The Red Bull Scramble Series will embark on its first Championship run in 2023, allowing drivers from across the nation to fight for a season-long title. The championship will include eight races across various terrain types including ice, beach, desert and woodlands. Pro and amateur racers compete to see who comes out on top in the side-by-side (SXS) series.
After three years of organized specialty races consisting of more than 125 UTVs (Utility Task Vehicles) and their pilots, a championship structure sponsored by Red Bull now gives riders incentive to compete on a weekly basis and an extra incentive to attend all of the races.
UTV star racers such as Andrew Carlson, Mia Chapman and Mitch Guthrie, Jr. are schedule to race for the 2023 campaign.
The SXS 0ff-road season will crown three championships in the Pro Class, Sportsman Class and one driver will be named Iron Man Championship. That title follows its own point system and celebrates the top driver across both classes who competes and finishes in the most races during the season.
The 2022 unofficial series ended December 11 with Corbin Leaverton winning the Pro Class and Billy Slade winning the Sportsman Class. NBC analyst Parker Kligerman made a guest appearance.
The Pro and Sportsman Classes will follow the same points structure. A riders’ best four finishes in the Pro class and best three in Sportsman award points, allowing for some flexibility during the season. With 100 pts being awarded to the winner of each event, the maximum number of points for the Pro class is 400.
To reward consistently strong runs, there is a five-point separation between positions from first to fifth, a four-point separation from sixth to 10th, a 3-point position from 11th to 15th, a two-point separation from 16th to 20th. Points are not awarded to drivers finishing 21st or lower in the feature.
The Iron Man Championship points are tied to the endurance of the drivers, each driver receives 10 points for each event they enter and finish, with the maximum for eight events at 80.
Although this is the first year for the series, the Red Bull Scramble consists of three new events that have not been part of the specialty calendar: the Red Bull Ranch Scramble in Decatur, Texas, the Red Bull Beach Scramble in Wildwood, N.J. and the Red Bull Solstice Scramble in Anchorage, Ala.
The series begins January 28, 2023 in Okoboji, Iowa, (a short course that will be constructed on the frozen ice of East Okoboji Lake), and is scheduled to end December 9 in Glamis, Calif. for the Red Bull Sand Scramble.