PROJECT: GBC Desertworks RZR XP Turbo

Former ATV racer and ITP QuadX champion Kory Ellis got his first ATV when he was 15, and he decided right then what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He won the 1992 San Diego Mickey Thompson GP on that Suzuki LT250R and raced all sorts of ATV series throughout the ’90s. Ellis had a hand in the four-stroke revolution, as he and Laeger wedged a 1999 YZ400F engine into a TRX250R-based Laeger frame. Kory won the PACE Anaheim race in front of Suzuki and Yamaha bigwigs, and he went on to win the 2001 four-stroke Pro-Am championship. He gained Yamaha factory support and raced the ground-breaking YFZ450R a couple of years before returning to Suzuki and the new LT-R450R. By 2007 he was the ITP QuadX 450 Pro champion and Yoshimura’s product manager, and in 2008 he retired from racing to become Yoshimura Suzuki’s race-team manager. When the Employment Prevention Agency shut down Suzuki’s ATV team, Kory joined GBC Motorsports as brand coordinator and test pilot, so he seamlessly transitioned from ATV racing to UTVs. We caught up with Kory at the Moab Rally on the Rocks to check out his newest ride and GBC test vehicle.

DESERTWORKS ASSAULT TRANSFORMER
Kory called on Desertworks and Assault Industries to upgrade his 2016 RZR XP Turbo. Desertworks’ roll cage with fiberglass roof ($2,800), rear LED bar ($269) and fiberglass trunk clean up the Polaris lines. Desertworks also supplied the full-frame doors ($629) with door bags ($129); roof rack and dash switch plates for the Lazer Star PreRunner single-row LED 32-inch and twin 11-inch light bars; LED roof and pillar lights; and the WhipTech 4-foot multicolor LED whips ($115 each), mounts and under-glow lights ($199).

Assault Industries supplied the billet, heavy-duty, barrel-style tie-rods ($269.99) and radius rods ($549.99); trailing-arm sliders ($199.99); Tomahawk quick-release steering wheel ($344.95) with push-to-talk button plate; five-point racing harnesses ($139.99 each); shift knob ($59.99); billet Stealth rear-view ($84.99) and side-view ($239.99) mirrors; speedometer bezel ($59.99); gas cap ($95.99); grill with logo ($119.99); fire extinguisher and billet quick-release mount ($169.99); shock guards ($124.99); soft-sided cooler ($44.95); and UTV storage bag ($149.99).

ADDING TO THE ADVENTURE
With the overall styling and billet bling covered, Ellis armed the GBC XP Turbo with Walker Evans Racing 14×7 beadlock UTV wheels ($225 each) shod with GBC’s new 10-ply, DOT-approved 32x10R14 Kanati Mongrels ($232.32 each) and Trail Armor’s UHMW 1/2inch body ($750) and front A-arm ($135) skid plates. Proline Wraps did the sweet Turbo wrap, which starts at $459.99 for the RZR XP Turbo or 1000. Ellis turned to MTX Audio for the sound bar and under-the-glovebox subwoofer. MTX supplied the universal six-speaker, all-weather sound bar with integrated Bluetooth; four 3-inch speakers and two 1-inch tweeters goes for $499.99. Universal billet clamps fit tubes 1.5–2.25 inches, and auxiliary output feeds the $599.99 subwoofer, which has a 200-watt, digital, low-draw amplifier. It’s also available as a PURE Polaris accessory.

For communications, Ellis went with PCI Radio’s California Ultimate 2 package ($1,199.95) with four-link Pro Elite intercom, Icom F5021 mobile radio, antenna and coax, push-to-talk buttons, and two helmet wiring kits. Kory also installed an XTC Power Products RZR XP Turbo premium fan-override switch ($89.95), which keeps the electric coolant fan on after the factory thermostat has shut it off. The kit has a 40-amp sealed relay with diode protection and includes a Carling sealed rocker switch and plug-and-play Weather Pack connectors. For extra armor, Kory uses K&N oil and air filters, and Maxima motor oil, transmission fluid and cleaning products.

LONG-RANGE TESTING IN STYLE
With the Assault storage bags full of spares and tools and a spare 10-ply Mongrel on the roof rack, Ellis is set to develop and test new products for GBC Motorsports. He was shredding at the Rally on the Rocks in the GBC Motorsports Desertworks Assault RZR XP Turbo, so he didn’t need the Warn winch with synthetic rope to get out of trouble. When we caught up to him, he already had 100 miles (two to three rides at Moab) on the GBC Turbo, and there were two days and nights of riding left to go.

CONTACTS
Assault Industries
12691 Monarch St. Garden Grove, CA 92841
(714) 799-6711
www.assaultind.com

Desertworks
5124 Holt Blvd. Montclair, CA 91763
(909) 626-8899
www.desertworks.us
www.dirteproducts.com

Lazer Star Lights
2734 Danley Court Paso Robles, CA 93446
(800) 624-6234
www.lazerstarlights.com

MTX Audio
(800) 225-5689
www.mtx.com

PCI Radios
2888 Gundry Ave. Signal Hill, CA 90755
(800) 869-5636
www.pciraceradios.com

Proline Wraps
9027 Canoga Ave. Canoga Park, CA 91304
(818) 348-3120
www.prolinewraps.com

Trail Armor
(662) 462-4222
www.trailarmor.com

Walker Evans Racing
(888) WEE-RACE (933-7223)
www.walkerevansracing.com

WhipTech
www.whiptechled.com

XTC Power Products
925 N. McQueen Road Gilbert, AZ 85233
(480) 558-8588
www.xtcpowerproducts.com