AS SEEN IN OUR TREAD MARCH/APRIL 2026 ISSUE – Buy Now!

The Story of an Untold Legend

This isn’t just any story, and this isn’t just about anyone. It may not even be completely about the Polaris Pro R we are featuring, but rather a woman and her machine. TREAD readers, I want you to meet Jolene Van Vugt and her Polaris Pro R Race Replica in the classic RZR purple, black, and grey color palette right off the factory floor.

Jolene is a former motocross rider and stuntwoman. “What kind of stuntwoman?” you might ask. Well, she was a part of this little show back in the day, played on MTV, called Nitro Circus! Yes, that Nitro Circus—the show that also featured legends like Street Bike Tommy, Travis Pastrana, and Johnny Knoxville. But don’t let these other names take away from Jolene’s! She was a badass in her own category and has her own records set in stone in the Guinness World Records for backflip distance and length. Did I mention that Jolene was also the first woman to backflip a full-sized dirt bike? Oh yes, she was solidified in this off-road game before most of us were even out of school.

Jolene is running this Polaris just the way she likes it—with mostly all stock parts. She is a long-time partner with Polaris, owning multiple throughout her lifetime and pushing the machines to their limits! It’s an honor to be able to work with such a legend like Jolene. Capturing her on camera is one thing, but being able to converse with her about her life is a huge bonus.

During this shoot, I got to look into this Pro R like never before and see all the new bells and whistles that it features all around. Just walking around, you can see it has a massive stance and an aggressive look. This Pro R has a 74-inch track width and a 104-inch overall wheelbase—that’s almost an entire foot longer than my Jeep! It’s crazy to think how technology has come so far in the past few years with these machines, and I can only imagine what it will turn into further down the road.

Giving this Pro R the stance and the wheelbase it needs to move smoothly and quickly in the desert, it is running a lightweight boxed A-arm suspension in the front with 22 inches of usable travel, which is more than most long-travel truck kits. In the rear is a set of lightweight boxed trailing arms with a toe link and high-clearance radius arms to keep everything away from rocks or other dangers when out on the trails. This rear setup offers 24 inches of usable travel, which, again, is more than what most companies offer today for full-size rigs.

When going through the whoops and uneven terrain of the desert, these suspension parts and width will give you a key advantage to conquering these conditions smoothly and efficiently. Keeping those A-arms and trailing arms moving are Fox Live Valve 3.0 coilovers with internal bypasses, which allow for these shocks to tune themselves and adapt on-the-fly using smart technology! Strapped on the outside of this suspension system and connecting this machine to the ground is a set of BFG KM3 32×10.50 tires gripping the dirt and sand, as well as a set of Method 407 UTV Bead Grip wheels for a lightweight and sleek look for the trails.

Keeping this pony running is a 4-stroke, 4-cylinder DOHC inline motor pushing 225 horsepower. That much muscle really makes this off-road machine able to get up and boogie to the beat whenever you step on the gas pedal, especially with its automatic PVT transmission that is paired with a Pro Performance True Lock transfer case. Shining the way on these newer generation Polaris RZRs are RZR Fang accent light units that feature white and purple accent illumination. Sporting out the back is a Rigid Industries chase bar and 32-inch light bar. These newer machines really do set the pace out in the desert nowadays, whether you are racing, cruising, attacking the whoops, or cruising the sand dunes of Glamis. You will be able to find these Pro Rs all over, and for good reason.

 

 

Will you find Jolene and her Pro R out there? Maybe. If you do, always stop and don’t be afraid to say hello. We are excited to see more upgrades and a full build on this Pro R in the future, and maybe even a comparison article one day to keep things spicy for our readers at home. Thanks to Jolene for inviting us out so I could grab some shots of her ripping it up in Johnson Valley. We can’t wait for what she has planned next! Until then, tread on!