Press Release –

Polaris Industries, Inc. is thrilled with the performance of the Polaris/Lone Star/Eichner Racing Team as they demonstrated the abilities of their high-powered Polaris Outlaws showing “how the West was won” at Round 1 of the ITP Quadcross.

The event was held March 8 – 9, 2008, at Glen Helen Raceway, in Southern California.

Doug Eichner aboard his Outlaw 525 S with enhanced power by Yoshimura R&D of America Inc., supported by the industry leader in suspension, FOX Racing Shox, along with A-Arms and Steering Stems by Lone Star Racing demonstrated why the ITP track announcers called him “Icon Eichner.”

Eichner clearly demonstrated his natural talent aboard his high-performance Outlaw with two holeshot starts and two comfortable wins in each Open Pro Moto despite the hard charging field of 20 other Pros.

Track officials declared “Icon Eichner” to be a certain Hall of Fame inductee when our industry develops this level of recognition.

Eichner made his victory look effortless being only a few seconds off the winning pace of the AMA GNC racers who shared the race venue with the ITP Quadcross Series competitors over the weekend. When interviewed in the announcer’s podium, Eichner gave thanks to Polaris Industries, Inc. for providing the essential support necessary for professional level competition and for the development of an incredible race machine which he hopes to become more involved with in the future.

Eichner gave much gratitude to his mechanic Scott Butler from Lone Star Racing and noted that for the first time in more than a decade, he has chosen a new tire for competition. His new MAXXIS Tires ultimately provided him with more hook-up off the concrete start and stability throughout the entire rough track.

Eichner stated he was proud to be able to successfully campaign the Polaris Outlaw 525 S in the Pro ranks again and looks forward to a promising 2008.

Hard charging Pro, John Shafe, was not to go unnoticed in the 450 Pro Class. Shafe was dealt a handicap with two less-than-desirable starts. Moto one found Shafe in a last place position as the field of 27 pros rounded the first corner.

Shafe worked his way through the pack bringing his Polaris Outlaw 450 from a last place starting position to a fifth place finish in the 450 Pro Moto 1, and ultimately finished his day in the 450 Pro race eighth overall.

Shafe is a force to be reckoned with on a Motocross track as well as Grand Prix and Desert competition, and is a certain up-and-coming super star. Team Captain, Doug Eichner, Team Manager, Joan Eichner as well as Polaris Industries, Inc. are all filled with optimism for Shafe’s future performances they are confident the best is yet to come.

Angela Butler once again showed why she is a notable figure in the Women’s Division after she delivered wins in Moto 1 and 2 on the Outlaw 450. Butler has nine Women’s National Championships to her resume and aboard her Outlaw 450, which she is currently running with a stock motor.

Butler was able to master the track and provided two well-earned first place finishes on the legendary Glen Helen track which is noted to be an absolute horsepower track. Her wins are a true demonstration of the riding talents of this fierce lady and the Outlaw 450’s stock power plant.

Next Stop for the Polaris/Lone Star Racing/Eichner Racing Team will be at WORCS Round 3, in Havasu City, Arizona, March 21 – 23, 2008.

Press Release –

The ITP/Moose Racing AMA ATV Motocross Series opened its 12-race season at Glen Helen Raceway this weekend with a big win from Suzuki.

While the best quad racers in the world showed up for bragging rights, Team Rockstar / MSR / Suzuki / Yoshimura / ProTaper showed its dominance by earning first and second-place finishes on this famous track.

Suzuki teammates Chad Wienen, Doug Gust and Dustin Wimmer were all top qualifiers, fastest in timed practice. From high atop the victory podium, Wimmer claimed the number one spot on his Suzuki QuadRacer R450, while Wienen stood right next to him in second overall.

Gust rounded out the top five with a fine 5th place finish on the day.

Wimmer pulled out a huge lead in both motos dominating the competition in convincing fashion with 1/1 moto scores. Teammate Wienen’s 2/2 moto scores said the rest.

“We’ve been doing a bunch of testing and things just seem to be getting better and better” Wimmer said from the top step of the victory podium. “We have the fastest motors, Fox is doing a great job with our shocks, and the Suzuki QuadRacer R450 is just plain awesome.”

Team Rockstar / MSR / Suzuki / Yoshimura / Pro Taper Team Manager Kory Ellis said: “I don’t know how, but the Suzuki QuadRacers just keep getting better… the new model has an even more powerful engine and the suspension is great. The Suzukis and our riders look like the ones to beat… It’s the best possible way to start a season.”

