By Seth Fargher. Photos by Seth Fargher, Jon Crowley and Six Speed.
For many Southern California off-road enthusiasts, spending Halloween weekend in Glamis is a tradition. Coming from Charlotte, North Carolina, trips to the West Coast were much less common for me, so when the opportunity came to attend one of the biggest UTV gatherings of the year, I couldn’t book my flight fast enough.
Camp RZR West 2015 took place October 30–31 at the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area near Glamis, California. The weekend combined open-dune riding with Polaris demo rides, Terracross racing, custom UTV builds, vendor displays, entertainment and some enormous giveaways.
Camp RZR Returns to Glamis
Camp RZR was essentially a UTV festival created to celebrate Polaris RZR owners and the wider off-road community. Visitors could see the latest Polaris vehicles, take demo rides and meet many of the companies building parts and accessories for the rapidly growing side-by-side market.
Many attendees arrived earlier in the week, but high winds delayed Friday’s official opening. Those same winds also produced poor visibility in the dunes and largely eliminated our chances of riding that evening.
Terracross Racing at Camp RZR
One of the biggest additions for 2015 was Terracross. The closed-course UTV racing series held its final two rounds of the season at Camp RZR, bringing professional racers and action-sports personalities to Glamis.
Despite the wind, the demo fleet stayed busy while Terracross competitors qualified for the weekend’s first main event. With nighttime dune riding off the table, a few friends and I headed to Hot Rods and Beer for what may have been the best $10 steak I had ever eaten.
Sunrise in the Glamis Dunes
The wind that disrupted Friday left behind a worthwhile consolation prize: miles of clean, untracked sand. Early Saturday morning, Jon Crowley and I headed into the dunes with the new Polaris RZR XP Turbo 4 and Jon’s FOX Edition RZR XP 1000.
I had the chance to drive the four-seat XP Turbo and came away thoroughly impressed. The untouched dunes and low morning light also created ideal conditions for photographing both machines.
Camp RZR Village and Giveaways
Back at Camp RZR Village, the event was building toward a full day of activities. Early-rising duners were treated to breakfast at Duner’s Diner courtesy of FOX, while thousands of attendees lined up for the Polaris prize wheel.
Polaris and participating vendors reportedly distributed more than $200,000 in prizes during the weekend. The prizes ranged from GoPro cameras, seats and exhaust systems to complete Polaris RZR vehicles.
Terracross Championships Decided
The Terracross course remained active for most of Saturday. Organizers ran the Round 5 final in the morning before beginning qualifying for Round 6, which was contested under the lights that night.
Motocross champion Sara Price dominated the women’s competition, winning both rounds and securing the season championship. Jason Luburgh won Round 5 and then wrapped up the 2015 men’s championship in Round 6, despite a strong performance by Mitch Guthrie Jr. in the night race.
The 2015 Terracross championship podiums.
Halloween RZR 170 Race
Terracross wasn’t the weekend’s only racing attraction. Polaris athletes dressed in Halloween costumes for a celebrity RZR 170 race. WORCS champion Ryan Piplic competed as a Power Ranger, while XP1K star RJ Anderson appeared as Harry Potter.
Industry regulars dressed as bananas and threw water balloons at the racers as they circulated part of the Terracross course. Add the Jack Link’s Sasquatch mascot and the result was exactly the sort of entertaining chaos expected from Camp RZR on Halloween.
Camp RZR Show ’n Shine
The Camp RZR Show ’n Shine brought together several memorable builds. Proline Wraps displayed its Atomachrome and Ice Breaker projects, TMW Offroad brought the LS-powered Project Werewolf, and Muzzys Performance entered Purple Haze and its extensively modified Captain America-themed RZR 170.
All three top Show ’n Shine finishers donated their winnings to Warfighter Made, a nonprofit organization that provides recreational therapy to wounded veterans.
Four RZR XP Turbo Giveaways
Saturday night concluded with the premiere of RJ Anderson’s XP1K3 video and the grand-prize drawing for four Polaris RZR XP Turbos. Thousands of people packed Camp RZR Village, hoping to hear their names called.
Organizers selected 10 finalists and brought them onstage. Each finalist opened an envelope attached beneath a chair. Nobody walked away empty-handed, but four particularly fortunate attendees left Glamis with brand-new RZR XP Turbos.
One Last Glamis Ride
With Camp RZR West officially in the books and much of the crowd preparing to leave, Sunday morning gave us one final opportunity to ride. Our later-than-planned start meant the light wasn’t quite as dramatic as Saturday’s sunrise, but we still captured more photos and finished the trip with another memorable dune ride.
Camp RZR West 2015 was more than a vehicle display or race weekend. It was Polaris’ way of connecting with RZR owners and thanking the enthusiasts who helped turn the brand into one of the most recognizable names in the UTV industry.
Camp RZR West 2015 Photo Gallery
UTVGuide.net RZR XP Turbo Project
FOX Edition RZR XP 1000 Project
Polaris RZR XP Turbo 4
Sunrise Ride with SSV Works
TMW Offroad RZR XP Turbo
SDR Motorsports Yamaha YXZ1000R
See our complete Yamaha YXZ1000R history, reviews and model guide.
Proline Wraps
Shock Therapy
rOtation Sports Management and Bikeman Performance
Assault Industries Yamaha YXZ1000R
Tim Gantz RZR XP 1000 Turbo
