Polaris Side-by-Sides Are Going Factory Racing
With its announcement, we’re seeing a step in the right direction. Polaris unveiled a factory racing program (rather than factory support for a private team, as is the industry norm) which launches alongside a purpose-built RZR racing UTV. The Polaris team roped in a trio of rising stars—Austin Weiland, Brock Heger, and Cayden MacCachren—who will pilot these factory backed UTVs.
You’ll be able to catch the new factory RZR and its drivers in SCORE International events like the San Felipe 250 and of course, the Baja 400, 500, and 1000. That last race runs from November 13-18. If you haven’t made the pilgrimage to Baja for the ultimate off-road racing event, well, you aren’t getting any younger.
We haven’t received a look at the new UTV just yet—that’s set to be unveiled next week on March 15th, but it’s mere existence feels like a good omen. Generally, factory tech that survives the crucible of racing trickles its way down to showroom floors. At least, that’s how the marketing for automobiles goes.
But with go-fast UTVs, which are free from over-regulation and generally used exclusively for dicking around off-road, we expect meaningful interplay between a factory racing effort and showroom models. That means if you’re looking for an off-road rig with real homologation cred, Polaris should have you better covered than ever in the near future.
