Press Release –

Intent to reduce his workload and focus more on his family, today Ole Tweet announced that he will step down from his position as General Manager, ATV Division.

The change marks a watershed moment for a man and company whose success and contributions to the powersports industry have been seamlessly intertwined for four decades.

“It’s impossible to adequately summarize Ole’s vast influence on Arctic Cat as a company, or to convey his many contributions as a person,” said Chris Twomey, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Arctic Cat.

“We’re a company blessed with many dedicated, passionate people,” said Twomey, “And Ole would be the first to deflect any personal praise and say that he was just one of many. But I’m here to tell you that Ole has truly been one of the most influential and important. I’m not shocked that he wants to reduce his professional responsibilities, but I’d be lying if I said this change will be easy for him or his many friends at Arctic Cat, including me.”

Tweet’s career at Arctic Cat began in 1977 and reflects his considerable engineering and marketing skills, with titles that include Head of Engineering (1978 to 1981), Vice President of Marketing (1983 to 1992); Vice President of New Product Development (1992 to 2008) and most recently as General Manager of ATV.

The list of Tweet’s contributions would fill several pages, but several significant highlights deserve mention. Chief among them was Tweet’s key role in resurrecting Arctic Cat in 1983 following the bankruptcy and liquidation of Arctic Enterprises in 1981.

As the reborn company worked to reestablish itself in the snowmobile industry, Tweet spearheaded important and breakthrough marketing efforts that contributed to the company’s monumental growth, including a build-to-order program that matched production with demand; close-to-the-customer communications via dealer newsletters and Cat’s Pride Club/magazine; and memorable advertising campaigns that tapped into the brand’s passionate, loyal customer base and the company’s pioneering technology.

When Arctic Cat moved into the personal watercraft and All-Terrain Vehicle markets in the 1990s, Tweet guided the development and management of its Tigershark, ATV and Prowler products divisions.

Tweet also represented the company’s involvement in various industry associations and governance efforts, working tirelessly on efforts to support responsible riding as well as battling outside efforts to reduce riders’ rights and access to public lands. In recognition of these and other contributions, Tweet was inducted into the Snowmobile Hall of Fame in 2004.

“Ole has the brain of an engineer with the heart and instinct of a marketing professional,” said Twomey. “That unique perspective and an unstoppable work ethic are the ingredients of his greatness.”

While Tweet is stepping down from his role as GM of the ATV division, he isn’t stepping away from Arctic Cat. He will continue an active role representing Arctic Cat in industry associations and corporate governance.

“I’ve enjoyed a great career, working alongside remarkable people, to help grow an incredible Minnesota-based company,” said Tweet. “I’m ready to throttle back my workload and responsibility to focus more on my family. But I’m not walking away from Arctic Cat, and the company will progress forward with strong leadership and innovative talent.”

Following Tweet’s announcement, Arctic Cat President and Chief Operating Officer Claude Jordan will take over as interim GM of the ATV division.

Press Release –

High Lifter Products Inc., organizers of the largest mud racing competition in the nation; The High Lifter ATV Mud Nationals, announced today that it has added an exciting new off-road event to its lineup.

Starting September 17th and running through September 20th, High Lifter will present the first High Lifter East Coast Nationals mud riding event. High Lifter has selected Creek Bottom ATV Trails in Doles, Georgia to host the event.

Attendees will experience four days of High Lifter’s signature mud competitions, enjoy incredible trails, spectacular mud riding, entertainment, giveaways and much more. Riders and racers will have the opportunity to compete for cash and prizes in excess of $25,000 all while showcasing some of the most impressive ATVs the sport has to offer.

OEMs, Exhibitors, and Sponsors will also be available to answer questions that riders may have about their ATV and display the latest in ATV accessories.

H-Bomb Films will entertain crowds with the extreme freestyle riding group, the Bomb Squad, on Saturday night. This group of professional quad freestyle riders will perform the most outrageous, breath-taking stunts possible including performing a quad backflip and jumping a Polaris RZR 65′ in mid air.

Newcomers and experienced riders alike won’t want to miss the outrageous and heart stopping stunts performed by the Bomb Squad.

For more information regarding this or other High Lifter events, please call Tracie Engi, Event Coordinator for High Lifter Products at 800-699-0947 ext. 2060 or email her at tracie@highlifter.com.
Additioinal information about High Lifter’s products and events can be found by visiting www.highlifter.com.

