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.

Press Release –

Florida’s Own Taylor Kiser Takes First-Ever Win at GNCC Opener Borich, McGill Overcome Mechanical Troubles to Land on Podium

Alva, Florida’s Taylor Kiser started the 2009 Can-Am Grand National Cross County Series in dream fashion by notching his first career win at the season opening River Ranch GNCC in Lake Wales, Florida.

Kiser, who finished the 2008 tour ranked sixth in the final standings, topped Rockstar Yoshimura Suzuki’s Chris Borich and FRE KTM’s Adam McGill on a rough, dry, sandy race track at the West Gate River Ranch Resort.

“This is like a dream to win it in front of all of these people,” said Kiser in front of his home state fans on the podium. “I saw Chris and Adam setting a good pace out front, and I wasn’t sure if I should go with them, because this course gets so rough and I knew it would be a long day. So I just played it smart and it paid off.”

Borich grabbed the $250 MotorcycleUSA.com Holeshot Award and took off early. He and McGill traded the lead a bit before McGill came in contact with a lapped rider.

“Another rider had just pulled out of Chris’ way, and then he pulled back onto the track just as I was coming through. I flipped the thing and it broke the bolt on my front brake. That was some bad luck there.”

McGill took an extended pit stop, and Kiser went around to take second. Then Borich started struggling as his clutch started fading.

“I felt real good, real strong early,” said Borich. “I’ve been training a lot harder, hitting the gym real hard. We’re ready. I ride the clutch a lot through those sand whoops, but in this sugar sand it started to fade. I really had to change my riding style on the last lap just to get in to the finish. I think everyone probably had clutch problems out here.”

Kiser admitted his clutch started fading, too, but after he made the pass on Borich he kept his pace up and rolled to a win by just over a minute after two hours of racing.

Fourth went to DeRisi Racing veteran Bryan Cook, on an Honda, with last year’s XC2 Champion Don Ockerman grabbing fifth on his factory GT Thunder Yamaha. Sixth went to Brandon Ballance, on a Yamaha, with Warnert Racing Can-Am’s Chris Bithell in seventh.

Jeff Pickens, Jarrod McClure and Josh Kirkland rounded out the top ten overall, with Kirkland topping the XC2 Pro-Am Class on his FRE KTM.

“This is the way I was hoping it would go, but really, I was just hoping to get to the dirt races to get a win,” said Kirkland after a day in the sand.

Second in the class went to another KTM rider, David Crane, while third came an unheralded Kawasaki privateer from New York, Scott Rich. Yamaha rider Brian Wolf grabbed the $100 Rekluse XC2 Holeshot Award and finished fifth, behind Honda rider Eric Hoyland.

Defending GNCC Champion Bill Ballance struggled all day dealing with the effects of getting surgery on his ribs just three weeks ago – the result of an injury that lingered from last year. He finished 18th in the XC1 pro class after completing four of six laps.

Ballance and Bithell did, however, compete hard the night before the race as part of barrel racing at the River Ranch Rodeo. In the end, Ballance came up a second short of the fastest horse while riding his YFZ450R.

In the morning race, KTM’s Angel Atwell notched the $100 GT Thunder Morning Race Overall Award in her first GNCC on a KTM. Jennifer Albright notched second overall and second in the Women’s class, with Warnert Can-Am’s Michael Swift taking top 4×4 honors by notching third overall and winning the 4×4 Limited Class.

The Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series continues with bike racing from the Parts Unlimited River Ranch GNCC on Tuesday, March 3rd.

For more information and full results, visit www.gnccracing.com

Results:

Parts Unlimited River Ranch GNCC
Lake Wales, Florida
March 1, 2009
XC1 Class

1. Taylor Kiser (Yam)
2. Chris Borich (Suz)
3. Adam McGill (KTM)
4. Bryan Cook (Hon)
5. Don Ockerman (Yam)
6. Brandon Ballance (Yam)
7. Chris Bithell (Can)
8. Jeff Pickens (Yam)
9. Jarrod McClure (Yam)
10. Johnny Gallagher (Yam)

**ANNOUNCEMENT**

SNOWTRAX and DIRT TRAX Television Acquired by SUPERTRAX Publishing Group

Paul Massingberd, brother of the late John Massingberd, founder of SnowTrax and Dirt Trax Television, is pleased to announce the sale of both television properties to the Lester family, owners of Supertrax International Magazine, Go Snowmobiling Magazine and All-Terrain Vehicle Magazine.

Terms of the sale of SnowTrax, North America’s #1 snowmobile enthusiast television show and Dirt Trax Television, have been agreed upon and will be finalized in the next 30 days.

Paul Massingberd states: “My brother and the Lester family enjoyed a close and co-operative relationship over the 13 years John established these companies. It was John’s desire to see these businesses continue their role in both the snowmobile and ATV industry. I’m confident, with both SnowTrax and Dirt Trax owned by the Lesters, John’s legacy is in good hands and the television shows will continue to be powersport media leaders.”

Supertrax International Magazine is the largest international snowmobile enthusiast publication in the world and has the largest BPA/CCAB audited circulation in both the United States and Canada.

