Mike Acton
WRITTEN BY MIKE ACTON
PICTURES BY MIKE ACTON
Today we’re going to focus on some of the UTVs on display at SEMA this year. According to a report commissioned by SEMA, “82% of owners will upgrade their side-by-sides—usually soon after the vehicle purchase”1 and will spend “an average of $2,102 to accessorize their UTVs.” This has presented a significant opportunity to manufacturers of add-on products, and created an entirely new market segment for sales.
UTV racing has taken off across the globe and some predict this to be the new growth potential for off-road racing in general. By outside appearances UTVs represent a lower cost to get started in racing, attracting new, younger talent to our sport. In reality UTVs are no cheaper to build and race than many other classes, and quite possibly more expensive to repair and maintain over the course of a season. Classes from stock full size, to Jeepspeed, and on to Class 11 VW Beetles have access to cheap replacement parts due to the millions of vehicles on the road. They also benefit from other types of racing that use the same chassis, engines, and parts.
However there is a lot of buzz right now and vehicle manufacturers are producing new models focused on the extreme end of the sport. The new Can-Am Maverick X3 and Polaris RZR XP Turbo EPS are exciting to drive and parts manufacturers are out in force this week. Here are some of the show ponies on display this week.
1“Utility Task Vehicles By the Numbers” SEMA News—July 2014. Accessed November 2, 2016. https://www.sema.org/sema-news/2014/07/utility-task-vehicles-by-the-numbers
“Southern Arizona’s Ultimate Offroad Facility,” MC Motorsports Park will once again host Dirt Riot Endurance Racing this Saturday, May 6th. Dirt Riot Endurance Racing includes the professional rock racing classes and “everyman” classes for those who want to bring their personal rig out and compete.
All festivities during the UTV World Championship including the Pit Crew Challenge, Kick Off Party, Tech & Contingency, and all four races are FREE to spectators and their families. Get all the spectator details, schedule of events, Google map to Laughlin, a city map to the event, and other important information HERE on Off-Road Spectator.
Off-Road Expo is expanding to meet the growing demands of our off-road community with this past weekend’s Off-Road Expo Arizona Spring Edition sponsored by the City of Scottsdale. Plenty of off-road gear and tech was on hand, plus amazing extreme vehicles from all off-highway sports.
Congratulations to all Dirt Riot Southwest Series Round 1 competitors. Seven classes, roughly 6-miles of course, and tons of action in the most beautiful desert landscape of Congress, Arizona.
Off-Road Spectator is proud to announce the launch of our own YouTube video channel to share videos of the best and the worst drivers in off-road racing.
