Originally published June 23, 2009. This article has been updated to preserve an important chapter in the early development of UTV racing.
In 2009, DragonFire Racing, Kawasaki Team Green and off-road racing legend Larry Roeseler brought one of the most advanced Kawasaki Teryx race vehicles of the era to the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series.
The partnership was notable for more than its famous driver. DragonFire transformed Kawasaki’s relatively new recreational side-by-side into a highly specialized short-course machine with approximately 120 horsepower, more than 17 inches of suspension travel and extensive custom chassis and drivetrain development.
It demonstrated how quickly UTV racing was progressing beyond lightly modified production vehicles.
From CORR to the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
DragonFire originally developed the Teryx program for Championship Off Road Racing, commonly known as CORR. Those plans changed after CORR ceased operations during the 2008 season.
The newly formed Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series provided a new home for professional short-course competition in 2009. DragonFire, Roeseler and Kawasaki Team Green subsequently prepared to debut the Teryx during Rounds 5 and 6 of the inaugural LOORS season.
This transition is an important part of the story. The earlier CORR announcement documented the project’s original intent, while the 2009 program represented the vehicle’s arrival in the series that would become a major showcase for UTV short-course racing.
Larry Roeseler Brings Decades of Racing Experience
Larry Roeseler was already one of the most accomplished competitors in off-road racing when he joined the DragonFire Teryx program. His career included numerous Baja 500 and Baja 1000 victories, International Six Days Enduro gold medals and induction into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.
Roeseler also had a long relationship with Kawasaki through Team Green. His experience developing race vehicles was especially valuable at a time when builders were still discovering how much power, suspension travel and speed could be extracted from early UTV platforms.
The partnership placed an internationally recognized desert racer behind the wheel of a vehicle derived from the relatively new Kawasaki Teryx 750.
A Radical Kawasaki Teryx Race Build
The DragonFire Team Green Teryx was substantially more sophisticated than a typical modified recreational UTV. DragonFire spent approximately six months developing the machine for professional short-course racing.
Important features included:
- Approximately 120 horsepower from the modified Kawasaki V-twin engine
- More than 17 inches of suspension travel
- Custom front-steer spindles and steering rack
- Quick-ratio steering with a steering damper
- Purpose-built front and rear A-arms
- 24-inch FOX shocks mounted to the lower suspension arms
- Large remote shock reservoirs for improved cooling
- Type 1 rear axles and CV joints
- Inboard rear hubs and disc brakes
- 14-inch ITP tires
- Billet hanging brake pedal with a remote reservoir
- Racepak digital instrumentation
The Racepak display allowed the driver to monitor engine speed, vehicle speed, water temperature, oil temperature, oil pressure and even shock temperature. That level of instrumentation reflected how seriously DragonFire approached vehicle development.
Why This Teryx Mattered
The original Kawasaki Teryx arrived for the 2008 model year as a recreational V-twin side-by-side with practical utility capability. Builders quickly recognized that its engine and chassis could also serve as the foundation for substantially more aggressive race vehicles.
DragonFire’s machine showed how far that concept could be taken. Its suspension geometry, specialized drivetrain components, instrumentation and engine output had more in common with a purpose-built race car than a conventional trail UTV.
Programs like this also accelerated aftermarket development. Components tested under short-course racing conditions helped manufacturers learn how to manage increased horsepower, suspension loads, CV angles, braking forces and shock temperatures.
DragonFire and Kawasaki Find Success in Baja
The broader DragonFire and Kawasaki Team Green racing program also produced important desert-racing results during 2009.
Earlier that June, Reid Nordin and Hans Waage drove a DragonFire-built Teryx to victory in the UTV class at the 2009 SCORE Baja 500. The team completed the demanding 432.51-mile course in 18 hours, 23 minutes and 42 seconds.
DragonFire and Kawasaki followed that performance with another victory at the 2009 Baja 1000. Reid Nordin, Hans Waage, Todd Romano and Larry Roeseler shared driving duties in the Kawasaki Teryx, completing the 672-mile race in 24 hours, 32 minutes and 37 seconds.
Our driver’s account from the 2009 Baja 1000 provides a closer look at the team, changing driving conditions and the challenges encountered during that successful race.
An Early Milestone in Professional UTV Racing
The DragonFire, Roeseler and Team Green partnership captured UTV racing at a pivotal moment. The category was attracting experienced professional drivers, increasingly sophisticated engineering and greater support from manufacturers and aftermarket companies.
The DragonFire Teryx was far removed from a stock recreational side-by-side, but its Kawasaki origins remained important. It helped demonstrate the performance potential of the early V-twin Teryx while contributing to the rapid evolution of short-course and desert UTV racing.
Explore the complete history of the Kawasaki Teryx and Teryx4, or browse more machines and milestones in the UTVGuide.net Kawasaki archive.
