Press Release –

Since opening in 2000, the Hatfield-McCoy Trails has been one of the safest places in the country to ride ATVs.

Hatfield-McCoy’s safety record comes against a backdrop of a recent spate of ATV accidents, some of the fatal, in West Virginia and nationally.

There were at least two fatal accidents in West Virginia during the third week of July alone (July 20-24). Elsewhere, Nebraska has had four ATV-related fatalities and Wisconsin three just in July, with others in Minnesota, North Carolina, Texas and Virginia.

“While accidents do occur on the Trails, they are far fewer and less serious than those that occur elsewhere,” says Executive Director Jeffrey T. Lusk. “We’ve sold about 177,000 permits since we opened and should sell another 30,000 this year. Figuring an average of 15 days on the trails for each permit sold, that means we’ve had well over 2.5 million days of riding and we’ve only had four fatalities. Although that’s four too many, we are proud of our safety record and attribute it to our trail rules and law enforcement.”

Some statistics:

– More than 95 percent of crash victims are not wearing a helmet.
– One-third of crashes involve passengers.
– About 40% of crashes occur on paved streets and roads.
– 24% of the deaths involve children 16 years of age and younger, with 12% among men 65 years of age and older.
– 22% of crashes involve alcohol or drugs.

Hatfield-McCoy rules address all these issues, banning passengers except on vehicles (such as utility-type vehicles) which are designed for them, prohibiting alcohol, requiring helmets and setting age requirements for permits.

Additionally, Hatfield-McCoy has a state-trained and approved Ranger force to patrol the trails and enforce the rules.

Also, the legislation creating the trails includes provisions that allow towns to adopt special ordinances to permit ATVs and similar vehicles on city streets. Without the special ordinances, ATVs are not allowed on roads with a center line. The rules were adopted in 2004 to address West Virginia’s nation-high rate of ATV-related fatalities.

“The Hatfield-McCoy Trails are the safest place to ride in the country,” said Deputy Executive Director John Fekete.

Press Release –

Yamaha Outdoors and Careco Multimedia announce the debut of “Yamaha’s Whitetail Dairies” television series on Versus starting on July 30, 2009.

The hunting series will be seen three times weekly with airings scheduled for Sundays at 9:00 a.m. and Thursdays at 7:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Whitetail Diaries has historically brought viewers some of the best whitetail deer hunting stories from across the nation.

These stories have always highlighted North America’s most sought after game animal — the whitetail deer. Every episode of the 22-week series includes a fast paced mix of product features, stories, hunts and valuable insight about hunting the whitetail deer.

While this great series of shows is now going into its third season on Versus, this will be the first year that Yamaha has been involved in the show as the title sponsor.

“Yamaha is more involved in the hunting community than any other ATV manufacturer, and we are excited to build on our reputation in the outdoors as title sponsor of Whitetail Diaries,” says Yamaha ATV and Side-by-Side (SxS) Marketing Manager Steve Nessl. “We are honored to join Whitetail Diaries in their commitment to bringing the viewer the best hunting action possible, and we look forward to sharing appropriate and responsible use of Yamaha ATV and SxS products with their viewers.”

“Yamaha is a perfect fit for our Whitetail Diaries series of shows, and the safety message that Yamaha is wanting to portray within the series is of utmost importance to all users of ATVs and SxS vehicles. Not only will we be seeing the best all-terrain units in action on the hunts but we’ll be educating viewers on the importance of safety and being responsible riders,” says Wade Middleton of Careco Multimedia.

About Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A. – Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. (YMUS), a leader in the motorsports market, offers the toughest, most capable and versatile ATV and Side-by-Side vehicles. The company’s ever-expanding line of products also include motorcycles, outboard motors, personal watercraft, snowmobiles, boats, outdoor power equipment, race kart engines, accessories, apparel and much more. YMUS products are sold through a nationwide network of more than 4,000 dealers in the United States. Headquartered in Cypress, Calif., since its incorporation in 1977, 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.

Press Release –

Harold “Bumblebee” Goodman is now “Four for Four” in the Pro Lites Class of the 2009 AMA / ATVA Extreme Dirt Track National ATV Racing Series and just shy of that (three out of four) in the Pro Division.

The event was held at Pine Lake Track at Ashtabula, Ohio where Goodman has won races in each of the last three decades.

