Jeremy Houle sent a powerful message to the high performance off-road this past weekend, taking first place at the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series short course race in Chandler, Ariz., aboard his Speedwerx-prepped Wildcat XX.

Houle qualified first overall with his XX and drew position six for the main event. Off the start, quickly moved into third place while going into the first corner and then made a pass for second where he settled in for most of the race. With two laps to go, Houle passed the leader and held the field off to take the checkered flag.
 
It marked the first win for both Houle and Textron Off Road Racing in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, as well as the second podium for both this season.

Congratulations to Houle, Speedwerx and TOR Racing on the big win (we’re looking forward to more for next season)!

See what makes the premium Ranch Edition Prowler Pro...er, ranchy, in this 65-second hero edit.

For the record: EPS, 14-inch machined aluminum wheels with 27-inch Maxxis Bighorn 2.0 tires, a premium cut and sewn bench seat, LED accented halogen headlights, a hard top, 4,500-lb. WARN winch, front brush guard,rear bumper and a very cool Atomic Copper color treatment.

And as I will forever say about any Prowler Pro model, a test ride (or listen) is a must because it's the ultra-quiet and smooth manner that sets them apart from other utility side-by-sides.

In addition to the new Prowler Pro Crew models, Textron Off Road today announced the addition of a Ranch Edition model to the Prowler Pro line-up for 2019. It's the machine on the right in the above image, and it gets EPS, 14-inch machined aluminum wheels with 27-inch Maxxis Bighorn 2.0 tires, a premium cut and sewn bench seat, LED accented halogen headlights, a hard top, 4,500-lb. WARN winch, front brush guard and rear bumper. It comes in Atomic Copper.

In the four months since TOR officially unveiled the 2019 Prowler Pro models, they've quietly and smoothly become instant favorites.

Click HERE to read my review of the machines.

Then make the jump to read the latest news on the full line for 2019.

New 2-row, 6-passenger Crew models join the Prowler Pro line-up for 2019, bringing added versatility to a family that started a quiet revolution.

Click for the details on the newest models from Textron Off Road.

The most badass handling off-road side-by-side blasts into 2019 with more power, more options and more comfort.

I'm talking about the race-winning Wildcat XX from Textron Off Road. Now with 130-hp naturally-aspirated.

Plus a new Limited Edition model that features a factory-installed SSV^® premium audio system features marine-grade integrated amp, two Kicker^® speakers, custom enclosures and wiring harness. The system is controlled with a Bluetooth® controller and LCD display that includes an AM/FM tuner and AUX input.

Click to serve up some badassedry.

Textron Off Road just announced some new-for-2019 side-by-sides, including what is now a trio of Havoc play/work crossover machines.

The all-new Havoc base model and Havoc Backcountry Edition join the Havoc X in the performance/play/work/do-it-all category.

Click for pix and info.

Arctic Cat unveiled three new 2019 snowmobiles at Hay Days this past weekend, one of which is the M6000 ALPHA ONE, which features the stunning single-beam rear suspension and track system that has pretty much revolutionized backcountry riding since it's debut last spring.

It's little surprise that Cat will equip an M6000 with the new ALPHA ONE system, complementing the M8000 version. In presenting the newest machine at Hay Days on Saturday, Arctic Cat reiterated that it's aimed at riders who are looking to learn and hone their backcountry skills.

Click for the whole scoop.

Textron Off Road Factory Race Team’s Ray Bulloch and co-pilot Kaleb Myers delivered a mossive win the Pro UTV NA Class the Desert’s Vegas-to Reno-race this past weekend.

The 1-day, 531-mile race is considered one of the toughest and most prestigious of the BITD Series events.

Bulloch piloted the nearly-stock, naturally aspirated No. 1835 Wildcat XX to an absolutely crushing win 11 hours and 26 minutes, nearly 18 minutes faster than the second place UTV. 

The win was a true testament to the durability of the Wildcat XX and its racers, who only stopped for a belt, tire change and fuel while leaving nothing but dust for a class full of custom-built vehicles.

Congratulations to the team for proving the new Wildcat XX is truly the best in the desert.