Press Release –

New Division Aims to Further Strengthen Company’s Position in Critical On-Road Marketplace

Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII) today announced the creation of a new On-Road Vehicle Division to help continue its drive toward the company’s vision and objectives which include establishing a significant on-road presence.

The new division takes the existing skills and assets within the company and aligns them in a way that maximizes cohesive and strategic growth for Victory Motorcycles and other on-road products and brands.

“Victory Motorcycles, with its strong brand recognition and customer loyalty, will be one of the major components of our new On-Road Vehicle Division that we’re announcing today,” said Scott Wine, Chief Executive Officer of Polaris Industries. “This new division will support our efforts to be the ‘Best in Powersports’ and continue building on our strong on-road brands and global market leadership in this critical space.”

Several organizational changes that set the foundation of the On-Road Vehicle Division are also being announced today. Intended to further strengthen the company in the on-road marketplace, these management moves put the new division in the best possible position to sustain profitable growth and long-term success.

First among these changes is Mark Blackwell’s new role as Vice President of Motorcycles. Blackwell has spent the past eight years leading day-to-day operations for Victory Motorcycles and played a key role in building the brand from an unknown startup into a highly regarded competitor considered to be among the worlds finest.

Under Blackwell’s leadership, Victory has expanded into markets outside the United States and is well-positioned for long term success. Blackwell’s deep knowledge of products and markets in the motorcycle industry will continue to be an invaluable asset to the Victory brand and all other on-road vehicles.

Mike Jonikas, currently Vice President, Sales & Corporate Marketing has been appointed to the newly created role of Vice President of the On-Road Vehicle Division. In this position, Jonikas will be responsible for rapidly growing the on-road business for Polaris including strategic direction for Victory Motorcycles, and any on-road adjacencies we may add in the future.

Jonikas brings proven skills to the On-Road Vehicle Division that include leading business teams to profitable growth, developing new markets and successful commercialization of new products. He will continue to lead our Sales & Corporate Marketing teams.

During the past nine years, Jonikas has succeeded in several key roles with Polaris including Director of Product & Marketing Management for ATV, the first General Manager of the Polaris side-by-side business, and eventually as Vice President Sales & Corporate Marketing, overseeing the creation and phased roll-out of the Max Velocity Program.

Steve Menneto has been promoted to the position of General Manager of Victory Motorcycles, to lead profitable sales growth for this business. Since joining Polaris in 1997, Menneto has risen quickly, and has demonstrated a strong knowledge for strategic planning and increasing business profitability.

Additional experience in positions such as Region Sales Manager, Director of Dealer Development and Director of North American Sales developed Menneto’s deep understanding of Victory’s dealer network and his keen eye for the competitive environment at the dealership level for on-road vehicles.

“The Victory Motorcycles brand was essentially built from scratch through tireless work in the past ten years,” said Bennett Morgan, Chief Operating Officer of Polaris Industries. “Now, by combining the diverse strengths of Mark, Mike and Steve to further develop our long-term strategies in the On-Road Vehicle Division, we are positioning ourselves for continued growth both in the motorcycle industry and, in the bigger picture, across all segments of the on-road marketplace.”

Polaris is committed to growing its on-road vehicle business through continued growth in the motorcycle industry along with successfully introducing products into other on-road adjacencies in the future. The creation of this new On-Road Vehicle Division reflects efforts to position the company’s key personnel into roles that suit their strengths and allow them to further develop the Polaris business and brands within the on-road market.

Lastly, Judy Kulsrud has been appointed to the position of Director of North American Sales replacing Steve Menneto. Judy has been with Polaris since 1995 and has a broad set of experiences across many functional areas of the business including management positions in Retail Development, Sales Operations, Regional Sales Management, and most recently the position of Director of Dealer Development. Judy has consistently delivered results and been successful in each of these positions.

Press Release –

BRP secures retail-financing options with U.S. and Canadian banks.

BRP is offering its customers competitive retail financing options thanks to agreements with U.S. Bank and Sheffield Financial in the United States and TD Canada Trust in Canada, the company reported in a press release.

The financing is available to BRP’s North American dealers currently carrying Ski-Doo, Sea-Doo, sport boats, Evinrude outboard engines, Can-Am ATVs and Spyder roadsters.

