Lets Debate... Which form of UTV racing takes the most skill?? POLL

[JoeyD23]

Like the title says, lets debate this. I want to know what everyone's opinion is in regards to which form of UTV racing takes the most driver skill?

Desert/BITD (US Desert Racing)
Desert/SCORE (Baja-MX Desert Racing)
WORCS (MX)
LOORRS (Short Course)
King Of The Hammers (Rock Crawling)
Rally Racing (Dakar)
Drag Racing
GNCC (Trail Racing)

etc....

 

[dkiewicz]

Joey, this is kind of unfair as each of these takes a skill of it's own.

Bottom line to me is KOH has them all, not just rock crawling.

So I voted KOH because you have to have almost mastered all of the skills to pull it off successfully IMHO.

Dan ...

 

[JoeyD23]

Understand that we could split hairs and say one takes more skill here and this one has more skill here but the point is, we want to see what everyone thinks takes the most overall driver skill.

 

[tatum]

I picked Score because I think BJ soloing and winning the 1000 last year is as hard as it gets.

 

[JoeyD23]

UTV racing Hans. But I guess soloing the 1000 in a UTV takes skill too... And stamina and determination.

 

[waytay]

This is a tough one, mexico takes so much to understand and complete a race. At lucas you dont have to worry about being stranded in the middle of some drug lords poppy seed farm. Rally racing takes HUGE balls.........

couldn't you just post pics up of three girls and ask us which one has hotter boobs?

 

[tatum]

Sorry Joey, I should have been more specific about the endurance aspect of desert racing.

 

[Dirty]

They all take skill, talent and drive but I'm going to say the SR1 class takes the most skill. And a good amount of talent came out of the SR1 Short Course Scene to back that statement up.

Former SR1 racers
Ryan Beat- SR1 to 2012 2nd place in LOORRS Prolite Championship.

Corry Weller- SR1 to 2012 LOORRS Pro4 Rookie of the year.

Doug Mittag- SR1 to 2012 LOORRS Prolite top 10 racer.

Cody Rahders- SR1 to Top 2012 LOORRS Superlite racer.

 

[waytay]

They all take skill, talent and drive but I'm going to say the SR1 class takes the most skill. And a good amount of talent came out of the SR1 Short Course Scene to back that statement up.

Former SR1 racers
Ryan Beat- SR1 to 2012 2nd place in LOORRS Prolite Championship.

Corry Weller- SR1 to 2012 LOORRS Pro4 Rookie of the year.

Doug Mittag- SR1 to 2012 LOORRS Prolite top 10 racer.

Cody Rahders- SR1 to Top 2012 LOORRS Superlite racer.

True, but still in Lucas. None of them have won KOH, score etc....they have stayed in closed course. Not saying SR1 does not take talent. Because it will be interesting this year to see who runs outta talent. I dont think you can really say 1 type of racing takes more skill. You have to be skilled at the race you are at. It is also $$$$$ that can make or break you also. IE Robby Gordon and Nascar. His money goes a long way off road, it does not go far in Nascar. The new Xp class will show who has talent and Luck !

 

[Dirty]

The new Xp class will show who has talent and Luck !

Ha ha I can agree with that.

 

[rappy60guy]

Ha ha I can agree with that.

Dirty thats a comment for my thread !!!

 

[NIKAL]

When it comes to skill. I dont really know how they can all be compared to each other. Each have there own circumstances. Short course is fast paced but predictable. The track is groomed and you know what is around the next turn, as you have seen it a dozen times and you have a crew & medical crews only 20 feet off the track. Desert racing does not see the door to door action short course does, but the skill of being behind the wheel for hours at a time and not seeing the same terrain for a second time makes every turn new. The unpredictability of Mexico or not having pit support or medical crews around the next turn makes a drivers discipline so much different.

The question is "drivers skill" So by just using that fact and taking everything like machine and support out of the equation I would have to say "Dakar Rally" has to take the most driver skill.

To race a Dakar Rally you have to be physically and mentally fit. You dont get to change drivers & navigators like you can in BITD or Baja. You run approx 500 miles a day for 10 days. The rally is almost 5,000 miles. Some stages take so long for the slower classes you are lucky to get a few hours sleep before you start the next stage, and that is if you have a crew to service your machine for you. You dont get to prerun or even see a course map until the night before each stage. Then it is only way points. You have no GPS map and have to actually use navigational skill to find each way point. And you have to have mechanical skills as you have zero pit support. You brake you better figure out how to fix it. If not you will finish the stage on a rope from a support truck or you DNF on the course. Even after being towed in you could be out of the race. Oh and you eat in a Dakar Rally mess hall and you sleep in tents. No hotels or motorhomes.

To me this is the most challenging form of racing in the world. Guys like Robby Gordon, Johnny Campbell, Mark Miller, and a few other Americans who have done Dakar have said nothing in the USA or Mexico even comes close to Dakar.

