With all the talk about possible cheating and just looking at the future of this class I think it’s time the UTV desert racing community sits down and looks at the past & future of this class. Right now there is no arguing this is the fastest growing class with the most entries out of all classes in BITD, and is getting there with Score International. Some might say its working and the entry numbers prove it, so there is no reason to consider or look to make any changes in the near future. But IMO this is exactly the right time to look at the future of this class and make sure it is preserved and assure that it will continue to thrive for many years to come. Right now part of the huge growth can be attributed to the Factory’s showing support and the many aftermarket businesses also showing support. But like all classes before the UTV’s that had this same Manufacture and aftermarket support, it eventually died off and so did much of the class.
Being that I come from other classes and have been in the sport longer than the word UTV has been around. I see & speak with other racers in other classes all the time. Some of the biggest issues I see facing this class is perception from the other racers and classes. I think much of it, is this class is still seen by other veterans as a Sportsman class (Golf Kart) with the majority of the drivers/teams being newbe’s to desert racing. And to be honest I can see why they might think that in many cases. Why is it that myself who has a 5/1600, which is currently slower in overall times to a competitive UTV gets way more respect? Why is it a class 9 or class 11 team which is slower than a UTV gets way more respect? Many truck classes are slower, cost more and still get more respect.
Right now I see the UTV’s going through the same transition the 1450 class (Prerunner Truck) went through. The 1450’s for a long time were known as a class full of Punk Kids or Flat Billers. Like the UTV class the 1450 was and still is a huge draw, but it’s taken time for them to get the respect they felt they deserved and much of that came from the class maturing and finding there place. I think for the UTV class to get the respect it clearly deservers, I think the UTV racers need to start co-mingling with the other classes. I think there needs to be a clear understanding of the pecking order. I think it would be great for a few TT, Class 1, Class 10 and even a few full size trick class drivers to get up and speak to the UTV class and explain what they are dealing with when they are trying to overtake a UTV or navigate on the same course as a UTV. I also think the UTV teams need to take the construction of their machines to the same level as a 1600 or class 10 car. So many of the current cars are built to race with other UTV’s but are clearly not built to race with other faster, heavier cars on the same course.
Why has the 1600 class been so strong for so long? A solid platform of rules were made and have stood the test of time. Yes over the years rules have change to meet the needs and times we race in. But the basic rules of the class have been untouched. A 10 year old car can come out, pass Tech and race competitively. I think the UTV class needs to take a look and make sure they are following the same philosophy. I know it might be harder as UTV’s are built off of a production based platform and those are always changing.
A few of the biggest issues I see with the UTV class is the fact you need to start with and buy a new stock machine. The manufactures are not making their money off of selling show room floor vehicles to racers. They make their money selling UTV’s to the masses, like the guys going to Glamis, the family that trail rides or using it for hunting or work. Since very little of the original vehicle is used, would it be more cost effective to make a rule that states an aftermarket lower frame with stock geometry pivot points could be built by aftermarket builders? This lower frame would have to meet all factory specs, and be tagged as being a legal aftermarket frame rail. There could be multiple fab shops who could be authorized by the Series or UTV Board to build these lower frames out of chromoly and are built in a spec jig to assure they all meet the factory specs. An easy set of measuring tools could be built to inspect these pivot points at Pre or Post tech. Also a chassis like this would be tagged with an assigned serial number. This could be done very much the same way the LOORS short course series does to verify the Pro Lite trucks all meet the required chassis specs.
Right now if you ripped a lower front a-arm off and in the process bend & damaged the stock pivot points are you legally able to re-fab or replace the damaged a-arm pivot tabs? Yes or No? If the answer is Yes, then how do we know you are putting them back in the stock location? And what is really left of the stock frame at that point? A few pieces of thin wall mild steel tubing? BTW the lower frame tubes do not meet the current spec of having to use DOM or Chromoly when building your chassis. Keeping the stock frame was always about keeping the stock engine location & suspension geometry right? The rules could be written that a stock lower frame with stock pivot points could still be used, or an aftermarket spec lower frame from Authorized (XYZ) shops could be used. All chassis must be inspected & tagged by the series prior to being raced, similar to what Score does for older chassis.
