Minneapolis - This year’s point-to-point Baja 1000 was 1275 miles of brutal terrain testing both machine and driver. Polaris RZR would go into the race as the defending champion and the Scrambler XP 1000 would make a maiden voyage with Team UXC racing at the helm.
Nineteen side-by-sides, including 13 RZRs, would start the race and eight side-by-sides, six being RZRs, would finish. First-time Baja 1000 driver of record Johnny Angal of UTV Inc., and his drivers Brian Bush, Branden Sims and Justin Quinn, in their No. 1919 RZR XP 4 1000 would take the grueling race. Jagged X in the No. 1932 with drivers Matt Parks, Brandon Schueler and Craig Scanlon took second.
UTV Inc. and Jagged X would keep things interesting throughout the race, battling the whole way down the peninsula. There would be lead changes, break downs and even a tangle between the two, but in the end, the two would finish the 33.5 hour race three minutes apart. Even more impressive, UTV Inc. and Jagged X would finish 47 and 48 overall with about 239 starters and 140 finishers. Also finishing in the Top 5 for UTVs would be the No. 1921 RZR of Jamie Kirkpatrick/Tire Balls in fourth and the No. 1923 of Ben Bischoff who was driving a brand-new Holz Racing Products-built Polaris RZR in his first UTV race ever, finishing fifth. Polaris factory racer Cognito Racing would finish seventh in the No. 1908, and the No. 1927 RZR of Frank Bushman was eighth.
On the ATV side, Team UXC Racing would come into the Baja 1000 leading the Sportsman Quad Class as the lone 4x4 going up against sport quads all season. The Baja 1000 would see 15 ATVs in the Sportsman Quad Class take the line, four being Scrambler XP ATVs, including Team UXC Racing’s No. 140A. Team UXC Racing’s Don Higbee, Michael Swift, Chris Robinson, Jason Wade and Michael Burrows would finish fourth out of six finishers, mark in the history books the first national series ATV title for the new Scrambler XP 1000 and show the viability of the Scrambler as a desert race vehicle.
“Competing in the Baja 1000 takes an incredible amount of planning and dedication and Polaris would like to congratulate all racers running Polaris vehicles on their successes,” said Donna Beadle, race team manager for Polaris. “Polaris is extremely honored to have a RZR win the UTV class for the second year in a row, and thanks Team UXC Racing for showing the desert racing community that the Scrambler is the real deal in the desert.”