 

[az_amsoil]

You have no GPS map and have to actually use navigational skill to find each way point.

On point, how many on this board have ever used a compass and a map to traverse anywhere??

Any endurance race is much harder than normal, sorry short course. When you are in the middle of nowhere, having been up for 24+ hours and still have to focus and not make mistakes, that is mental skill. My vote was Dakar, since it is such a compounded race schedule coupled with vast distance and zero support.

I'd bet, given the chance, there is an entire subculture of class 11 guys that would drive the wheels off a UTV!!!

 

[JoeyD23]

I want to spark some more debate here....

I think a good short course driver can go race in the desert and with proper equipment and team do very well. But I don't think the same can be said for all desert racers. Knowing how to apex a turn and have the guts to huck a MX style jump just isn't in many racers skill sets.

Anyone agree here?

Also, what form of UTV racing do you think takes the least amount of drier skill?

 

[tyler]

Short course is pretty tough! Your going all out in a pack of cars! Bangging into each other and breaking stuff is no way to win. It takes alot of skill to hit every corner just right never knowing when your going to catch a rutt and bicycle it or worse go over. the whole race your on the edge of wrecking!

 

[az_amsoil]

Also, what form of UTV racing do you think takes the least amount of drier skill?

What's drier skill??? Don't piss your pants?!?!

I also think that anyone who comes from moto/quad racing is already ahead of the game, they learn to pick lines much better than those who have always been in a seat.

 

[NIKAL]

I want to spark some more debate here....

I think a good short course driver can go race in the desert and with proper equipment and team do very well. But I don't think the same can be said for all desert racers. Knowing how to apex a turn and have the guts to huck a MX style jump just isn't in many racers skill sets.

Anyone agree here?

Also, what form of UTV racing do you think takes the least amount of drier skill?

I would have to disagree that a short course guy could adapt to desert quicker & better then desert racers could to short course.

Taking away all the logistics in a desert race, which we know is way more involved & intense vs. a short course race. A strictly short course racer has one or two races a day that are approx 10 to 15 minutes long. Their focus and adrenalin is concentrated in that short amount of time. Once again besides some ruts the track is groomed and much more predictable vs a desert course.

If you look at the history of short course or stadium circuits, most of those races were and are desert racers. 75% of the racers in the Mickey Thompson series were also racing Score/HDRA.

Today, look at how many desert racers are racing short course vs short course guys racing desert. Here is a list of good desert racers who are good short course racers that I though of real quickly;

Rob MacCachren
Jerry Whelchel
Carl Renezeder
Jeff Geiser
Justin Davis
Marty Hart (Former desert champion)
The Leduc family
The Coyne family
Justin (Bean) Smith
Cameron Steel
Doug Fortin
Jason McNeil
Greg Adler
Larry Jobs
Pat Dean

Show me a true short course driver who has come out to the desert and won races? I'm sure there have been some, but not as many that have transitioned or double dip from desert to short course.

My vote is still Dakar Rally for the most skilled driver. Way to many things you need to be proficient in to be even able to finish a Dakar Rally.

 

[VBosch02]

I would have to disagree that a short course guy could adapt to desert quicker & better then desert racers could to short course.

Taking away all the logistics in a desert race, which we know is way more involved & intense vs. a short course race. A strictly short course racer has one or two races a day that are approx 10 to 15 minutes long. Their focus and adrenalin is concentrated in that short amount of time. Once again besides some ruts the track is groomed and much more predictable vs a desert course.

If you look at the history of short course or stadium circuits, most of those races were and are desert racers. 75% of the racers in the Mickey Thompson series were also racing Score/HDRA.

Today, look at how many desert racers are racing short course vs short course guys racing desert. Here is a list of good desert racers who are good short course racers that I though of real quickly;

Rob MacCachren
Jerry Whelchel
Carl Renezeder
Jeff Geiser
Justin Davis
Marty Hart (Former desert champion)
The Leduc family
The Coyne family
Justin (Bean) Smith
Cameron Steel
Doug Fortin
Jason McNeil
Greg Adler
Larry Jobs
Pat Dean

Show me a true short course driver who has come out to the desert and won races? I'm sure there have been some, but not as many that have transitioned or double dip from desert to short course.

My vote is still Dakar Rally for the most skilled driver. Way to many things you need to be proficient in to be even able to finish a Dakar Rally.

You forgot Robby Gordon who has raced every skill you have spoken of and more.

 

[tyler]

Pretty sure Robby started in Short course(Mickey Thompson)

 

[NIKAL]

You forgot Robby Gordon who has raced every skill you have spoken of and more.

You are 100% right!

Pretty sure Robby started in Short course(Mickey Thompson)

Negitive! RG started racing desert in his dad's class one car. He later did Mickey Thompson in a super 1600 car and then the trucks for Toyota. But the whole time he raced Mickey Thompson he continued to race desert and towards the end of his Mickey Thompson carrier (mid 90's) I believe is when he was signed by Roush to drive in the Trans Am series.