Presented in partnership with Polaris Factory Racing

Racing demands a lot of drivers, support personnel, and, of course, vehicles. Consequently, when Polaris Factory Racing turns its attention to the SCORE Baja 500, they better choose the right off-roader. And that they did, with the race-winning Polaris RZR Pro R Factory. 

The Polaris RZR Pro R Factory is proof that off-road racing hopefuls can buy a race-ready RZR Pro R and conquer some of the most challenging terrain in the world

Taking on the SCORE Baja 500 is no easy task, let alone winning. Well, that’s exactly what Polaris Factory Racing set out to do with the RZR Pro R Factory model. Specifically, the brand’s Pro R Factory model set its sights on the Pro UTV Open class on the famed race. However, Polaris didn’t build an entirely bespoke racing UTV for the SCORE Baja 500. No, the Polaris team’s RZR Pro R Factory has much of the same DNA as the current market Pro R. 

The race-going, second-generation Polaris RZR Pro R Factory is so closely related to the current market RZR Pro R, in fact, that they share much of the same componentry. For instance, the Pro R Factory packs the same ProStar Fury 2.0L inline-four-cylinder engine as the two-door RZR Pro R Premium and Ultimate models. However, the Pro R Factory racing UTV includes add-ons courtesy of MoTeC, like an ECU, switchgear, and electrics. 

Moreover, the Pro R Factory shares the same transmission, CVT components, ball joints, and power steering rack as the production RZR Pro R. Of course, you don’t get a SCORE series-winning machine like the RZR Pro R Factory without making a few tweaks to the already-taut Pro R platform. 

For starters, the Factory model works in aftermarket upper arms with different Heim pivot joints to soak up the violent impacts of traversing off-road terrain like that of Baja California. Additionally, the Polaris Pro R Factory features a motorsport-ready tubular frame from top to bottom. 

Rather than the familiar plastic paneling, the Factory model includes copious carbon fiber, a vital weight saver. All-in-all, the Factory model saves around 100 lbs compared to the RZR Pro R. While 100 lbs doesn’t sound excessive, the RZR Pro R weighs about 2,150 lbs. As such, a 100-pound loss is the better part of 5% of the rig’s total weight. Nothing to scoff at. 

In addition to the carbon fiber weight savings, the Method Race Wheels beading technology saves about four pounds per wheel and tire. As a result, the Pro R Factory is light, stiff, and powerful enough to tear up the terrain. However, one of the most mind-blowing parts of the Pro R Factory formula is the fuel system. 

Specifically, the RZR Pro R Factory features a high-pressure fuel system capable of receiving a full tank’s worth of fuel in no time. I had the pleasure of watching the Polaris Factory Racing team refuel Cayden MacCachren and Craig Scanlon at Pit 2 of the SCORE Baja 500. One moment, the Pro R Factory was approaching an eager pit crew, and just 10 seconds after the stop, the racing UTV had 32 gallons of usable fuel on board.

Beyond the mechanical differences between the Pro R and the Pro R Factory, the race-bound vehicle featured event-specific tech. For instance, the Factory model had an on-board Stella system to track the vehicle through virtual checkpoints (VCP) along the route. 

Of course, Polaris Factory Racing didn’t send just one racing vehicle into the fray of the Pro UTV Open segment. No, no. They fielded four, mechanically identical, color-coordinated cars to take on the SCORE Baja 500.

Better yet, the Baja-going Polaris RZR Pro R Factory represents a special connection between the SCORE Baja 500 and the racing dreams of RZR fans worldwide. “The objective is to remove barriers to entry in off-road racing,” Polaris Factory Racing Team General Manager Ryan Thomas said of the ballistic racing UTV. 

“It’s a true testament to what they’re doing in Minnesota. It’s not unlike buying a race-ready car from Porsche or Ferrari,” he said of the RZR Pro R platform. It brings to mind the Porsche 911 GT3 RS, a race-bred car consumers can buy from the brand.

Moreover, Alex Scheuerell, the team director of racing, identifies the Pro R Factory as an important feather in Polaris’s “race on Saturday, sell on Monday” cap. “The SCORE Baja 500 is important to us. We want to come win. We can show that our cars are the fastest, best, and most reliable.”

Scheuerell also highlighted the similarities between the race-going Factory model and the current RZR Pro R. “If you look at these race cars, most of them are stock parts. The Pro R Factory is a purpose-built race machine that we designed and built in-house at Polaris. It’s the product of 60 years of off-road racing experience and Polaris engineering. We combined all of those things to make the most bitchin’ off-road racer out there.”

Excitingly, Scheuerell says the racing initiative has “turned into a pre-development arm of our off-road division. We can go and take parts, develop it, and test it in the most grueling conditions on the planet. And we get instant feedback. There is no other company in the world doing this right now.”

Fortunately for fans, Cayden MacCachren drove a Pro R Factory to victory in the SCORE Baja 500 Pro UTV Open. That comes after MacCachren and Brock Heger drove their Pro R Factory UTVs to a first and second-place finish in the SCORE San Felipe 250, respectively.  

Without the space-age carbon fiber and race-specific kit, the Polaris RZR Pro R starts at $37,499 for the two-seater Premium. However, prices hike up to about $44,999 for the four-seater Ultimate trim.