Presented in partnership with Polaris Factory Racing

Understandably, taking an official racing team to an international motorsport event isn’t as simple as loading your favorite weekend toy up and heading out to autocross or the drag strip. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to learn a little of what it takes to race in the SCORE Baja 500 directly from the race-winning Polaris Factory Racing team on-site in Baja California.

Winning the SCORE Baja 500 isn’t easy, even for a team like Polaris Factory Racing and its RZR Pro R Factory UTVs

Every year, the Polaris Factory Racing team takes off-road race vehicles to Baja California for events like the SCORE San Felipe 250 and Baja 500. To pull off a Pro UTV Open class win at the 2024 SCORE Baja 500, Polaris sent its best drivers, managers, engineers, technicians, and support crews across the border.

Of course, Polaris isn’t just racing for racing’s sake. The brand understands the importance of consumers associating the brand with victory. Team Director of Racing Alex Scheuerell says the team is there to win and demonstrate the vehicle’s value to the would-be buyer and fan alike. “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.”

Moreover, Scheuerell states that racing is an invaluable form of research and development (R&D) for the brand. “[Racing has] turned into a pre-development arm of our off-road division. We can go and take parts, develop it, test it in the most grueling conditions on the planet, and get instant feedback. There is no other company in the world doing this right now.”

Still, taking on an event like the SCORE Baja 500 with eyes on the winner’s circle requires a top effort. So, in addition to working with world-class driving talent, the Factory Racing team fielded four identical, albeit differently liveried Polaris RZR Pro R Factory models.

Ryan Thomas, the team’s general manager, had this to say of the car’s importance. “The objective is to remove barriers to entry in off-road racing. It’s not unlike buying a race-ready car from Porsche or Ferrari and a true testament to what Polaris is doing in Minnesota.”

When I asked Thomas what the team is most concerned or cognizant of when it comes to racing in the SCORE Baja 500, his response warranted a chuckle. “All of it! Even Dakar Rally veterans are shocked by Baja’s challenging, diverse terrain.”

Racing driver Brock Heger agreed with Thomas’s assessment of the Pro R Factory’s value not only to racing but also to would-be racers. “Anyone can do it,” Heger said of taking a RZR racing. “Anyone can buy or lease one of these cars and get into it.”

And Heger clearly knows what it takes to win races; the young California thrill-seeker was the 2023 SCORE Baja 500 winner. Better yet, I had the experience of riding in the passenger seat while Heger tore up the first 30 miles or so of the dynamic route. His talent and car control are nothing short of perception-challenging. 

Still, Polaris Factory Racing didn’t put all its podium hopes behind one driver. Instead, the team consisted of Heger, Craig Scanlon, Max Eddy Jr., and this year’s Pro UTV Open winner, Cayden MacCachren. 

I had the opportunity to catch up with Max Eddy Jr. before race day. I asked him what excited him most about the incipient race. “Just being able to have the opportunity to come down here and do what I love to do. I’ve raced down here for 20 years, and continuing to do it is amazing.”

Eddy Jr., a veteran off-road motorcycle racer, had recently made the switch to four wheels. “We’ve accomplished everything we wanted to accomplish on a bike. I won the Baja 1000 five times, the Baja 500 seven times, and San Felipe a handful of times. But I still want to race. I’m still competitive and I like the weekly grind to have a goal to chase and work my ass off to accomplish.”

When I asked him about his equipment, the Polaris RZR Pro R Factory, he was enthusiastic about the platform’s capabilities. “Every time I get behind the wheel it impresses me. It’s insane what they’re developing and what they keep improving on these cars. These guys at the SCI shop and back at Polaris keep improving these cars in not a lot of time. When you look at a new program in sports, you don’t have super high expectations. This team came out of the box and hasn’t lost yet.”

Needless to say, racing in the storied SCORE Baja 500 requires mettle of both driver and machine. However, winning the event requires the very best of teamwork, talent, and technology.