Press Release –

Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing Yoshimura’s Dustin Wimmer began the 2009 season of the ITP/Moose Racing AMA ATV Motocross Championship right where he left off – in first place. The 2009 season kicked off in front of a large crowd at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California.

Wimmer started off the day without a commanding start, but quickly worked his way forward to second place by the halfway point and started to chase down the leader – Josh Creamer. In spite of applying heavy pressure, Dustin ran out of time and tightly followed Creamer at the checkers for the number two spot.

QuadRacer R450 teammate Doug Gust had an even rougher start getting caught up in a pile-up in the first turn. Doug untangled himself in last place and then had his work cut out for him. In typical Gust fashion, he was able to climb his way to 13th place by moto’s end.

Wimmer must have had an extra Rockstar energy drink during the break because the start of the second moto had Dustin charging out in first place capturing the hole shot position.

From there, Wimmer’s flawless riding style, grit and determination plus the power of the Yoshimura-powered QuadRacer R450 was simply too much for the rest of the field to overcome.

Wimmer motored away for an easy moto win and overall victory of the day.

“Digger” Doug Gust had a better start in the second moto, and quickly worked his way up to a 6th position at the checkers for 8th overall of the day.

From the top step of the victory podium a happy Wimmer said, “I got it up on two wheels in one of the corners out back and almost tipped over. But I saved it and put in some steady laps. I started to pulling away and the rest of the race was pretty uneventful.”

The Center Valley PA native looked like he had hardly broken a sweat on this very demanding course and sparked a lot of conversation that he is definitely the man to beat this year.

Wimmer went on to thank the Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing Team sponsors, the great fans that came out to Glen Helen and the promoters for putting together a great event. Wimmer summed it up: “It was a really fun day.”

Team Manager Kory Ellis remarked on the first win of the season, “This has been a great weekend for Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki racing efforts. Coming off of Daytona with Mat Mladin winning the AMA Superbike race, Chad Reed taking the win in Supercross and Chris Borich securing the GNCC Maxxis General event on Saturday, we’re really glad that we were able to do our part so that Suzuki ended up 4 for 4. I guess this shows the world that Suzuki is the brand that wins races.”

Press Release –

Yoshimura held a press conference Friday to launch the Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing ATV team.

The event was held at the Yoshimura / Suzuki racing facility in Chino, California. In attendance were most of the ATV U.S. press corps, many of the team sponsors and the team itself.

Yoshimura Vice President Brant Russell began by introducing the new 2009 sponsors – Parts Unlimited/Moose Racing, Fulmer Helmets, Memphis Car Audio, Falicon and Pro Armor.

A number of sponsors were unavailable as they were attending Daytona events sent along prepared quotes. Greg Blackwell, Vice President of Sales for LeMans Corp. wrote:

“All of us at Parts Unlimited are very proud to be associated with the Rockstar Makita Suzuki Yoshimura ATV Team. Our involvement with this high caliber, race winning team allows us to continue to deliver our “We Support The Sport” philosophy to the market.”

Brad Kruckenberg, General Manager of Moose Racing sent this along:

“Moose Racing is proud to continue its long-standing relationship of sponsoring top tier teams and riders by welcoming the Rockstar Makita Suzuki ATV Team into our family.  An obvious part of this is working closely with key suppliers like Yoshimura and we appreciate their willingness to share this opportunity with us. Moose Racing’s sponsorship of this team is a perfect match to our support of the 2009 ITP / Moose Racing / AMA / ATVA National Motocross Championship Series and we look forward to much success with both Doug and Dustin throughout the season.”

Brant Russell spoke about the other new sponsors of the team: “We are excited to welcome our new sponsors to the 2009 ATV team,” “Suzuki and Yoshimura were there in the infancy of this series, and are excited that as we grow we see more and more companies become involved in this exciting sport. We especially want to thank Rockstar and Makita without whom we wouldn’t be able to put out this tremendous effort each year,” Russell explained.

