps to have a automotive that may go off-road, as most of the “roads” are something however.
Myself, Zac, and Erik piled to automotive within the morning and set off for a vantage level in Ojos Negros. As this was a velocity zone, it was a bit underwhelming watching everybody drive by at 35mph, and after watching a number of of our teammates drive by, we hopped again into the automotive and headed off for Pit 2, as there would hopefully be extra motion occurring there.
Picture Credit score: Nelson Flores / Polaris Manufacturing unit Racing
Alongside the best way, we realized that Polaris Manufacturing unit Racing’s Brock Heger misplaced energy steering early within the race, and shortly afterwards he suffered a broke tie rod. Amazingly, Polaris race engineers and techs had been in a position to come to the rescue, changing the steering rack and extra proper there trail-side. Whereas this value him invaluable time, he nonetheless managed to return again and end the race.
On condition that our staff wouldn’t make it to Pit 2 for fairly a while, we stopped for lunch at this little taco spot that was AMAZING, after which we continued on. At factors, it appeared like we had been misplaced, driving down this punishingly bumpy street ad infinitum, our puny rental automotive struggling to maintain going. However lastly, we crested a hill and noticed the welcomed sight of the pits.
Right here, we received to see how all of that observe paid off, with the Polaris staff swinging into motion as every of the drivers pulled in, refueling the vehicles in report time, after which the drivers tearing away, all within the span of about 20 seconds. Different groups that had been pitting close by weren’t practically as quick as we had been, and I even noticed a trophy truck that fell off its jack, inflicting a ton of harm within the course of. That’s why observe makes excellent!
Picture Credit score: Nelson Flores / Polaris Manufacturing unit Racing
After that, we hightailed it again to the end line in Ensenada, the place tens of 1000’s of followers had gathered. Fortunately, we received attached with VIP entry, so we had been in a position to stand up shut with the race automobiles as they got here in, all of them caked with mud and filth after 500 miles of grueling journey. And some minutes later, Cayden MacCachren rolled in together with his purple Polaris RZR Professional R Manufacturing unit, claiming victory within the Professional UTV Open class with a time of 10:36:42.481.
Fellow Polaris-supported racer Brandon Sims got here in 2nd-place, and Polaris Manufacturing unit Racing staff principals Craig Scanlon and Travis Clarke completed fourth general. Brock Heger even managed to beat his mechanical points earlier within the day and completed in twelfth place. Sadly, Max Eddy Jr.’s race ended with a DNF after an accident.
“As we speak is precisely what you’re employed for as an expert racer: beginning first and ending first. We didn’t bodily see some other UTVs on the market however knew we had some battles occurring by corrected time, so we’re thrilled to return away with our third win in a row and Polaris Manufacturing unit Racing’s eighth consecutive win,” stated MacCachren. “As we speak’s course was tough and extremely dusty, however our RZR Professional R Manufacturing unit carried out flawlessly, absorbing all the things the race course threw at it. It actually feels just like the machine simply will get higher every race.”
Picture Credit score: Nelson Flores / Polaris Manufacturing unit Racing
It was an actually lengthy day, and by the top of the race I used to be fairly drained, soiled, and a greater than just a little sunburned. However that’s nothing in comparison with what these drivers (and the assist workers) needed to cope with on the market. Whereas they made it look straightforward, as I noticed firsthand, they undoubtedly put within the work, and the outcomes converse for themselves.
An enormous due to the Polaris Manufacturing unit Racing staff for bringing me out and giving me a behind-the-scenes have a look at the SCORE Baja 500, it was an expertise that I received’t quickly overlook!