Press Release –

KTM Factory ATV GNCC riders Adam McGill and Taylor Kiser astounded GNCC fans when the teammates finished first and second at the second round of the GNCC series.

McGill who had finished a strong 5th place overall at the first round in Melbourne, FL was prepared to improve upon that finish at the Georgia race.

He was well on his way to his first win as soon as he and his KTM 525 XC Sport ATV pulled the holeshot at the start of the race. His teammate Kiser grabbed a mid-pack start but quickly began to move forward.

McGill started in the lead and intended to finish that way as he continued to charge forward pulling farther ahead of the pack with each lap.

During the two hour race in which McGill got out front and dominated his teammate Kiser was busy battling competitors to catch up to his teammate and move into that second place position.

Near the end of the race he managed to work his way into second; earning his best ever overall finish in a GNCC race.

In a weekend of firsts, McGill was able to hold his lead and take home the win after pulling an impressive six minute lead on the field by the end of the race.

This marked the first GNCC win for McGill and the first ever GNCC win for the KTM 525 XC Sport ATV.

“I am so happy to finish on top! We have a great team this year. My bike is running great and it’s unbelievably smooth. I’m glad to finally be up here; it’s been a long time coming,” commented McGill after the event.

With two rounds down, McGill now holds the overall points lead with Kiser three points behind him in second.

Next Event: Round 3 – Steele Creek, Morganton, NC – March 29-30, 2008

Overall Results – Round 2:

1. Adam McGill – KTM
2. Taylor Kiser – KTM
3. Brandon Sommers
4. Bryan Cook
5. Ryan Lane

Overall Point Standings (after 2 rounds):

1. Adam McGill – 46
2. Taylor Kiser – 43
3. Bryan Cook – 43
4. Brandon Sommers – 36
5. Chris Borich – 30

Press Release –

Adam McGill didn’t just win his first-ever round of Can-Am Grand National Cross Country racing, he dominated, winning by a massive six minutes at the Maxxis General GNCC in Washington, Georgia.

“It feels great,” said McGill. “This is the machine I wanted to race the first time I saw it. I was a little worried on the last lap, because I’ve been there before and it hasn’t worked out. I would get to sections, and it was just unbelievable, just like a bomb went off. There were people everywhere! I’m so glad there were people out there helping, and everyone at KTM, the whole team, I can’t thank them enough.”

Better yet for KTM, McGill’s teammate Taylor Kiser finished second to make it a KTM sweep.

GT Thunder Yamaha’s Brandon Sommers, the 2007 Pro-Am Champion, scored his first XC1 pro podium with third overall.

Kiser’s XC1 runner-up finish came after a big battle.”I didn’t get a good start but I was able to work my way through,” said Kiser. “I feel good now. The sky’s the limit for this team.”

“There were a lot of lines out there and that definitely made it tough,” said Sommers. “Taylor and I hooked up and we really got into a good rhythm out there. On the last lap, I was ahead of him, but I got some water under my goggles, and I had to get rid of them. I was hoping he wouldn’t see it, but I guess he did because he started working to get around me and once he did there was nothing I could do.”

The championship chase took a dramatic turn when both title favorites–GNCC Champion Bill Ballance and runner-up Chris Borich–failed to finish due to mechanic troubles.

Ballance ran into electrical problems in his first-ever DNF in four years on a Yamaha. Borich snapped a chain on his Rockstar/Yoshimura Suzuki.

The third-placed rider in last year’s chase, Warnert Racing Can-Am’s Chris Bithell, was in the battle with Kiser and Sommers until getting stuck in the deep ruts in a bottleneck, and by the time he had dug out, he had dropped out of the top ten.

Fourth went to Team Excell Motorsports’ Bryan Cook, and fifth to new XC1 pro Ryan Lane. McGill now takes the series’ points lead while Kiser and Cook, each with a fourth and second, are tied for second.

The XC2 class offered up another big battle, with GT Thunder Yamaha’s David Crane notching the win as National Guard-backed Mark Nottman got stuck on the last lap. Veteran Curtis Crump finished third.

In the ATV morning race, Team Yamaha’s Traci Cecco took the Women’s class and the overall win over Stephani Parton. Third overall and the top spot in the Open 4×4 Class went to Bryan Buckannon.

The 2008 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series continues with the Steele Creek GNCC in Morganton, NC on March 29 and 30.