Press Release –

Adam McGill piloted his Team Warnert Racing-prepped Can-Am DS 450 EFI ATV to third-place overall in the XC1 Pro class at the Big Buck GNCC race this past weekend near Union, SC.

Teammate Chris Bithell took fifth overall on his DS 450. Can-Am ATV racers also swept all five 4×4 classes in the morning race.

“Adam and Chris worked very hard despite the rough conditions today and the DS 450 delivered exactly what they both asked of their respective race machines,” says Jimmie O’Dell, Racing Manager for Can-Am ATVs at BRP. “Both were in the top five and in the hunt for the win when the white flag came out. Heading into the next race at Loretta Lynn’s, the team is very hungry; they’re ready to earn an afternoon overall win.”

Team Warnert / Can-Am racer Cliff Beasley continued his unbeaten streak on his Can-Am Renegade 800R X xc by taking the U2-class win.

In the 4×4 Open class, Can-Am X-Team rider Zac Zakowski took the win aboard his Outlander 800R XT EFI ATV; this is his first win of the season in the class.

Michael Swift took the 4×4 Limited-class holeshot on his Warnert Racing Outlander 800R, but it was X-Team racer Scott Kilby who took the win on his Outlander 800R XT.

Finally X-Team Racer Kevin Tratham won the 4×4 Lites class on his Outlander 500 XT EFI ATV and Forrest Whorton won the Utility Sr. (45+) class aboard his Outlander 800R XT.

After four rounds, Warnert Racing DS 450 racers Lexie Coulter (Women’s class) and Jamie Bithell (College A 16-24) are leading their respective class championships. Can-Am ATV riders are also leading the points championship in the U2, 4×4 Limited, 4×4 Lites and Utility Sr. (45+) classes.

Round five of the GNCC championship sees the racers head to Loretta Lynn’s ranch near Hurricane Mills, TN on April 24th. For more information on Can-Am racing, the entire 2010 schedule, the 2010 contingency program and DS 450 amateur racer support program, please visit www.can-amxteam.com.

Press Release –

Chris Borich and his powerful Suzuki QuadRacer R450 have taken another racecourse by storm, winning the Big Buck GNCC’s XC1 Pro ATV class on Saturday in Union, South Carolina.

Defending GNCC champion Borich’s Suzuki QuadRacer R450 has put him on the podium at every round so far in 2010, with three wins and one second-place finish.

After spending much of the race playing follow the leader, Borich used the power in his Yoshimura-prepped R450 to make a critical pass on the last lap.

When the opportunity arose for Borich to move from second to the top spot, he held the throttle wide open and his R450 made the pass.

The quick snap of the R450 is legendary, and its fuel injection performed flawlessly as Borich powered his way past the other racer to take the win.

“My Suzuki worked awesome from start to finish,” Borich said. “I got a good start and went from there as I made my way through the trees. My bike handled and worked awesomely, and the Yosh power just hooked up and went to the front.”

Borich currently leads the XC1 ATV Pro class with 115 points. There are nine races left in the 13-race GNCC season, and Borich and his winning Suzuki will make their next appearance at Loretta Lynn’s in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, on April 24-25.

Press Release –
 
On Monday, April 5, Yamaha sponsored ATV racer Bill Ballance had an ATV crash while practicing near his home in Kentucky. 

Ballance suffered multiple injuries and was initially taken to a hospital in Bowling Green, Ky.  Later that day, he was transferred to the University of Louisville Trauma Center in Louisville, Ky., where he is currently receiving treatment.  The cause of the crash is still unconfirmed.  No one else was involved in the incident.
 
“Yamaha is aware of Bill’s situation and we’re staying in touch with his family as they determine the extent of his injuries and the appropriate treatments to help him fully recover,” said Steve Nessl, Yamaha’s ATV Group marketing manager.  “Bill is part of the Yamaha family, and he is one of the toughest guys we know.  While we understand his injuries are serious, we are hopeful that he will make a full recovery.”
 
