Murray Motorsports drove its Can-Am Commander 1000 to a fifth-place finish in the Pro UTV class at the Best In The Desert finale held in Henderson, Nev. Co-pilots and brothers Jason and Derek Murray narrowly missed a class championship, finishing just two points behind and second overall in the standings despite earning the most season points (disregarding a throw out) and being the only race team to finish every BITD race and mile in 2012.

In the Quad Sportsman class, reigning GNCC 4×4 Open ATV class champion Bryan Buckhannon and teammate Richard Goforth rode their Can-am Outlander 800R to a second-place finish.

“While a championship eluded us, we were thrilled by the success and the consistency shown by the Murray brothers in the Best In The Desert series. Overall, Derek and Jason did a great job representing Can-Am with their Commander 1000 and a very close second place is nothing to hang your head about,” said Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “We consider this BITD season as an excellent building block for what is to come in 2013. We are excited to have the Murray brothers debut the new 101-HP Can-Am Maverick 1000 X rs at the first round of racing in January.”

Coming into the Henderson 250 finale, Murray Motorsports owned a slim two-point lead (when factoring in the mandatory low point drop race) in the UTV Pro class standings.

The BITD finale was a double points race and featured a three-lap, 138-mile course that consisted of sand, wash roads, rally-style turns and several rough sections.

With Derek Murray at the wheel, the No. 1917 Can-Am Commander 1000 grabbed the holeshot and led most of the first lap, averaging nearly 50 mph.

After two laps and roughly 94 miles in the desert, the Murray brothers had fallen off the pace, but were sitting comfortably in fifth place.

By the fourth-and-final lap, while still in the fifth place, the Murrays were flagged down by an injured dirt bike rider who needed assistance due to a hurt arm and a damaged bike.

The Murray Motorsports team knew it couldn’t catch the fourth-place vehicle, so it decided to assist the rider. After roughly a five-minute delay ensuring the rider was safely able to get further assistance, the Murrays got moving again.

They crossed the finish line if fifth place and thought they still had earned the class championship based upon the other competitors’ finishes. However, despite finishing fourth physically, the eventual class champion’s finishing time was adjusted and it was award four additional points and the UTV Pro title.

Team Murray Motorsports / Can-Am ended up in second place, just two points behind, in the BITD season Pro UTV championship after 1,500 miles of desert racing in 2012.

“The Can-Am Commander never ceased to impress us. We raced it hard all season and really pushed it to its limits. We couldn’t be more pleased with how it performed,” said Derek Murray. “We were the only UTV team to finish all the miles in the desert. We would like to thank all our amazing sponsors for all the help for 2012. We are eager to start the 2013 season in the new Can-Am Maverick 1000R and will have more passion to seek the BITD UTV Pro Championship than ever before.”

In the Quad Sportsman class, the tandem of Buckhannon and Goforth produced its best finish of the season in Henderson, earning second place. A crash on lap two slowed the team’s push to the front during the two-lap contest.

The second-place finish was still not enough to elevate the Outlander 800R team from third-place points position for the year-end standings.

“The second-lap crash cost us some time, but the Can-Am Outlander 800R worked perfectly,” said Buckhannon. “It ran good, was really strong and the four-wheel drive was a great advantage in the loose sand and rock. We just needed one more lap to run them down.”

For complete details of the program and more racing information, visit www.can-amxteam.com.

Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A., is rounding out its utility ATV line with the addition of 2013 red utility ATVs produced at its Newnan, Georgia, manufacturing facility.

Red versions of Yamaha’s popular utility ATV models should start arriving at dealers before the end of the year and include the Grizzly 700 FI EPS, Grizzly 550 FI EPS and Grizzly 450 EPS.

“Yamaha has strong demand from a variety of customer groups – including farmers and recreational users alike – for the red utility models, and we’ve seen our dealer partners ask for them this fall,” said Steve Nessl, Yamaha ATV/SxS group marketing manager. “All of Yamaha’s 4×4 ATVs now come from its U.S. manufacturing facility in Georgia, which allows the company to respond more quickly to customer demands while also streamlining distribution. It’s exciting to see that process in place.”

All combined, Yamaha has one of the most complete lines of the toughest, most off-road capable utility ATVs including the top selling 650-799cc class utility ATV, the Grizzly 700*.

All of Yamaha’s Grizzly 4×4 ATVs and Rhino Side-by-Side vehicles are produced at the Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America (YMMC) in Newnan, Georgia.

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.

Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A., the leading maker of ATV and Side-by-Side (SxS) vehicles for outdoors enthusiasts, has selected its 2012 National Hunting and Fishing (NHF) Day sweepstakes winner.

