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**Speed UTV at the Norra 500 - Comprehensive Recap**
The Norra 500, held last weekend in Baja, Mexico, is one of the most grueling and exciting off-road races of the year. This two-day event covered nearly 500 miles across six stages, each averaging around 80 miles, testing the endurance, speed, and durability of the vehicles and drivers alike. Speed UTV brought an impressive lineup of vehicles and drivers to this year’s race, including three advanced race-modified El Diablo UTVs and one production-based El Diablo.
### **The Lineup: Speed’s El Diablo Race Cars**
Three of the Speed UTV entries were cutting-edge El Diablo race cars, driven by Max Gordon, Robby Gordon, and Bronson Chiaramonte. These vehicles featured all Speed UTV factory components but were specifically outfitted with minor race spec modifications. Each car was equipped with Speed’s lightweight carbon bodies, improved cooling systems, and increased fuel capacity, making them lighter and more agile for the demanding Baja terrain.
These race cars also incorporated prototype components not yet available to the public, reinforcing Speed UTV’s strategy of using racing as a platform to test, refine, and validate the performance of its products. The race environment serves as a proving ground, where real-world conditions expose any weaknesses, allowing the company to develop and deliver better products to their customers.
**Todd Romano’s Production-Based El Diablo**
Todd Romano piloted the fourth El Diablo, which was a production-based UTV that retained all the factory body and components, including production shocks, drivetrains, and motors. However, it was enhanced with additional cooling systems, a bed delete, and a modified exhaust system. The increased cooling capacity came in the form of a front-mount oil cooler and an air-to-air intercooler to keep air intake temperatures low during sustained wide-open throttle conditions, along with custom clutch ducting for increased airflow to the clutches.
Romano’s vehicle was a demonstration of Speed UTV’s philosophy that a customer’s production car, with a few modifications, could not only survive but also thrive in a race environment. The vehicle performed admirably throughout the race, completing the grueling 500 miles with zero mechanical issues and showing that Speed UTV’s production cars can be competitive against high-end racing vehicles.
**Race-Ready Upgrades**
All four Speed UTV vehicles shared a number of Speed's high-performance upgrades, including Wildwood Brakes, Eibach Springs, Electric Steering, and some of the latest race clutch upgrades. Speed UTV is continuing to test two different performance clutch updates to improve our race speed and overall performance. This race marked the second major test for these new clutches after the team’s success at the Vegas to Reno race.
The results were highly promising, as the cars were able to maintain low belt temperatures at speeds near 90 MPH while turning the engines at close to 8000 RPM, all without issues. Over the two days of racing, only two belts were lost—one on Max Gordon’s car and another on Brad Halco’s car (a "Arrive & Drive" customer) at the end of Stage 1 on Day 2. These results showed substantial improvements over previous races, including improved belt life, cooler belt temps, the ability to run at sustained wide open throttle and perform in high-stress, high-temperature conditions.
**Race Recap: Max Gordon, Robby Gordon, and Bronson Chiaramonte**
Max Gordon once again demonstrated his exceptional racing skills by qualifying in the top spot. He was on a blistering pace on Day 1, but his race came to an abrupt end on Stage 2 when the primary clutch sheared off the crank. Initial investigations suggest that this failure may have been caused by over-torquing the primary bolt during a clutch change after qualifying.
Robby Gordon’s race, however, was marred by a violent crash in Stage 2, where he hit a blind ditch at close to 90 MPH. The crash sent his El Diablo into a destructive tumble. Despite the severity of the incident, the team, with the help of local supporters, managed to gather the wrecked car, apply some temporary and other creative “get to the finish line” solutions), and Robby finished Day 1. Unfortunately, the damage from the crash proved too much, and on Day 2, Stage 3, a mechanical failure ended Robby’s race with only 30 miles remaining.
Bronson Chiaramonte also experienced challenges, that can be associate with a new race car build, but the focus was on testing new technologies, pushing the cars to their limits, and gathering data that will benefit future race performance and customer applications.
**Todd Romano’s Strong Finish**
Todd Romano’s production-based El Diablo UTV performed flawlessly, with zero mechanical issues over the course of the race. He finished 10th overall and 3rd in class, competing against 108 entries. This achievement reinforces Speed UTV’s belief that their production vehicles, with minimal modifications, are capable of competing alongside and in many cases beating other elite off-road racing vehicles like Trophy Trucks, Class 1s, and Class 10s.
Romano’s success also highlights the reliability and performance of Speed UTV’s standard components, including the tires, shocks, drivetrains, and motors. The vehicle had zero flats throughout the race and maintained peak performance, even in the punishing Baja conditions.
**Clutch and Performance Improvements**
This Norra 500 event also provided further testing for Speed UTV’s latest clutch technology. This was the second race where Speed UTV tested their upgraded race clutches, and the results were remarkable. The clutches showed a significant and continued improvement in performance, allowing the vehicles to run at high speeds with no significant belt temps or belt wear at near 90 MPH. The motors ran close to 8000 RPM throughout the race, and only two belts were lost, marking a major improvement over past performances.
**Customer Turnout and Future Prospects**
There was also a great turnout of Speed UTV customers, racing their own vehicles in the Norra 500. While some of these customer-driven vehicles faced their own crashes and challenges, it was encouraging to see a strong showing of Speed UTV cars at both the starting and finish lines. This success demonstrates that Speed UTV’s production vehicles, with some race-ready modifications, are capable of competing in elite off-road races.
**Takeaways and Future Developments**
The Norra 500 provided valuable data for Speed UTV as they continue to refine their race setups and develop new products for their customers. The company is close to offering a full race-ready setup for customers who want to race or push their vehicles to race-like performance. In the coming weeks, Speed UTV plans to offer recommendations and modifications based on their findings from the Norra 500 and other recent races.
With no tire flats, flawless performance from the production components, and impressive reliability from the production-based El Diablo, Speed UTV continues to demonstrate its commitment to delivering high-performance vehicles that can compete with the best in off-road racing.
If you have any race or product related questions please ask below! If you have any other questions please reach out to us directly at 1-714-886-6197 or
contact@speedutv.com, we would like to use this post for customers interested in the race and race products we are testing.
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