Go Snowmobiling Magazine is the Official Publication of the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) circulated to over 85,000 Trail Permit holders. All-Terrain Vehicle Magazine is the largest circulated ATV publication in Canada and one of the largest circulation ATV enthusiast publications in the United States.

Supertrax Co-Publisher, Kent Lester, remembers John: “My brother, Mark and I, are pleased and humbled to bring SnowTrax and Dirt Trax under the Supertrax umbrella. John Massingberd was a very special and valued friend. We consider it an honor to ensure his hard work and success will continue. John’s passing has been tough for all of us. We’ve lost a good friend but John’s longstanding friendship with Supertrax serves as a constant reminder of the “Big Guy” who was always a man of his word.”

Further details of the transaction will be made available over the next few weeks. For both SnowTrax and Dirt Trax television, it will continue to be business as usual with exciting new shows coming soon.

Contact (705) 286-2135

Press Release –

More Classes And More Race Series Brings Total To $1.3 Million

Valcourt, Québec, February 24, 2009 – BRP is pleased to announce an increase in its already-extensive 2009 Can-Am™ ATV race contingency program.

This brings the total money available to pro and amateur Can-Am racers to more than $1.3 million USD making it the largest ATV-only contingency program in the history of ATV racing.

The latest race series to be added is the American Woods Racing Championship Series (AWRCS) with a total contingency amount of $58,000 across seven classes in all 10 rounds.

With contingency dollars already available in the GNCC, AMA ATV Motocross, CMRC, ITP Quadcross, WORCS, SCORE, Best in the Desert, NEATV-MX, PAMX and OMA, Can-Am covers every major national and regional ATV championship in North America.

“This reinforces our commitment to the sport and illustrates our effort to reward racers who commit to Can-Am,” says Del Bohlman, Racing Manager for Can-Am ATVs at BRP. “We made a concerted effort to cover all the major series across North America and cover every Can-Am product from Outlander™ to Renegade™ to DS 450™.”

In addition, Can-Am recently announced the 2009 Can-Am X-Team DS 450 Racer Support Program, which allows a racer to get unprecedented access to factory support.

To be eligible for the $3,000-plus in benefits, a racer much purchase a new or unused 2008 or 2009 Can-Am DS 450 EFI ATV within the program timeframe and apply through a participating Can-Am dealer. Full details of the program can be found in the contingency section of the Can-Am X-Team Web site.

For contingency forms and complete contingency schedules, please visit the Can-Am X-Team Web site at www.can-amxteam.com. There, racers will also find updated race news and photos from the 2009 race season.

Press Release –

Championship Teams Kickoff First Full Season on the All-New, Highly-Anticipated YFZ450R

Yamaha’s ATV race team is in final preparations for the 2009 race season and will enter a number of the top ATV racing series, including GNCC, QuadCross, WORCS and AMA MX, over the next two weekends. This is the first season that each Yamaha race team member will compete atop the all-new and highly-anticipated YFZ450R.

Many of Yamaha’s ATV race team members were introduced last fall, but there have been a few additions to the team that have not yet been formally announced. Members not yet announced include: Johnny Gallagher, a seasoned veteran who has spent years working with the Yamaha factory team on the GNCC circuit; Donnie Ockerman, the 2008 GNCC XC2 Pro-Am champion; Thomas Brown, the 2008 ATVA/AMA National Pro-Am Motocross champ; and Justin Noss, winner of the inaugural season of the 2008 QuadCross 250cc unlimited class on his Raptor 250.

Yamaha’s factory riders announced last fall include:

Bill Ballance, the nine-time consecutive Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) XC1 Pro series champion and widely considered the best ATV racer of all time. Ballance suffered a rib injury last year and had to undergo surgery in the off-season.

The injury and resulting surgery interrupted his pre-season training, but in true championship-fashion Ballance will be back to chase his 10th consecutive title at the GNCC opener in Florida this coming weekend. Ballance is from Smiths Grove, Ky., and runs the #1 plate.

Traci Cecco, the unprecedented seven-time GNCC womens’ title holder and veteran Yamaha race team member. Cecco, who lives in Shamokin, Penn., and runs #201, will return to try to break her own record in 2009.

Brandon Sommers, the 2007 GNCC XC2 class champion, placed fifth last year in his first go at the XC1 class. Sommers, #784, is back in XC1 for 2009 racing out of Millersburg, Ohio.

Pat Brown, 2008 Montreal Supercross champ and a top competitor for Yamaha in the AMA pro ATV motocross series. Brown is from Pittstown, N.J., and runs the #99 plate.

Dustin Nelson, two-time Yamaha/ITP Quadcross MX Pro Class champion. Nelson was the first Yamaha Team rider to race the YFZ450R at the end of last year when he took the holeshot and won a Quadcross moto at Glen Helen en route to his 2008 series title. Nelson lives in Ramona, Calif., and runs #94.

Yamaha race team bios are available at:http://www.yamaha-motor.com/sport/events/racinghome/home.aspx and more information on the new YFZ450R is available at: http://www.yamaha-motor.com/sport/products/modelhome/620/0/home.aspx

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, YMUS 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. Team Sportech heads north to Hill City, MN and the always challenging track at Quadna Mountain Park for another round of ISOC Minnesota Regional competition, February 28-March.