Polaris Owns the Desert: Baja 1000 Win, Podium Sweep, and SCORE Championship Domination

Polaris RZR Dominates the 2025 Baja 1000 as MacCachren Leads a Championship-Sealing Sweep

Polaris RZR Factory Racing closed the curtain on the 2025 SCORE season with a performance that left no doubt about who rules the desert. In a brutal 835-mile showdown stretching across the Baja Peninsula, Cayden “Mini Mac” MacCachren, the 23-year-old Las Vegas racer, powered the No. 1821 Polaris RZR Pro R Factory to victory in the 58th Baja 1000, securing not just the race win but reinforcing a season-long display of dominance that swept the championship.

The triumph marked Polaris’ third straight Baja 1000 victory, a feat matched only by the team’s complete takeover of the 2025 SCORE standings.

Mini Mac’s Marathon Run to the Top

This year’s Baja 1000 began before sunrise on November 17, when Ethan Groom strapped into the driver’s seat to tackle the punishing opening half of the course. Groom cut through the early minefields of deep silt, hidden rocks, and race-stopping bottlenecks—signature hazards of the peninsula route—before handing the RZR Pro R Factory over to MacCachren at race mile 411.

With Hailey Hein navigating, MacCachren took the second half of the 835-mile course and never looked back. The young driver carved through the notorious San Felipe whoops, tore across ridgelines, and held his pace through the roughest sections Baja had to offer.

After 18 hours, 24 minutes, and 5 seconds of nonstop racing, the No. 1821 crossed the finish line—giving MacCachren the second Baja 1000 win of his career and his first of the 2025 season.

“Ending the season with a Baja 1000 win feels incredible,” MacCachren said. “Huge thanks to Ethan, Hailey, our entire RZR Factory crew, and Polaris engineering for giving us the most dominant UTV in the sport.”

A Race Defined by Execution

Polaris didn’t just show up strong—they controlled the race from the drop of the green flag. A season packed with top-tier qualifying runs placed RZR Factory drivers in starting positions 1, 2, 3, and 5, giving the team prime track position on a day when early pack traffic derailed many competitors.

The team’s approach hinged on balancing aggression with machine preservation. Groom delivered flawless pace through the technical and rocky first half, setting MacCachren up for a composed but relentless charge through the night. Their strategy held firm even as the field battled race-ending terrain and mechanical failures.

“Winning the Baja 1000 takes more than speed — it takes trust in your machine and a team that never quits,” said Alex Scheuerell, Polaris Race Team Director. “Our RZR Pro R Factory proved once again it can take the worst Baja can throw at it.”

The Machine Behind the Mission: RZR Pro R Factory

The RZR Pro R Factory continues to rewrite expectations of what a UTV can do in professional desert racing. Built with a reinforced chassis, race-tuned long-travel suspension, and a 255-horsepower high-output engine, the platform thrives where most competitors fall apart.

This year’s Baja 1000 demanded resilience as much as pure pace. And while other teams fought mechanical gremlins, the Pro R Factory maintained the stability, cooling, and traction needed to push deep into the course’s most punishing stretches. Its balanced geometry and sheer horsepower allowed both Groom and MacCachren to hold blistering speeds over terrain that broke trucks, buggies, and UTVs all day.

Revised SCORE Results Lock in a Polaris Podium Sweep

After the race, SCORE International issued updated results correcting multiple missed VCP (Virtual Check Point) penalties. The adjustments reshuffled the podium—but the top step remained unchanged.

With the revisions, Branden Sims officially moved into second place and Max Eddy Jr. into third, giving Polaris a clean 1-2-3 sweep of the Baja 1000.

This all-RZR podium further highlighted the platform’s consistency across driver styles, strategies, and race-day conditions.

Heger Seals His Third Straight Championship

While the Baja 1000 victory stole the spotlight, another major milestone happened quietly in the background.

Finishing fifth in the race, Polaris standout Brock Heger secured his third consecutive SCORE Pro UTV Open Championship, making him one of the most successful drivers in the class’s modern era. His points wrap-up contributed to Polaris’ full sweep of the 2025 SCORE championship standings, capping a year where the brand controlled nearly every major race and title.

Polaris’ Desert Reign Continues

With MacCachren’s Baja 1000 win, a complete podium sweep, and Heger’s three-peat championship, Polaris RZR Factory Racing turned the 2025 SCORE season into a showcase of engineering and driver excellence. The team’s consistency, pace, and machine reliability have set a new standard in desert racing—and there are no signs the momentum is slowing.

Backed by the relentless evolution of the RZR Pro R Factory platform and bolstered by a roster of rising stars, Polaris has positioned itself to remain the powerhouse of off-road competition.

Baja may be brutal, but in 2025, Polaris proved once again that they not only survive the desert—they conquer it.