Now you will still need the stock drivetrain to power this race car. Well would it be cheaper to just buy a complete power & drivertrain system from your local dealership? Could aftermarket parts shops with relationships to these manufactures put a package in place where they sell a factory direct powertrain set up for these race teams? Maybe the manufactures themselves could set up a Racer Program where you sign up and can buy Crate packages directly from them? I believe longevity of this class is going to be trying to reduce and manage the cost. Because right now I can see the price of a competitive winning UTV reaching class 12, class 10 or Trophy Lite pricing. At that point why would you want to race a UTV when you can race one of those other cars? This happened to class 3000 which was a spec buggy & truck wheel base with an Ecotec engine platform. But what killed that class is the adaption of the Ecotec in class 10. A class 10 now became the same price as a class 3000 but you got more performance. I won’t even bring up the death of class 7’s.
Also with the current engine rules I see the engine cost getting out of hand. Right now its still proven that a stock engine with mild tuning can compete with the fully built race engines. Maybe a simple rule requiring you can only use Pump Gas (No Race Gas) would help control the cost. This would eliminate the use or need of buying expensive internal parts as you can only do so much when using 92 octane Pump Gas. Or make a Compression rule, this would eliminate all the expensive headwork. Sure some guys might still want to build super durable engines with exotic parts, but the end result is not going to change. Also for those who don’t know the 1600 VW engine platform used in the 1600 & 5/1600 & class 9 are only getting around 80-85 HP at the Flywheel. We are hearing that some UTV’s are getting as much as 150 HP at the Wheels! Do you really need more?? More Power is not going to make you faster than a 1600 car.
Another place that I see needs a re-evaluation is tire size options. Notice I said Options! This would be looked at as a Max tire size and not a mandated tire size. This area needs to be looked at as the class evolves and gets faster, and more reliable. Right now the UTV is running the smallest spec sized tire in all of desert racing. The UTV’s want to race on the same courses as the other classes, yet tire size is going to continue to be a huge limiting factor. You can get out of the way or off the course quicker with a larger tire as you will have more options to pull over. I can’t tell you how many UTV’s I saw come though Pit A at the Mint with front alignment issues and clearly bent lower a-arms. I know of 3 teams that were fixing or replacing lower A-arms at Pit A, as they are hitting rocks and just taking a beating on this course. A taller tire option will greatly improve ground clearance, performance and a taller tire will make the holes & ruts smaller. You can run just as hard with less power because of the larger tire, as you will be able to handle the holes & bumps better. Once again look at the 1600 class where they don’t have a tire size rule, but the biggest tire they all run is the 33 inch. 85HP VW engine with a 33 inch tire is faster than the UTV’s. Up to this year class 10 was running a 33 inch tire. With BFG’s new light weight 35 inch tire they have almost all switched to the 35 and the improvement is huge. Same Ecotec power, but better taller tire has once again improved the class.
And last I think the UTV class needs to re-evaluate its Tech process and who rights the rules. What you currently have was needed when the class was first started, but times have evolved and so does this process. I think a committee (Class reps) which is annually voted in by its peers should be added and these people are the voice of the class to the series. All rule changes (except safety) should be brought to a Racer vote and are only implemented at the beginning of a season. I see no reason why the UTV class can’t use the same Pre-Tech as all the other class & BITD. Part of the Tech is already handled by BITD anyways. I believe the UTV’s use Score’s Tech at all Score races, correct? I also believe the safety standards in the UTV class need to match what we see in all the other classes. This includes chassis design, as this would minimize damage when nerf’ed from a larger faster class vehicle. I also feel their needs to be a Post-Race Tech as there seems to be legitimate concerns in the class about cheating or stretching of the rules. Post Race Tech is nothing new and could be done with the same Tech People that are Tech’ing the other limited classes. And there has never been a charge for this process.
