Off-Road | Guthrie Wins Best SxS Race of The Year in Red Bull Sand Scramble

Red Bull Side-by-Side Scramble Series has asserted itself as one of the best off road races out there.

Whether you like your scramble series with a side of mountain, stone or sand; the Red Bull SXS racing series in it’s rookie season has made a lasting impact on the sport and without question is one of the best series out there for SXS racers both professional and amateur.

One of the biggest factors that makes this series a top contender for races is the design of the race. Three to four laps to qualify and three to four laps for the win. Drivers can run their machines flat out and not have to worry as much about blowing an engine which makes the racing SO MUCH BETTER.This past weekend, the inaugural Red Bull Sand Scramble finished the three-location scramble series and it was certainly one for the books. Regional and national SXS enthusiasts and racers descended upon the Glamis Dunes for an epic, not-to-be-soon-forgotten day of racing. Ridge hopping, wheel-to-wheel racing and the occasional broken belts made for a clean, yet competitive and exhilarating day of racing with Red Bull Junior Team driver Mitch Guthrie Jr. coming away with the win.

“That was the fastest I have ever driven in the Glamis Dunes,” said Guthrie Jr.  “It feels amazing to win the first Red Bull Sand Scramble. I have competed in the other Red Bull Scramble events, but to win this one in front of my family and friends and the Duner’s where I grew up means so much to me.”

While only 25 years young, Guthrie Jr. is an accomplished racer following in the footsteps of his father. Guthrie Jr. is one of a few select few people who have won the King of the Hammers race not once but twice, but Guthrie Jr. did it back to back.Sand Scramble featured two classes: the SXS Pro for experienced drivers and the SXS Sportsman for amateur off-road enthusiasts. Four heat races consisting of four laps on a 2.8-mile course started the day and the top six finishers automatically qualified for the main event. Eight more racers from last chance qualifiers were added to the main event lineup which featured a field of 32 SXS’s from both classes in a six-lap final. With a total race time of 19:57:466, Guthrie Jr. won the SXS Pro category and took home a brand-new Polaris RZR XP Turbo. Jaxon Steele won the Sportsman class with a total time of 22:23:773, earning him a new set of BFGoodrich Tires and $500.

"Racing in the Red Bull Scramble Series is a total mental reset for me," said Guthrie Jr. “Usually races are full of a lot of prep and stress to make sure things are 100 percent ready but coming to the Scramble races is all about having a good time and enjoying the racing and the entire experience. Being here with teammates and in a location I spent much of my youth and being able to come away with the win is awesome. The Red Bull Scramble series have been awesome because there have all been a completely new event. Who doesn’t like a completely new track layout and venue. It sets everyone on an even playing field and everyone can enjoy and experience a completely new/different type of race."

Drivers and spectators alike were treated to a challenging and exciting course. Those local weekend-warriors already familiar with the landscape and terrain reaped the benefits of the course, as they tried new lines and executed difficult overtakes around the course pylons. The off-road community showed up in full force across the perimeter of the course and welcomed this new event with open arms.

Red Bull Sand Scramble is the third in a multi-stop original collection of SXS races in the Red Bull Scramble Series, which featured both amateur and professional racers. Spanning every corner of the continental U.S., no single race is the same as each boasts many unique elements, but all include exhilarating racecourses and stiff competition.“It was a huge course, and it was a lot of fun,” said Jaxon Steele, winner of the Sportsman class. “Me, Dan Winecki and Tyler Hurlock battled it out the whole race which made it really fun. This win means a lot to me. We didn’t start out with much of a car, but we gathered up a little bit of money here and there and come out here to race it and it was a lot of fun.”

Get ready for 2022, rumor has it in January the first ever Snow Scramble will happen somewhere in the Midwest. Are you up for a snow race? We are!TOP FINISHERS:

SXS PRO CLASS

1. Mitch Guthrie Jr. – 19:57:466
2. James Hill – 20:01:141
3. Corbin Leaverton – 20:19:131

SXS SPORTSMAN CLASS

1. Jaxon Steele – 22:23:773
2. Dan Winecki – 22:25:857
3. Tyler Hurlock – 22:41:699