Racing a Polaris RZR X – Up Pikes Peak. Meet Doug Siddens.

Doug Siddens runs a 10:40.669 at the 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in a Polaris RZR-X! His time was fast enough to win his class and take 9th overall out of 152 competitors. For more info on this build, please visit http://www.RZRForums.net/.

Special thanks go to MCX USA, Fox Shocks, DHP Composites, Rugged Radios and All Terrain Research for making this years race a success! Watch more videos at http://allterrainresearch.net.

Original Story – http://www.rzrforums.net
The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is not only America’s second oldest race, but it is also revered as one of the most grueling and dangerous races in history. This year’s race was nothing short of spectacular and showed just how brutal the mountain can be. There were records broken, heart-stopping wrecks, extreme weather changes and underdog finishes!

The 2012 race year was also filled with firsts. This year was the first year in the PPIHC 90 year history, where the road was fully paved. As if there wasn’t enough adversity already surrounding this intense race, it was also the first time it has been postponed due to wildfires. These firsts created even more challenges leading up to race day.

Despite the challenges, after years of preparation and improvements to what began life as a 2009 Polaris RZR-S, Doug rolled out his race-modified machine in the true spirit of Pikes Peak. For the first time ever, a UTV was fitted with aerodynamic improvements to give the RZR more downforce and aerodynamic grip. This would prove to stabilize the vehicle and give the RZR-X amazing cornering abilities at high speed.

With a stacked field of purpose-built machines driven by pros, there was no doubt that the RZR-X would need every ounce of performance, grip and speed to justify its presence. In the Exhibition Powersport Class alone, the competition consisted of several Sportbikes (R1, R6, GSXR, Speed Triple), 4WD Quads and a RZR XP. The rest of the competitors consisted of teams such as Red Bull/Hyundai, Porsche, Ducati, Mitsubishi, Team APEV and many more. Needless to say, from the outside looking in, it would appear that Doug’s Off-Highway Vehicle was a bit out of place.

On race day, however, Doug went out and proved that his recreational vehicle wasn’t there by accident. With a final time of 10:40.669, a shockwave of legitimacy was established at the Peak! This time was not only good to take first in his class by more than 21 seconds, but it was also good enough to take 9th overall! Even though Doug’s RZR-X was limited to a top speed of just over 100 mph, he still managed to average 67.4 mph through the gnarly 156 turn course. This was pretty amazing considering that the vehicles he competed with saw speeds of well over 110 mph and the ones in the top 5 hit speeds as fast as 140 mph+!

“I knew deep down that the RZR-X had 10’s in it, but I told myself I would be happy if I finished with a low 11. I just tried to be smooth and run a nice clean line. My goal was to finish and prove that this platform could be competitive against true racers and race cars. I was thrilled that I finished, but wasn’t sure about my time. When everyone ran up to me and told me I ran a 10:40 I was in shock! It’s one thing to think you can do it, but it’s another when you can actually back it up with an official time on race day when it’s all on the line.” ~ Doug Siddens

Over the last three years Doug Siddens has been pushing the envelope in the UTV world, and has built a machine capable of off-road toughness as well as insane high speed street performance. Not only was he the first UTV driver ever to enter The Race to the Clouds back in 2010, but he has proven that a side-by-side vehicle can compete with true race cars on the brightest stage.

Special thanks to all the following for helping to make this record setting finish possible:
MCX-USA
FOX Shox
All Terrain Research
DHP Composites
Rugged Radios
STM Clutches
Twisted Stitch Seats
KC Truck Performance Center
Polaris Industries

CNaz

My Life at Speed Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, Chris Nazarenus, had a chance meeting with key executives at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1998. It would be the "Jerry McGuire" moment that would change her life forever. Although she knew nothing about motorsports at that time, the chance meeting would influence her passion for all things fast, great stories and interesting people. That's what you will find here at My Life at Speed.