Here's the First Wave of 2019 Side-by-Side models from Textron Off Road, with at least one more wave to come at a later date.

These new models join the recently released Prowler Pro and the earlier Wildcat XX models.

Click to check out what's new.

Today Textron Off Road (TOR) released information on several ATVs and UTVs for the 2019 model year. In its information sent to media, TOR called it a "First Wave Launch" which suggests additional wave(s).

For ATVs, the big news for wave one is a new Alterra™ 570 ATV; a very-updated 700 engine/transmission in many of the Alterra 700 models; and a reprisal of several models that saw limited visibility over the past year.

Click to read the details of the ATVs. 

A week ago I had the chance to spend a day experiencing the all-new Prowler Pro utility side-by-side from Textron Off Road (TOR)

The occasion was a media event at a massive hunting ranch in California, where TOR provided a half-dozen Prowler Pros to ride, photograph and use to hunt pigs. Yes, pig hunting.

For 12 hours I rode passenger, drove and occasionally shot... photographs... of the new machine.

Click to read my six categories of feedback on the machine.

I've spent about 30 minutes on the new Prowler Pro models from Textron Off Road. While not enough time for a full-blown report, it was enough time to determine it's absolutely the smoothest, quietest side-by-side I've had the pleasure to ride.

PERFECTLY smooth acceleration (no more whiplash) and deceleration!

So quiet that you can have normal (no shouting) conversation with the passenger while cruising off-road at 30 mph, both of you wearing full-face helmets.

No rattles, no vibrations.

Click to read the release from Textron Off Road.

The just-released 2019 Prowler Pro and Prowler Pro XT side-by-sides are loaded with sweet technology. Not rip up the whoops like a pro technology, rather, it's tech that delivers whisper-quietness and smooooooooth over everything.

Make the jump and read the bullets on this new over achiever.

It was just a matter of time before the new Wildcat XX took its first win. Not surprisingly for anyone who's ridden one, that win happened sooner rather than later.

Last week, Team Wildcat racer Ray Bulloch bested the RZRs and Mavericks to stand on top of the SxS Pro Stock podium and claim the overall at WORCS Racing’s Round 5 in Hurricane, Utah.

It was the FIRST first for the all-new Wildcat XX, but undoubtedly not the last.

Click to read a brief description.

When Speedwerx took delivery of their new 2018 Wildcat XX for the purpose of uncovering extra horsepower, they wanted to first do a little baseline test with the stock machine against a stock 2017 RZR 1000. So they lined 'em up and dropped the hammers. 

Bam!

Now with a month or so of development time on their Stage 2 Exterminator Kit, the crew wanted to see what 12 additional horsepower is like compared to a stock Wildcat XX.

Click to make the jump and see for yourself.

You (yes, YOU) can win Baja this year. As in an all-expenses-paid trip to Baja; rides aboard the new Wildcat XX along portions of the Baja 1000 race course; great viewing of the famed race; and some story time with off-road race legend Robby Gordon.

And more!

Click for the details, then go win Baja.

What's the best way to show off a Bell Helicopter?

Chase it through the desert with a Wildcat XX in hot pursuit.

Each is a pinnacle of performance. Both are badass machines.

Curious how a stock Wildcat XX compared to a stock RZR 1000, the guys at Speedwerx lined 'em up and let 'em rip.

While it's nice to see the Wildcat XX come out the winner here, on beautiful blacktop, the real place to run them side-by-side is over gnarly stuff. There the difference is even bigger.

Click on the Speedwerx ad at the side of my page for info on how to make a Wildcat XX go even FASTER!

While the stunning Wildcat XX might have grabbed the biggest headlines at the recent Arctic Cat-Textron Off Road dealer meeting in Las Vegas, it was another side-by-side that made the quietest (and perhaps most profound) impact.

I'm referring to the soon-to-be-released 2018 Prower Pro, a newly conceived utility side-by-side that emphasizes smoothness, quietness, quality and customizability.

Click for some info and pix.

After a too-long wait and a couple premature introductions, the Wildcat XX is finally ready for prime time. Is it worth the wait?

Read on and decide for yourself.