Class 1 cars are unlimited open-wheel buggies with prominent manufacturers like Jimco, Alumicraft, and… Polaris?
Deciding to shake things up a bit, Polaris Factory Racing will enter their Polaris RZR Pro R Factory in Class 1 at the Baja 400 with Max Eddy Jr. as driver. It will be the first time a UTV competes in the category under SCORE International sanction.
Eddy and the RZR are typically in the SCORE Pro UTV Open class, where he is thirteenth in points after finishing fifth at the San Felipe 250 and retiring from the Baja 500. 2024 is his first season as a PFR factory driver after being a co-driver for team principal Craig Scanlon during their début campaign the year prior.
His colleagues Cayden MacCachren and Brock Heger, both of whom have spoken with The Checkered Flag this season, are respectively the current Pro UTV Open points leader and reigning champion and will remain in their usual category. Eddy will also be Heger’s navigator at the Dakar Rally in 2025; he served the same role at King of the Hammers in January, where they won their class in the Can-Am UTV Hammers Championship before Eddy finished second to Heger in the Toyo Tires Desert Challenge.
The switch to Class 1 stems from PFR being far too successful in their own class, winning Pro UTV Open at all four SCORE races in 2023 as well as both events so far in 2024. Besides being the fastest UTV outright in San Felipe and at the Baja 500, MacCachren also beat every Class 1 entry except for the winner in each instance. Furthermore, a rally version of the RZR Pro R Factory won the Dakar Rally’s SSV class in January.
“Our achievements so far demonstrate that the RZR Pro R Factory is undeniably the leading UTV in desert racing. However, venturing into Class 1 competition allows us to assess its performance on a whole new level, beyond the modified UTVs we have been up against since the inception of this factory programme,” said team general manager Ryan Thomas. “With Max’s expertise and talent, he is well-prepared for this challenge, and we are eagerly anticipating how this vehicle will fare against tough competition. At the very least, it promises to be an exciting opportunity to witness what Max and the RZR Pro R Factory can achieve in this category.”
Eddy is not the first UTV driver to compete in a non-UTV class, let alone a Class 1. In 2022, Mitch Guthrie entered Best In The Desert’s Silver State 300 in Class 1, which is a truck-based category, with his Polaris RZR and finished second.
The Baja 400 is scheduled for 11–15 September. Cody Reid is atop the Class 1 standings in his Alumicraft AWD buggy.