ASSAULT RACING’S EL GENERAL 4

Project UTV

On Sep 5, 2019

**Thirty-inch tires and long-travel suspension greatly add ground clearance for the long-wheelbase car. The General has a clean approach angle, so we rarely dragged any of the undercarriage.**

ASSAULT RACING’S EL GENERAL 4

Polaris’ General, particularly the General 4, has been very popular ever since its introduction. Even though they sell very well as sport/utility vehicles, the General 4 isn’t the first machine you think of as the basis for a wide-open-spaces race car.

But that is the beauty of a company as multifaceted as Assault Racing in creating such a project. Naturally, they wouldn’t have picked a General if they didn’t think it could be a contender, but this machine is both a racer and a showcase for Assault products.

As a showcase project, building a machine that is a little different gets brownie points for standing out in a crowd. Choosing a four-seat General as a starting point for the 1000-mile NORRA Mexican 1000 Rally certainly drew attention to Assault and its product line.

**This stream crossing was part of a designated trail, and we were worried that water might come into the interior. El General shrugged it off, and it caused no drama at all.**

ASSAULT RACING’S EL GENERAL 4

THE JOURNEY TO EL GENERAL

Building any competitive race machine is painstaking, but starting with a General added some complexity. An RZR transmission was swapped in since it had more desirable gearing for high-speed running. The drivetrain was beefed up with Sandcraft Motorsports parts to toughen the front differential, lock down the motor mounts and add support to the driveshaft.

Assault has worked with HCR on projects in the past, and a full long-travel kit handles the suspension duties. This is a very complete kit that opens the track width 10 inches to 70 inches, adds 2 inches of wheelbase for better handling, and has high-clearance front A-arms that add 1.25 inches of additional ground clearance. It increases travel to over 17 inches for all four corners. Normally, the kit includes King shocks, but Assault added Walker Evans Velocity Series shocks.

**Simpson seats and Assault harness-type seat belts are a great combo. You feel secure in this machine.**

ASSAULT RACING’S EL GENERAL 4

HANDCRAFTED QUALITY

HCR has come up with impressive suspension numbers for this A-arm (front and rear) suspension kit. The proprietary steel alloy arms are works of art, but this kit isn’t on the car for looks or numbers. We have experienced a General 4 with this kit on it before. That one had King shocks, but what the two cars have in common is an amazing ability to erase bumps. This is all the suspension that a naturally aspirated machine can put to good use.

HCR’s (actually, any full suspension kit) long-travel kit is a big investment, but the difference is worth it. Wider RCV 4340 Series Chromoly axles are included with the kit. Assault wanted larger rolling stock, but with a normally aspirated engine, they didn’t want to go crazy. Beadlock wheels are almost a must for race cars. They chose 15-inch Addict 2 Beadlock wheels with GBC 30-inch Kanati Terra Master tires.

**HCR and Walker Evans provide excellent suspension. It is compliant in the slow rocks and flies in the fast rough. The winch is stock on the General 4.**

ASSAULT RACING’S EL GENERAL 4

POWER PLANNING

With suspension and traction covered, it was time for the engine. The General is rated at 92 horsepower, but the RZR XP 1000 has 110 horsepower. Assault used Dynojet for the clutch kit and a Power Vision ECU flash. Power Vision allows you to switch between maps. On the intake side is a K&N filter and intake system. On the other side of the engine is a Trinity Racing exhaust system.

Those engine mods let the engine produce all the power possible, but allowed the team to absolutely expect it to last for a 1000-mile race. With the drivetrain dialed in, Assault turned its attention to the rest of the machine. Assault is a manufacturing company, and while it doesn’t sell roll cages, it was entirely within its abilities to build one. They custom-built a race-legal cage and managed to integrate all of the accessories required.

**The General bed was sacrificed, but it is nice to have a spare tire. Note that there is a spare axle mounted and ready to go.**

ASSAULT RACING’S EL GENERAL 4

THE PACKAGE

One of the beauties of the stock General 4 is a great interior with nice doors, but many race organizations do not allow doors. So, Assault added the custom cage with tabs for all of the aftermarket parts, removed the rear seats and replaced them with storage boxes, got rid of the doors, and added window nets. To get in, you climb in through the side window.

There are other race parts installed, like a spare tire carrier, mounts for spare axles, and a replacement belt and belt tools. Rugged Radios supplied a helmet air system, the required radio for communications, and an intercom to connect the driver and navigator.

For racing in Mexico, there is no such thing as too much light, so a variety of Baja Designs high-quality lights were installed. Those lights included a custom light bar sporting 6 XL Pro Lights that is a true one-off. Adding to the lighting are a pair of Buggy Whips lighted, quick-disconnect whips. They add visibility day or night.

There are a lot of convenience items that make long hours in the car nicer, and perhaps the most important of those is the Simpson Pro Sport seats that combine safety, comfort, and style. Assault specializes in convenience products.

El General got at least one of everything from the Assault catalog, including mirrors, sun visors, a grill, harness-type seat belts, light mounts, and a fire extinguisher kit. Assault added a new steering wheel, a mounting kit, and a quick-release to remove the wheel—a bonus when you need to climb through the window to get in or out.

Other details include a Kleinn “get out of the way!” air horn and an S&B Particle Separator to make life easier for the K&N filter.

**With the long chassis and capable brakes, El General was happy on technical descents as well. The suspension supplies all the articulation that most people will need.**

ASSAULT RACING’S EL GENERAL 4

RACER HEART

After completing El General, Assault’s crew raced the NORRA multi-day 1000-mile event in Baja. The car finished the entire 1000 miles. Many race mounts are single-purpose cars, but after the race, Assault washed El General and headed for Moab, Utah. Crawling into the car isn’t optimum for a trail machine, and the intrusion bars and window nets hamper vision somewhat, but this car maintains the General platform’s intrinsic goodness. El General saw some serious trail outings while in Moab.