BRP recognized the demand for retail financing that its dealers needed, says Roch Lambert, vice president and general manager of North American sales and marketing for Ski-Doo, Sea-Doo and Evinrude.

“The need for retail financing and providing our dealers with the best resources in obtaining retail credit has been our No. 1 priority,” Lambert said in the release. “We have been able to leverage our relationships with key lending institutions in order to negotiate favorable rates and services for our dealers.”

Press Release –

Yoshimura announced today the sponsorship of 2008 ATVA Extreme Dirt Track Pro Champion Harold “Bumblebee” Goodman with exhaust pipes and various Yoshimura performance products.

Goodman will not only ride his Honda TRX450R in the 2009 Extreme Dirt Track Series, but also in the AMA Pro ATV Motocross Championship Race Series as well.

The Romulus, Michigan native began racing in 1986 and went Pro in 1995. He has been Champion of the Extreme Dirt Track Pro Class for the last two years and has consistently placed in the Top 10 in the motocross series. In addition, Goodman was voted the ATVA Athlete of the Year for 2008.

“We are excited to have Harold running Yoshimura products for the 2009 season,” Yoshimura’s VP of Marketing Brant Russell explained. “Yoshimura has been and will remain committed to ATV racing and this partnership with Harold Goodman is important to us. Harold works really hard and is a winner. In addition, Harold, his family, and his entire program are first rate. It’s a pleasure to be associated with his efforts. It’s a great chance for us to help show off our Honda products as well.”

Yoshimura R&D development engineer Sean Gutierrez agreed, “We are the official sponsor of the Honda Supercross/Motocross two-wheel team, and have used some of what we have learned there for our quad products. Harold is great test rider as well as racer and his input will help develop our Honda ATV pipes even further going forward.”

Goodman is also looking forward to the relationship: “It’s great to be working with Yoshimura. Their exhaust system provides great horsepower and is nice and quiet so it passes the sound requirements at the Motocross Nationals.”

Yoshimura products are available at your local dealer. For race support, contact Jeremiah Jones at jjones2@yoshimura-rd.com or 909-247-7979.

Press Release –

Outdoorsmen Can Enter For a Chance to Win a 2009 Grizzly 550 FI EPS

Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A., the leading maker of ATV and Side-by-Side (SxS) vehicles, continues its support of outdoor sports and conservation by sponsoring the 2009 National Hunting and Fishing (NHF) Day.

As part of the partnership, Yamaha has donated an all-new 2009 Grizzly 550 FI ATV with Electric Power Steering (EPS) that one lucky outdoorsman will win.

The sweepstakes is being promoted at NHF Day events nationwide, and anyone can register online to win from May 11 through the end of October.

“Our involvement with National Hunting and Fishing Day last year proved to be an excellent opportunity for Yamaha to promote and support one of its core values — outdoor conservation and ethical hunting and fishing,” said Steve Nessl, marketing manager for Yamaha’s ATV/SxS group. “Yamaha is more involved in the hunting and fishing communities than any other ATV manufacturer and we look forward to another great NHF Day celebration.”

Scheduled annually on the fourth Saturday of September, this year the celebration of hunting, fishing and conservation is set for September 26, 2009. NHF Day serves as the most effective grass roots effort ever taken to promote outdoor sports and conservation.

Yamaha, through its relationships with organizations such as Ducks Unlimited, Safari Club International, Buckmasters, NWTF and NHF Day, among others, is a continued supporter of conservation efforts for outdoor recreational enthusiasts.

“We’re thrilled to have Yamaha on for another year of support,” said Denise Wagner of Wonders of Wildlife museum in Springfield, Mo. — the official home of National Hunting and Fishing Day. “The ATV giveaway was a huge hit amongst NHF Day participants and we look forward to another great turnout at all of our festivities nationwide.”

The sweepstakes is open to all hosts, volunteers and attendees of any of the hundreds of nationwide events celebrating NHF Day. The contest is also open to all outdoor recreational sports participants. One lucky entrant, 18 years-of-age or older, will win a 2009 Yamaha Grizzly 550 FI EPS.

Approximate retail value is $8,099. No purchase necessary. The sweepstakes begins at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time on May 11, 2009, and ends at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time on Oct. 31, 2009. The winner will be determined by random drawing.

More information on NHF Day is available at www.nhfday.org . Complete rules, entry info and more information are available by visiting www.yamahaoutdoors.com/nhfday.