SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1546251
A VIEW FROM THE TOP SCI Motorsports Polaris Factory Racing Team Shop Tour By Dan Sanchez Earning multiple race wins and three championships in SCORE’s Pro UTV Open race class, the SCI Motorsports Factory Polaris race team is at the top of the off-road racing world. The effort by Polaris and the SCI Motorsports team is reminiscent of the Ford Factory Racing Team efforts of the 1990’s, whose racers were commonly known as the “Rough Riders.” Polaris is the official UTV of SCORE International Off-Road Racing, and while the scale of the Polaris Factory team is undoubtedly one of the best we’ve seen in decades, the UTV world is much different than the SCORE Trophy Trucks of years past. One might consider, after observation, that Polaris’ effort in off-road racing operates more like a NASCAR or Formula 1 team. A tour of SCI Motorsport’s race shop in Vista, California, indicates the extent of Polaris’ efforts to dominate this motorsports segment. First, the place is immaculate: no grease, bolts, dirty rags, or spare parts lying around in the shop area. According to head mechanic Johnny Nelson, each of the four Polaris racing RZR Pro R vehicles has its own bay, with a dedicated mechanic who works on the vehicle as if it were his own. The lobby has glass showcases filled with multiple SCORE Baja race victory and season championship trophies, with a few from stateside and a Dakar trophy nestled among the forest of SCORE Baja logos. It’s an impressive display for a team that started in 2023. The current line-up of racers includes Brock Heger, the two-time SCORE Pro UTV Open champion, 2024 Dakar Rally champion, Mint 400 and KOH champion. Two-time SCORE Baja 1000 winner Cayden MacCachren, multi-time stateside race winner Joe Terrana and co-pilot Rodrigo Ampudia Jr., and 2020 WORCS SXS champion Ethan Groom. Organizing everything is the team’s new Operations Director Adam Arsenault, a 20-year Marine Corps veteran who brings his special operations experience to the team. Arsenault offered us a bird’s-eye view of how he handles the team logistics for a race like the SCORE Baja 500. Without over-revealing their process, he handles it much like he handled troop movements and support while in the military. His methods turn the controlled chaos of chase trucks, tools, parts, and support team actions in Baja into a series of precise and efficient movements, played like a championship chess game. At any given time, he knows the position of racers, chase teams, parts, and fuel to move and station strategically along the race course. He also has chase teams pre-run the course to see how long it takes them to get from one point to the next, minimizing time to reach racers if they need quick help. The race vehicles themselves, Gen 2 model RZR Pro Rs, are made mostly of factory components, most of which are the same components available from the Polaris RZR Pro R vehicles at your local dealer’s showroom. “Making better components proven in Baja racing is a great way to ensure these parts won’t break for consumers’ vehicles,” said Arsenault. “It’s also a great way for us to have plenty of spare parts, including complete suspension and drivetrain components. At the last SCORE Baja 500, Brock Heger unfortunately had a transmission failure, but we had a spare and were able to change it in the field so he could finish the race.” The way the SCI Motorsports team manages parts is also unique. Each part has a QR code attached to it, so that its total race mileage is documented. “We’ve learned from our testing and from the factory engineers the relative lifespan of each component, so once a part is nearing the end of its life, it’s replaced,” said Arsenault. “Some used race components, such as our BFGoodrich Tires, are too worn for another race. So, we use them on our pre-runners to get the most life out of these and other parts that can still be used, just not on the race vehicles.” Along with being the base of operations for the race team, SCI Motorsports is also home to the racing versions of the RZR Pro R Factory race vehicles that can be purchased by the consumer. “These competition-ready vehicles have all of the same components that are on the vehicles the SCI Motorsports team uses, but without navigation, communications, and an air pumper package. We do this for the customer to add their own personal preferences to the vehicle,” says Austin “Fish” Farner, of Polaris RZR Pro R Factory distribution. Only a certain number of RZR Pro R Factory vehicles are built each year, and according to Farner, they sell out quickly. The Factory Polaris race team is currently the only one of its kind to exist, but the company knows that competition is good for business, and it wants to compete against the best racers, teams, and vehicles on the market. Recently, they posted a $50k prize purse to anyone (except members of the SCI Motorsports team) who can win the SCORE Pro UTV Overall at the SCORE Baja 400, September 9-14th 2026. It’s a challenge for other racers, including factory backed racers, to achieve more and move the sport to even higher levels. As it stands, the SCI Motorsports Factory Polaris team is the one to beat, and it’s obvious they’ve set the bar pretty high . SJ