He then turned the microphone over to Suzuki’s Glenn Hansen who explained how the Suzuki QuadRacer R450 exemplified the passion of the company’s commitment to racing. “The QuadRacer R450 was designed to win races,” Hansen said. “Dustin Wimmer’s 2008 Championship proved that once again last year and we’re looking to see these riders securing first and second this year. Racing is a huge part of what we do at Suzuki and it’s why we made the QuadRacer R450 – that is the whole purpose of this quad and what it is designed for. It’s all about racing and this year we’re going out there again to prove what we can do with the QuadRacer R450. It is there to celebrate what we love at Suzuki – racing.”

Team Manager Kory Ellis then introduced the two-man team of Dustin Wimmer #1 and Doug Gust #55. “We are proud to have such a talented team this year,” Ellis explained. “It will be an exciting season, for sure. Dustin Wimmer is coming off of a stellar year clinching the Championship and returning multi-time Champion and racing icon Doug Gust is determined to take the title back.”

Ellis went on to introduce Kevin Mummah who returns this year as crew chief and Gilbert Lujan who is taking over engine building duties. Glenn Schlude is back as Dustin’s mechanic and Doug has a new wrench in Joe Havel.

The Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing effort also includes Chris Borich in the 2009 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series. He placed 2nd overall in the 2008 series and is hungry for first.

The evening concluded with interviews and photos of the riders, mechanics and of course, the ever-popular Rockstar Girls.

Press Release –

Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Chris Borich got a good start in the race, and a solid beginning to the race season, with a 2nd-place finish at Sunday’s GNCC Racing opening round in Lake Wales, Florida.

The 2009 Grand National Cross-Country Championships opening round has become the traditional start of Bike Week, and this year’s Florida venue keeps that alive.

The West Gate River Ranch Resort race site south of Orlando is complete with the typical Florida GNCC terrain. The sandy course turned rough and rutted quickly.

Borich took command right from the start; he grabbed the holeshot and maintained the race lead through the first three laps. “My QuadRacer LT-R450 was running perfectly and powered me to the early lead,” said Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Chris Borich. “The track got really rough, but we’re used to that in Florida. I’m glad to be on the podium, but I definitely want to get that victory soon. My team and I are well prepared for this season.”

The second round of the 2009 GNCC ATV Racing season takes place March 7 in Washington, Georgia.

Press Release –

Wimmer on Way to Defending Championship, Takes Glen Helen Overall followed by Creamer and Byrd

Defending champion and Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Dustin Wimmer challenged a full gate of hungry Pro riders to take the win at the opening round of the 2009 ITP/Moose Racing AMA ATV Motocross Championship presented by Parts Unlimited.

The weather was perfect for racing, and while Wimmer could not say the same of his first moto, he rebounded with a holeshot and a solid second moto to secure his bid for the number-one spot on the podium.

“It’s always easy getting out front first. You don’t have to work as hard,” Wimmer said of his second moto. “However, it is never easy on a rough and sandy track like Glen Helen Raceway. I came up on two wheels in the second or third lap and thought I was going to lose it. But defending my championship like this; it feels great.”

The first moto was easily the most exciting way to open the 2009 series. The MotorcycleUSA.com Holeshot Award winner, Josh Creamer with Monster Energy Kawasaki, pulled some early ground over a pack of Honda’s including rookie Nick DeNoble, Josh Upperman and Joe Byrd after rounding the famous Talladega turn.

Wimmer came out fifth, after taking nearly half the race to reach and pass Byrd who made it up to second. Eventually gaining ground on Creamer, Wimmer stalked him for the later part of the moto narrowly taking the lead on several occasions until Creamer changed his lines to hold his ground. With Creamer riding smart, Kawasaki earned their first moto of the year.

The second moto played out quite differently with Wimmer powering his Suzuki to the second MotorcycleUSA.com Holeshot Award and easily settling into the lead over Byrd who leveled out in second. Creamer, after a middle pack start, made his way into the number three spot that secured the second spot on the podium behind Wimmer; something that he did not quite realize during the race.

