Phil Blurton Wins Best in the Desert Season-Opening Parker 250
Phil Blurton began his chase to reclaim the Best in the Desert UTV Turbo championship on a high note, winning Saturday’s Tensor Tire Parker 250 presented by Polaris RZR with a time of 4:34:52.895. Austin Weiland finished second in class, just over a minute behind, while Jacob Carver’s brand new build completed the Turbo podium as Can-Am and Polaris evenly split the top six spots in the finishing order.
Blurton’s 2019 title chase saw three consecutive victories at the UTV World Championship, Silver State 300, and Vegas to Reno, only for a DNF in the season-ending Laughlin Desert Classic to end his title hopes. Mitch Guthrie Jr. scored the win and class title in last year’s season finale, but wasn’t on hand himself to begin the title defense in Parker; his father, Mitch Guthrie Sr., stepped in and drove the Red Bull-backed Polaris RZR to seventh in the standings.
UTV Production
Kaden Wells took the victory in UTV Production, with Joe Bolton in second and Robby Gordon completing the podium. Gordon started the race and completed the first lap, while his son Max, at just 11 years old, drove the second and third laps as the team finished within 10 minutes of Wells. Defending class champion Seth Quintero returned from Saudi Arabia, where he was supporting Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team teammates Guthrie Jr. and Blade Hildebrand in the Dakar Rally, to score an eighth place finish to kick off his championship defense.
UTV Unlimited
Defending UTV Unlimited champion Michael Isom was the only driver to kick off his title defense with a victory, winning by nearly 20 minutes over Shane Redline, while James Hill topped the UTV Rally class and Craig Macintosh was the lone UTV Sportsman finisher. In total, 95 competitors finished Saturday’s race—including 34 in UTV Turbo, 27 in UTV Production, 15 in UTV Unlimited, and 19 in the UTV Rally and Sportsman classes.
UTV Short-course
In Friday’s UTV short course action, Beau Judge took the UTV Turbo and overall victories with a time of 1:05:25.750, while 15-year-old Casey Sims was the UTV Production 1000 winner. BITD’s new youth championship kicked off in Parker as well with Ethan Groom, John Koltura, and Chase Mankin taking short course wins, and George Llamosas, Chaden Zane Minder, and Mankin scoring production victories.
What's next?
Best in the Desert returns to action on January 23-26 with the BlueWater Resort & Casino Parker 425 presented by Jimco for cars and trucks. The UTV class returns to action with the Baja Designs UTV Night Race during the King Shocks Laughlin Desert Classic on February 20. Youth UTVs will next compete at the inaugural US Desert Scrambles Championship, also in Laughlin, on March 20-22.
2020 Parker 250 Results
UTV Production
| 1 | 1995 | Kaden . Wells | St George, UT | POL | 4:53:21 |
