Features

Wienen wins his fifth! By the staff of Dirt Wheels with Kayla Bolton ATV MX Photos by Stephen Tripp The 2021 ATV Motocross National Championship kicked off with ATV Supercross of AMA Pro ATV Racing inside the historic Daytona International Speedway. This season opener is the only SX-style race on the ATV MX schedule, and it features SX scoring with overall results standing from the final heat. With everyone eager to get the racing season underway, there was an almost full gate of AMA Pro ATV racers. With no…

ATV boating, wet tech tips and drown-out cures By the “sink or swim” staff of Dirt Wheels DO ATVs FLOAT? A question ATV riders have been pondering for decades is, “Do ATVs float?” Joe Lepore of Loxahatchee, Florida, claims his FourTrax Foreman 400 not only floats but can actually motor along in the local canals with a rider on board! He even has the photos to prove it. Joe did, however, have to per­form a major waterproofing job on the entire machine, as well as add a snorkel air-intake extension up to the…

New winners for the season opener By the staff of Dirt Wheels, Photos by Harlan Foley The Best in the Desert season opener held record-breaking racer attendance with 330 total entries. Over 100 entries were registered for the various Pro UTV categories and 54 among the UTV Turbo class. The UTV Unlimited class nearly doubled in size from the previous year. The UTV Pro Open class ran for the first time in the Tensor Tire Parker 250 and was claimed by Mitchell Alsup. This class was designed to allow a more…

Connecting your UTV to help By the staff of Dirt Wheels As handy and mechanically savvy as we may fancy ourselves to be, the truth is, most of us are not fully trained mechanics with years of experience. What happens when you’re miles down the trail (or way out on the dunes) and something happens to your rig? Perhaps an “engine light” reducing performance? Or even worse,  the dreaded “limp home” mode? Those of us who are prepared will have basic tools and possibly even a basic code scanner available for us…

The chasers are stepping it up By Ken Hill The short off-season seems to get shorter each year for those competing in the Grand National Cross-Country series (GNCC). The run up to the 2021 season was shorter than ever when COVID delays pushed the 2020 season late! As teams and riders scrambled to get parts and needed equipment, the world seemed to be working against them. With restrictions at ports due to continuing COVID issues, even the suppliers were scrambling to get parts and products in the country and shipped.…

ATVs throwing serious dirt By Juli Moore/Dirt n Dunz Photography The Professional Sand Drag Association (PSDA) brought world-record ATV sand drags back to the West Coast for the Arizona ATV Nationals. This race was held at Dome Valley Raceway just outside of Yuma, Arizona. After a three-year lapse on the West Coast, this event had racers from across the country getting bikes ready to compete at the highest level. This is where world records are set! Racers from all over the U.S. and Puerto Rico traveled through snow…

By Joe Kosch The latest ATVs offer more performance, comfort and convenience than most riders could have dreamed of years ago, so it really doesn’t surprise me to see so many new machines motoring around on trails, rolling by in trucks and on trailers, or standing ready for fun or work in garages and back yards. What does surprise me is the number of older, well-worn quads that are still in use right alongside those new ATVs. My family was invited to a friend’s place for their daughter’s birthday party. Not long…

 By the staff of Dirt Wheels The Can-Am UTV King of the Hammers Presented by Progressive is one of the biggest off-road events in the U.S. Last year nearly 60,000 people made their way to the lakebed—the only level and easily passable real estate in Johnson Valley. Leave the lakebed and the terrain turns to sand, rocks or boulders, which is the point to KOH. During a pandemic, many were worried that this year would be canceled like almost all 2020 off-road gatherings and races. The KOH team worked endlessly to get…

Marengo swampfest By the “Swamp Things” of Dirt Wheels Editor’s note: This mud-o-cross event was featured in our December 1997 issue of Dirt Wheels. It literally was the beginning of big-time mud racing, starting out in the lush Louisiana swamps. This inaugural event was a precursor to what was to come in the wild world of mud stomping. Had it not happened, mud racing might not exist today. We’ve reprinted it here for a look back at the early days. GREASY WHEELS: WORLD’S BIGGEST MUD RUN In the bayous and…

Five hidden (and not-so hidden) riding gems By Lane Lindstrom OHV recreation is a half-billion-dollar business in Idaho for good reasons. The sheer diversity of riding opportunities, the incredible scenery and varied topography make Idaho an ideal riding destination. We’ve ridden trail vehicles all over the state and have never had a bad ride—seriously. We always look forward to our next ride with anticipation. When we decided to write about some of those favorites, there were a few that bubbled to the top of our…

Are you struggling to choose between a snowmobile and ATV? This article provides a detailed snowmobile vs ATV comparison on different vital aspects.

Sand and sights of the SSVs By the staff of Dirt Wheels Photos by WESTx1000 and Dakar.com The 43rd annual running of the Dakar Rally took place in the first half of January. It’s the longest off-road race on the planet. Trucks, buggies, bikes and quads all take part in the historic, grueling event. Competitors have to travel nearly 5000 miles during the 12-day event, keeping their bodies and machines alive while braving the elements of the Saudi Arabian desert. For the first time ever, a U.S. citizen competed in the…