Press Release –

The best racers around the world will converge at the 12-Hours of Pont de Vaux World Championship scheduled for August 23 – 24, in Lyon, France.

This year, more than ever, Polaris is reinforcing its commitment to the sport of ATV racing with four Polaris teams competing in the historic race including one team from the USA and three French teams, all racing the wicked-fast Outlaw 525 S.

Doug Eichner, multi-time world and national ATV champion and record holder of seven wins and ten podium finishes at the12-Hours of Pont de Vaux, will anchor Team Polaris USA.

The team also will feature the talents of Polaris rider Dana Creech, well known for his Division 4 Freestyle Championship and Clear Channel Stadium Series MX Championship.

GNC MX Pro National Champion, eight-time GNC Pro-Am National Champion, former Pont De Vaux top-three winner, and former Eichner teammate, Travis Spader will be charging hard as the final member of Team Polaris USA.

Polaris France will be represented by three French teams. Successful MX Racer Vincent Broyer, French MX National Champion Mickaël Revoy and Thierry Chevrot will make up the first French team.

The second French team features Enduro Star Jean-Hugues Adam, Pascal De Palma and Franck Allart.

And, returning again to demonstrate their superiority in the Women’s Division, Adeline Martin and Betty Kraft will constitute the third French team.

“Polaris is excited about the level of participation at this year’s event and we look forward to a successful race for all the teams,” said Eric Nault, race team manager for Polaris Racing. “We thank our World-Class Racers and sponsors for helping put together the most-competitive teams of racers we’ve ever had at the historic 12-Hours of Pont de Vaux.”

Press Release –

Daryl Rath shows Sportsman XP is more than just hype- It’s a performance ATV!

Nine days ago, Polaris Dealers got a look at the brand new and 2009 Sportsman 850 XP in Las Vegas, Nevada. The question was asked is it truly as good as it looked? Daryl Rath wanted to answer that question with a podium finish and he did!

Straight from the bright lights of Vegas to a cross country track in Iowa, Rath put the machine to work and raced a two hour cross country endurance race. The IATVHSS Series event was held at Decatur City, Iowa, on Aug 3.

With an impressive first showing, Rath placed second in the Pro Utility Class. Rath stated, “It was important for me to keep the ATV as stock as possible. I knew this was a contender right off the showroom floor and I wanted to prove that.” He added, “It was going to be a challenge in itself racing a brand-new, just-released ATV against some highly modified 4×4 race ATVS, but I was up for the challenge. These guys racing have exhaust systems, clutching, motor work and suspension on the race machines, I put on some Dunlop Tires with Tireballs, and a Precision Steering Stabilizer and headed for the line.”

With temperatures topping 103 degrees the heat was going to be as much of a factor as the track. The course ran through fields, some tight tree sections and deep creek bed crossings. Rath and his Sportsman 850 XP found themselves in second place after a large bottleneck, continuing to push forward the remainder of the race and successfully closing the gap on the leader.

“We have the benchmark we were looking for, and now know what this ATV can do,” Rath said. “There were a lot of people behind me in this program and they’re all very excited to be involved with such a great new machine.”

The Polaris/Rath/Dunlop team is sponsored by: Polaris Industries – Rath Racing – Dunlop Tires – Fox Shox – FMF Exhausts -DWT Douglas Wheel Technologies– B&B Racing Engines –Wiseco – RPM- Fly Racing –Torco Fuels – Dirty Dawg Performance -Hinson Clutch Components – Xstream Composites- Precision Racing Products – Amsoil – WPS – QuadTech – UpDog – Powermadd – Tireballs – Faast Co. – Scott Goggles – PEP – CV4 – K&N Filters.

Press Release –

Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE:PII) today named Scott W. Wine Chief Executive Officer, effective September 1, 2008.

Mr. Wine will succeed outgoing CEO Thomas C. Tiller, who will continue to serve as a member of the company’s Board of Directors.

Mr. Wine joins Polaris from UTC Fire and Security, a unit of Hartford, CT, based United Technologies Corporation (NYSE:UTX), where he served as President, Fire Safety Americas.

He also held senior leadership positions at Danaher Corp., Honeywell International and served as an Officer in the United States Navy.

Wine’s selection comes at the end of an extensive and carefully conducted search process. The Polaris Board of Directors, led by Chairman Greg Palen, conducted a comprehensive evaluation of all candidates and unanimously believes that Wine is the ideal candidate to lead Polaris in the future.

“As a proven leader with considerable experience across a variety of industries and three outstanding international companies, Scott has an impressive track record of producing outstanding results,” Palen said. “We’re confident that Scott, together with our strong management team, will continue Polaris’ remarkable history of innovation, leadership and results benefitting all of our stakeholders.”

Polaris announced in January that Tiller expected to step down from his CEO position by the end of 2008, when his current employment contract expires. Tiller, 47, has been with the company since July, 1998 and its CEO since May, 1999. Tiller said his decision was for personal reasons and that he will remain on the Polaris Board of Directors.

“Tom and his team did an outstanding job of leading Polaris for the past ten years and we feel very fortunate to be able to continue that success by adding Scott’s experience and skills to that team,” Palen said.

