Team JB Off Road Racing / Can-Am pilot Kyle Chaney won the 2013 UTV Rally Raid Northern Series opening event in Oliver Springs, Tenn., earning the first official victory in organized competition with the new Can-Am Maverick 1000R X rs side-by-side vehicle.

Chaney pulled a commanding lead over the field of more than 30 entries to win not only the series’ premier unlimited C class, but also the overall event victory at the four-hour day / night race held at Windrock Park.

“We’re thrilled to have Kyle Chaney race the Can-Am Maverick 1000R side-by-side vehicle to victory in the growing UTV Rally Raid series. He definitely showcased the capabilities of the essentially stock Maverick 1000R X rs in the Tennessee mountains during this rugged four-hour event,” said Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “Despite drastically changing weather and track conditions throughout the grueling endurance race, Chaney used the abilities of the Can-Am Maverick to his advantage and distanced himself from the rest of the pack at the UTV Rally Raid Northern Series opener. This was a very big victory for Kyle, the Can-Am Maverick and BRP and we will build upon this success as the season progresses.”

Thirty-three side-by-side vehicles started the four-hour endurance event just before sunset on an already wet eight-mile course. However, a few hours into the race, as darkness fell upon the surrounding mountains, temperatures dropped, snow fell and standing water turned to ice.

Chaney, who started from the fourth row, took full advantage of the Maverick 1000R X rs vehicle’s performance and handling to work his way through the pack of side by sides ahead of him to take over the Class C (unlimited) lead.

He then took the overall race lead near the latter portion of the event and eventually won by more than six minutes, completing 15 laps on the course. It was the first competitive victory for Chaney and the 101-horsepower 2013 Can-Am Maverick 1000R X rs.

“The new Can-Am Maverick performed extremely well for me the entire four hours of the race. The handling is incredible,” said Chaney.
“Despite the mud and snow, the Maverick worked really great in all the changing conditions that the course could throw at it.”

The UTV Rally Raid event and series served as a perfect tune-up for Chaney and the Maverick 1000R as they prepare for the 2013 Grand National Cross Country series. Chaney and the Maverick will make their GNCC series debut March 16, in Washington, Ga.

Four other Can-Am side-by-side vehicles also competed in Tennessee. White Racing put its Can-Am Commander on the podium in the Class B ranks, finishing third, and took 12th overall.

The UTV Rally Raid is a four-hour endurance racing series for side-by-side vehicles promoted by Georgia-based Quantum Racing Inc. The series is comprised of a two regional (North and South) 10-race schedules that run from February through December at Windrock Park in Tennessee and Alabama’s Stony Lonesome OHV Park. Visit www.utvrallyraid.com for more information.

For more information on Can-Am racing, the Maverick 1000R side-by-side vehicle, the entire 2013 schedule, the ’13 contingency program and Can-Am DS 450 ATV amateur racer support program, please visit www.can-amxteam.com.

Program Awards More Than $375,000 in GRANTs in 2012 to Projects Supporting Safe, Responsible OHV Access to Trails and Open Riding Areas

Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A., announces the fifth anniversary of its OHV Access Initiative, the industry leader in Guaranteeing Responsible Access to our Nation’s Trails (GRANTs).

Launched in January, 2008, the program has aggressively funded the ever growing and diverse needs of the OHV community in support of its mission of promoting safe, responsible riding and open, sustainable access to riding areas. A few of the highlights of the past five years include:

– 200 GRANTs and more than $2 million in funding and equipment in pursuit of the program’s mission.
– GRANT-funded projects in 37 of our 50 states. The GRANT tracker map showcases the program’s cross-country appeal and highlights future opportunities for underrepresented areas.
– Yamaha employees have personally embraced the tenets of OHV Access Initiative, putting in more than 1,500 volunteer man-hours planting trees, clearing trails and supporting restoration efforts on company-adopted trails in the San Bernardino National Forest.
– A new address, www.yamahaohvaccess.com is where you can download our application and submission guidelines and find our calendar of deadlines.

“Yamaha is very proud of everything the OHV Access Initiative has accomplished throughout these five years, but the challenges before us remain,” said Steve Nessl, Yamaha ATV and SxS marketing manager. “Yamaha will continue to focus on the OHV program’s mission and reach out to riding groups and other appropriate organizations to strengthen opportunities for motorized recreation today and in the future.”

As part of its on-going program, the OHV Access Initiative closed out the 2012 funding cycle awarding more than $76,000 in GRANTs in the fourth quarter bringing the year’s total to $375,000. The following organizations received GRANTs in Q4 2012:

– Johnson County, Tenn.
– Egg Harbor Township Police Athletic League, N.J.
– Great Falls Trail Bike Riders Association, Montana
– Straddleline ORV Park, Ore.
– Thousand Islands Land Trust (TILT), N.Y.
– Western Shasta Resource Conservation District (WSRCD), Calif.

“New Jersey became the latest state with a GRANT-awarded project this quarter, bringing the OHV Access Initiative’s total to 37 states,” Nessl said. “This is a great achievement, but there’s more work to be done.”

