Racing

Mitch Guthrie Makes History at Toyo Tires Desert Challenge

Guthrie snagged second at opening race of the 2022 King of the Hammers.

February 2, 2022

Mitch Guthrie notched second overall last weekend at the Toyo Tires Desert Challenge, the opening race of the 2022 King of the Hammers.King of the Hammers

UTVs took a big step this year at the first weekend of King of the Hammers, with Mitch Guthrie snagging second place overall, winning the B2 class, and posting the fastest overall UTV time in the Toyo Tires Desert Challenge in his Polaris Factory Racing RZR Pro R. Guthrie’s success represents a huge step for UTVs at the Desert Challenge, where they run alongside purpose-built Class 10 buggies.

Class 10s are two-wheel-drive desert racing buggies that are allowed up to 2,200cc engines for single-seaters and 2,500cc mills for two-seaters. UTVs may run four-wheel drive, but are limited to 1,000cc. Snagging second overall in a rig with less than half the engine capacity of the competition is ridiculous, and it shows how quickly the sport is advancing.

The likes of the 2022 Polaris RZR Pro R are helping elevate UTV racing, as racers get exponentially faster year over year, despite 1,000cc capacity limits.King of the Hammers

Behind Guthrie, Baja legend and fellow B2 campaigner Wayne Matlock finished ninth overall, with Pro UTV class winner Austin Weiland behind him in 10th place overall.

King of the Hammers is going on all week, and UTVs return to racing on Thursday. Keep it locked here for more updates later this week.

Want to stay up to date on the latest UTV Driver news and reviews? Sign up for our weekly newsletter!