| 2 | 1957 | Joe Bolton | Corona, CA | POL | 5:01:31 |
| 3 | 1971 | Robby . Gordon | Charlotte, NC | TEX | 5:02:00 |
| 4 | 1974 | Eric Brisco | Blythe, CA | POL | 5:03:27 |
| 5 | 1895 | Corbin Wells | St George, UT | POL | 5:07:31 |
| 6 | 1817 | Bret Ward | Scottsdale, AZ | POL | 5:10:05 |
| 7 | 1907 | Mike De Ley | Meifee, CA | POL | 5:18:02 |
| 8 | 1903 | Seth Quintero | San Marcos, CA | POL | 5:22:29 |
| 9 | 1808 | Madeline Wedeking | Temecula, CA | POL | 5:26:08 |
| 10 | 1807 | Larry Sobolewski | Moreno Valley, CA | POL | 5:28:16 |
| 11 | 1925 | Jax. Redline | Amarillo, TX | CTM | 5:31:51 |
| 12 | 1937 | Jesse Gage | Lancaster, CA | YAM | 5:41:50 |
| 13 | 1924 | Lacrecia Beurrier | Lake Havasu City | POL | 5:47:00 |
| 14 | 1938 | Kolton Hustead | St George, UT | TEX | 5:47:19 |
| 15 | 1996 | Brook Jensen | Pinon Hills, CA | POL | 5:51:28 |
| 16 | 1854 | Zackary Sims | Purcell, OK | YAM | 5:59:41 |
| 17 | 1814 | Barry Bennett | Blythe, CA | POL | 6:00:15 |
| 18 | 1877 | Randy Blume | Phoenix, AZ | TEX | 6:06:09 |
| 19 | 1981 | Matthew Banuelos | Whittier, CA | UNK | 6:13:14 |
| 20 | 1837 | Mia Chapman | Florence, AZ | POL | 6:14:58 |
| 21 | 1997 | Zach Van Matre | Orange Co., CA | TEX | 6:18:36 |
| 22 | 1940 | Troy Wall | Washington, UT | POL | 4:13:33 |
| 23 | 1958 | George Felix | Houston, TX | POL | 4:43:15 |
| 24 | 1977 | Brayden Baker | Anaheim Hills, CA | POL | 4:49:37 |
| 25 | 1951 | Mike Podratz | Murrieta, CA | POL | 5:36:22 |
| 26 | 1991 | Dominick Gaglione | Henderson, NV | POL | 6:03:30 |
| 27 | 1824 | Kirk Harkey | Perris, CA | POL | 4:37:15 |
| DNF | 1921 | Tommee Walker | Costa Mesa, CA | POL | 3:39:12 |
| DNF | 1975 | Richard Sain | Blythe, CA | POL | 3:58:07 |
| DNF | 1803 | Aaron Clark | Yorba Linda, CA | POL | 0:00:00 |
| DNF | 1927 | Ryan Ottersberg | Phoenix, AZ | POL | 0:00:00 |
| DNF | 1850 | Michael Pascarella | Ridgecrest, CA | POL | 0:00:00 |
| DNF | 1980 | Scott Webster | Brawley, CA | POL | 0:00:00 |
UTV Unlimited
| 1 | 2901 | Michael Isom | Washington, UT | CAM | 4:45:43 |
| 2 | 2977 | Shane .. Redline | Amarillo, TX | CAM | 5:04:06 |
| 3 | 2907 | William Long | Wasilla, AK | CAM | 5:04:18 |
| 4 | 2916 | Paul Kraus | Los Angeles, CA | CAM | 5:09:52 |
| 5 | 2975 | Travis Zollinger | Logan, UT | CAM | 5:18:31 |
| 6 | 2924 | Randy Raschein | Brownsville, OR | CAM | 5:19:55 |
| 7 | 2982 | Nicholas Shearer | Riverside, CA | CAM | 5:22:06 |
| 8 | 2966 | Paul Wadlington | Colorado Springs | POL | 5:28:48 |
| 9 | 2972 | Eric Phillips | Anchorage, AK | CAM | 5:41:00 |
| 10 | 2925 | Jeramiah Drew | Las Vegas, NV | CAM | 5:52:45 |
| 11 | 2929 | Josh Shelton | Spicewood, TX | CAM | 5:56:52 |
| 12 | 2940 | George Pondella | Glendale, CA | CAM | 6:17:43 |
| 13 | 2963 | Craig Johnson | Clarissa, MN | CAM | 6:24:37 |
| 14 | 2920 | Cindy Aguilera Cob | Claremont, CA | POL | 4:23:14 |
| 15 | 2964 | Robert . Vanbeeku | Queen Creek, AZ | POL | 5:45:50 |
