#BITD

Cory Sappington’s No. 1904 Desert Toyz / Can-Am Maverick 1000R X rs side-by-side earned a third-place podium finish at the opening round of the 2014 Best In The Desert series this past weekend in Arizona.

“Once again, Cory Sappington and his Desert Toyz team did a great job in the desert, capturing a spot on the UTV Pro class podium at a very challenging race,” says Jeff Leclerc, racing project leader, Can-Am. “We had a total of six teams entered, and although not all of them had the results they desired, we were pleased to put a Can-Am Maverick on the box at the opening round. It’s a long season and we just have to remain patient and look to improve at each round.”

(Photo courtesy UTVUnderground.com)

Team Murray Racing / Del Amo Motorsports / Yoshimura / Can-Am rode its Can-Am Maverick 1000R X rs to victory at the 540-mile Vegas To Reno race.

“It was an incredible weekend for Can-Am in the Nevada desert. Despite a grueling 500 mile-plus course, drivers Derek and Jason Murray, their teammates and the Can-Am Maverick 1000R outlasted the Nevada desert to earn Can-Am its first-ever Vegas To Reno victory,” says Jimmie O’Dell, race manager, Can-Am. “Considering the fact that the Murray’s are essentially using a stock engine and are competing against fully built race engines, this makes the win even more spectacular for both Can-Am and the Murray team.”

Holz Coastal Racing’s Scott Kiger and Mark Holz won the Silver State 300. (Photo courtesy Joey DiGiovanni – UTVUnderground.com)

Coming off a Best in the Desert win at the Mint 400, Holz Coastal Racing’s Scott Kiger and Mark Holz in their No. 1934 RZR XP 900 were looking to make it two in a row at the Canidae Tap It Silver State 300. They did not disappoint.

With Cognito Powersports and its RZR XP 4 900 getting the nod to start first, the teams would have to work hard through the typical high-speed, dusty conditions to overtake the leader. Coastal Racing would start right after Brandon Schueler’s Jagged X No. 1919 RZR XP 4 900 setting up a speed dual to take over the lead. With Kiger driving the morning half, he would pass Schueler and all but one of the remaining cars that started in front of him.

The Holz Coastal Racing team of Scott Kiger and Mark Holz piloted their No. 1934 Polaris RZR XP 900 to victory at the grueling General Tire Mint 400.

In the starting field for Polaris was Jagged X’s Brandon Schueler in the No. 1919 RZR XP 4 900, Jagged X’s Craig Scanlon in the No. 1931 RZR XP 4 900 and Scott Kiger’s Holz Coastal Racing No. 1934 RZR XP. Joseph Vinagro in a RZR finished second, Jagged X’s Scanlon finished fourth and Jagged X’s Schueler finished eighth.

“Polaris would like to congratulate Coastal Racing on their Mint 400 win,” says Donna Beadle, race team manager for Polaris. “After winning the Best in the Desert Championship last year, the team has come back even stronger for 2013 and this was a well-deserved win.”

Can-Am X-Team racers Derek and Jason Murray piloted their Murray Motorsports / Can-Am Commander 1000 X to the UTV class victory in the 2012 Best In The Desert Mint 400 race in Las Vegas, Nev. Driving the Can-Am X-Team-supported Desert Toyz Commander 1000, racer Cory Sappington finished second and joined the Murrays on the UTV class podium. The Mint 400, dubbed the single largest off-road event in the United States, allowed side-by-side vehicles to compete along side the automotive field for the first time in the history of the race.

“I just couldn’t be more proud of our guys and the way they each drove their Can-Am Commander side-by-sides in these gruelling conditions,” says Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “It was definitely a historic weekend of desert racing for Can-Am, the Commander 1000 and our X-Team racers. The Murrays and Sappington’s team deserve a lot of credit for all their hard work and dedication that they each put into preparing their machines and for putting the Commander on the top two spots of podium in the first ever Mint 400 UTV race.”

Matt Parks started the weekend seven points out of the lead in the Best In The Desert race series. He needed a win at the Bluewater Desert Challenge to remain in contention with only one more race on the schedule. The Challenge is a two-day event – three laps of the 25-mile desert course both Saturday and Sunday. Driving his “Baja Bobsled,” a custom 2-seat Polaris RZR 4 built by Holz Racing Products, Matt and his co-pilots, Jason Spiess (Saturday) and Mike Carr (Sunday), raced aggressively through the dust.

“The Kroyer built RZR 800 engine ran flawlessly both days,” says Matt. “It was really put to the test in the deep sand and silt.”

Parks finished second on Saturday, 1:35 behind the first-place UTV Pro – the Jagged X Ranger RZR XP 900. Like Saturday, the 15-UTV field started behind Jeep Speed and Baja Bug Classes. Jagged X had a strong start off the line and Parks chased him through the pack of Jeeps and Bugs that started ahead.