#Baja500

Can-Am ATV and side-by-side vehicle racers earned numerous wins and podiums this past weekend during national and regional races across North America. Kyle Chaney won the XC1 Pro UTV class with Maverick 1000R side-by-side vehicle at the John Penton Grand National Cross Country race in Ohio. Can-Am Maverick racers also scored wins in the Texas Off-Road Nationals, Louisiana Cross Country Series and a solid second-place finish at the SCORE International Baja 500.

“Our Can-Am Maverick 1000R and X ds Turbo racers took advantage of the unit’s unbeatable performance to earn wins in different series, including the Ohio GNCC, where we earned another XC1 Pro UTV class podium sweep. And the Murray Racing team earned a very solid second-place at the Baja 500,” says Jeff Leclerc, Racing Project Leader, Can-Am.

Jackson Motorsports Group (JMG) unveiled the new BFGoodrich Baja T/A KR2 UTV tire at the 47th Annual Bud Light SCORE Baja 500 in Baja California, Mexico.

This is the first UTV-specific tire produced by BFGoodrich, which is engineered with CoreGard technology. According to BFGoodrich, the tire offers superior performance and increased mobility in soft soils, enhanced traction in mud and improved braking in loose and rocky soil.

It hasn’t taken long for the Can-Am Maverick to find racing success across the world. You can now add Baja to the mix as Cory Sappington (Desert Toyz) rode his Maverick 1000R X rs to a second place finish at the SCORE Baja 500 in Ensenada, Mexico.

A total of three Can-Am Maverick race teams competed in the 40th annual running of the desert endurance race on the Baja Peninsula.

“Our Can-Am Maverick 1000R X rs racing teams had a successful Baja 500, despite only one making it to the finish line. Desert Toyz’s Cory Sappington’s second place podium finish was impressive considering the gnarly race conditions,” says Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. ”Our other two racing teams each held the class race lead at one point during the race before falling victim to Baja’s conditions and meticulous setup requirements. We see Sappington’s podium finish as a big stepping stone for the new Maverick’s success in a very demanding race environment and we look to carry this momentum over to future desert racing events this season.”

(Photo by Vincent Knakal / UTVUnderground.com)

The Jagged X/ Polaris team is cruising in the 2013 SCORE Baja championship. After winning the opening round at the 45th Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250, the team earlier this year, the team followed it with a win at this past weekend’s Tecate SCORE Baja 500.

Jagged X/Polaris driver Matt Parks handled the San Felipe 250 driving duties on his own, but enlisted the help of teammate and Best in the Desert racer Brandon Scheuler for the Baja 500.

“Schueler has more UTV racing experience that anyone out there and I knew he would do a great job in Baja,” say Parks.

Race morning started off really well with confident riders feeling good about their sections. The #1A Matlock Racing/Team Honda quad was the third quad to leave the start line. Wayne Matlock was off to a good start on the first 21 miles that is infamous for being full of booby traps and extreme dust and this year would be no exception. At one point, Matlock commented how surprised he was at how close he was to the quad in front of him without knowing it because the dust was too thick to see until he was right on the other quads rear bumper. At race mile 21, all the quads were coming through in the same order as they started.

Matlock handed the #1A Honda off to new team member Dofo Arellano. The rider change was very quick and it was a good thing because with the thick dust the quads were stacked up pretty tight. With Arellano off and running, Matlock jumped in the chase truck and head down to the Ojos Negros road crossing at race mile 39 to see Arellano come through. It did not take long for the lead quad team, #3A, to come through. Hot on their heels was the #2A Can-Am team, followed by the #5A Yamaha team. At that point, Arellano was missing and the team suspected that something must be wrong. After waiting for awhile a few more quads passed by and finally Arellano pulled in. He had come into an off-camber turn a little too fast, went off the road, and flipped the quad pinning himself under it. He first yelled for help from the nearby spectators then he realized that they could not hear him nor see him. He managed to get out from under the quad. Once it was right side up he was able to get it fired up after about 20 kicks. The quad was flooded from being upside down. Now with the quad running and back on course he had some time to make up. He had fallen back to sixth place. Arellano rode smooth and fast for the rest of his ride to race mile 100 and managed to push through the dust to fourth overall quad. He handed the quad off to Josh Caster at Honda pit 2 a little over eight minutes down from the #2A Can-Am team.