| DNF | 2911 | Renee Hudson | Lake Havasu, AZ | POL | 1:34:17 |
| DNF | 2921 | Kent Pfeiffer | Costa Mesa, CA | YAM | 1:40:03 |
| DNF | 2969 | Cheyne Dewolfe | Buckeye, AZ | CAM | 0:00:00 |
| DNF | 2999 | Sonny Midson | Washington, UT | CAM | 0:00:00 |
UTV Sport
| 1 | S915 | Craig Macintosh | Culver City, CA | POL | 4:10:39 |
UTV Turbo
| 1 | T944 | Phil Blurton | Auburn, CA | CAM | 4:34:53 |
| 2 | T954 | Austin Weiland | El Cajon, CA | CAM | 4:35:58 |
| 3 | T936 | Jacob Carver | Prescott Valley, A | POL | 4:41:11 |
| 4 | T974 | Randy Romo | Henderson, NV | POL | 4:41:25 |
| 5 | T917 | Jason Murray | Santa Ana, CA | CAM | 4:41:50 |
| 6 | T991 | Sierra Romo | Henderson, NV | POL | 4:42:24 |
| 7 | T901 | Mitch.. Guthrie Jr. | Glendora, CA | POL | 4:44:48 |
| 8 | T873 | Jorge Vela | Cabo San Lucas, | CAM | 4:47:23 |
| 9 | T910 | Dan Fisher | Mesa, AZ | CAM | 4:49:09 |
| 10 | T925 | James Moore | Farmington, NM | CAM | 4:53:31 |
| 11 | T969 | Logan Gastel | Highland, CA | CAM | 4:53:47 |
| 12 | T911 | Josh Meister | California City, CA | CAM | 4:54:37 |
| 13 | T958 | Michael . Mamelli J | Costa Mesa, CA | POL | 4:56:41 |
| 14 | T829 | Aspen Chournos | St George, UT | POL | 4:59:47 |
| 15 | T912 | Russell Bowers | Stockton, CA | POL | 5:13:00 |
| 16 | T815 | Ryan Piplic | Las Vegas, NV | POL | 5:15:19 |
| 17 | T984 | Geoff Barnes | Richfield, UT | CTM | 5:15:42 |
| 18 | T908 | Colin Wernecke | California, CA | POL | 5:19:04 |
| 19 | T811 | Jerry Jr. Beall | Yucaipa, CA | CAM | 5:21:28 |
| 20 | T833 | Brian Crawford | Blythe, CA | POL | 5:25:13 |
| 21 | T915 | Jim Beaver | Parker, AZ | POL | 5:27:05 |
| 22 | T979 | Mike Sieg | Fort St. John, BC | POL | 5:27:19 |
| 23 | T978 | Dustin Jones | Bossier City, LA | CAM | 5:29:14 |
| 24 | T806 | Mitchell Alsup | Bakersfield, CA | CAM | 5:40:38 |
| 25 | T918 | Justin Lambert | Bakersfield, CA | POL | 5:49:42 |
| 26 | T987 | Jonmark Richardson | Glendale, AZ | CAM | 5:51:55 |
| 27 | T862 | Gunner Savage | Dewey, AZ | POL | 6:26:19 |
| 28 | T949 | Brian Cyrus | Sod, AL | POL | 6:32:07 |
| 29 | T946 | Landon Phillips | Littleton, CO | POL | 6:47:45 |
| 30 | T919 | Brandon Schueler | Phoenix, AZ | POL | 4:40:42 |
| 31 | T845 | Colt Brinkerhoff | Laguna Hills, CA | CAM | 4:45:24 |
| 32 | T948 | Matt Burroughs | Norco, CA | CAM | 4:46:52 |
| 33 | T913 | Branden Sims | Prescott Valley, A | POL | 5:27:34 |
| 34 | T888 | Brett Comiskey | Yucaipa, CA | CAM | 6:17:25 |
| DNF | T920 | Pete Libby | Oxford, ME | CAM | 3:35:12 |
| DNF | T874 | Elias Hanna | San Diego, CA | CAM | 3:35:17 |
| DNF | T927 | Justin Smith | Wittman, AZ | CAM | 3:39:23 |
| DNF | T866 | Chris Leaming | Gilbert, AZ | POL | 3:40:57 |
| DNF | T821 | Nathan Waunch | Olympia, WA | POL | 3:53:13 |
| DNF | T962 | Christine G.z. | Villa Verde, ES | CAM | 4:00:35 |
| DNF | T813 | Cole Freiday | Kingman, AZ | CAM | 4:04:31 |
| DNF | T883 | Ally Fortin | El Cajon, CA | CAM | 1:22:36 |