That was when we had our opportunity to drive it. As always, we were very impressed with the HCR suspension kit and the Walker Evans Racing Velocity shocks. This machine truly soaks up the hits as you would expect a race car to do. It is just as happy crawling rocks at slower speeds. The suspension action remained calm and comfortable on the roughest sections.

**This is Moab—steep, rough climbs that have abrupt transitions, so you can’t hit them with speed. The clutching, GBC tires, and wheelbase work in concert to conquer these.**

ASSAULT RACING’S EL GENERAL 4

TESTING, TESTING

For a race car, this General proved itself competitive in the normally aspirated class. After the testing, racing, and week of trail excursions in Moab, El General still looked fit for inspection.

This General 4 has a very nice package. It has the tools, parts, and winch to get it out of trouble and to keep it rolling. After all, a large part of racing is making it to the finish line with the car intact. It avoids being just another amid a sea of RZRs. With the exception of the doors, none of the mods to El General harm the all-around good nature of the stock General.

El General is a superior trail machine (as long as the trail is wide enough) in every respect. The seats and cab are comfortable for many hours of driving, the suspension isolates the driver from the terrain hazards in fine fashion, you have clean air to breathe, and can talk to your passenger and other cars in the group.

**Here you see the spare axle, the tool bag, GoPro mount, and the particle separator. The case on the roll cage holds a belt and all the tools to change it.**

Assault will do more races with the car, so it will stay in this configuration. If there was a way to put the doors back in, this would be one of our favorite trail machines ever. It works that well. But, hey, we could get used to crawling in through the window.

The Dynojet mods to the clutching and the ECU retain excellent drivability. Even with the taller tires and RZR transmission, it handled slow, technical driving and high-speed running equally well. We even ran it through deep water with no trouble.

**The rear-passenger compartment has been turned into storage for the equipment needed for a multi-day race. There are two storage units and an Assault cooler bag.**

ASSAULT RACING’S EL GENERAL 4

Having a wide stance makes El General a weapon on cambered trails as well. In the end, this General 4 is a hoot to drive, whether the pace is fast or the conditions are slow and technical. It has plenty of power and all the suspension you could ask for to put that power to good work. It has tough tires, and the Beadlock wheels get the car back despite a flat. There is a light, and there are effective safety belts as well. This is an impressive machine, and we would like the stock General to come with this suspension.

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**Assault projects always look great, and this one is no exception. In addition to the normal cool factor, El General has that added ready-for-anything look.**

ASSAULT RACING’S EL GENERAL 4

CONTACT/PRICE LIST

Assault Industries: (714) 799-6711, www.assaultind.com

Hellfire front grill (red) $124.99

Steering wheel quick-release $124.99

Steering wheel adapter hub $64.99

350R steering wheel $164.99

Bomber rearview mirror $99.99

Sidewinder side mirrors $299.9

Gas cap $89.99

55-degree light brackets $79.99

Universal light bar mount kit $159.99

3” 5-point harness $139.99 each

Ghost visors $169.99

Bold Bull billet tow hook $94.99

Fire extinguisher kit $169.99

Custom race cage Not for retail sale

Baja Designs: (800) 422-5292, www.bajadesigns.com

Custom light bar (6 XL Pro Lights+ XL/OnX6 wiring harness) Est. $2,174.80

XL Pro, pair driving/combo, amber $699.95

RTL 30” light bar $474.95

Buggy Whips, Inc:www.buggywhip.com

2’ LED quick-release whips $149.99(ea)

Dynojet Research: (800) 992-4993, www.dynojet.com

Stage 2 Power Package (clutch kit) $749.99

Power Vision (ECU flash) $399.99

Full River Battery: (800) 522-8191, www.fullriverbattery.com

Full Throttle 12v battery: N/A

GBC Motorsports: www.gbcmotorsports.com

30” Kanati Terra Master Tire (x9) $234.62 (ea)

HCR Racing: (888) 928-7223, www.hcrracing.com

Long-travel complete system suspension kit $5,999.99

K&N Filters: (800) 858-3333, www.knfilters.com

Air Intake $349.99

Kleinn Air Horns: (520) 579-1531, www.kleinn.com

On-board air system and model 102-1 air horn $949.99

KMC Wheels: www.kmcwheels.com

15” XS234 Addict 2 Beadlock wheels $251 each

Rugged Radios: (888) 541-7223, www.ruggedradios.com

2-person pumper system $456

RM60 radio kit $423

Sandcraft RCR Motorsports: (480)539-4438, www.sandcraftmotorsports.com

Front differential race bearing kit $140

Motor mount combo kit $390

Driveline/ carrier bearing combo 2019/4-seat $1,100

S&B Filters: (800) 358-2639, www.sbfilters.com

Particle separator $399.99

Simpson Race Products: (800) 654-7223, www.simpsonraceproducts.com

Pro Sport seats $579.95 (ea)

Trinity Racing: (800) 310-5519, www.trinityracing.com

RZR General/1000S dual exhaust system $949.99

Walker Evans Racing: (951) 784-7223, www.walkerevansracing.com

Velocity 2.5” rear shocks (New) TBA

Velocity 2.0” front shocks (New) TBA

XTC Power Products: (480) 558-8588, www.xtcpowerproducts.com

Plug & play 4 switch control system $329.99

Plug & play turn signal system $329.99