Back in August, the guys at UTV Underground teamed up with RJ Anderson, a rising star from Walker Evans Racing, to film one of the most spectacular videos of 2013. It instantly went “viral.” Titled “RJ Anderson XP1K”, the nearly 10-minute-long video had neither dialogue nor music, but nevertheless spoke to the heart and mind of every off-roader out there (and then some) with its thrilling speed across a deserted landscape.

Bringing together top-notch talent was multifaceted and complex, as we learn, yet the goal was always simple. As Mark Martelli, of the Martelli brothers who operate Mad Media, explains, “We wanted to go find a driver and a location [where] we could show how cool these vehicles are and how fun they are, you know, how capable they are of doing things that only race cars can do.” Now they have produced the “making of” video, which is just as spectacular as the original and you can see posted above.

The idea had floated around the offices of UTV Underground for some time before falling in the lap of Joey Digiovanni, editor of the website, who envisioned doing a “bigger piece” and immediately thought of Anderson as the one who could pull it off. Young, talented, and daring, the Riverside, California, resident was “the face of Polaris and the UTV racing industry,” as Digiovanni puts it. Getting him to do the video was therefore a no-brainer, but what was perplexing was finding the shoot location.

“One of the first things we did was go out and scout Kaiser Eagle Mountain, and right away we saw the potential for shooting a UTV in that environment,” explains Josh Martelli. “I mean, it was just sized perfectly. There were natural obstacles, there was the potential to … create our own obstacles, all kinds of stuff that we knew we could build a course through and around.”

With the location, driver, camera crew, and stunt list in order, all that remained was building the ultimate side-by-side. For this step, Digiovanni had the work divided: Kevin Kroyer of Kroyer Racing Engines, would craft the powerplant; Mark Holz of Holz Racing Products, would build the chassis; and finally, Polaris technicians and Anderson would provide insight and advice where and when needed.

The labor was tough and tedious, but everyone powered through and made manifest two of the most awesome UTVs ever created, capable of a jaw-dropping 190 HP. Although technically a Polaris XP1000 RZR, its additional parts and pieces for added speed, durability, and light weight (1400 pounds) likely made it one of the most expensive, as well!

Jumps, bumps, drifts, donuts, close calls, breathtaking slow-motion shots and more, catapulted the video in short order, and we just can’t get enough of it. If you’ve never seen it before, we have the original video posted below. And if you’re still aching for more dirty fun, head over to UTV Underground’s Facebook page and check out what’s next for 2014. RJ Anderson’s latest activities can also be found on Facebook, so check that out too.