The UTV World Championships is an idea that was conceived by Mad Media Founders, Matt and Josh Martelli back in 2014. Their hope was to create a UTV race that brought together the biggest players in the industry in a need to satisfy what they saw as a fast-growing UTV culture around the country, and the world. The Martellis naturally joined forces with Best in the Desert because BITD’s established history of racing excellence and its know-how to host the greatest off-road race events in the world.

The Martellis also enlisted the partnership of  Joey “Joey D” DiGiovanni, CEO and Founder of UTV Underground. He was bringing the Underground’s devoted fans into foster the hype among the industry, fans, and newcomers so the sport got the attention it deserves.

Together the three have developed what has become the largest UTV race event in existence. Over the past three years, it has continually attracted more race teams, sponsors, vendors, coverage, and fans. The 2017 UTV World Championship Powered by Monster Energy, in only its third year, saw over 300 entries, including 59 youth teams.

Joey D of UTV Underground greets World Champ Blurton on the podium.

“The UTV World Championship has become the benchmark for competition in our sport,” said Joey D. “It has influenced other series’ promoters to raise their own events to a higher standard.” The event also brings out the best in the UTV industry with Polaris, Can-Am, and Yamaha competing on this biggest stage to show who has the most reliable, most agile, and fastest vehicle on the market.

Official activities kicked off on Thursday, with the first-ever UTV Pit Crew Challenge. In a fairly raucous event, Adrian Orellana’s Team was squeezed out by just one second by the winners, Murray Racing Team.

Lacrecia Beurrier and her team make plans at Tech.

Team Murray won the Pro Eagle jack trophy, but other prizes were awarded by Rigid Industries and Impact Racing. The Pit Crew Challenge was followed by a kick-off party at the Riverside Casino Losers’ Lounge where team members from all over the country and the world could reunite with old friends.

On Friday, tech inspection and contingency was held in the Riverside Casino parking lot while the Family Fun Poker Run was held on the nearby race course. The day-long event really gave the first look at how large the UTV World Championship has become as an unprecedented number of teams, fans, family, and industry vendors took part in the traditional pre-race inspection.

The big winner of the event drawing was Kevin Zeidler, who won a totally built Polaris RZR XP Turbo valued at nearly $60,000, customized by 4 Wheel Parts and UTV Underground Garage, with contributions from Method Race Wheels and Tensor Tires.

Desert Race by Safecraft

Phil Blurton and co-dawg, Beau Judge showed their speed on the way to their UTV World Championship.

Saturday’s Desert Race by Safecraft was held on a 16-mile course just outside the early morning shadows of Don Laughlin’s Riverside Casino. The first 10 finishers from the Mint 400 started on the first row of the dead engine land rush start, followed by everyone else.

The ten-lap race format meant that finishers would have to endure a punishing 160 miles and with a record number of entries, dust would be a major factor. The course took its victims early with a pileup at just the second turn in the infield. Racers reported carnage all over the course throughout the day.

Notable DNF’s (non-finishers) who have enjoyed enormous success were Larry Roeseler, defending Champ, Mitch Guthrie Jr., Dustin Jones of S3 Racing, Robbie Gordon of Speed Energy, Matt Burroughs of Monster Energy, and Kristin Matlock. At the finish, Joey D stated that everyone except a few that started on the first line were a DNF.

Rookie BITD racer, 30-year-old Phil Blurton of Loomis, California surprised many with his overall win in his Can-Am Maverick X3. Racing for No Limits Side by Side, an overjoyed Blurton was joined by his father on the podium to celebrate the first time that a Can-Am has won the UTVWC in its history. Having started in the back row of the land rush, Blurton exclaimed, “Can-Am is awesome!” From the podium having just won a brand new Polaris RZR for his efforts.

Phil Blurton is congratulated by his father on the podium after upon winning the UTV World Championship Overall.

Justin Lambert, winner of seven races last year in the Production Class including the UTVWC, has not yet had the same success having moved up to the Turbo Class this year. Racing a Polaris, Lambert enjoyed a front line start and lead much of the way, but encountered a problem late.

Lambert was able to fix the issue and actually finished first in physical position ahead of Blurton. However, adjusted time results showed that Blurton actually finished 24 seconds ahead of Lambert for the win with a time of 3:29:24. Mark Holz finished in Third Place in his Polaris.

Another Can-Am racer, Michael Isom, won the Unlimited Class with a time of 3:35:17. Clearly having had a great time on the track, Isom commented how starting in the last row affected the race, “We ate dust for several laps. It’s like driving blind, my co-driver was navigating for me and he would tell me, ‘drive straight, turn right,’ following flasher lights, it was awesome.”

“This Can-Am was fast,” Isom explained how well his car performed and how the race was redemption for him, having DNF’d three years ago when racing with his son. “There were a lot of fast guys out there for sure. To come out here and redeem ourselves like this in this World Championship, it was a lot of fun.”

Andrei Isac won the Production Class with a time of 3:41:44 in his STV-Sponsored Yamaha. Ben Bischoff and Joe Loomis took second and third place respectively in their Holz Racing Polaris RZR’s.

Michael Isom could hardly contain his excitement after winning the Unlimited Class and claiming redemption after having failed three years before racing with his son.

Adult Short Course Race by Method Race Wheels

In order to accommodate the unexpectedly high number of entries, the adult short-course race was run on the same 16-mile desert course, over three laps. BITD had to do this last year to accommodate the unexpectedly high number of racers, but this year it was just part of the plan.

UTV phenom, RJ Anderson, won the Production Turbo Class and Overall Short Course, earning him a good chunk of money and a new Polaris RZR. Ryan Holz finished 2nd, with Branden Sims taking 3rd Place.

RJ Anderson atop is Polaris RZR after taking home the win in the short-course race.

With the production 1000 Class, Ray Bulloch took first place, Will Rodgers finished in second place and Dean Wheeler, Jr. placed third. In the production 900 Class, Kaleb Myers placed first and Jerry Byerman finished in second. The production 700/800 race finished with Skyler Bulloch on top of the podium, Sam Chornos in second and Casey Sims rounding out the podium.

Defending World Champ, 13-year-old Casey Sims finished third in this year’s race.

Youth Division Short Course Races by Method Race Wheels

The kids had an opportunity to show their stuff as some 59 youth entries sought glory and one of the two UTVs that Polaris sponsored for the winners of the Youth 170 and Unlimited 250 Classes. The youth short-course was set up within the infield of the desert race course so that spectating and parental access was easy.

Dallas Gonzales won Overall Youth short-course and the Youth 250 Class. Clayton Mickel and Kayden Danbury placed second and third in class and overall. Luke Knupp won the Youth 170 Class with Jaxxton Lambert and Aaron Cuevas taking roudning out the podium.

Warfighter Made presented eight-year-old, Blake Level, with the Perseverance Award for his efforts in racing and finishing in the Youth Division 170 Class. Blake, who is currently fighting cancer, was not feeling well all weekend, yet he still persevered and came away with a 26th Place finish in just over 32 minutes. Congratulations to that fighting young man.

Overall, five RZR Polaris UTVs were awarded to the winners of five classes.  Turbo Class Desert, 1000 Class Desert, Overall Short-Course, Youth 170 and Youth 250. Be sure to check out the gallery for even more highlights from all the races!