Trip Reports

5th Annual UTV Industry Ride – Glamis

Posted on March 8, 2016

Every year, UTVGuide.net gets together with Fullerton Sand Sports to hold a small gathering of industry-built UTVs in Glamis. Its a fast-paced showcase of new products, new builds, and new ideas wrapped into a three-day event stationed in the sand haven of Southern California. This year, NASCAR driver and UTV enthusiast Greg Biffle was kind enough to lend us his facilities and spend a little time with us out in the sand. The kind folks at Pace Offroad (Biffles high-level offroad shop) allowed us to turn their building into a photo studio- you would never know from the photos that just outside the shop door lay hundreds of acres of freshly-blown sand dunes!

PACE Offroad Z1 XP4 Conversion

This year, we had about 20 built cars out in the dunes to test and play around with. High-profile builds like TMW/Wolf Designs Werewolf V8 RZR, Proline Wraps Atomachrome XP Turbo, and Pace Offroads 280+ horsepower Z1 conversion XP 4 were in full show and shine condition. In2Dirt Medias Rat RZR was the polar opposite, wearing a thick rust and copper patina finish. Three Yamaha YXZ1000Rs also made the cut, two turbocharged and one wrapped in grey carbon fiber. With a belly full of chorizo and eggs, we set out on our first morning shoot, heading straight for the tall dunes behind Oldsmobile Hill.

After two solid days of riding and shooting, a nasty wind storm came in, causing everyone in our group to rush back to camp and fold up awnings, chairs, tables, and anything else that weighed less than a generator. The 60+ mph winds howled through camp and dulled a few powdercoat finishes, but the next morning, there was no heat, no tracks on the dunes, and barely a breeze to speak of. What better riding conditions could you ask for?

In2Dirt’s Rat RZR

In2Dirt Media was on hand to help us document the trip with studio photos inside the Biffledome, Gregs huge steel shop building. We also dragged the studio equipment out into the dunes for some night shots, showcasing lighting Rigid Industries, Lazer Star, Vision X, and more!

TMW’s Turbocharged YXZ1000R

TMW Offroad showed up in full force as usual, but the two cars that caught our eye were the turbocharged long travel YXZ1000R and big-turbo long travel XP Turbo. TMW has a great sense of the UTV market and these two cars are leading the charge to showcase where it can go.

Wolf Designs/TMW Offroad V8 Werewolf

The Wolf Designs/TMW Offroad Werewolf RZR is just as stunning every time we see it, and it arrived in Glamis on this trip with a brand-new, stroked and cammed LS2 stuffed in the back half of the frame. With well over 400 horsepower, there was nothing in the group that could keep up with the Werewolf at high speed. 4th gear pulls well over 110 mph in the sand!

RPM’s Turbo Yamaha YXZ1000R

Race Proven Motors brought out a bare-white wide body YXZ1000R with a big turbo motor, and was perhaps the quickest car of the group. In a couple high-speed whoop passes, RPM blew by us like we were standing still, the YXZs triple screaming like a banshee.

Proline Wraps Atomachrome

Proline showcased their expertise in chrome vinyl wraps, rolling out two Polaris RZRs that can only be described as rolling suns. Both cars were equipped with long travel, one representing HCR and the other Madigan Motorsports.

XTC Power Products showing off their Rigid Industries LEDs

XTC Power Products brought perhaps the most practical and useable car in the group, an XP4 1000 that featured their full plug and play wiring kit, which includes turn signals, horn, flashers, and strobes. XTCs car featured more Rigid Industries lighting on it than any car we have ever seen, from fender lights to rock lights, light bars and domes.

Assault Industries Yamaha YXZ1000R

Assault Industries YXZ1000R featured a host of billet parts and accessories, as well as the only KC HiLiTES Pro6 light bar on a UTV in the public. The new Pro6 uses 6 reflector housings linked with a billet backbone, providing an insane amount of lighting distance and a great retro look. Assaults YXZ looked stellar in its Proline grey carbon fiber wrap, and sounded the part thanks to its prototype Burns exhaust system.

GBC Running the Dunes with 32 Mongrel tires

GBC Tire had a brand-new RZR XP Turbo build on hand, decked out in Lazer Star Marine Grade lighting, all using white pods to match the white plastics and wrap. The DesertWorks cage features a fully enclosed trunk and aftermarket tail lights implanted into the sheetmetal rear end. The most shocking aspect of GBCs car were the HUGE 32 Mongrel tires, with Kory Ellis behind the wheel showing that a big dirt tire can shred sand with the best of em.

Clay Millican showing off HiPer’s new DM58 Wheel

Fullerton Sand Sports and HiPer Wheel teamed up to show a brand new wheel option on the FSS Maverick. Dubbed the DM58, the wheel is part of HiPer and WELDs new partnership. First shown by WELD President and CEO, Norm Young, at the 2015 PRI Trade Show, the DM58 is named in honor of the late Dalton Millican. The 22-year old son of NHRA Top Fuel Racer Clay Millican, Dalton died Aug. 13, 2015 as a result of a motorcycle crash. Clay Millican was on hand to put some seat time in a UTV for the first time in the sand, and the look on his face when he got back to camp was unmistakable- he had an absolute blast. More details:NHRA Top Fuel Racer Clay Millican Hits the Dunes

UTV Tech’s Turbo XP1000 Throwing Sand

UTV Techs seemingly stock RZR XP 1000 housed some pretty unique and cool hard parts from the Idaho natives. A full hard roof with glass sunroof, steel cargo box, seemingly bulletproof underbody protection, and flared rock sliders add some cool styling touches and a ton of durability. Plus a little turbo under the covers to enable it to blow a nice roost on demand.

SDR Motorsports Built RZR XP Turbo

SDR Motorsports brought out Brian Bushs new XP Turbo that featured a Glazzkraft fiberglass body, HCR Racing long travel, Rigid Industries lights and of course SDR cage and doors. Lastly, we had our own SDR Motorsports-built RZR XP 4 Turbo on hand, sporting their new Hi-Bred long travel suspension system and nearly every SDR accessory you can think of.

Our RZR XP4 Turbo built by SDR Motorsports