Yamaha is actively seeking qualified projects at local, state and federal levels. The current OHV Access Initiative GRANT application form and guidelines are available online at www.yamahaohvaccess.com. The next deadline to submit a GRANT application is Saturday, March 30, 2013.

About the Yamaha OHV Access Initiative – The Yamaha OHV Access Initiative is the industry leader in Guaranteeing Responsible Access to our Nation’s Trails (GRANTs). Through this program, Yamaha has directly and indirectly supported thousands of miles of trails, maintained and rehabilitated countless riding areas, improved staging areas, built bridges over fish-bearing streams and partnered with local riding communities across the country to improve the OHV experience. Each quarter, Yamaha accepts applications from non-profit or tax-exempt organizations including OHV riding clubs and associations, national, state and local public land use agencies and other members of the OHV community in the United States. Updated guidelines, an application form and information on the OHV Access Initiative are available here.

About Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A. – 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 www.yamaha-motor.com.

Team Motoworks / Can-Am Pro Josh Frederick piloted his Can-Am Maverick 1000R X rs side-by-side vehicle to a third-place podium finish and his DS 450 ATV to second overall at the second round of the World Off-Road Championship Series (WORCS) this past weekend in Primm, Nevada. Fellow SxS Pro Production side-by-side class and Can-Am Maverick racer Pablo Veglia finished fifth.

“We were very pleased with how round two turned out, having Josh Frederick reach both Pro class podiums with the Maverick and DS 450. I was definitely happy with how Josh raced and finished with the Maverick 1000R X rs in just his second WORCS event. Coming from the fifth row at the start, and as far back as 20th, to earn a top-three finish shows just how skilled both he and the Maverick are,” said Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “To have two of the five Maverick side-by-side vehicles entered, finish in the top five of the highly competitive Pro Production 1000 class is great and definitely the momentum that we were looking for which we can build upon.”

For Frederick and the Maverick 1000R, round two, held at Buffalo Bill’s, just outside of Las Vegas, served as redemption for an unlucky series opener a few weeks prior when he failed to finish.

In Primm, Frederick was determined to move forward from his fifth-row starting spot during the six-lap Pro race. After lap one, Frederick was in 15th, but on the move. One lap later he had picked off five racers and cracked the top 10. By the fourth lap, the Nevada resident had pushed his Maverick 1000R X rs to fourth overall.

He cracked into the top three on lap five and held it all the way to the finish for the first-ever WORCS podium finish for the new Can-Am Maverick. Frederick had a similar climb in the Pro ATV class, as he came from eighth place to eventually put his Motoworks-tuned DS 450 on the podium.

“There are some things we need to work on, but to be able to run up front with a brand new vehicle is great. We’ll just keep working on the Maverick and get better and better,” said Frederick. “The DS 450 was working awesome. I have to give it up to my whole team. I am happy with second place.”

Of the four remaining Can-Am Maverick 1000R side-by-sides in the SxS Pro Production, three finished in the top 15. Veglia (Team Del Amo Motorsports / Can-Am) earned fifth, battling back from 17th place after lap one. James Hill and Johnny Leach finished 12th and 13th, respectively with their Can-Am race vehicles.

Two other Can-Am-mounted racers competed in the ATV Pro class along with Frederick, who currently sits third in the class points standings.

Finishing seventh aboard his GPS / Can-Am DS 450 was Pro class rookie Collins Webster. His teammate, Dillon Zimmerman, had two mechanical issues and will look to rebound at round three, March 22-24, in Lake Havasu City, Ariz.

For more information on Can-Am racing, the entire 2013 schedule, the ’13 contingency program and Can-Am DS 450 ATV amateur racer support program, please visit www.can-amxteam.com.

Since its original debut in 2008, the King of the Hammers (KOH) race has been deemed the toughest off-road race in the world.

This year’s course of 115-miles of open desert racing and huge rock trails proved to be the most-difficult course yet. So hard, that Race Organizer, Dave Cole didn’t think a UTV could do it.

When the dust settled only three of the 35 UTVs entered would prove Cole wrong, all beingRZR XP 900s! Mitch Guthrie and his co-driver Mitch Guthrie Jr., who has won four KOH races and took second once, would take the checkered flag with his Holz Racing RZR XP 900, with Jon Crowley and Blake Van de Loo, in their Jagged X-supported RZR XP 900 taking second, and Matt Enochs in the Team Nasty RZR would finish third.

Thirty-five UTVs lined up at 9 a.m. on Thursday morning to try to conquer one of the toughest KOH courses to date in eight hours or less.

Brandon Sims in his RZR XP 900 would get the early lead but succumb to the toughness of the course, along with 31 other racers throughout the race, leaving Racers Guthrie, Crowley and Enochs to duke it out for the win.

Guthrie finished the race in 7 hours, 51 minutes and 52 seconds, running the last four rock trails and 30 miles of desert with no brakes! Crowley finished only 16 seconds behind him! Enochs would finish with only five minutes left showing the grit and durability of the RZR XP 900 with a clean sweep of this year’s King of the Hammers!

About Polaris – Polaris is a recognized leader in the powersports industry with annual 2012 sales of $3.2 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 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 www.polaris.com.