“The Bee” went into the weekend with the fastest heat time (by five seconds) in the Pro Class. After a restart, Harold actually managed to pull two holeshots in the main.

He was able to stay in front for the win throughout the 20-lap race in spite of having Michael Coburn on his tail. The Pro Lites class was the same story – out in front and not budging.

“My Yoshimura Honda TRX450R is working really well. The whole combination that I’ve go set up right now is giving me great starts both in motocross and dirt track,” Goodman said. “I’m feeling pretty good right now as everything is going as planned.”

The Yoshimura-equipped rider is pretty much walking away with both classes in the series, with only two rounds left to go.

He has a ten-point lead in the Pro Class and a 26 point lead in the Lites.

If he succeeds, this will be his third Extreme Dirt Track Championship in both classes.

Press Release –

Yamaha OHV Access Initiative Grants $110,000 in Q2 2009 bringing Program Total to $985,000; Continues Grassroots Effort To Make Critical Resources Available to the OHV Community Nationwide

The Yamaha OHV (Off-Highway Vehicle) Access Initiative GRANTed more than $110,000 in cash and equipment to ATV riding clubs, national forests, local land managers, recreational conservancy advocates and other members of the greater OHV community in the second quarter of this year.

These GRANTs bring Yamaha’s total contributions for 2009 to $300,000, and the total contributions to date to more than $985,000, in support of the Access Initiative’s mission to promote safe, responsible riding and open, sustainable riding areas.

In addition to the financial support provided, Yamaha corporate employees, field staff and dealer partners have been directly involved in projects in their own respective areas this year. Yamaha corporate employees cleaned trails and planted more than 1,200 seedlings in the San Bernardino National Forest as part of important OHV trail and reforestation projects, and Yamaha’s regional and district managers nationwide have stepped in to help potential GRANT applicants identify appropriate projects and funding opportunities.

In this second quarter funding cycle, 12 Yamaha GRANTs (Guaranteeing Responsible Access to our Nation’s Trails) were awarded to fund projects that directly impact the access, safety and sustainability of OHV riding areas across the country. GRANT recipients for Q2 2009 include:

· Black Hills National Forest (SD)
· Clark County Forestry and Parks Department (WI)
· Dayton Valley Events Center (NV)
· Florida Trail Riders (FL)
· Green County ATV Club (WI)
· Indian Creek Valley ATV Club (PA)
· Public Access Preservation Association (CO)
· Portage Lakers ATV Club (ME)
· San Diego Off-Road Coalition (CA)
· The Cascade Project (ID)
· Tri-County ATV Recreation and Rescue Association, INC. (PA)
· Van Buren Pine Runners ATV Club (ME)

“Yamaha’s commitment to the OHV community, demonstrated by the continued, aggressive GRANT funding and hands-on support, remains strong,” said Mike Martinez, Yamaha’s general manager of ATV and Side-by-Side Operations. “Yamaha considers it our duty as a leading OHV manufacturer to help support these efforts and ensure that OHV enthusiasts have open access to safe and sustainable riding areas.”

The Yamaha OHV Access Initiative funds OHV access-related projects that include, but are not limited to:

· Trail development, restoration and maintenance
· Trail signage, mapping and map production
· Staging area construction, renovation and maintenance
· Responsible OHV riding education and outreach
· Land stewardship and education
· Legislative lobbying efforts

About the Yamaha OHV Access Initiative – Each quarter, Yamaha accepts applications from non-profit or tax-exempt organizations including OHV riding clubs, national forests and associations, and national, state and local government agencies. A committee then reviews each application and awards GRANTs to deserving projects. Applications for the third quarter of 2009 should be postmarked by August 31, 2009. Updated guidelines, an application form and information on the OHV Access Initiative are available at the newly redesigned web site: www.yamaha-motor.com/ohvaccess. For specific questions about the OHV Access Initiative, call Yamaha’s dedicated OHV Access Initiative Hotline at 1-877-OHV-TRAIL (877-648-8724), email OHVAccess@yamaha-motor.com or write to: Yamaha OHV Access Initiative Review Committee, 6555 Katella Avenue, Cypress, CA 90630-5101.

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, race kart engines, accessories, apparel and much more. YMUS products are sold through a nationwide network of more than 4,000 dealers in the United States. Headquartered in Cypress, Calif., since its incorporation in 1977, 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.