Minneapolis (February 8, 2018) – Polaris Factory Racing continued its electric start to the 2018 season with a podium sweep at the Can-Am King of the Hammers UTV Race, the world’s toughest one-day off-road race.
Following Ronnie Anderson’s win last week at WORCS season opener in the all-new RZR® RS1, Mitch Guthrie Jr.’s victory kept the Polaris Factory Racing team atop the podium. Guthrie Jr. was joined by fellow Polaris teammate Branden Sims in second and his father, Mitch Guthrie Sr., taking third. With multiple victories already secured early in this season, the Polaris team is primed to build upon its incredibly successful 2017 season.
From an early age, Mitch Guthrie Jr. has pursued his father’s pedigree of racing success and excellence – as Mitch Guthrie Sr. is a six-time King of the Hammers UTV champion and UTV racing legend. Despite having won multiple marquee races in his young career, including the Mint 400, UTV World Championships and Baja 1000, the coveted King of the Hammers title has eluded Guthrie Jr. until now. With his incredible victory at this year’s King of the Hammers event, it appears that a changing of the guard is in order from father to son.
“It’s been a long road getting here with countless hours spent practicing and even participating in this race with my dad a few times. To finally not just be in the race, but to walk away a champion is a huge honor for me and an experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life,” said Mitch Guthrie Jr. “My dad is my biggest inspiration and my toughest competition. We had a good plan coming in to run a smooth course, and the Polaris RZR was awesome and allowed us to come out on top.”
“We want to congratulate our entire team for their performance at this week’s event. To come back to King of the Hammers and sweep the podium for the second consecutive year is truly a testament to not just the Polaris RZR, but to each of the drivers on our team,” said Matt Boone, RZR and Marketing Director at Polaris. “We are thrilled for Mitch Jr. on his first career victory at King of the Hammers. We know what this race means to him and his family with his dad winning here so many times before.”
Yesterday’s victory continues the Polaris Factory Racing team’s dynamic start to the season that already includes victories at the Desert and Short Courses at the GMZ UTV Winter Nationals Casey Folks Parker 250, and the WORCS season opener at Orleans Arena last weekend in Las Vegas. These victories combined with an additional 43 wins and 129 podiums within the last two years, showcase how the Polaris Factory Racing team continues to outperform the competition in desert racing.
The Polaris Factory team will look to continue its success when it returns to competition on February 23 with Round 2 of the WORCS series at Canyon Motocross in Peoria, Arizona.
More information about Polaris Off-Road Vehicles and Polaris Engineered Accessories can be found at RZR.Polaris.com. Also visit us and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
About Polaris
Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII) is a global powersports leader that has been fueling the passion of riders, workers and outdoor enthusiasts for more than 60 years. With annual 2016 sales of $4.5 billion, Polaris’ innovative, high-quality product line-up includes the RANGER®, RZR® and Polaris GENERAL™ side-by-side off-road vehicles; the Sportsman® and Polaris ACE® all-terrain off-road vehicles; Indian Motorcycle® midsize and heavyweight motorcycles; Slingshot® moto-roadsters; and Polaris RMK®, INDY®, Switchback® and RUSH® snowmobiles. Polaris enhances the riding experience with parts, garments and accessories, along with a growing aftermarket portfolio, including Transamerican Auto Parts. Polaris’ presence in adjacent markets globally include military and commercial off-road vehicles, quadricycles, and electric vehicles. Proudly headquartered in Minnesota, Polaris serves more than 100 countries across the globe. Visit www.polaris.com for more information.