Now maybe what you’re reading is not the answer or “fix all” to the future of the UTV class, but I can assure you if it’s not looked at and re-evaluated in the near future this class will eventually price itself out of the racing market and will become the next 7’s, 5/1600 or class 3000.
Being that I come from other classes and have been in the sport longer than the word UTV has been around. I see & speak with other racers in other classes all the time. Some of the biggest issues I see facing this class is perception from the other racers and classes. I think much of it, is this class is still seen by other veterans as a Sportsman class (Golf Kart) with the majority of the drivers/teams being newbe’s to desert racing. And to be honest I can see why they might think that in many cases. Why is it that myself who has a 5/1600, which is currently slower in overall times to a competitive UTV gets way more respect? Why is it a class 9 or class 11 team which is slower than a UTV gets way more respect? Many truck classes are slower, cost more and still get more respect.
Right now I see the UTV’s going through the same transition the 1450 class (Prerunner Truck) went through. The 1450’s for a long time were known as a class full of Punk Kids or Flat Billers. Like the UTV class the 1450 was and still is a huge draw, but it’s taken time for them to get the respect they felt they deserved and much of that came from the class maturing and finding there place. I think for the UTV class to get the respect it clearly deservers, I think the UTV racers need to start co-mingling with the other classes. I think there needs to be a clear understanding of the pecking order. I think it would be great for a few TT, Class 1, Class 10 and even a few full size trick class drivers to get up and speak to the UTV class and explain what they are dealing with when they are trying to overtake a UTV or navigate on the same course as a UTV. I also think the UTV teams need to take the construction of their machines to the same level as a 1600 or class 10 car. So many of the current cars are built to race with other UTV’s but are clearly not built to race with other faster, heavier cars on the same course.
Why has the 1600 class been so strong for so long? A solid platform of rules were made and have stood the test of time. Yes over the years rules have change to meet the needs and times we race in. But the basic rules of the class have been untouched. A 10 year old car can come out, pass Tech and race competitively. I think the UTV class needs to take a look and make sure they are following the same philosophy. I know it might be harder as UTV’s are built off of a production based platform and those are always changing.
A few of the biggest issues I see with the UTV class is the fact you need to start with and buy a new stock machine. The manufactures are not making their money off of selling show room floor vehicles to racers. They make their money selling UTV’s to the masses, like the guys going to Glamis, the family that trail rides or using it for hunting or work. Since very little of the original vehicle is used, would it be more cost effective to make a rule that states an aftermarket lower frame with stock geometry pivot points could be built by aftermarket builders? This lower frame would have to meet all factory specs, and be tagged as being a legal aftermarket frame rail. There could be multiple fab shops who could be authorized by the Series or UTV Board to build these lower frames out of chromoly and are built in a spec jig to assure they all meet the factory specs. An easy set of measuring tools could be built to inspect these pivot points at Pre or Post tech. Also a chassis like this would be tagged with an assigned serial number. This could be done very much the same way the LOORS short course series does to verify the Pro Lite trucks all meet the required chassis specs.
Right now if you ripped a lower front a-arm off and in the process bend & damaged the stock pivot points are you legally able to re-fab or replace the damaged a-arm pivot tabs? Yes or No? If the answer is Yes, then how do we know you are putting them back in the stock location? And what is really left of the stock frame at that point? A few pieces of thin wall mild steel tubing? BTW the lower frame tubes do not meet the current spec of having to use DOM or Chromoly when building your chassis. Keeping the stock frame was always about keeping the stock engine location & suspension geometry right? The rules could be written that a stock lower frame with stock pivot points could still be used, or an aftermarket spec lower frame from Authorized (XYZ) shops could be used. All chassis must be inspected & tagged by the series prior to being raced, similar to what Score does for older chassis.
