On a sunny January weekend, The Rocky Mountain ATV/MC WORCS Series begins at Shorty’s MX Park in Blythe, California, for the first round of action in the 2025 season. This course throws a mix of everything at these drivers, from deep sand sections to massive table tops through the moto sections. It allows every driver to have a particular section in which to excel. Beau Judge is looking to defend his title in Pro Production as the gates are open for a new pro production champion with Paxton Schendel and Karsen Sandberg, the veterans in the class.

On Saturday, Pro Stock gathered to conclude the first day of racing with one of the fastest starts of the season. Schendel positioned himself on the inside line as they sped into the high-speed left turn. He claimed the holeshot right at the start, with Sandberg and Clayton Winiecki closely behind. From the beginning, the competition was intense between Schendel and Sandberg, as they were separated by mere seconds entering the second lap. A small mistake and miscalculation caused Sandberg to pull over and check his car, resulting in valuable time lost early in the race, making his climb from the back to the podium more challenging. Winiecki had quite the ride during the second lap and ended his day early as the racing continued. Last year’s final race winner, Trevor Lee, showed that his previous victory wasn’t a fluke, racing at a steady and nearly identical pace for each lap while keeping his Polaris RS1 on four wheels, ultimately securing a 2nd place finish in Blythe, California.

After a brief pit stop, Sandberg found his rhythm, gaining about a 20-second lead over the rest of the field to move into 3rd place. While he couldn’t catch up to Lee, he still made it onto the podium. However, this race truly belonged to Schendel, who dominated from start to finish, posting the fastest lap of the weekend on the second lap with a time of 7:32. He maintained a comfortable pace, mentioning that he felt a few clutch issues and didn’t want to risk anything by extending his lead further. With round 2 set to take place in Taft, known for its high-speed battles from start to finish, hopefully, he can resolve those clutch problems to continue his strong start to the new season. 

For the weekend’s final race, Pro Production started on two lines, two minutes apart. Battles from both lines were in contention for the win as they competed for under an hour. The Father-Son Duo lined up side by side, looking to kick off the season just like last year’s, aiming for a one-two finish in the championship. Schendel aimed to dice it up in the second row and transition into that first line while racing against the Judges. Beau Judge quickly set the pace, posting the fastest lap nearly 13 seconds ahead, establishing an early gap. Beau Baron was also fast, but a few minor mechanical issues with his brand-new Polaris machine cost him early positioning; however, he fought his way back to fourth place. Schendel was moving aggressively, but a small issue in his car limited him to a maximum speed of 50 mph, which proved challenging in some high-speed areas, allowing the judges to gain ground on him. In the end, Schendel finished in second place ahead of Braden, but Beau Judge maintained his streak of dominance in this series. With Schendel stepping onto the front line for the next round due to his points, a tight battle among these four for the top spot is anticipated. Rounding out the top 5 was Jeremiah Wagner, who returned to the series in a brand new Polaris RS1 to compete in Pro Production. 

The Rocky Mountain ATV/MC WORCS Series extends our thanks to all the racers, volunteers, and sponsors for an incredible start to the 2025 season. We look forward to seeing you all at the next round at Honolulu Hills Raceway, taking place February 21–23.