John Deere RSX 850i WORCS Race UTV

UTVUnderground.com was approached in early 2012 by current John Deere desert racer Scott Martinez of AA Equipment in regards to a new project he wanted to involve us in.  At the time we had heard the rumors and seen the pictures of this new sport minded UTV John Deere (RSX 850i) was coming out with but it wasn't until we met with Scott on this new project that we would know just how cool this new platform was really going to be.  Before I get ahead of myself let me explain how this all came together. Scott came to us with a plan that he and John Deere had worked out to introduce a new race program based around this new RSX platform that JD was set to introduce in Summer 2012. Having worked with Scott in promoting his current BITD program and having worked with John Deere on the introduction of their Gator 825i Scott and John Deere knew that UTVUnderground.com would be the perfect MEDIA partner in helping them launch this new program and find the remaining pieces of the puzzle they needed to complete this new "team".  The idea was to create a 2 car program, 1 RSX for WORCS to compete in the Production 850 class and 1 new RSX for the BITD series to compete in Pro UTV. While we had all kinds of cool build ideas, concepts, and partners/sponsors to include the first step was to partner with a fabrication shop to help us develop and design the new machines.  With Scott's blessing we sat down with Magnum Offroad out of San Marcos, CA.  It didn't take long before hands were shaking and a deal was made to have Magnum take on the project of building out both cars.  Magnum was selected not only for their fabrication skills but also for the suspension development skills and experience in developing high end products for multiple industries.  Not only would Magnum build both machines but in the end it would be decided that Danny Rosenzweig of Magnum would also be contracted to pilot the WORCS Production 850 RSX for the 2013 WORCS season!  This added a whole new level of excitement to the build and gave Magnum the motivation needed to bust this machine out in time to not only show it off this week at the John Deere RSX intro / dealer show but also in plenty of time to test and be ready for next season. Now that the build partner was in place the next step was to get the machines in the shop so Magnum could get cracking on the build.  Scott Martinez and his crew at AA Equipment delivered 2 new base model RSX machines to Magnum Offroad so the team could get started. The first plan of attack was to knock out the WORCS race machine that you see completed in all the attached pics.  The WORCS car would be designed with the bolt on customer in mind.  The goal was to build a competitive race UTV that could be built by simply bolting on a cage, bumpers, seats, suspension, etc all developed by Magnum Offroad and other UTVUnderground supporting sponsors.  While one machine was torn down to the frame for construction the other would travel secretly to other shops to have products researched and developed both for the new race program and for future customers and owners of the new John Deere RSX's.  Companies like Yoshimura and CBR Performance would have early looks at the machine to help develop exhaust and cooling products.  PRP Seats would custom fit seats and window nets, and Fox Shox would patiently wait for measurements to get working on shocks for the new race UTV's. Magnum wasted no time diving into what we felt was the most important part of the new machines, the suspension.  This is a set up like no other.  With unequal length rear a-arms and a front suspension set up that would require hours of R&D to compensate for its unique design the task of developing a long travel was not easy.  But a challenge is just that, and Magnum was up to taking on this kit and what they ended up producing would be nothing short of amazing.  They would turn out a boxed +6 LT kit that resembled something off of a Stealth Bomber. Drawn in CAD and built out of laser cut and CNC break bent 4130 plate, this LT kit is a work of art! Sporting just under 15" of wheel travel at all 4 corners and coupled with Magnum's finely tuned Fox 2.0 adjustable coil over shocks it is without a doubt going to be one of the best suspended UTV's on the track!  A front sway bar will help keep the car stable in the corners while the rear has multiple adjustments to help with camber and caster settings.  The axles, custom made by Summers Bros. and made of 4340 work with the stock CV's but were a lot harder to change over in comparison to some other UTV's.  In all we can't wait to see what this machine can do on the track! The chassis which only took a couple of weeks to design and build is made of 1.5" X .095 4130 chromoly tubing.  Magnum designed this awesome looking bed delete / bolt on cage to WORCS specs.  All aluminum was done in house while the powdercoat work was done at Olympic Coatings in Escondido, CA. The temporary decal work was also done in house in time for the John Deere RSX intro / dealer show but will be sent out to be fully wrapped by the time it ever hits the track! Engine work thus far has been kept to a minimum.  Clutch work and exhaust are all that have been added to the V-Twin powerplant.  What we can tell you about the RSX's power-plant is that the engine is built by Piaggio, the same company that makes engines for companies like Aprilia and this news really excites us.  While its not competitive when lined up against say an XP900 or Commander 1000 it certainly holds its own against the likes of a RZR 800 or Teryx 750.  Any other motor mods (current or future) will be kept secret per the request of Magnum Offroad or until they say we can spill the beans!  lol  We can tell you that the team will be working to help develop products that all future customers and owners of the RSX could benefit from! As for the BITD machine, well that project is underway!  Because of the more open rule set up for desert racing the suspension set up and chassis design will be more inline with what you see from current top teams competing in the BITD / UTV race class.  Suspension will be a little more custom on the BITD car where the WORCS car will be a kit that is readily available for anyone wanting to put LT on their RSX.  We will surely feature this hot machine once its complete which we hope will be in time to lineup at the 2012 Vegas 2 Reno race!!  The goal with both cars was to keep them looking like the showroom machines, and we think that this was accomplished so far with the WORCS car.  While the BITD car will be a bit more extreme, it too will still resemble the UTV it began as, and we can't wait to show that one off as well!   SPECIFICATIONS Magnum Offroad Custom 1.5” x .095 4130 WORCS Race Legal Bed Delete Cage

Magnum Offroad Front Bumper w/ Skipplate

Magnum Offroad Custom Aluminum Body Panels w/ Light Wing All Powder Coat By Olympic Coatings Magnum Offroad +6 Long Travel Suspension System (14.75” Wheel Travel / 4130 Plate Boxed Arm Design) Summers Brothers 4340 Axles Fox Racing 2.0 Piggyback Shocks w/ Compression Adjustment Fox Racing Lightweight Race Springs PRP RSX Seats /3.0 5-Point Harness’s / Window Nets Yoshimura Custom Dual Exhaust Racer X Fresh Air System / Clutch Fan Racer X Communications TEAM Clutch System CBR Aluminum Radiator / Oil Cooler KC HID Offroad Lights 12” DWT Aluminum Beadlock Wheels 26” GMZ Slammer Tires   LINKS Magnum Offroad John Deere AA Equipment UTVUnderground.com [gallery link="file" orderby="rand"]

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