Now you will still need the stock drivetrain to power this race car. Well would it be cheaper to just buy a complete power & drivertrain system from your local dealership? Could aftermarket parts shops with relationships to these manufactures put a package in place where they sell a factory direct powertrain set up for these race teams? Maybe the manufactures themselves could set up a Racer Program where you sign up and can buy Crate packages directly from them? I believe longevity of this class is going to be trying to reduce and manage the cost. Because right now I can see the price of a competitive winning UTV reaching class 12, class 10 or Trophy Lite pricing. At that point why would you want to race a UTV when you can race one of those other cars? This happened to class 3000 which was a spec buggy & truck wheel base with an Ecotec engine platform. But what killed that class is the adaption of the Ecotec in class 10. A class 10 now became the same price as a class 3000 but you got more performance. I won’t even bring up the death of class 7’s.
Also with the current engine rules I see the engine cost getting out of hand. Right now its still proven that a stock engine with mild tuning can compete with the fully built race engines. Maybe a simple rule requiring you can only use Pump Gas (No Race Gas) would help control the cost. This would eliminate the use or need of buying expensive internal parts as you can only do so much when using 92 octane Pump Gas. Or make a Compression rule, this would eliminate all the expensive headwork. Sure some guys might still want to build super durable engines with exotic parts, but the end result is not going to change. Also for those who don’t know the 1600 VW engine platform used in the 1600 & 5/1600 & class 9 are only getting around 80-85 HP at the Flywheel. We are hearing that some UTV’s are getting as much as 150 HP at the Wheels! Do you really need more?? More Power is not going to make you faster than a 1600 car.
Another place that I see needs a re-evaluation is tire size options. Notice I said Options! This would be looked at as a Max tire size and not a mandated tire size. This area needs to be looked at as the class evolves and gets faster, and more reliable. Right now the UTV is running the smallest spec sized tire in all of desert racing. The UTV’s want to race on the same courses as the other classes, yet tire size is going to continue to be a huge limiting factor. You can get out of the way or off the course quicker with a larger tire as you will have more options to pull over. I can’t tell you how many UTV’s I saw come though Pit A at the Mint with front alignment issues and clearly bent lower a-arms. I know of 3 teams that were fixing or replacing lower A-arms at Pit A, as they are hitting rocks and just taking a beating on this course. A taller tire option will greatly improve ground clearance, performance and a taller tire will make the holes & ruts smaller. You can run just as hard with less power because of the larger tire, as you will be able to handle the holes & bumps better. Once again look at the 1600 class where they don’t have a tire size rule, but the biggest tire they all run is the 33 inch. 85HP VW engine with a 33 inch tire is faster than the UTV’s. Up to this year class 10 was running a 33 inch tire. With BFG’s new light weight 35 inch tire they have almost all switched to the 35 and the improvement is huge. Same Ecotec power, but better taller tire has once again improved the class.
And last I think the UTV class needs to re-evaluate its Tech process and who rights the rules. What you currently have was needed when the class was first started, but times have evolved and so does this process. I think a committee (Class reps) which is annually voted in by its peers should be added and these people are the voice of the class to the series. All rule changes (except safety) should be brought to a Racer vote and are only implemented at the beginning of a season. I see no reason why the UTV class can’t use the same Pre-Tech as all the other class & BITD. Part of the Tech is already handled by BITD anyways. I believe the UTV’s use Score’s Tech at all Score races, correct? I also believe the safety standards in the UTV class need to match what we see in all the other classes. This includes chassis design, as this would minimize damage when nerf’ed from a larger faster class vehicle. I also feel their needs to be a Post-Race Tech as there seems to be legitimate concerns in the class about cheating or stretching of the rules. Post Race Tech is nothing new and could be done with the same Tech People that are Tech’ing the other limited classes. And there has never been a charge for this process.
Now maybe what you’re reading is not the answer or “fix all” to the future of the UTV class, but I can assure you if it’s not looked at and re-evaluated in the near future this class will eventually price itself out of the racing market and will become the next 7’s, 5/1600 or class 3000.