As part of Yamaha’s ongoing support of NHF Day, the company announced that Nancy Watkins of Eau Claire, Wis., is the winner of the Rhino 700 FI. Mrs. Watkins was one of more than 42,000 people who entered the sweepstakes, which is designed to help promote outdoors sports and conservation.

The Rhino 700 FI donated for NHF Day – including Genuine Yamaha hunting accessories – is valued at more than $13,000. The Rhino, along with all of Yamaha’s 4×4 products, is assembled at the company’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Newnan, Georgia.

“Yamaha is proud to be a fifth-year sponsor of National Hunting and Fishing Day and to support outdoors conservation and recreation,” said Steve Nessl, marketing manager for Yamaha’s ATV/SxS group. “Congratulations to Mrs. Watkins for winning the Rhino, and thanks to everyone who showed up at a National Hunting and Fishing Day event throughout the country this fall.”

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 & SxS supporter of conservation efforts.

“We’re thrilled to have Yamaha as a sponsor of National Hunting and Fishing Day,” said Misty Mitchell, Director of Conservation Programs for Wonders of Wildlife museum in Springfield, Mo. the official home of NHF Day. “The Rhino giveaway has been a huge hit amongst NHF Day participants nationwide, and we also congratulate Mrs. Watkins on her new Rhino.”

Follow Yamaha Outdoors on Facebook.

About Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.

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.

Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII) today announced the acquisition of Teton Outfitters, LLC, a privately owned, Rigby, Idaho-based company which designs, develops and distributes KLIM Technical Riding Gear.

Calendar year 2012 sales for KLIM are anticipated to approach $30 million. KLIM is an industry leader in technical riding gear.

This acquisition adds KLIM to Polaris’ growing parts, garments and accessories (PG&A) business. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“The KLIM acquisition provides yet another growth opportunity for our PG&A business, a key contributor to Polaris’ top-line growth and profitability,” said Steve Eastman, Polaris’ vice president of PG&A. “KLIM is an established leader in the powersports apparel market with a strong track record of providing innovative, premium technical riding gear to a broad range of consumers. Adding an outstanding brand like KLIM, whose strengths complement our existing business, gives us a more complete PG&A product lineup, one which will flourish in the global market. We are excited to welcome KLIM employees into the Polaris family. With our common culture and vision, we believe this will be a mutually beneficial partnership for everyone involved.”

Polaris will maintain the KLIM brand positioning and name while continuing to drive its existing apparel brands. KLIM will continue operations in Rigby with its current staff.

Polaris has plans to establish the Rigby facility as its new apparel Center of Excellence, bringing the unmatched capabilities, expertise and knowledge housed in Rigby to all Polaris branded apparel.

“I built KLIM with a passion for the category and a commitment to the world’s adventure snowmobile and motorcycle riders,” said Justin Summers, KLIM founder, president and CEO. “We had a vision of making products that mattered, that solved problems and that were the best they could be. I am very proud of what we have built at KLIM, and I am fired up that the next chapter of the KLIM story will be written through our exciting partnership with Polaris. KLIM will now have the resources to reach the next level as we continue to innovate and lead into the future.”

KLIM is known not only for superior quality, innovation and performance, but also for its understanding of riders’ needs and devotion to addressing them in its products.

This passion underscores KLIM’s culture and vision, which in many ways mirror Polaris’ own guiding principles. KLIM was advised by The Meriwether Group.

About Polaris – Polaris is a recognized leader in the powersports industry with annual 2011 sales of $2.7 billion. Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets innovative, high quality off-road vehicles (ORVs), including all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and the Polaris RANGER 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 and Indian motorcycle brands. Additionally, Polaris continues to invest in the global on-road small electric/hybrid vehicle industry with Global Electric Motorcars (GEM) and Goupil Industrie SA, and internally developed vehicles. Polaris enhances the riding experience with a complete line of Pure Polaris apparel, accessories and parts, available at Polaris dealerships. 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 vehicles accessories are available from authorized Polaris dealers or anytime at www.polaris.com.

About KLIM – KLIM Technical Riding Gear is a global leader in designing, developing, sourcing and distributing the most advanced powersports apparel for the snowmobile and motorcycle rider. Utilizing the world’s highest technologies in waterproof, breathable, durable and comfortable materials, like GORE-TEX products, KLIM offers gear for the most demanding riders. Driven by the continual feedback and input from dedicated test pilots and passionate customers, KLIM strives to do one thing above all – improve the riding experience without compromise. For more information, visit www.KLIM.com.