RIGID Industries Sweeps King of the Hammers Desert Challenge
Feb. 1, 2024
Off Road Racer Staff
RIGID Industries-backed racers Christopher Polvoorde and Brock Heger took top honors in the fifth annual Desert Challenge at King of the Hammers over the weekend, giving the brand a weekend sweep. It was Polvoorde’s first overall Unlimited win in the Desert Challenge, while Heger’s victory came alongside a second place finish for teammate Max Eddy Jr. in a 1-2 sweep of the Limited race for Polaris Factory Racing.
The Desert Challenge at King of the Hammers is one of the most unique desert races of the year, adding the rocky terrain that KOH is known for to a more traditional desert course. The race is spread over two days for both the Unlimited and Limited classes, with a 35-mile Prologue on Saturday to set starting positions for Sunday’s 182-mile main event.
Polvoorde, who moves into the premier T1 class this year in a brand new Mason Motorsports truck after multiple years in T2, was unstoppable among the Unlimited racers. He kicked off the event by winning Saturday’s Prologue by 13 seconds, then extended his lead further with the fastest time in Sunday’s action despite briefly losing the lead during a tire change. All told, Polvoorde completed the event in three hours, 16 minutes, and 58 seconds, more than two minutes ahead of his closest competition.
Heger, making his return to racing after taking the SCORE World Desert Championship last November, was similarly dominant in the B3 UTV Open division. His 32:50 result in the Prologue was more than 40 seconds clear of the second-fastest time, while he finished Sunday’s race nearly seven minutes faster than anyone else to pull away. When all was said and done, Heger’s 3:35:23 was nearly 11 minutes in the clear, while Eddy made up multiple spots on Sunday to jump into second place.
Joining Polvoorde atop the class podium in the Unlimited race was Kyle Jergensen, whose 3:22:57 was good for third overall and best in the T2 class. Elsewhere in T2, Justin Davis was able to take a top 10 finish just weeks after scoring the class win in the Parker 400, while Jordan Brenthel, Connor Pyle, and Kris Hicks also completed the event. Likewise, Jake Versey and Cayden MacCachren were also able to get to the finish line in the B3 class in the Limited race.
About Rigid Industries:
Rigid Industries is an off-road performance lighting company that specializes in premium LED lighting products and accessories for off-road, off-highway, and powersports applications. Known for its reliable and innovative lighting solutions, the company has a long history of providing cutting-edge solutions to enhance visibility of off-road vehicles. Their extensive product line ranges from lightbars and spotlights to wiring and wiring harnesses and accessories. The company is a member of Clarience Technologies.
About Clarience Technologies:
Clarience Technologies is a global transportation technology solutions provider serving vehicle manufacturers, aftermarket retailers, commercial fleets and consumers worldwide. Founded in 2020 and based in Southfield, Michigan, the company’s mission is to bring total visibility to transportation by delivering the technologies that keep the world moving forward—made possible by the nearly 3,000 employees who are guided by the company’s CLEAR Principles: Curiosity, Leadership, Enthusiasm, Accountability and Respect. The Clarience Technologies team of companies include Truck-Lite (1955), Road Ready (2017), ECCO Safety Systems (1977), Code 3 (1974), RIGID Industries (2001), Lumitec (2007), DAVCO (1976), LED Autolamps (2002), Pressure Systems International (1993) and Fleetilla (2000). Learn more at www.clariencetechnologies.com.
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The Desert Challenge at King of the Hammers is one of the most unique desert races of the year, adding the rocky terrain that KOH is known for to a more traditional desert course. The race is spread over two days for both the Unlimited and Limited classes, with a 35-mile Prologue on Saturday to set starting positions for Sunday’s 182-mile main event.
Polvoorde, who moves into the premier T1 class this year in a brand new Mason Motorsports truck after multiple years in T2, was unstoppable among the Unlimited racers. He kicked off the event by winning Saturday’s Prologue by 13 seconds, then extended his lead further with the fastest time in Sunday’s action despite briefly losing the lead during a tire change. All told, Polvoorde completed the event in three hours, 16 minutes, and 58 seconds, more than two minutes ahead of his closest competition.
Heger, making his return to racing after taking the SCORE World Desert Championship last November, was similarly dominant in the B3 UTV Open division. His 32:50 result in the Prologue was more than 40 seconds clear of the second-fastest time, while he finished Sunday’s race nearly seven minutes faster than anyone else to pull away. When all was said and done, Heger’s 3:35:23 was nearly 11 minutes in the clear, while Eddy made up multiple spots on Sunday to jump into second place.
Joining Polvoorde atop the class podium in the Unlimited race was Kyle Jergensen, whose 3:22:57 was good for third overall and best in the T2 class. Elsewhere in T2, Justin Davis was able to take a top 10 finish just weeks after scoring the class win in the Parker 400, while Jordan Brenthel, Connor Pyle, and Kris Hicks also completed the event. Likewise, Jake Versey and Cayden MacCachren were also able to get to the finish line in the B3 class in the Limited race.
About Rigid Industries:
Rigid Industries is an off-road performance lighting company that specializes in premium LED lighting products and accessories for off-road, off-highway, and powersports applications. Known for its reliable and innovative lighting solutions, the company has a long history of providing cutting-edge solutions to enhance visibility of off-road vehicles. Their extensive product line ranges from lightbars and spotlights to wiring and wiring harnesses and accessories. The company is a member of Clarience Technologies.
About Clarience Technologies:
Clarience Technologies is a global transportation technology solutions provider serving vehicle manufacturers, aftermarket retailers, commercial fleets and consumers worldwide. Founded in 2020 and based in Southfield, Michigan, the company’s mission is to bring total visibility to transportation by delivering the technologies that keep the world moving forward—made possible by the nearly 3,000 employees who are guided by the company’s CLEAR Principles: Curiosity, Leadership, Enthusiasm, Accountability and Respect. The Clarience Technologies team of companies include Truck-Lite (1955), Road Ready (2017), ECCO Safety Systems (1977), Code 3 (1974), RIGID Industries (2001), Lumitec (2007), DAVCO (1976), LED Autolamps (2002), Pressure Systems International (1993) and Fleetilla (2000). Learn more at www.clariencetechnologies.com.