BEST IN THE DESERT UTV World Championship February 20, 2016

In the Production 1000 Class, Mickey Thomas nearly took the overall victory in his normally aspirated RZR. Finishing second overall and first in class was pretty sweet, however, as it marked Thomas’ continued growth in the West Coast UTV racing scene. Cody Rahders finished second in the 1000 Production Class, ahead of Ryan Holz.

BITD UTV World Championship Production 1000 UTV Podium Ryan Holz (3rd), Mickey Thomas (1st), Cody Rahders (2nd)

“To finish second overall behind a turbo is pretty nice,” said Thomas. “I was hoping to win my class because all of the turbos are out here and it’s such a fast course. I thought I could win, but I’m happy with how we finished. It was super dusty as usual. We prepared for it. There are so many people here and it was tough battling the sun and the traffic.

“I’m stoked,” added Thomas, who is running WORCS this year along with a full-time Lucas Oil Pro Lite effort. “We started out the season in the RZR and we’ve had some pretty good luck. So we’ll keep this going, along with the Pro Lite truck.”

Mystik Lubricant's Mickey Thomas charged his way to a 2nd overall finish & 1st in the Production 1000 class

FOX’s Cody Rahders was relieved that he had run the long course race earlier in the day. He was pleased to finish second.

FOX's Cody Rahders finished in the 2nd spot

“I ran the desert race earlier and that gave me a huge advantage in the short-course race,” said Rahders. “This was just insane. The square edges were everywhere. I’m really happy to support my sponsors here.”

Ryan Holz was happy to end a string of bad luck he’s had this year to finish third, marking his first podium of the season.

HOLZ Racig's Ryan Holz rounded out the top three

“I didn’t really battle anyone…I just blew by them,” laughed Holz. “It was really fun. All the parts are still straight and everything worked well. This race gives you a lot of time to make moves and go to the front, so I’m glad to pull out a clean one.”