SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
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POLARIS WRAPS-UP WINS Racers Win Several SCORE UTV Classes With Polaris To Start The Season By Larry Saavedra, Paul Hanson, and Isaac Flores Photos by Get Some Photo With its ruthless whoops stretching for miles and boulder-strewn switch-backs high in the mountains, the 37th annual King Shocks SCORE San Felipe 250 saw an impressive field of UTV teams battling to take the podium. More than 65 teams of UTV riders left the starting grid in San Felipe. But when it was over, Polaris factory-backed racer #1821 Cayden MacCachren in the No. 1821 Polaris Gen 2 RZR Pro R claimed the UTV Overall title and the Pro UTV Open Class win. Like in years past it was a solo effort for MacCachren. “We knew with all the pre-running the dirt was breaking down into fine powder,” said MacCachren after the race. “It was super dusty. We knew we would have our work cut out for us, not just with our class but with the Class 10s starting in front of us as well. ” The King Shocks 37th SCORE San Felipe 250 is round one of a four-event World Desert Championship season for popular UTV racers in various classes. In all, drivers had to navigate across 285 miles of technically challenging terrain with limited straights. Here are some of the highlights by class: Pro UTV Open MacCachren was in no way a shoo-in to take UTV Overall, but thanks to Polaris he had the advantage of racing the Gen 2 RZR Pro R with notable performance tweaks than the previous model. He started at the back of the pack in class, but he was quick to overcome any challenges. Fellow Polaris factory teammate, Brock Heger in the No. 1896 Gen 2 RZR Pro R, also capitalized on the feel and performance of the newest car and took second place two minutes behind MacCachren. Polaris-supported racer Branden Sims rounded out the podium in third behind the wheel of his race-modified No. 1886 RZR Pro R, followed by Kristen Matlock (No. 1854) in fifth and Polaris factory teammate Max Eddy Jr. (No. 1841) in sixth place. “We started ninth and by about race mile 50, we were the first car on the road,” Heger said. “We had some problems with the gas pedal going out, but we got it back going pretty quick.” Neither MacCachren nor Heger reported any tire problems on the punishing course. “This was the roughest Kings Shocks SCORE San Felipe 250 ever,” Heger added. Sims said he was disappointed not to have more time to pre-run to find the better lines. In all, however, the Polaris racers said they are better prepared to handle the upcoming SCORE Baja 500 thanks to a stellar effort in the Kings Shocks San Felipe 250. Pro UTV Forced Induction While Polaris celebrated sweeping the SCORE Pro UTV Open class, Can-Am swept the Pro UTV FI class with Phil Blurton taking first in his No. 2944 Maverick X3, followed by Edgar Garcia placing second in the No. 2987 Maverick X3 and former SCORE UTV Overall Champion Matt Burroughs in third driving the No. 2948 Maverick X3. Rickey Arslanian in the No. 2915 RZR Pro R was the only Polaris entry to place in the Top 10 in class. Arslanian said his team didn’t have any flats or drive belt issues. “It was extremely competitive,” he added. “We had a great time out there. The washes were fun and fast. The silt beds were deep. There was a lot of silt coming into San Felipe.” Garcia said the course was super rough with lots of rocks. He suffered three flats because of it. According to Burroughs, who started the race and took it to mile marker 160, he wished he had more prep time. “We got the new Maverick just three weeks before the race,” he said. “This is a race you don’t want to have your shocks not working perfectly.” Pro UTV Normally Aspirated In the Pro UTV N/A class, Ethan Groom in the No. 1974 Polaris RZR Pro R took first in class and 40 minutes ahead of second-place class finisher Eva Star Malabana in the No. 1919 Polaris RZR Pro R. The Method Race Wheels sponsored Groom said he had a flawless day behind the wheel. “So pumped to put this car on the top of the box after all the hard work my dad and I put into prepping this machine, so glad it all paid off,” he said. Groom took to Instagram immediately after the race posting, “Huge thank you to @brightfab_619 for killing it in the right seat and for putting in the time to pre-run with me. Thanks to the Gonzalez and Emerson families for chasing me around all race long as well as the entire JVRP team and the Swanson family for the help in the pits. It’s a team effort and I couldn’t have done it without them!” Malabana said she started and drove to race mile 160, where her teammate Daniel Gutierrez took over and drove to the finish. According to Malabana, the race went really well, however, she did experience CV boot issues but was able to repair it on the spot. “I want to thank my sponsors, my co-driver, and my crew for helping me get to this race, “ she added. Gutierrez said Eva drove an excellent race. “For me to get in the car within minutes of the leader, and for her to be just 16 years old and to drive in this San Felipe terrain, that was very impressive,” he added. Pro Stock UTV After finishing the race first in the Pro Stock UTV class, it was a day that Kayden Wells of Risq Racing will never forget. After celebrating the win in the No. 3925 Can-Am Maverick X3, Wells took a knee on top of the vehicle and proposed to his team navigator, Emma Cornwell who said yes. The former Polaris winning driver, who now proudly flies the Can-Am banner, said the marriage proposal idea was well planned. “I was going to bring the ring to every race until I reached the podium,” he said. “It just so happened to be the first race of the season.” “I was so busy trying to pop the champagne bottle, and I didn’t notice he was struggling to get the ring out of his pocket,” Cornwell said. “I turned around and he was down on one knee asking me to marry him. I never expected it would happen on the podium in Baja. I was really surprised.” Wells had a good race day too even without factory support. “I want to believe that my decision to run the smaller fuel cell actually helped us,” he said. “I almost swapped the smaller fuel cell for a larger one, but I think the reduced weight made a difference. Even though I had to fuel up every 50 miles I was able to do a lot of passing, especially on the lake beds.” The Can-Am had an axle boot issue too, but they were quick to identify it and repair it in the pits. “I felt like the tie-rod was coming loose, but it was the CV failing,” he said. “It was a first-time swap for our pit crew and we lost five to ten minutes.” Overall, Wells likes the new Can-Am but admits he needs a lot more time in it to continue his quest to take the championship in 2024. “It needs some suspension work, but the fast lake beds saved us in San Felipe,” he said. “Going 108 miles per hour on the lake beds was cool,” Cornwell added. “I was worried about the rocks at mile-marker 170, but it turned out fine,” Wells said. “The Can-Am is a little longer than the Polaris and once Can-Am dials in the suspension I think they are going to be competitive across the classes.” “I think pre-running is paramount no matter the manufacturer or upgrades,” Cornwell added. SJ