Ballance is a nine-time pro champion of the Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) ATV racing series and a veteran of the Yamaha ATV race team, as well as owner and manager of Ballance Racing.

Press Release –

Mill Creek Raceway in Pell City, Alabama, has always been a good track for two-time AMA Pro ATV Champion and Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider Dustin Wimmer.

He has won the last six motos at the hilly facility. Sunday’s dominating performance proved that Dustin is still the man to beat.

Looking to get a third championship trophy to put on his mantle in 2010, Dustin was prepared and relaxed heading into this event.  “I definitely felt less pressure than in previous years, but I’m here to win, make no mistake about that.” Dustin set fast time in Saturday’s timed practice aboard his Suzuki QuadRacer R450 and his new teammate Josh Creamer also looked fast.

“Everyone out here wants to ride these bikes for this team,” Creamer said Sunday before the first moto. “My Suzuki QuadRacer R450 is the fastest bike I’ve ever raced and it does everything well. The team is the best and I’m looking to pay back Suzuki’s confidence in me by performing and being up on the podium at every round.”

Threatening storms cleared out just before the start of the main event and the gate dropped under blue skies and sunshine.

Josh Creamer pulled a huge holeshot and quickly put a three-second gap on second place (and teammate) Dustin Wimmer.  The race for the top-five positions was very close until about midway when Dustin passed Creamer for first and then slowly started to pull away to a six-second lead. In the meantime, Creamer left a small door open, was bumped, and missed a berm, dropping several positions in the process. By race end, Dustin won by a comfortable 5 seconds while Creamer crossed the line in 6th place.

The second moto started just like the first with Creamer grabbing another clean holeshot over teammate Wimmer. The fuel-injected Rockstar Makita Suzuki QuadRacer R450s scorched the track in a yellow blur as Creamer and Wimmer quickly distanced themselves from the pack.

As in the first moto, about mid-distance Wimmer was able to get by Creamer for the lead, but this time Josh stayed with Wimmer and the two ran nose to tail. The two riders pulled a large gap on the rest of the pack and were in a league all to themselves.

The two Suzukis were noticeably making up time in several sections of the track; linking sections together and riding lines that the others were struggling with. Toward the end of the race, Creamer had a slight spin coming down one of the hills, but he was so far in front of the third-place rider that it only cost him a little time.

At the end of the race the two Suzukis finished one-two for a truly dominating finish. From atop the victory podium, sipping on a Rockstar, Wimmer was very happy. “I love this track, and with the weather holding off I felt pretty good about my chances today,” Wimmer said. “My Rockstar Makita Suzuki QuadRacer R450 got me the good starts I needed and I was able to ride steady and smooth… It paid off and I couldn’t be happier. It was a great way to start off the new season.”

Teammate Josh Creamer was happy, as well. His 6-2 moto scores put him on the podium with a third overall for the day. “My goal is to be on the podium at every race, so this result is good,” the likeable Connecticut rider said. “I always want to win, but I made a couple slight mistakes and paid for it. Overall though, I’m pretty happy. My Suzuki is so fast, I’m really happy with the two holeshots. I think this year is going to be really good. I’m really loving this bike and the team is awesome. I’m going to settle into some training back down in Florida and come out really strong for the next race. I can’t wait for Bowling Green.”

Team Manager Kevin Mummah was happy with the results as well. “It’s always a good thing to start a season off with a win,” Mummah said. “To have both of our guys up on the podium was even better. There are a lot of fast guys out here this year and it’s clear that several riders have stepped up their game so it’s going to be a long, tough season, but it’s clear the Suzuki is the quad to beat and that our riders are ready to win.”

Watch out for Rockstar Makita Suzuki at the next event at the Ballance Motorsports facility in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Press Release –

Chad Wienen of the Motoworks / Can-Am ATV race team powered his Can-Am DS 450 EFI ATV to second overall in the Pro 450 class at this past weekend’s AMA ATV Motocross Championship opening round near Pell City, Alabama.

