If you are like so many, the season’s most powerful elixir besides time with family and friends is the ability to bring out the year’s most intense period of reflection and optimism. For the racing community at large, the shops are quiet, the dyno rooms are still, and we enjoy a bit of respite before it all starts again in January.
Thankfully racing has seasons, and for some, wiping mental remnants of 2024 will be a welcome exercise. Off-road racing is no exception.
For me, the memories of this year from an overall perspective are a mixed bag of some sparkling triumphs, several setbacks and another year where the sport continues to disregard the obvious steps it can take to help itself prosper.
With the return of off-road racing coverage to the RACER platforms, it seemed time to also bring back my annual tradition of celebrating the year’s best and worst with candy canes and lumps of coal.
CANDY CANES
Factory Polaris team
Back in 2019 I wrote: “Even the most ardent doubters have now been silenced. The takeover of the off-road universe by today’s side-by-side (aka UTV) phenomenon has become completely realized.”
Man, was I wrong.
In the five years that have passed since penning those shortsighted words progress, permanence and participation has been the cornerstone of today’s side-by-side revolution. From desert to short course to rock racing to the Dakar Rally, they are now a backbone to the sport.
Officially launched in March 2023, the Polaris factory team is the strongest compass to where this is all headed. Housed in SCI Motorsports’ southern California facility, the effort has the full funding and technical support of Polaris, along with a strong group of aftermarket suppliers. Their line-up of drivers is equally impressive, led by the youthful talents of Brock Heger and Cayden MacCachren. In 2024 the Polaris factory team swept all four SCORE desert races with first place overall UTV performances. Most eye-opening, however, was Heger’s Baja 1000 victory, with a finishing time good enough for seventh place overall including Trophy Trucks and Class 1 unlimited cars.
The future is now.
The Big Blue M
While times are changing, for a large chunk of the mainstream motorsports world, the only off-road race that really counts is the BFGoodrich SCORE Baja 1000. Considering its provenance and history of being one of racing’s greatest challenges, that is no surprise. In 2024 McMillin Racing (nicknamed the Big Blue M) returned to the top of the Baja 1000 podium with its fourth overall victory in five years. Third-generation driver Luke McMillin combined with legendary Rob MacCachren to pilot their Mason Motorsports-built Trophy Truck to the win, supported by another ironman effort of navigator Jason Duncan.
To borrow a phrase from Roger Penske, effort equal results and the McMillin Racing team has worked hard and tested harder to get to the very top of today’s unlimited desert racing landscape.
Class 11 explosion
Thanks in large measure to a huge uptick in participation of social media stars like Blake Wilkey and the Isenhour brothers, the sport’s most humble category has become what the cool kids are doing. Class 11 is a backyard builders dream come true, with a foundation based on vintage Volkswagen Beetles. From Crandon to Baja, these nearly stock machines are an instant fan favorite as well, with close racing and an undeniable down-grown attraction. At the recent Speed Rage at the River event in Laughlin, Nevada nearly 60 of these colorful stock-bodied VWs took the green flag.
The Class 11 candy canes come with some coal as well. To continue expanding participation from drivers, teams and promoters the splintering effect of various rules and safety packages needs to be addressed once and for all. Building specialized versions of the same vehicle is a momentum killer, while inconsistent technical inspections only open the door for exploitati on. Thankfully USAC is working on a national rules program to make safety the priority for drivers and insurance underwriters if nothing else.
Broadcast
As last week’s feature on the use of Starlink/Star Stream satellite system explained, livestreaming coverage of the BFGoodrich SCORE Baja 1000 is the latest twist in a long path toward a wider and larger audience. Event promoter and series organizers have spent countless hours and financial investments toward becoming self-sufficient production companies and content generators. From live tracking to high-speed drones to Starlink, we stand today on the pioneering work of King of the Hammers, the Mint 400, SCORE International, Crandon – and a long list of tech-savvy brainiacs.
