Branden Sims Takes Baja 1000 Win In UTV Open
Branden Sims and his team at the finish line of the 2022 Baja 1000 as champions.

The UTV Open class is one of the newest classes in UTV racing and was given birth when the Polaris Pro R came out. The Pro R needed a class to race, hence where the two-seat unlimited UTV open-displacement Pro UTV Open class came from.

This year’s SCORE Baja 1000 saw eight entries into the class, with some of the biggest names in the sport heading to Baja. Branden Sims headed down in his Tensor Tire and Factory Polaris Pro R.

“I was the first one to get stuck in the bottleneck in the summit section and had to wait until he got unstuck,” Sims said. “The rock crawling section was no big deal with these Polaris RZRs. We didn’t get out of the car one time.”

Branden Sims flying to his Baja 1000 win.

“All we did is fuel and driver change. Usually, you are battling adversity at these SCORE events. There was dust and traffic, but other than that, it was pretty uneventful. Great event and ready for the SCORE race.”

Sims' RZR ProR has some unique mods and some of the best aftermarket parts in the game to give him an edge on the course. A front-hood mounted quick fuel filler dry-break allows him to cut time at pit stops, filling 34 gallons in an estimated 20 seconds. 

A Lone Star Racing and Shock Therapy rear suspension setup gives the Pro R a whopping 26 inches of wheel travel. Tensor's DSR 37-inch tire and Method Race Wheels 412 Forged Bead Grip wheel are the lightest and strongest setup in class.

When the dust settled, Sims was able to conquer the Baja 1000 in 20:37:09.534, almost a full hour ahead of the second-place vehicle in his class.