On Saturday, the 2024 SCORE Championship kicked off at the 37th San Felipe 250, where the Polaris Factory Racing team maintained their UTV racing dominance, with Cayden MacCachren claiming first UTV Overall and 2023 UTV Pro Open Champion Brock Heger securing second. The recently unveiled Gen 2 Polaris RZR Pro R Factory race vehicle performed flawlessly through the grueling 285-mile course, once again proving itself as the most superior UTV in the field. Fellow Polaris-supported racers secured the top finishes in UTV overall with Branden Sims in third to sweep the podium, Kristen Matlock in fifth and Polaris Factory Racing teammate Max Eddy Jr. in sixth, respectively.
The starting order for the race was determined by random draw, from which Heger started in ninth, Craig Scanlon was 15th, Eddy Jr. 16th and MacCachren 18th. As the race got underway, Heger and his RZR Pro R Factory quickly took over the lead by mile marker 47. Teammates Eddy Jr. and MacCachren also made quick work of the competition ahead of them, moving swiftly from their starting positions to third and fifth within the same time. By race mile 150, Heger held a strong and commanding lead due to his methodical driving, with Eddy Jr. closing in on second. MacCachren had also gained a position, sitting in fourth.
Throughout the next 100 miles, the Polaris Factory Racing drivers showcased the true power, strength, and control of the Gen 2 RZR Pro R Factory machines, tackling what many said to be the toughest and most grueling track on the Peninsula to date. By mile marker 200, the three factory racers were in position to sweep the podium with Heger first, Eddy Jr. second and MacCachren third.
Over the final 50 miles of the race, MacCachren put his head down and began making up significant time on the leaders. By race mile 240, he was thirty seconds behind Heger on corrected time and third place physically on track. MacCachren continued to pick up the pace and decided to get crafty with his line selection, taking an alternative route in an effort to make up time , which ultimately paid dividends when he came out in second physically.
Keeping on the gas, he was able to gain on Heger enough to take the checkered and secure the victory by a mere 13-seconds on corrected time at 5:14:05. Polaris Factory Racing would have taken the UTV Pro Open class podium sweep, but a time penalty for Eddy Jr. due to two missed VCP markers and a speed violation after the race dropped him from third to fifth, respectively. Craig Scanlon persevered throughout the race, working his way from 15th at the start to seventh by the checkered flag.
“It feels incredible to kick off the 2024 SCORE season where I left off at the Baja 1000, with an overall victory,” said MacCachren. “This San Felipe course was beyond brutal and unlike anything we’ve experienced before but my RZR Pro R Factory performed incredibly. I didn’t think our vehicles could get any better but this Gen 2 machine is unreal, with incredible power and control while staying planted in the roughest parts of the course.”
“Today was unreal. To see our Polaris Factory Racing team completely dominate the field and come away with a 1-2 overall is a true testament to this program,” said Alex Scheuerell, Polaris Factory Racing Technical Director. “Our team worked so hard to develop this new Gen 2 RZR Pro R Factory so it’s incredibly gratifying to see those efforts come to fruition and dominate the field. I want to thank the whole RZR engineering team for making such a great platform to start with, plus the Polaris race engineers and SCi group that built and prepped these impressive race machines.”
To learn more, please visit Polaris’ website.