Mr. Wine will be only the third Polaris CEO in the past 27 years and will work with a senior management team that includes Chairman Palen and President and COO Bennett Morgan to execute on the 10-year vision to become a much bigger and more profitable global company. Mr. Wine will join the Board of Directors of Polaris.

“I’m extremely excited to be joining such a great management team and a company with such amazing products and a strong and innovation-focused culture,” said Wine. “Tom and the senior management team have had such consistent success and I look forward to building on that accomplishment.”

Wine, 41, is a 1989 graduate of the United States Naval Academy and received a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Maryland. He will relocate shortly to Minnesota with his wife and two children from his current home in Connecticut.

Press Release –

With the championship decided and the pressure off, Joe Byrd put on a riding clinic Sunday, winning the RedBud National at RedBud MX. The event was Round 10 of the 2008 Moose Racing/ITP Tires AMA/ATVA National Championship Presented by Parts Unlimited.

With his fourth-place finish in the first moto, Dustin Wimmer (No. 191 Team MSR/Suzuki/Yoshimura/Pro Taper Suzuki), clinched the Riders’ Championship, taking home the AMA No. 1 Plate.

“I’m still speechless,” said Wimmer. “This makes all of the hard work really meaningful. What a great season.”

Byrd (No. 7 American Honda/Joe Byrd Quad School Honda) finished second in the first moto behind Chad Wienen (No. 44 Team Rockstar/MSR/Suzuki/Yoshimura/Pro Taper Suzuki), and he dominated the second moto, winning the ATVRiders.com Holeshot Award and running away from the pack. Wienen was second overall, ahead of teammate Doug Gust. (No. 55 Team Rockstar/MSR/Suzuki/Yoshimura/Pro Taper Suzuki).

“Dunlop gave me some new tires this weekend and they really hooked up,” said Byrd of his third victory of the season. “The bike was just fast all weekend. We took the holeshot and then we just cruised.

“It’s my job to win races,” said Byrd, who remains second in the points chase. “It’s what I get paid to do.”

Byrd was congratulatory of Wimmer winning his first ever AMA title.

“Lady luck really didn’t smile on us early in the season,” said Byrd, “but Dustin and his team really worked hard all season. My hat is off to them. He deserved the championship.”

Byrd also won the Third Base of the ITP Grand Slam presented by QUAD Magazine, earning a $1,000 bonus. Byrd retains his lead in the Grand Slam points.

The $5,000 program is a championship within a championship that concludes in two weeks at the season finale. In addition to cash prizes for the Pros, Amateur riders will earn special Gold, Silver and Bronze medals.

Special award winners were:

Ti Lube Fast Qualifier Award: Chad Wienen
Suspension Systems Holeshot Award–Moto 1: Josh Creamer
ATVRiders.com Holeshot Award–Moto 2: Joe Byrd
DASA Mechanic of the Race: Glen Schulde (Wimmer)

The next race for the ITP Tires/Moose Racing AMA/ATVA National Motocross Championship is the 2008 regular season finale, scheduled for Aug. 9-10 at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tenn.

Results of Sunday’s ITP/ Tires Moose Racing AMA Pro ATV Motocross Championship at RedBud MX (Showing finishing position, rider, bike number, bike brand, hometown, and moto finishes):

1. Joe Byrd, 7, Honda, Union City, Tenn., 2-1.
2. Chad Wienen, 44, Suzuki, Galena, Ill., 1-2.
3. Doug Gust, 55, Suzuki, Salem, Wis., 3-5.
4. John Natalie, Jr., 13, Can-Am, Houtzdale, Pa., 7-3.
5. Dustin Wimmer, 191, Suzuki, Center Valley, Pa., 4-6.
6. Harold Goodman, 708, Honda, Romulus, Mich., 8-7.
7. Josh Upperman, 20, Honda, Louisville, Ohio, 6-9.
8. Jeremy Lawson, 16, Can-Am, Battletown, Ky., 9-8.
9. Jason Dunkelberger, 19, Honda, Trevorton, Pa., 11-11.
10. Josh Creamer, 9, Kawasaki, North Stonington, Conn., 20-4.
11. Pat Brown, 199, Yamaha, Pittstown, N.J., 5-20.
12. Greg Gee, 10, Can-Am, Simcoe, Ontario, 16-12.
13. Keith Little, 12, Kawasaki, Spruce Pine, Ala., 15-13.
14. Rocco Arno, Jr., 101, Honda, Bridgetown, N.J., 14-14.
15. Russell Shumaker, 68, Kawasaki, Bristol, Wis, 10-18.
16. Jeremi Warnia, 62, Suzuki, Paris, France, 19-10.
17. Cale Downen, 727, Honda, Junction, Ill., 12-17.
18. Jasmin Plante, 91, Yamaha, Notre Dame, Quebec, 13-19.
19. Cody Miller, 22, Can-Am, Greenville, Texas, 18-15.
20. Sage Baker, 49, Can-Am, Shasta Lake, Calif., 17-16.

ITP Tires/Moose Racing AMA Pro ATV Motocross Championship points leaders: Wimmer 400, Byrd 355, Gust 316, Creamer 261, Lawson 258, Natalie 248, Goodman 236, Wienen 221, Upperman 209, Arno 178.