BEST IN THE DESERT Parker 250 ATV Race January 10, 2015

For the 2015 season, the Best in the Desert SxS classes is now separated from the ATV and motorcycle divisions, starting after the quad and bike classes. The BITD SxS class choices also changed for this season, and now include three classes; the Pro UTV class, the Unlimited class and the Sportsman class, while the Pro 850 class has been eliminated for 2015.

The start time for the BITD Parker 250 SxS classes was at 11:30 and they were lined up in pairs and let go at 30-second intervals. The ATV / motorcycle classes had not quite finished their three lap race by the time the SxS classes were ready to go so the quad/bike classes were held for a brief time until all 30 UTV’s left the Best in the Desert Parker 250 starting line.

Since the Arizona desert is known for its dry and dusty conditions, that can cause serious visibility issues, it was a welcomed sight when rain began to fall about an hour before the BITD SxS classes. The rain stopped right around starting time but made conditions nearly perfect for the first lap of the 2 lap SxS race.

Polaris / UTV, Inc.’s John Angal is fairly new to BITD SxS racing but already has proven himself after taking the SxS win at the 2015 Baja 1000. Angal’s efforts also caught the attention of Polaris, who is now supporting him in the 2015 BITD and SCORE series.

Fresh off his win at the legendary SCORE BAJA 1000, John Angal earned his first win of 2015 in his Polaris RZR at the Best in the Desert Parker 250 season opener

“It was really a dream come true for us because racing is so expensive, so it is awesome that we have that support,” said Polaris' Angal.

Angal, who was piloting the #1921 Polaris RZR was in the 13th spot on the starting line and immediately began a hard charge. “The course was good, but started getting chewed up a bit after the first lap. It took a while to get past everyone and we still didn’t know for sure if we were in the lead. It was nice after we got out front though because the dust was coming back in the second lap, so it was nice to not have to deal with it so much. I really like the winning feeling so we are hoping to continue this, but we know that luck isn’t always in our favor so we will see what happens, but it was great to have another win,” said Polaris' Angal.

John Angal worked his way up to the front after starting 13th. Angal was able to take over the lead to earn the win in his UTV Inc. / Polaris RZR XP 4 1000

The #1931 Jagged X / Polaris SxS of Craig Scanlon was in seventh off the starting line for the first round of the season. In the first lap, Scanlon had his work cut out for him, but after several battles, he was able to make some headway. “In the first lap I had like four battles; it was probably the most racing I have done in a race, especially with a shorter race like this, but it was awesome!” stated Scanlon.

After battling during the first lap with several other racers, Craig Scanlon finished second in his Jagged X Polaris RZR XP 1000

Scanlon continued his charge and with the good conditions, he was able to take the second spot on the Pro UTV podium.

“We are in a totally new car for this season and it was amazing. We didn’t have any problems and everything went really well. We had one flat tire, but that was the only thing that came up. It really feels good to have such a strong finish for our first race of the season and we are hoping to keep that momentum going,” said Scanlon.

The #1962 Polaris of Supercross.com’s Ryan Poelman, was the lucky driver to get the number one starting position. Poelman held his #1 spot for a time until dropping back in the second lap. Poelman stayed close to the leaders and drove a solid race which allowed him to clench the number three spot, just four minutes behind second place. 

Ryan Poelman started the BITD SxS Pro Class by pulling the number one starting position. Poelman dropped back to third place before crossing the finish