2013 proved to be a phenomenal year for so many reasons. The AVE Pure Side-X-Side Off-Road Desert Series was a huge hit among the UTV crowd, and the racing produced in the California City desert was second to none. In the end, champions were crowned and great racing was to be had as the series concluded with the Pure  400.

Truth be told, it is extremely rare to see a rookie enter into a racing series and go on to win the Championship. No matter what sport you’re talking about, it’s a difficult task because of all the extreme talent in the racing world these days. A championship would seem like an impossible goal to attain! Unless you are Matt Lasher…

Matt Lasher started driving his Kawasaki Teryx at a young age. Under the arm of his dad, Mike, who has an enormous amount of off-road driving credibility in his own right, Matt learned how to take the reigns of an off-road vehicle. He began to understand the art of negotiating different trails to perfection, while also learning how to “save his stuff” for when it mattered most. Through his learning years, Matt honed his skills to become the crafty driver he is today. And, it wasn’t until the 2013 season when Mike decided that it was a good time to put his son behind the wheel and see what he could do.

Fast-forward almost 8 months and a handful of races, Matt has taken his SXSPerformance Kawasaki Teryx to victory lane three times this season. When he wasn’t winning the races, he was right up front, often showing everyone how well he could do against drivers with much more power underneath their right foot. Through it all, Matt drove clean, drove clever, and drove like a champion on his way to the inaugural AVE Production 850 championship!

Matt and his entire SXSPerformance crew would not be where they are today without the help of key sponsors to help get their Teryx to the finish line. Those dedicated sponsors include: SXSPerformance, GBC Motorsports, OMF Performance, PRP Seats, UTV Underground, and Walker Evans Racing.

Let’s all give a BIG Congratulations to Matt as he takes home his first championship! Here’s to many more in the future!

If you would like more information about racing in the AVE series next year, head on over to their website at http://www.averacing.com/pure-side-x-side-off-road-desert-series. Also, many of the parts that were used on Matt’s championship-winning Kawasaki Teryx can be found on the SXSPerformance website. Be sure to get the best parts for your Side-X-Side vehicle, only at SXSPerformance.com. You can bet Matt will be running the same tried-and-true performance parts on his Teryx in the years to come.