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.

Press Release –

On March 6, 2010, the Grand National Cross Country Series (GNCC) stopped at Washington, Georgia for the two-day event known as “The General.” And when the red clay dust settled, Bradley Caldwell had piloted his KYMCO Maxxer 375 to a third-place finish in the 4×4 Lites Class.

The Maxxer is a new 2010 addition to the KYMCO ATV line, and the two hour-plus race over grueling terrain was a real test of reliability and performance that the KYMCO machine passed with zero mechanical problems.

This notable accomplishment was quickly followed up at the next GNCC event with another great finish from Caldwell on the same KYMCO Maxxer 375. On March 20, 2010, Bradley Caldwell upped the ante by finishing second in the 4×4 Lites Class in Morganton, North Carolina at the GNCC Steele Creek race. That’s two straight podiums for the KYMCO Maxxer 375, putting Caldwell in second place overall

Two factors make the strong finishes in America’s premier off-road racing series a notable accomplishment. First, the Maxxer 375 was completely stock with the exception of aluminum nerf bars (an option available from KYMCO). Second, Caldwell’s entry in the GNCC’s 4×4 Lites class put him up against race-modified competitors with engine displacements as large as 500cc. Yet the Maxxer’s quick hole shot had him a close second coming off the line.

Caldwell, a twenty year-old from Laurens, SC, had raced a limited GNCC schedule last year on KYMCO’s Mongoose sport ATV. But this was his first experience on the Maxxer, a quad that blurs the line between sport and utility models.

“It took off like a bottle rocket from the start,“ Caldwell said after the race. “I was very impressed by the handling, steering and four-wheel drive. The independent rear suspension surpassed my expectations when riding through the deep ruts. With the rear sway bar, the Maxxer was able to power slide like a true sport bike. I can’t wait to race this machine again.”

Al Golding, KYMCO USA’s Accessories Manager, was on site in Georgia to provide support. He says the Bradley Caldwell team will move on to as many other GNCC events as possible, “carrying the KYMCO banner forward.” The circuit’s larger competitors may not be happy to see the KYMCO flag coming at them.