The fully curated factory program includes an elite management team, crew chiefs and mechanics,
Supporting three of the sport’s brightest young riders:
Austin Weiland, Brock Heger and Cayden MacCachren
Factory racing program powered by Rockford Fosgate® sponsor support, Synchronysm,
Progressive Insurance®, GoPro®, Fox Racing®, Fox Shocks®, Polaris Engineered Lubricants,
Rigid® Industries, BFGoodrich® tires and Method Race Wheels®
MINNEAPOLIS, MN (March 9, 2023) – Polaris Off Road, leader in off-road vehicles
innovation, is setting a new standard for off-road racing with the development of a
complete RZR Factory Racing program and the first race prepared for the sport
UTV Piloting three all-new race machines designed by Polaris will be the rising stars of Austin off-road
Weiland, Brock Heger and Cayden MacCachren. The driver trio is backed by full power
and Polaris engineering innovation, along with an elite management team and trained crew
from some of the sport’s most proven and successful off-road racing veterans.
The new Polaris Factory Racing program is unprecedented in its comprehensive nature,
with a management team, crew chiefs and mechanics. This industry leading crew has been
completely curated by Polaris from the ground up with full hands-on support from
Polaris engineering and development of the specially designed factory racing UTV. Normally, the
The term “factory racing program” has been loosely used to describe OEM sponsorships and actions
vehicle-oriented support for independent racing programs established with pre-existing
management teams, crew chiefs and mechanics.
The new Polaris Factory Racing team will enjoy invaluable sponsorship support from a line-up of
top brands that share the same commitment to premium quality and elite performance.
Sponsors include Rockford Fosgate, Synchrony, Progressive Insurance and GoPro. Besides,
the team is backed by a long-standing line of performance brands
off-road racing that will provide critical products and technical support, including Fox Racing for
vehicle design and team apparel, Fox Shocks for its industry-leading semi-active Live
Valve Suspension Technology, Polaris Engineered Lubricants, Rigid Lighting, BFGoodrich Tires
and Method Race Wheels.
“Backed by nearly 70 years of innovation, Polaris is not only responsible for literally inventing
the performance category alongside the other, also has a long and storied history of winning in the
higher levels of off-road racing, so it just makes sense that we would push the industry forward
moving forward once again with the first full-fledged factory UTV class racing program,” said Reid
Wilson, vice president of Polaris Off Road Recreation. “Racing is an integral part of everything we do,
driving performance innovations that inspire the products we bring to showrooms:
ultimately advancing the industry and advancing the joint consumer market.
We’re absolutely chomping at the bit to showcase Polaris’ engineering prowess now and
ingenuity through our new Polaris Factory Racing team.”
While the new RZR race machine takes center stage, Polaris chose its team
highly trained off-road racing specialists and emerging young racing phenoms. Team operations
will be based in Vista, California. Among the 12 full-time employees of the Polaris Factory Racing team
that’s over 150 years of combined off-road experience, expertise and proven champions.
Engineering: Polaris Off Road
Development of the three purpose-built vehicles was led by Polaris Off-Road Racing
Technical Director Robert Wilmot, overseeing a team of Polaris off-road engineers
to whom racing and competition is not just a job, it is a personal passion. For these
engineers, developing a purpose-built factory racing UTV is literally a dream come true
come true Alongside Wilmot, the Polaris engineering team will assist in the progression
of the program from the point of view of ongoing race vehicle testing and development.
Austin Weiland
Driver: Austin Weiland
Weiland has always had a passion for racing, coming through the youth ranks
go-karts, oval midget cars, and eventually moving on to short-course off-road racing. He has
has been competing full-time in the Best in the Desert and SCORE series in production
Turbo Class, with notable wins in Vegas 2021 in Reno, King of the Hammers 2022
Desert Challenge and 2022 Baja 400, 500 and 1000 wins.
Brock Heger
Driver: Brock Heger
Emerging as the next big name in off-road racing, Heger has excelled in all disciplines
of racing and has more than 100 wins and 200 podiums to his name. More recently, Heger has done so
raced Pro-Lite short-haul trucks and production UTVs in the Champ Off Road Series,
winning championships in both classes as well as competing full-time in SCORE
Trophy truck specification class.
Cayden MacCachren
Driver: Cayden MacCachren
A third-generation racer from one of the most iconic families in off-road racing history,
MacCachren, will drive the team’s third vehicle. The offspring of off-road royalty, it is
it’s no surprise that MacCachren is following in his father Rob’s footsteps to become one
championship runner In just four years, he has collected so many New Years
championships, along with multiple race wins at different levels of the sport.
Team Directors: Craig Scanlon and Travis Clarke
The team will be led by off-road racing veteran and team principal Craig
Scanlon and Travis Clarke, a duo spanning two decades of combined off-road racing
experience The two have formed SCI (Scanlon Clarke Industries) as a program
management arm of the Polaris Factory Racing team.
