#BestInTheDesert

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.”

Polaris has expanded its race team for 2014, including a return to sponsored ATV racing.

Polaris comes into the 2014 off-road race season with teams competing in the Grand National Cross Country series (GNCC), World Off-Road Championship series (WORCS), Best in the Desert (BITD), SCORE International, Lucas Off-Road Regional Racing Series (LORRS), King of the Hammers (KOH) and Mud racing. Polaris will continue to offer its ATV and Side-by-Side contingency, and has added a reimbursement program on select models.

“After another highly-successful race season, Polaris decided to expand its factory race team for 2014,” says Donna Beadle, race team manager for Polaris’ Off-Road Division. “We are very excited to return to ATV racing in GNCC, and our RZR teams are even stronger this year.”

Fresh off its SCORE Championship win, Jagged X took on Best in the Desert’s Henderson 250 for the chance to take home their second title for the year. When the dust settled, the No. 1919 proved victorious, winning the race and sealing the championship for the year. Coastal Racing took second in the race and finish third for the year.

The No. 1919 started in the second row so they had to be within 30 seconds of Coastal to win on corrected time. Brandon Schueler was right on the bumper of Coastal but late in the race, Coastal had to pull off for a short mechanical and the No. 1919 went by and was able to solidify the win. In the end, Team Jagged X edged out the season championship by just two points.

(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.

Kenny Rich Sr. won the Masters (50+) class at Mammoth GNCC.

Team ITP racers fought through the rain and mud to earn four class victories and seven podium finishes at round five of the 2013 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series in Park City, Ky. Meanwhile, at the Best In The Desert Silver State 300 in Nevada, Team Murray Motorsports / Del Amo Motorsports piloted its ITP-clad side-by-side to third overall on the 1900 class podium.

“GNCC courses are tough enough without mud, but when you factor in heavy rain, slippery, power-robbing mud and everything that comes with it, the 2013 Mammoth GNCC was a very challenging event. Considering the conditions and the fact that 15 percent of racers DNF’d, I’m very pleased that we won four classes, had two racers finish in the overall top 10 in the morning and grabbed a total of seven podiums,” says Pat McGuire, public relations / race support for ITP. “The Murray brothers had a another good showing in the Nevada desert, earning third using the new ITP UltraCross R-Spec 30-inch tires in the BITD SxS Pro ranks.”

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.”

With the 2011 Best In The Desert (BITD) season complete, Brandon Schueler and the Jagged-X desert off-road race team fell just a few points short of capturing their fifth Pro-UTV championship in as many years. Despite falling short, the factory-sponsored Polaris racing team still viewed the season as a success. The team managed to win its fifth consecutive Vegas-to-Reno race, currently the longest race in North America and by far the most difficult in the BITD series. The team also managed to collect two wins and three second-place finishes on the season.

With UTV racing growing at such an impressive rate, Jagged-X felt that the time was right to take its race program a step further for 2012. So for the upcoming season Jagged X / Polaris Racing will add a second car to the desert program. 2011 BITD Pro UTV Champion Matt Parks is now a member of the Jagged-X race team. Parks will be piloting his #1932 Polaris RZR-4 at the 2012 BITD season opener at the Parker 250 with a whole new look.

Can-Am off-road racing teams posted class victories in two different desert racing events. Derek Murray piloted the Murray Motorsports’ Can-Am Commander 1000 to victory at the Henderson 250 in the Best in the Desert series in Nevada. The four-man team of Carl Vella, Mike Penland, Rick Matteson and Ryan Robey teamed to ride a Can-Am Outlander 800R ATV to a class win at the 44th Annual 2011 SCORE Baja 1000 desert race in Ensenada, Mexico.

At the BITD event in Henderson, Nev., Derek Murray drove and Bill Kugel co-piloted the Can-Am due to Jason Murray, the driver of record, being ill. Even without his brother by his side, Derek Murray was determined to win. The Commander 1000, prepped by Desert Toyz, started in seventh place, but slowly worked its way to the front of the side-by-side vehicle pack. Three miles into the third lap, the team took over the lead and drove a clean, fast race from there to the finish line to record its first overall win of 2011. The Murray Commander team ended the BITD season ranked third in the final Pro UTV class standings.

“We are extremely happy to have won the Henderson 250 as it is the final race of the season and determines the outcome for the season due to it being a double points race,” says Derek Murray. “We knew all season the Commander had what it takes to be a top competitor in the most competitive desert racing series in the USA. We’re excited that what we knew finally came to fruition in Henderson. It shows that the Commander is a great, reliable and fast machine that’s able to be modified to any rider’s needs.”

The Henderson 250 was the last race of the six-race Best in the Desert series, and the Pro UTV title was on the line. Four-time championship winner Jagged X led the series by a few points with Matt Parks right on its tail. The Transwest Ford Henderson 250 would be the deciding factor.

The race started before dawn with freezing temperatures and howling winds in Jean, Nev. The Jagged X crew was confident with the No. 1919, but in racing, nothing is ever a sure thing. By mile 14, they realized how something as small as a clogged fuel injector could change an entire season. Brandon Schueler managed to limp the No. 1919 into the second pit and after some diagnosis and a quick repair the car was back on the course at 100 percent. Even a few minutes lost in a short race like this is detrimental. Schueler was able to make up some time but in the end, was short of the finish the team had hoped for. When the dust cleared the Jagged X No. 1919 team ended the incredibly great season in the second overall position.