Polaris Industries today announced Polaris RZR is the “Official UTV” of Best In The Desert (BITD) Racing Series and that the company will be sponsoring several BITD races this season starting with the THR Motorsports Parker 250 presented by Polaris RZR.

“Best in the Desert has been at the forefront of promoting desert side-by-side racing, and Polaris RZR is excited to support the series and its racers,” said Craig Scanlon, general manager of Polaris Side-by-Side Vehicles. “Our partnership with Best in the Desert will help us share the off-road racing experience with more people so we can continue to build interest in the sport.”

Along with RZR being the Official UTV of BITD and the presenting sponsor of the THR Motorsports Parker 250, Polaris RZR will be the title sponsor for both The Mint 400 in Las Vegas, NV, on March 13-15, and the first-annual UTV World Championship, to take place in Laughlin, Nevada, February 19-21. Polaris RZR also is the presenting sponsor for the Blue Water Desert Challenge to take place in Parker, Ariz., on October 9-11.

“We are extremely proud to start our 2015 race season and welcome a new partnership with Polaris RZR,” said Casey Folks, director of Best In The Desert. “This is a perfect fit since teams running the Polaris RZR have always been a dominant force at Best In The Desert events. In fact, for 2015, Brandon Schueler enters the season as the reigning Pro UTV Class Champion behind the wheel of his Jagged X Polaris RZR.”

This year’s THR Motorsports Parker 250 presented by Polaris RZR will feature a new two-race format. The race will be split into two separate races; one race for Motorcycles and Quads, and another race for the UTVs. Both races will be run on the same 80-mile loop that features some of the best spectating areas available in off-road desert racing today. The famous “Parker Python” will again be a big part of the course with its thrilling rough sections.

Polaris is a recognized leader in the powersports industry with annual 2013 sales of $3.8 billion. Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets innovative, high quality off-road vehicles, including all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and the Polaris RANGER and RZR side-by-side vehicles, snowmobiles, motorcycles and on-road electric/hybrid powered vehicles.
Polaris is among the global sales leaders for both snowmobiles and off-road vehicles and has established a presence in the heavyweight cruiser and touring motorcycle market with the Victory, Indian Motorcycle and Slingshot brands. Additionally, Polaris continues to invest in the global on-road small electric/hybrid powered vehicle industry with Global Electric Motorcars (GEM), Goupil Industrie SA, Aixam Mega S.A.S., and internally developed vehicles. Polaris enhances the riding experience with a complete line of Polaris Engineered Parts, Accessories and Apparel, Klim branded apparel and ORV accessories under the Pro Armor and Cycle Country brands. Polaris Industries Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PII”, and the Company is included in the S&P Mid-Cap 400 stock price index.

Information about the complete line of Polaris products, apparel and vehicle accessories are available from authorized Polaris dealers or anytime at polaris.com.

Yamaha Outdoors has been a longtime partner and supporter of National Hunting and Fishing Day (NHF Day), an annual celebration of outdoorsmen and women and the important contributions they make to the environment and economy.

To help raise awareness and excitement for NHF Day in 2014, Yamaha donated a Viking Side-by-Side (SxS) vehicle – a new high in the level of support for the day’s events and participants.

Dorothy Jones of Blanks, La., was randomly selected as the winner. An avid hunter, Jones will soon be enjoying the class-leading comfort and superior off-road capability offered by her new 2014 Viking. And she can take pride in knowing that every Viking is assembled in the U.S.A. at Yamaha’s factory in Newnan, Georgia.

In addition to the Viking sweepstakes, Yamaha stepped up in 2014 as the founding sponsor of the all-new NHF Day Live It! Grants – a proactive, grass roots program created to celebrate hunters and anglers and all they do for conservation. Through the Live It! Grant program, NHF Day provided 13 grants to deserving organizations for 2014 NHF Day events that helped further the goal of connecting people to the outdoors.

“We’re very happy to have Yamaha as a sponsor of National Hunting and Fishing Day, and a special thanks to the Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative for its founding support of the new Live It! Grants,” said Misty Mitchell, Director of Conservation Programs for Wonders of Wildlife museum in Springfield, Mo. – the official home of NHF Day. “Yamaha vehicle giveaways continue to be a big hit with NHF Day participants, and the Live It! Grant program would not have been possible without Yamaha’s added contributions last year.”

NHF Day falls on the fourth Saturday of September each year and serves as the most effective grassroots effort ever taken to promote outdoor sports and conservation.

Yamaha, through its relationships with organizations such as Ducks Unlimited, Safari Club International, Buckmasters, National Wild Turkey Federation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and NHF Day, among others, is the leading ATV and SxS manufacturer supporting these conservation efforts.

Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., (YMUS), a leader in the motorsports market, makes the toughest, most capable and versatile ATV and Side-by-Side vehicles. The company’s ever-expanding product offerings also include motorcycles, outboard motors, personal watercraft, snowmobiles, boats, outdoor power equipment, accessories, apparel and much more. YMUS products are sold through a nationwide network of dealers in the United States. Headquartered in Cypress, Calif., since its incorporation in 1976, Yamaha also has facilities in Wisconsin and Georgia, as well as factory operations in Tennessee and Georgia.

For more information on Yamaha, visit yamaha-motor.com.

Polaris Industries today announced the company will, once again, team with Xtreme Plus to take on the world famous Dakar Rally. The partnership has yielded three, back-to-back victories by solo racer Willy Alcaraz.

French Racer Alcaraz will be trying to win his fourth Dakar as a solo racer, an incredible feat given the tough racing conditions the race presents. Xtreme Plus also will field two other teams in the race, Team Munk/Delaunay from Denmark and France, and Team Gibbs from the United Kingdom.

