Matt Burroughs Takes 2nd Overall at Vegas to Reno

[UTVBoard News]

The 1948 Monster Energy Pro UTV driven by Matt Burroughs and co-driver Dan Lewis finished 2nd overall UTV at 2016 Vegas to Reno. After a huge disappointment at the Mint 400 (running top 5 overall late on the 3rd lap) and a 2nd place finish at the Laughlin Desert Classic, the team was confident heading into Vegas to Reno. âWe worked really hard getting the car ready for V2R. We kept testing in Barstow getting the car a little better every time out. In addition, Benchmark Performance spent hours of dyno time giving us a motor that we knew would be both strong and reliableâ <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cognitomotorsports.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/CHEN5785-2.jpg"><imgheight="266" src="http://www.cognitomotorsports.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/CHEN5785-2.jpg" width="400" /></a> <a href="http://www.cognitomotorsports.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/1948_UTV_V2R_D2_5.jpg"><img height="266" src="http://www.cognitomotorsports.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/1948_UTV_V2R_D2_5.jpg" width="400" /></a> <a href="http://www.cognitomotorsports.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/1948_UTV_V2R_D2_3.jpg"><img height="266" src="http://www.cognitomotorsports.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/1948_UTV_V2R_D2_3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /> 4 wheel vehicles lined up at 9:00 for a 9:30 start. With upwards of 350 vehicles in the race, getting them off the line is a long process. As the machines roared off into the harsh Nevada desert, the dust started to settle in the valleys surrounding the start. Dust and the rising sun can make for poor visibility. You mix visibility and nasty silt together and you have a recipe for disaster. âThe first 50 miles to pit #1 were simply crazy. There were cars and trucks stuck everywhere. We just tried to stay calm and pick our way through all the chaos. We actually welcomed the break with the transfer from pit #1 to pit #2 as the first 50 miles were really stressful.â<br /><br />âAt the restart we got close to Cognito and tried to push even harder. The car was working simply amazing. However, other than seeing their dust miles ahead, this would be the last time we would see Cognito until the finish line." Day one was a dream run in our Polaris RZR XP1000. No belts, no clutches, no flats, nothing. Stage one ended in Tonopah NV and the team had a chance to inspect the RZR. A quick prep on the RZR was all that was needed for day 2 which included a new belt, fluids and axles." <br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cognitomotorsports.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/1948_UTV_V2R_3.jpg"><img height="266" src="http://www.cognitomotorsports.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/1948_UTV_V2R_3.jpg" width="400" /></a> <a href="http://www.cognitomotorsports.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/1948_UTV_V2R_D2_2.jpg"><img height="266" src="http://www.cognitomotorsports.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/1948_UTV_V2R_D2_2.jpg" width="400" /></a> <a href="http://www.cognitomotorsports.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/9G3A5830.jpg"><img height="266" src="http://www.cognitomotorsports.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/9G3A5830.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /> "Day two we started 3rd UTV behind Cognito. Our plan was to maintain a steady pace and try to keep them in sight. The pace set on day one was crazy fast. Day two was a much longer race and keeping that pace would be tough. Partnering with the best companies in the business gave me the confidence to push the RZR to its limits. Justin would set a blistering day two pace. I could see his dust on the horizon but reeling him in was impossible. But by the mid-way point, they simply checked out and we lost contact. The last 30 miles of the course was brutal. The rocks can end your day fast. I was running 2nd on course but on corrected time we didn't know where we stood. I trusted both our Polaris RZR XP 1000 and our tires in the rocks. We turned the heat up and pushed hard to keep our spot on the box. We finished strong and our team did an amazing job."<br /><br />"Our only issue we had either day were outrunning our pit crews. Coming into pit #11 we radioed to our crew that we were coming in. They replied back to look over at the highway. We could see them still driving on the highway just coming into the pit. We would arrive at the pit about a minute before them and would have to wait a bit to gas.â <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cognitomotorsports.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/310f4984.jpg"><img height="266" src="http://www.cognitomotorsports.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/310f4984.jpg" width="400" /></a> <a href="http://www.cognitomotorsports.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/310A5498.jpg"><img height="266" src="http://www.cognitomotorsports.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/310A5498.jpg" width="400" /></a> <a href="http://www.cognitomotorsports.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/CHEN4672-2.jpg"><img height="266" src="http://www.cognitomotorsports.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/CHEN4672-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /> âWe dedicated our 2nd place UTV overall finish to my wife who's battling breast cancer. She is 14 weeks into 20 weeks of chemo, lost her hair, feels like crap but still came to the race as team mom. She is the glue of our team. We are inspired every day by her strength and courage in this battle!â<br /><br />âAt the finish line âJoey Dâ surprised us with a $5k bonus from Polaris for finishing 2nd overall UTV. Unbelievable for Polaris to hand out this kind of cash. There is definitely a reason Polaris RZR took the top 2 overall podium spots at V2R. The RZR XP 1000 is simply the best, period!â <br /><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="12" cellspacing="12" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: 'Droid+Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 22px; line-height: 31.4286px;"><tbody style="box-sizing: border-box;"><tr style="box-sizing: border-box;"><td height="54" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" width="94%"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cognitomotorsports.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/1948_UTV_V2R_4.jpg" style="line-height: 31.4286px;"><img height="266" src="http://www.cognitomotorsports.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/1948_UTV_V2R_4.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="line-height: 31.4286px;"> </span><a href="http://www.cognitomotorsports.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/1948_UTV_V2R_2.jpg" style="line-height: 31.4286px;"><img height="266" src="http://www.cognitomotorsports.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/1948_UTV_V2R_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></td><td height="54" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;" width="3%"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><hr />Follow us on Facebook at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/UTVGuide">www.facebook.com/UTVGuide</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/UtvIndustryNews/~4/B-9gzOtxtlU" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

View the full article