His teammate John Natalie narrowly missed joining Wienen on the podium; he finished fourth overall. In all, Can-Am racers put three DS 450 ATVs in the top 10.

“Both Chad and John looked extremely impressive at this track,” says Jimmie O’Dell, Racing Manager for Can-Am ATVs at BRP. “We are really looking forward to the next round as everyone on the team is confident after seeing the results from the hard work the team put in during the off-season on the DS 450 program.”

Team BCS Performance / Can-Am racer, Cody Miller, raced to a tenth-place overall finish on his DS 450 in the Pro class. The third Motoworks racer, Jeremie Warnia, took eleventh overall in the class after experiencing sickness before and during the second moto.

In the amateur classes, Can-Am DS 450 riders had a great weekend of racing. Mark Gehring took the Open B overall on his DS 450, winning both his qualifier and the main race.

In the 4-Stroke B class, Chase Henry took the weekend overall winning both his races. Chase’s brother, Cole Henry, had a top-10 finish in the Production A class aboard his DS 450.

Merrill Crose narrowly missed taking the overall in the Vet 30+ class, while Nicole Gates finished second overall in the Women’s C class.

The next round in the AMA ATV Motocross Chapionship will be April 17-18 at Ballance Moto X near Bowling Green, Kentucky. For more information on Can-Am racing, the entire 2010 schedule, the 2010 contingency program and DS 450 amateur racer support program, please visit www.can-amxteam.com.

Press Release –

Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII) today named Suresh Krishna as vice president supply chain and integration. Krishna has a strong background in operations, mergers and acquisitions and strategic business leadership that spans the globe.

“We are excited to have Suresh join Polaris and bring a new dimension to our leadership team as we focus on growing our business around the world,” said Scott Wine, chief executive officer, Polaris Industries. “Suresh will play a key role in developing our international footprint while overseeing global purchasing and logistics functions with a focus on reducing costs and lead times. His proven track record of delivering results will be a huge asset and fit very well with the Company’s goals and objectives.”

Most recently, Krishna led global operations, supply chain and IT for a division of UTC Fire & Security, where he was responsible operations in China, Mexico, U.S. and Europe.

Earlier, Krishna has led strategic sourcing and supply chain organizations for Mitsubishi, ABB and Diageo. He also spent a couple years as a management consultant with Booz & Co. He has lived in India, the Middle East and Europe.

Krishna holds a B.S. in engineering from the National Institute of Technology in India and an M.B.A. from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. He currently serves on the corporate advisory board of the MSCM program at Ross School of Business (University of Michigan).

ABOUT POLARIS – With annual 2009 sales of $1.6 billion, Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets off-road vehicles (ORVs), including all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and the Polaris RANGER, snowmobiles and Victory motorcycles for recreational and utility use and has recently introduced a new on-road electric powered neighborhood vehicle. Polaris is a recognized leader in the snowmobile industry; and one of the largest manufacturers of ORVs in the world. Victory motorcycles, established in 1998 and representing the first all-new American-made motorcycle from a major company in nearly 60 years, are rapidly making impressive in-roads into the cruiser and touring motorcycle marketplace. Polaris also 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 Small-Cap 600 stock price index. Information about the complete line of Polaris products, apparel and vehicle accessories is available from authorized Polaris dealers or anytime from the Polaris homepage at www.polarisindustries.com.

Press Release –

Mud Creek Offroad Park, near Jacksonville, Texas will once again host over 10,000 mud riding and racing ATV enthusiasts from across the Unites States and Canada March 24-28th.

Arctic Cat is the only manufacturer to offer Factory-Built mud racing ATVs with the ultimate power, ground clearance, snorkels and mud tires via Arctic Cat’s potent 650, 700 or 1000 Mud Pros.

In support of the largest mud racing event in the world, Arctic Cat announces the following contingency payouts for the premier MuddaCross and Mud Bog events.

For more information on Arctic Cat’s Mud Pros, please log on to www.arcticcat.com or visit your local dealer.