All teams will race the RZR XP 1000 for the first time with the hopes of taking home a Dakar win.

This year’s Dakar Rally is 9,000 Kilometers, spanning three countries with 665 competitors from 53 nations taking on some of the toughest geography offered in an off-road race. Dakar fans can find the latest information on Xtreme Plus during the race on Polaris’ new Dakar race page here. The page features class and overall rank, time and a route map showing where each team is in the race.

The Dakar Rally runs January 4-17, starting in Argentina, running through Bolivia and ending in Chile.

Polaris is a recognized leader in the powersports industry with annual 2013 sales of $3.8 billion. Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets innovative, high quality off-road vehicles, including all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and the Polaris RANGER and RZR side-by-side vehicles, snowmobiles, motorcycles and on-road electric/hybrid powered vehicles.
Polaris is among the global sales leaders for both snowmobiles and off-road vehicles and has established a presence in the heavyweight cruiser and touring motorcycle market with the Victory, Indian Motorcycle and Slingshot brands. Additionally, Polaris continues to invest in the global on-road small electric/hybrid powered vehicle industry with Global Electric Motorcars (GEM), Goupil Industrie SA, Aixam Mega S.A.S., and internally developed vehicles. Polaris enhances the riding experience with a complete line of Polaris Engineered Parts, Accessories and Apparel, Klim branded apparel and ORV accessories under the Pro Armor and Cycle Country brands. Polaris Industries Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PII”, and the Company is included in the S&P Mid-Cap 400 stock price index.

Information about the complete line of Polaris products, apparel and vehicle accessories are available from authorized Polaris dealers or anytime at polaris.com.

The King of the Hammers (KOH) is known as the toughest off-road race in the world, and this year, the person who conquers the course will not only go home with “The Hammer,” but also a brand-new, 2015 RZR XP 1000 EPS.

As part of Polaris RZR being the official side-by-side of the race, Polaris sweetened the deal by offering up a RZR XP 1000 EPS to the Pro Class side-by-side winner.

Last year, 26 side-by-sides would vie for “The Hammer” with five-time Hammers Winner Mitch Guthrie winning in his RZR XP 1000 EPS.

“A majority of King of the Hammers’ Pro racers choose to race RZR,” said Jason DiFuccia, director of Marketing for Polaris Off-Road Vehicles. “So we figured they’d like a new RZR XP 1000 for winning. We look forward to presenting the 2015 Pro SxS winner with the keys.”

The 2015 King of the Hammers race will take place on Wednesday, February 4, at Means Dry Lake, in Landers, Calif. More information can be found here.

Polaris is a recognized leader in the powersports industry with annual 2013 sales of $3.8 billion. Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets innovative, high quality off-road vehicles, including all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and the Polaris RANGER and RZR side-by-side vehicles, snowmobiles, motorcycles and on-road electric/hybrid powered vehicles.
Polaris is among the global sales leaders for both snowmobiles and off-road vehicles and has established a presence in the heavyweight cruiser and touring motorcycle market with the Victory, Indian Motorcycle and Slingshot brands. Additionally, Polaris continues to invest in the global on-road small electric/hybrid powered vehicle industry with Global Electric Motorcars (GEM), Goupil Industrie SA, Aixam Mega S.A.S., and internally developed vehicles. Polaris enhances the riding experience with a complete line of Polaris Engineered Parts, Accessories and Apparel, Klim branded apparel and ORV accessories under the Pro Armor and Cycle Country brands. Polaris Industries Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PII”, and the Company is included in the S&P Mid-Cap 400 stock price index.

Information about the complete line of Polaris products, apparel and vehicle accessories are available from authorized Polaris dealers or anytime at polaris.com.

BRP’s Can-Am ATV and side-by-side racers earned a record number of wins and championships across North America in 2014. Racers secured more than 16 total championships, including the first GNCC XC1 Modified (side-by-side) class and SCORE International Class 19 Pro side-by-side championship.

Team member Kyle Chaney earned BRP its first GNCC XC1 Modified (side-by-side) class title behind the wheel of his Can-Am Maverick 1000R side-by-side vehicle. Chaney recorded three consecutive event overall wins and had four total podiums in six rounds of racing.

“It was a great year winning the GNCC XC1 overall championship. I’m proud to be a part of such a historic season,” said Chaney. “The Can-Am Maverick vehicle comes off the showroom floor pretty much ready to race, and the new Maverick X ds Turbo model with the first factory- installed turbocharger will change the game.”

BRP’s Can-Am racing team captured numerous ATV and side-by-side championships across America, like the inaugural GNCC 4×4 Pro class, its first GNCC XC2 Limited side-by-side crown and around a dozen more titles in respected mud, motocross and endurance racing circuits.

Whether it’s the powerful and precise configuration of the Maverick 1000R side-by-side or the impressive and aggressive makeup of the Renegade line-up, Can-Am vehicles are built for those seeking to reach the podium.

“The racing community chooses the Can-Am brand because our vehicles offer industry-leading performance and unmatched dynamics. Our historic season gives us momentum for the upcoming season and undoubtedly reinforces our message that the ride says it all,” said Philippe Normand, director, Global Marketing, Can-Am off-road.

BRP (TSX: DOO) is a global leader in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and marketing of powersports vehicles and propulsion systems. Its portfolio includes Ski-Doo and Lynx snowmobiles, Sea-Doo watercraft, Can-Am all-terrain and side-by-side vehicles, Can-Am Spyder roadsters, Evinrude and Rotax marine propulsion systems as well as Rotax engines for
karts, motorcycles and recreational aircraft. BRP supports its line of products with a dedicated parts, accessories and clothing business. With annual sales of over CA$3 billion from 105 countries, the Company employs approximately 7,100 people worldwide.