| DNF | T899 | Pablo Copetti | Key Biscayne, FL | CAM | 1:23:39 |
| DNF | T877 | Rob. Archibald | Lakeside, CA | CAM | 1:27:14 |
| DNF | T820 | Rj Hayes | Apple Valley, CA | CTM | 1:34:28 |
| DNF | T802 | Adam Castaneda | Yuma, AZ | CAM | 1:37:20 |
| DNF | T805 | Kyle Chavez | Yuma, AZ | CAM | 1:48:21 |
| DNF | T952 | Jonathan. Mcvay | San Tan Valley, A | POL | 1:50:35 |
| DNF | T850 | Bruce. Binnquist | Costa Mesa, CA | GEI | 0:00:00 |
| DNF | T928 | Freddie Cardenas | Riverside, CA | CAM | 0:00:00 |
| DNF | T922 | Bernie Gomez | Huntsville, AL | POL | 0:00:00 |
| DNF | T961 | Nate Hale | Draper, UT | POL | 0:00:00 |
| DNF | T988 | Todd Miller | San Clemente, C | CAM | 0:00:00 |
| DNF | T904 | Cory Sappington | Peoria, AZ | CAM | 0:00:00 |
| DNF | T914 | Tyler Walker | Cave Creek, AZ | POL | 0:00:00 |
| DNF | T849 | Dean Wheeler Jr | Phoenix, AZ | POL | 0:00:00 |
UTV Rally
| *1 | U951 | James Hill | Lake Elsinore, CA | POL | 5:23:35 |
| *2 | U923 | Bruce Kennedy | Glendale, AZ | CAM | 5:25:18 |
| *3 | U922 | Justin Boume | Las Vegas, NV | POL | 5:50:57 |
| *4 | U903 | Jarrett Whitted | Yuma, AZ | POL | 6:07:21 |
| 5 | U901 | Jack Olliges | Las Vegas, NV | CAM | 6:15:23 |
| 6 | U956 | Eric Murphy | Morenci, AZ | CAM | 6:29:36 |
| *7 | U998 | Donnie Bales | Murrieta, CA | HON | 3:43:39 |
| *8 | U960 | David Dorsey | Steamboat Spring | CAM | 3:43:48 |
| *9 | U907 | Brody... Aikins | Peoria, AZ | TEX | 3:45:08 |
| *10 | U950 | Kalvin Gile | Hereford, AZ | CAM | 3:49:52 |
| *11 | U969 | Cash Shaleen | Lake Elsinore, CA | POL | 3:56:52 |
| *12 | U966 | Conner Batham | Glendora, CA | POL | 3:58:19 |
| *13 | U932 | Ruslan Yankilevich | Perris, CA | POL | 4:12:32 |
| *14 | U908 | Doug Lent | Kingman, AZ | POL | 4:13:01 |
| 15 | U997 | Rick Smith | Frazier Park, CA | CAM | 4:15:28 |
| *16 | U921 | Kailee Olliges | Las Vegas, NV | CAM | 4:19:14 |
| *17 | U917 | Vanessa Isabel | Lone Tree, CO | CAM | 4:34:07 |
| *18 | U911 | Matthew Burke | Las Vegas, NV | CAM | 6:04:38 |
| DNF | U970 | Russell Griffin | Houston, MS | POL | 3:34:57 |
| DNF | U954 | Veronica Whitesell | Marshall, IL | CAM | 3:44:37 |
| DNF | U964 | Cory Edgar | Farminton, NM | POL | 1:50:56 |
| DNF | U973 | Jevon Ahner | Northampton, PA | POL | 0:00:00 |
| DNF | U912 | Ethan Groom | Temecula, CA | POL | 0:00:00 |
*Penalty Applied
Parker 250 Race Pictures
Seth Quintero 
Phil Blurton 
Phil Blurton 
Seth Quintero 
Mitchell Alsup 
Phil Blurton 
Jim Beaver 
Brett Comiskey 
Brandon Schueler 
Justin Lambert 
Phil Blurton 
Matt Burroughs 
Mike Sieg 
James Moore Michael Isom 
George Pondella 
Seth Quintero 
Justin Lambert 
Brandon Schueler 
Phil Blurton 
Mitch Guthrie Jr. 
Mitch Guthrie Jr. 
Michael Isom 
Michael Isom 
Josh Meister 
Aspen Chournos 
Corbin Wells 
Seth Quintero 
Branden Sims 
Branden Sims 
Branden Sims 
Words by: Chris Leone // UTVUnderground.com
Photos by: Ernesto Araiza // UTVUnderground.com