Formerly an executive at Polaris Off Road, Scanlon has been a driving force in the
industry on and off the racetrack. In addition to his work for Polaris, Scanlon dove
turned to his passion for off-road racing by creating Scanlon Motorsports Group, a
pro racing program where he also served as a pilot, claiming his first UTV Pro
Class victory in the 2019 Baja 500.
In addition to experience racing and winning in off-road cars, Clarke brings a
wealth of experience in racing business and athlete management. Well established as
one of the top sports marketing executives in sports through his work with
Wasserman Media Group, Clarke’s client list includes some of the best known in sports
drivers He has also been a key player in the ongoing evolution of King of the Hammers,
boost the critical support of sponsors, essential for the general progression of the first
US-based off-road event. Outside of the off-road world that Clarke has been responsible for
establishing some of the best teams in Supercross/Motorcross, NASCAR and rallying
racing community including RCH, Two Two Motorsports, Ken Block’s Hoonigan Racing
Division and Pastrana Waltrip Racing.
Managing Director: Ryan Thomas
Off-road industry veteran Thomas will oversee the day-to-day operations of the team and
manage rider and sponsor relations as team general manager. Tomás has spent
his life both on the business side and in industry careers initially worked for his
family business, Chenoweth Racing Products, which developed some of the more
successful cars in the history of off-road racing. Most recently, he was president of
Ultra4Racing and prior to that spent ten years as director of Wide Open Baja in Cabo
San Lucas Thomas also has serious career credentials from his top-flight days
driver, with five Baja 1000 titles to his name.
COO: Adam Arsenault
To manage the team’s 10,000-square-foot state-of-the-art race shop in San Diego, California, the
The team tapped Adam Arsenault, who will serve as COO. Since 2010,
Arsenault, a Navy veteran himself, has owned and operated Broadsword Racing, an
off road team of active duty military, veterans and first responders. Arsenault brings
team a wealth of operational management skills learned throughout their 20 years
military career in the Marine Corps Special Operations Division, including mission planning,
tactical communication and navigation. In his role, he will manage the fleet of vehicles,
oversee the race parts inventory and develop and manage the race volunteer roster.
Crew Chief: Johnny Nelson
Former off-road racing co-driver Johnny Nelson will serve as the team’s crew chief.
After winning several Baja 500s and Baja 1000s as a co-driver, Nelson switched gears to
the technical part as a mechanic, where he was voted SCORE mechanic of the year, an
prize that he has won several times. In his role, Nelson will collaborate alongside Polaris
engineering, managing senior and junior mechanics, and developing and executing pre-execution
and race day strategy.
mechanics
The team will have three senior and three junior mechanics to ensure that the vehicles are
race prepared for each event. They will also be responsible for the maintenance of the store, chase
trucks, trailers and pit equipment.
This Polaris Factory Racing team is driven by one singular goal: to win. In 2023, the team will
compete in the SCORE International series and the Best in the Desert’s Vegas to Reno race. The
The season will begin with the San Felipe 250 from March 28 to April 2, followed by the Baja 400 from
May 31-June 4, Las Vegas to Reno August 16-20, the Baja 500 September 12-17 and the Baja
1000 from November 13 to 18.
Full details and information on the purpose-built Polaris Factory Racing UTV will be released
on March 15. For Polaris RZR information, visit RZR.Polaris.com or join the conversation
and follow RZR on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
About Polaris
As the global leader in motorsports, Polaris Inc. (NYSE: PII) is a pioneer in product advancements and
enriching experiences and services that invite you to discover the joy of being
outdoors since our founding in 1954. Polaris’ high quality product line includes Polaris
Side-by-side RANGER®, RZR® and Polaris GENERAL™ off-road vehicles; Sportsman® off-road
all-terrain vehicles; military and commercial all-terrain vehicles; snowmobiles; Indian Motorcycle®
medium and heavy duty motorcycles; Slingshot® motorcycle roadsters; Aixam quadricycles; Goupil
electric vehicles; and bridge and deck boats, including industry-leading Bennington pontoons.
Polaris enhances the riding experience with a robust portfolio of parts, apparel and
accessories Headquartered in Minnesota, Polaris serves more than 100 countries
around the world. www.polaris.com
FOX® is a registered trademark of Fox Factory Inc.
GoPro® is a registered trademark of GoPro, Inc.
Rigid® is a trademark of JST Performance, LLC d/b/a Rigid Industries, LLC
BF Goodrich® is a registered trademark of BF Goodrich Company
Synchronysm is a service trademark of SYNCHRONY BANK, a federal savings bank
Method Race Wheels® is a registered trademark of CUSTOM WHEEL HOUSE, LLC
Rockford Fosgate® is a registered trademark of Rockford Corporation
Progressive Insurance® is a registered trademark of Progressive Casualty Insurance Company
© 2023 Polaris Industries Inc.
