GLENDALE, WIS. (FEB. 2, 2026) – OPTIMA Batteries is proud to announce that Christopher Polvoorde has extended his King of the Hammers winning streak with a third consecutive Desert Challenge victory. The T1 class proved to be stacked this year, but his relentless pursuit and flawless technical program resulted in a commanding lead over the field.
The returning winner was off to a good start in Saturday’s qualifying event, finishing 2nd behind OPTIMA Batteries teammate RJ Anderson. With the win on the line, Polvoorde’s team developed a careful strategy on the eve of the main event.
Pressure as the returning champion did not seem to faze Polvoorde, who went door to door with the 3rd place qualifier in the first corner at the start of the main event. After making the pass into 2nd place, he continued to chase down the race leader RJ Anderson until they both stopped in the pits after lap 1. From here, Polvoorde would go on to leave Anderson in the pits with technical difficulties, turning the opportunity into a massive gap over the rest of the field – and carrying it on to an unchallenged victory.
The blistering pace and flawless technical execution from the team put Polvoorde on the top of the podium for the third year.
“Christopher [Polvoorde] has been no stranger to the adversity of off-road racing throughout his career.” Said Cam Douglass, marketing director of OPTIMA Batteries. “In the last year he has been on an incredible tear, and we have been proud to support him along the way.”
The OPTIMA Batteries team has been on-site at the King of the Hammers event supporting Polvoorde and its fleet of King of the Hammers participants via the OPTIMA Oasis. This one-of-a-kind homebase is powered by Clarios and serves as a private sanctuary for industry leaders, racers, creators and off-road brands to reconnect at the annual desert get-together and recharge from the races and off-road activities.
Clarios has tapped into OPTIMA Batteries’ enthusiast roots to create a unique base camp that serves as an opportunity to partner with and empower OEMs and partners to champion Clarios’ continued pursuit of innovation. Stay tuned to OPTIMA (@optimabatteries) and Clarios (@clariosglobal) social channels to watch the rest of the week’s action unfold at the OPTIMA Oasis.
For more information on OPTIMA Batteries, visit the website.
About OPTIMA® Batteries
OPTIMA high-performance automotive, marine, heavy-duty AGM and lithium batteries are manufactured by Clarios, LLC, the world’s largest manufacturer of automotive batteries. OPTIMA REDTOP, YELLOWTOP and BLUETOP batteries feature state-of-the-art SPIRALCELL TECHNOLOGY. This patented design allows OPTIMA batteries to deliver superior performance in both starting and deep cycling applications. OPTIMA ORANGETOP batteries are the newest additions to the legendary line of reliable performance batteries with six sizes available that utilize HYPERCORE LITHIUM technology. This new offering allows for more than 95% of the powersports market to experience the power and performance of OPTIMA Batteries. The OPTIMA product family also includes a line of Digital Chargers, with advanced multi-stage charging to charge and maintain a variety of 12V vehicle batteries, maximizing battery life and performance. To learn more or to purchase OPTIMA products, please visit www.optimabatteries.com, call 1-888-8OPTIMA (1-888-867-8462) or find @OPTIMABatteries on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
About Clarios
Clarios is the global leader in advanced, low-voltage battery technologies for mobility. Our batteries and smart solutions power nearly every type of vehicle and are found in 1 of 3 cars on the road today. With around 18,000 employees in over 100 countries, we bring deep expertise to our Aftermarket and OEM partners, and reliability, safety and comfort to everyday lives. We answer to the planet with a rigorous sustainability focus – advancing best-in-class sustainability practices and advocating for them across our industry. We work to ensure 100% of our products sold are recyclable, and we recycle 8,000 batteries an hour in our network. Clarios is a Brookfield portfolio company.
