The third annual UTV Industry Ride brought some of the UTV industry’s leading manufacturers, builders, shops and media outlets to the Imperial Sand Dunes from February 27 through March 2, 2014.
UTVGuide.net founder Jon Crowley and Dave Kuskie of Fullerton Sand Sports started the gathering in 2012 as an informal opportunity for industry friends to ride together at Glamis. By its third year, the event had grown into a small industry convention supported by more than 30 sponsors.
The UTV Industry Ride gave parts manufacturers, custom shops and engine builders an opportunity to unveil their newest machines to other industry professionals. The gathering also helped create connections and partnerships that led to new products and builds for UTV enthusiasts.
Photographers captured the show machines in camp, during group rides and at locations throughout the dunes. Neal Rideout Photography, Cody Hooper of In2Dirt Media and Jon Crowley photographed the 2014 event.
Custom UTVs Take Over Glamis
The Polaris RZR dominated the 2014 gathering. Most of the newly completed custom machines were RZR XP 1000 models, which had reached dealerships only months earlier. Several RZR XP 900s, Arctic Cat Wildcats and Can-Am Mavericks also joined the event.
The event was based near the Glamis Beach Store and Vendor Row. In addition to the customized UTVs, the transporters and support vehicles used to haul them created an impressive display of their own.
Participants gathered for fast-paced group rides, taking turns throwing sand and launching their machines through the dunes. Despite the hard driving, the weekend ended with only a few broken parts and no reported injuries.
High-Horsepower Machines and New Builds
Dave Kuskie attacked the dunes in his high-horsepower turbocharged RZR XP 900. Sparks Racing and Muzzys Performance brought big-bore RZR XP machines that produced more power than some turbo cars we had driven.
Shawn Gibson of Gibson Exhaust launched a relatively stock RZR XP 1000 over some impressive dune jumps, while Cognito Motorsports put its XP 1000 race car through its paces.
SDR Motorsports brought “Betsy,” a heavily customized, turbocharged RZR 4 equipped with an HCR Racing suspension system. Pro Armor and OMF Performance also displayed extensively modified machines.
Queen Racing brought Z1-powered RZRs producing a claimed 300 to 500 horsepower. The cars had enough power to carry their front wheels across the flats. JRi Shocks, FOX and Walker Evans Racing representatives were also on hand to tune suspension setups in the dunes.
2014 UTV Industry Ride Photo Gallery
Fullerton Sand Sports
UTVGuide.net
Cognito Motorsports
SDR Motorsports
Bert’s Mega Mall
Race Proven Motors
TMW Off-Road
ProLine Wraps
Muzzys Performance
SSV Works
Queen Racing
Sparks Racing
Factory UTV
Desert Works Fabrication
JRi Shocks and GPS Offroad Products
GBC Motorsports
Pro Armor
Wolf Designs
OMF Performance
Triple X Seats
Gibson Exhaust
Benchmark Performance
Alternative Offroad
Idaho Dunes RV Park
FOX
RZR XP 4 1000 Battle of the Builders
One of the weekend’s major unveilings was the debut of two customized RZR XP 4 1000 builds created by TMW Off-Road and SDR Motorsports.
TMW built Jon Crowley’s orange-and-black UTVGuide.net XP 4 1000, while SDR Motorsports constructed a separate XP 4 for Joey DiGiovanni of UTVUnderground. Although both projects started with the same platform, the builders produced two distinctly different interpretations of the four-seat RZR.
See the complete specifications and build photos in our RZR XP 4 1000 Battle of the Builders: TMW vs. SDR feature.
Closing Out the Weekend
The final day included a large group photo, another ride through the dunes and dinner in the sand at Daddy’s Famous Foods, also known as Tillie’s, near the Glamis Beach Store.
The combination of riding, testing, photography and informal conversations helped create new working relationships throughout the UTV aftermarket. It also gave participating companies an opportunity to see how their newest vehicles and products performed outside the shop or showroom.
Behind-the-scenes photos from participants can still be found on social media using the hashtag #UTVIndustryRide.
Photos by Neal Rideout Photography, Cody Hooper and Jon Crowley.
2014 Event Sponsors
- UTVGuide.net
- Fullerton Sand Sports
- Pro Armor
- TMW Off-Road
- SDR Motorsports
- Queen Racing
- Race Proven Motors
- ProLine Wraps
- Bert’s Mega Mall
- Triple X Seats
- The Pro Shop
- Sparks Racing
- Muzzys Performance
- SSV Works
- Cognito Motorsports
- Gibson Exhaust
- HCR Racing / MCX
- Benchmark Performance
- GMZ Race Products
- GPS Offroad
- Wolf Designs
- STR8UP Motorsports
- Desert Works Fabrication
- Alternative Offroad
- GBC Motorsports
- Factory UTV
- OMF Performance
- JRi Shocks
- XTC Motorsports
- FOX
- Idaho Dunes RV Park
