Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII) today announced its Board of Directors voted to elect Scott Wine, Polaris’ Chief Executive Officer, as Chairman of the Board. Wine succeeds Greg Palen, who has been Chairman for 11 years and has nearly 20 years of service on the Board.

“I would like to congratulate Scott on his election to serve in the additional capacity of Chairman of the Board. Under his leadership, Polaris has delivered consistent and profitable growth while successfully executing the company’s ambitious strategy, generating record results and shareholder returns. Scott has accomplished tremendous things since he started in 2008, but I am convinced that the best is yet to come for Scott and the Polaris team. Scott’s stellar track record as CEO of Polaris, coupled with his experience sitting on the Boards of Polaris and Terex, leaves me confident that the role of Chairman will be in good hands,” said Palen.

Scott will assume the role of Chairman effective immediately. Palen will step down from the Board following the Annual Shareholders meeting on April 25, 2013.

“Greg has been a beacon of leadership and wisdom on our Board of Directors for nearly 20 years, and his contributions were instrumental to the unprecedented growth Polaris enjoyed under his direction,” said Wine. “We thank Greg for the steady guidance and keen insight he provided as Chairman, and he can take great pride in the legacy he leaves, embodied by Polaris’ record of product, geographic and shareholder value expansion. While we will greatly miss his presence on our Board, we wish him the best as he enjoys a few less challenges and more time with his family and friends.”

In addition to changes in the Chairmanship, after nine years of service Bob Caulk announced his decision not to stand for re-election at the 2013 Annual Shareholders meeting.

Caulk’s board experience across several industries, as well as his strong background in mergers and acquisitions, proved invaluable in ensuring that Polaris maintained a trend of profitable growth even as the Company expanded its portfolio in recent years.

“During his time on the Board, Bob has supplied valuable insight into strategic marketing and complex acquisition transactions, contributing significantly to our recent ability to accelerate growth,” said Wine. “We are extremely fortunate to have had access to Bob’s experience, and we greatly appreciate the guidance he provided the Company throughout his service on the Board. We wish Bob the best of luck in his future endeavors.”

Finally, the Board also announced it has elected John Wiehoff as Lead Director. Wiehoff, who has served as CEO of C.H. Robinson Worldwide since 2002 and as the company’s Chairman since 2007, possesses an extensive background managing complex corporate financial issues.

This experience, along with John’s many other talents, has contributed significantly to Polaris’ success during his time as a member of the Polaris Board, which began in 2007.

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.

The 2013 Can-Am Maverick 1000R X rs made its competitive debut at the WORCS ATV and side-by-side racing series this past weekend at a waterlogged Canyon MX in Peoria, Ariz.

The opening round not only marked the first official race for the Maverick side-by-side, but also the return of the Can-Am DS 450. The dismal track conditions, which included deep mud, standing water and wet sand in additional to the normal desert obstacles, made for a challenging start to the 2013 season.

Two Can-Am racers, James Hill and David Martinez, posted top 10 finishes in the SxS Pro Production class in their Maverick 1000R X rs vehicles.

“Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate and the overall event became a real race for survival in the mud and deep, standing water. In its competition debut, the Can-Am Maverick 1000R side-by-side vehicle’s top finish was sixth, though we competed in the lead pack early on,” said Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “We are very optimistic for the upcoming events, as all the drivers are thrilled with the performance and handling of the Maverick on the race course. We all realize that it is a long season and we are carrying a positive attitude about the eight rounds of WORCS racing that remain.”

Hill (IMG Racing) finished in sixth place out of 23 competitors in the side-by-side Pro ranks. He battled through the muck, coming from 19th after the first lap to find a spot in the top 10 by lap five. He picked up two more spot on the final lap. Martinez, of Del Amo Motorsports / Murray Motorsports, finished the day in 10th.

After a good start, Motoworks / Can-Am Pro Josh Frederick was in third place in the class in his Maverick 1000R X rs. Soon after that he, and roughly a dozen other racers, missed a turn and dropped a few positions. Utilizing the speed and performance of the Maverick, Frederick eventually got back on the race course and recovered to climb into the top five during the first two laps. However, his day ended with an aftermarket drive belt failure during lap three.

The muddy conditions weren’t much kinder to Frederick on his Motoworks-tuned Can-Am DS 450 in the ATV Pro class. Frederick got off the line late and was in ninth after the first lap. One lap later, he had moved into sixth place and had his sights set on the top five racers.

However, a short time later Frederick noticed his machine was losing power and he chose to pit to correct a loose exhaust. Once fixed, he re-entered the race at full power and attempted to catch with the top five. However, he ran out of time and had to settle for sixth.

“I am so excited and so ready for this year. It is already way better with the Maverick 1000R this year, and the Maverick is nearly stock,” said Frederick. “Monday was the first time I drove this Maverick. We did a little testing with FOX on Tuesday. I was really excited coming into this weekend. The more seat time I get, the better we’ll be.”

Finishing in the seventh- and eighth-place positions, respectively, were Team GPS / Can-Am Pros Webster Collins and Dillon Zimmerman.

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.

BRP’s Can-Am ATVs swept the 4×4 podium in the 2013 DAKAR rally, the annual off-road endurance race covering 8,500 kilometers in South America.

Poised with their Can-Am Renegade X Xc vehicles, the triumphant Latin American pilots became figures of national pride as they shared the first, second and third places on the 4×4 podium during the awards ceremony in front of the La Moneda Palace in Santiago, Chile.

Team rider Sebastián Palma won the title of the 4×4 class, placing fifth in the overall quad category. Palma took the race by storm, securing first place in the race’s seventh stage, known as one of the most challenging due to torrential rains.

“It is great pride, as a Chilean, to arrive in Santiago celebrating our performance in the Dakar,” said Sebastián Palma. “Even more so after wining the title in my class and having won a stage among all the quads.”

In total, BRP-sponsored pilots participated aboard thirteen vehicles: nine Can-Am Renegade 800 Xxc quads and four Can-Am Commander 1000 side-by-side vehicles. The so-called “yellow-blooded” racers, a nickname honouring BRP’s legendary colour, came from all over South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, and Colombia) to take on one of the most challenging races known to mankind, and make history in the process.

The UTV category proved to be among the most challenging categories. BRP’s Can-Am side- by-side fleet was the only one to boast one hundred percent completion of the DAKAR. This extraordinary achievement was a nod to BRP’s dedication to innovation, performance and handling.

Of special note is Colombian competitor Martha Mariño, who was the first woman to ever race in the UTV segment for the DAKAR. She and partner Carlos Bustamante, also Colombian, placed sixth in the UTV category.

If you’ve checked out either ATVMAG.COM or DIRTTRAXTV.COM in the past couple days you’ve probably noticed a few big changes!

“With the success of the show and magazine, it simply made sense to provide our fans with the strongest online presence possible. Dirt Trax has the best fans and they deserve the best online experience.” say Dirt Trax Online Editor Mike Lester. “We’ll be updating the site regularly with exclusive editorial and video segments year round to maintain maximum enthusiasm throughout the year for the sport we all love so dearly.”

Essentially, the Dirt Trax Magazine and Dirt Trax Television websites have been merged together to bring the best of each site to one location to provide the best visitor experience possible.

Not only can you find great, regularly updated exclusive editorial, you’ll find video segments from the show as well as exclusive-to-the-site video content.

Plus, as always, you’re able to watch full episodes of Dirt Trax on the Dalton Industries Video Portal!

Check back daily and join us on Facebook for regular updates!