OUTLAW 2023 UTV RACING SERIES NEWS

I went to Texas over New Years, and I go at least once a year to pop real fireworks, because I can’t do that in California. Black Cat artillery shells are a great way to ring in the new year and Independence Day, and Texas is truly a free state. After celebrating 2023 and the end of a horrible 2022 and watching great college football with Evan and Summer, I met up with the Segway Powersports guys to test the 2023 Villain SX10 WX and Fugleman UT10 X at Oak Hill MX, the new home for the Texas Outlaw UTV Series.

 

North Texas had a winter storm blow through that Monday, but Tuesday brought out the sun to dry out the red-clay dirt. Having shot 2022 Texas Outlaw races at Oak Hill, I was stoked to finally be able to drive the track. Oak Hill had completed a make-over of the International MX track, so there were a couple of dozen bikes airing it out. The Oak Hill UTV track was flooded in a few spots, with two hairpin bowl turns being turned into swimming holes. The track was unprepped and rough from the last short-course races. I couldn’t wait to unleash Villain SX10 on the track, which is part high-speed Champ-style and part tight turns and tabletops.

Business comes first, so I shot details of the SX10 WX and UT10X and then started shooting action of the Fugleman at various locations on the property. Then Segway Tom and I cruised over to the short course, where Gabriel was shooting action of the Villain. I joined the shoot with my trusty Nikon, and we hit several turns and jumps on the course. The Villain looked very agile, and I couldn’t wait to get behind the wheel. The sun poked through scattered clouds, and I was satisfied that I had both 1000s covered for good photos.

We returned to the pits, and Texas Outlaw owner Brian Adkinson and X3 racer Ben Fornier came over. Adkinson said that he was suspending the 2023 Outlaw West UTV Series, because he was involved with a new project – a MidAmerica Outdoors-like facility on private land in Arizona, not far from Blythe, California. Between putting on the Texas Outlaw Series and designing and building the new home of Outlaw West, the Outlaw crew didn’t have time to do all three in 2023, so the Outlaw West will return for 2024. The new facility will take all year to build and get ready for the grand opening, and we’ll impart more news as it nears completion.

I geared up and strapped into the Villain, and the sun had quickly dried out much of the UTV track. I scouted the track and found ways to cut out the flooded sections, then started to test the Villain at speed. I got into a rhythm and pushed it harder into every turn and down each straight. The first-turn chicanes were especially fun, and the Villain was railing every turn. The red-clay and caliche sections of dirt were really fluffy and offered great traction, and the low, wide Villain worked better the harder I pushed it.

 

 

 

After a few good, hard laps, I returned to the pits, and Tom showed me how the Villain’s electronics had mapped my laps and logged top speed (52mph) and lap times. I hydrated and went out for another test session, this time checking top speed in Low range and also the Eco throttle map. The Villain handled amazingly like my X3 DS Turbo, and the track was big fun. I cruised back to the pit, and Ben asked if he could try out the Villain. He ripped a few laps and came in to adjust EPS assist for a faster session. He came back impressed, but he had gotten it to go into Limp Mode with two-footed gas-brake driving.

 

 

It was a great day at the track, the best way to ring in 2023. I flew back to LAX the next day and finished out the week in the office as a winter storm blew through. Saturday, I rode with Cain, Graham, and their friends from Leona Valley to the Rock Inn in Lake Hughes. It was muddy in spots but epic! Then I went to an Anaheim 1 SX party and barbecue with my riding buddies and watched some great racing. I rode great dirt again on Sunday with Todd, Phil, and Wayne-iac. Congratulations to Eli Tomac and Jett Lawrence for kicking off 2023 as A1SX winners, and to AJ Jones, Seth Quintero, and Mitch Guthrie for their Dakar stage wins! AJ and Seth went 1-2 in T3 UTVs, and Jones sets a record as the youngest back-to-back Dakar champion at 26 years old. USA,
USA, USA!

CAN-AM TEXAS OUTLAW $200,000 UTV SERIES
1. Mar. 31-Apr. 2…Red Bull Ranch Scramble/Decatur, TX
2. Apr. 21-22…Oak Hill MX/Decatur, TX
3. May 19-20…Oak Hill MX/Decatur, TX
4. June 23-25.. 3 Peaks/Cedar City, UT*
5. Sept. 8-9…Oak Hill MX/Decatur, TX
6. Sept. 29-30…Oak Hill MX/Decatur, TX
7-8. Oct. 20-22…Oak Hill/Decatur, TX
9. Nov. 3-5…Gold Rush GP/Decatur, TX
* East/West Shootout
Contact…www.outlawseries.com