Matlocks Capture Evolution Pro SXS Victory at NORRA’s Baja 6-Day Rally

After six demanding days of racing down the Baja Peninsula, Wayne and Kristen Matlock claimed the Evolution Pro SXS class victory at the 2026 NORRA’s Baja 6-Day Rally, finishing an impressive sixth overall against a stacked field of trucks, UTVs, and rally competitors.

Sharing driving duties throughout the week, the Matlocks entered the final day with a comfortable lead but knew Baja has a way of testing even the strongest teams until the very end.

“Going into the final day, my whole mindset was simple: don’t screw up,” said Wayne Matlock. “We had a solid lead, so the goal was just to stay clean, protect the car, and make it to the finish. But in Baja, you never really relax. You tell yourself to take it easy, then the green flag drops and you naturally start pushing again because it’s just so much fun.”

Kristen Matlock admitted the pressure was hard to ignore heading into the final stages. “I was honestly super nervous going into the last day,” she said. “We had about a 50-minute lead over second place, and all we needed to do was finish, but you start thinking about all the things that can happen in Baja because we wanted this one so badly.”

That cautious approach quickly disappeared once the racing began. “I told myself I was going to run it at about 75%, almost like a prerun pace, but as soon as I saw dust ahead of us, that plan went out the window,” Kristen laughed. “The competitive side just kicks in automatically.”

The Matlocks kept their car clean and consistent throughout the rally, excelling in the tighter and more technical stages that suited their driving style.

“The car handled awesome all week,” Wayne said. “Honestly, the NORRA Baja 6-Day Rally is one of the coolest races in the world. There’s really nothing else like six straight days of racing through Baja. It’s tough, exhausting, unpredictable, but it’s an absolute blast.”

“We’re really proud of the rally we had,” Kristen added. “To finish sixth overall while winning the UTV class against this level of competition feels amazing. Some of those stages were super tight and technical, which really suited our style, and we just had so much fun all week.”

Finishing second in Evolution Pro SXS was August Renezeder after a hard-fought week that saw him balancing strategy, speed, and survival all the way to Cabo.

“This morning was kind of a mix of emotions,” said Renezeder. “I was excited because I knew the stages today were going to be smoother and really fun to drive, but at the same time I wanted to make sure we got the car to the finish. Going into the day, we were only about four minutes behind Dodge after having a belt issue yesterday, so I was trying to balance pushing hard while also keeping the car alive.”

Renezeder said the tone of the race changed after seeing fellow competitor Dodge Poelman roll during the second stage of the day.

“Unfortunately, the Dodge rolled over during the second stage, and once I saw that, I switched gears mentally and just focused on bringing the car home clean. But honestly, the whole experience was so much fun.”

Third place in Evolution Pro SXS went to Dodge Poelman, who remained in contention throughout the rally before trouble struck on the final day.

For Renezeder, the NORRA rally delivered a completely different kind of racing experience compared to traditional desert competition.

“This rally is really unique because the strategy side of it is completely different from any other type of racing I’ve done,” he said. “It was awesome battling with the Matlocks and all the different competitors throughout the week.”

He also enjoyed the challenge of racing a side-by-side against much larger and faster vehicles across Baja. “It was cool stepping outside my comfort zone in a side-by-side and racing against Trophy Trucks, prerunners, and all these bigger vehicles out on course,” Renezeder said. “Having to work through traffic and make passes in those situations was a huge challenge and a really fun experience. Overall, this rally was an absolute blast.”

For the Matlocks, returning to the NORRA Baja 6-Day Rally after missing last year’s event made the victory even more meaningful.

“The NORRA rally is honestly my favorite race of the year,” Kristen said. “We missed it last year, so being back down here made it even more special. We’re already excited for next year.”

From tight technical stages and high-speed rally roads to six straight days of strategy, endurance, and survival, the Evolution Pro SXS class once again proved to be one of the most competitive and entertaining battles of the entire NORRA Baja 6-Day Rally.

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