“My mechanic was telling me ‘second, second’ and I didn’t know what it meant,” Creamer said. “I was thinking, trying to figure it out. I guess I was never really good at math.”

Byrd rounded out the podium happy with a better start to the season compared to last year. “We had a better setup in the second moto and we like this track,” he said. “It’s good and rough.”

Yamaha rookie Thomas Brown was so excited to be at the race you couldn’t wipe the grin off of his face. The Sanger, Texas native was riding like he definitely belonged next to the veterans of the class. Riding an ailing machine in moto one, he kept it together to finish ninth then upped it to fourth for a fourth overall.

Another rookie and Byrd’s protege, Clay Holmes of Lexington, Tenn., came close to earning the number four spot, but the quiet rider earned eighth and fifth to grab his first Top 5 finish in the Pro class.

Can-Am mounted riders John Natalie of Warnert Racing earned fifth and tenth for sixth overall while Motoworks’ Jeremy Lawson finished the day in seventh with tenth and seventh for his motos.

Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Doug Gust, who got tangled on the start in moto one, reached thirteenth at the checkers and ended the second moto in sixth for eighth overall.

Baldwin Motorsport Honda’s Josh Upperman had a great start to moto one but faded back to sixth then suffered a rough second moto relegating him to fourteenth for ninth overall.

Rounding out the Top 10 overall was Canadian Greg Gee who switched brands in the off season and entered 2009 on a Honda.

The 2009 ITP/Moose Racing AMA ATV Motocross Championship heads east to Pell City, Alabama for the FMF Spring Nationals at Mill Creek Raceway on March 21 and 22 where the amateur classes will join the series with their opening round of the season.

Press Release –

Technology Sharing, Co-Development and Supply of Highly Differentiated Work Vehicles

Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII) and Bobcat Company today announced a long-term strategic alliance that will leverage the complementary strengths of both companies to penetrate work related market segments globally.

The alliance will include technology sharing, co-development and supply of highly differentiated work vehicles with a planned launch by the second half of 2010.

“We are excited to enter this alliance with Bobcat, a respected leader in the work vehicle industry” said Scott Wine, CEO, Polaris Industries. “This alliance is consistent with our stated strategy of diversifying Polaris beyond our core powersports segments and will enhance our efforts to accelerate the growth of our military and international businesses.” continued Wine, “Initially, Polaris will produce and sell highly differentiated work vehicles to Bobcat for sale through the Bobcat dealer network. The breadth and depth of our cooperative efforts will expand thereafter to include co-developed vehicles for both Polaris and Bobcat and further technology sharing. ”

“We are thrilled about the long-term implications of this alliance.” said Richard Goldsbury, President Bobcat Americas. “Bobcat’s and Polaris’ long tradition of innovation, product passion, and similar cultures complement each other very well. We are combining the strengths of the #1 compact construction equipment manufacturer with those of the #1 off-road vehicle manufacturer to deliver innovative product solutions for our customers. This alliance will enable both companies to extend our customer bases and provide profitable growth.”

Both Wine and Goldsbury stated: “Working together, we will strive to generate increased revenue and profits for Polaris, Bobcat, and our dealer networks. With this alliance, Polaris and Bobcat will be well positioned for incremental revenue growth in 2010 and beyond.”

About Polaris

With annual 2008 sales of $1.9 Billion, Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets off road vehicles (ORVs) including: all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), the Polaris RANGER, snowmobiles, and Victory motorcycles for recreational and utility use. 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 are available from authorized Polaris dealers or anytime from the Polaris homepage at www.polarisindustries.com.

About Bobcat

More than 50 years ago, Bobcat Company unleashed a way to work better, smarter and faster with the introduction of the Melroe Self-Propelled Loader. That machine evolved into the Bobcat skid-steer loader and spawned the worldwide compact equipment industry. Bobcat Company, headquartered in West Fargo, N.D., is part of Doosan Infracore International (DII), a U.S.-based subsidiary of Doosan Infracore, a global manufacturer of construction equipment. To learn more about the full line of Bobcat products, visit www.bobcat.com.