Branden Sims returns to Baja and captures the overall UTV win

The RZR Factory Racing team returned to Ensenada, Baja, Mexico, to defend at the 53^rd BFGoodrich SCORE Baja 500, presented by 4 Wheel Parts. The RZR Factory Racing team scored three wins and seven podiums across the Pro UTV Forced Induction, Pro UTV Naturally Aspirated, Pro Stock UTV, and Pro UTV Open classes on the weekend.

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Branden Simms wins Baja 500 UTV Overall. Photo by UTV Sports Magazine

“On the heels of a very successful San Felipe 250 it was really important for our team to continue to reiterate the dominance of the RZR platform when it comes to racing,” said Brett Carpenter, Manager of RZR Factory Racing. “We’re so happy to have Branden Sims back down in Baja proving yet again what he’s capable of. Just an incredible effort by Branden and the entire Factory RZR team.”

Cayden MacCachren of Jagged X Racing came off of the starting first after their win in San Felipe, followed by Wes Miller in 3^rd, Jamie Kirkpatrick in 5^th, and 27 other races ready to chase them to the finish. Cayden maintained a strong pace before handing driving duties over to Brandon Schueler to drive the last 200 miles. Schueler would take the #2919 to the finish capturing a 3^rd place and the team’s second consecutive podium finish.

Starting in the 28^th position in the Pro UTV Forced Induction class was Branden Sims, who returned to Baja for the first time in over two years. He would have his work cut out for him with nearly the entire class starting ahead of him. Sims would pass his way up to the 3^rd position physically with 100 miles remaining.

After battling the toughest terrain in Baja, miles of silt bed, and bottlenecks of stuck and broken race vehicles scattered throughout the course, Branden Sims and co-driver, Skyler Howell, made a race saving repair after a minor setback only 30 miles from the finish, and were able to hold the third spot physically and take the Pro Forced Induction and Overall UTV win on a corrected time of 12:53:15, winning by nearly 4 minutes.

Kristen Matlock returned to defend her 2020 Pro UTV Naturally Aspirated and Overall UTV win, alongside Kaden Wells, the perennial podium contender. Dodge Poelman started the race on the pole, with Wells in second, and Matlock in the 10^th position. It didn’t take long for the positions to shuffle as the carnage unfolded on the race course. Unfortunately for Poelman and Matlock, Baja wouldn’t be so easy this time around.

Kaden Wells was able to move into 1^st place physically at RM70. Working through his own setbacks, Wells would push through the logjam bottleneck which collected a number of competitors in-class. However, a double flat tire at RM 235 in the middle of a battle with 2^nd and 3^rd place made things interesting. Wells would hold 1^st position physically all the way to the finish and captured the class win with a time of 13:24:53. Adrian Orellana would take 3^rd place in his RZR XP1000.

Coming off a San Felipe 250 win in the Pro Stock class, Mike Cafro was ready to go for a repeat. The Blackhills UTV-prepped Turbo S4 was on rails all day. Battling with fellow RZR racers Scott Trafton and James Hill throughout the 460 miles, Cafro was able to maintain the lead throughout the entire race to take his second consecutive Pro Stock class win and an impressive 10^th place overall UTV. Scott Trafton would finish in 3^rd place.

Polaris RZR Factory Racing will be back in action at Crandon International Raceway for rounds 3-4 of the Championship Off-Road series, held in Crandon, Wisconsin on June 26-27.

More information about Polaris Off-Road Vehicles and Polaris Engineered Accessories can be found at RZR.Polaris.com. Also, join the conversation and follow RZR on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

About Polaris

As the global leader in powersports, Polaris Inc. (NYSE: PII) pioneers product breakthroughs and enriching experiences and services that have invited people to discover the joy of being outdoors since our founding in 1954. With annual 2020 sales of $7.0 billion, Polaris’ high-quality product line-up includes the Polaris RANGER, RZR and GENERAL side-by-side off-road vehicles; Sportsman all-terrain off-road vehicles; Indian Motorcycle mid-size and heavyweight motorcycles; Slingshot moto-roadsters; snowmobiles; and deck, cruiser and pontoon boats, including industry-leading Bennington pontoons. Polaris enhances the riding experience with parts, garments and accessories, along with a growing aftermarket portfolio, including TransAmerica Auto Parts. Polaris’ presence in adjacent markets includes military and commercial off-road vehicles, quadricycles, and electric vehicles. Proudly headquartered in Minnesota, Polaris serves more than 100 countries across the globe. www.polaris.com.

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