Press Release –

Starting in Gainesville, Florida with Round 3, Maxxis will offer a contingency program for the final 12 rounds of the ATVA GNC MX Series.

To qualify, racers must run four Maxxis tires along with a minimum of four 6½“ decals. Racers must also fill out a Maxxis contingency form at each event. The form will also be available for download at Maxxis.com. Official verification is required.

Maxxis is proud to offer its first-ever ATVA GNC MX contingency, and wishes all its riders the best in their upcoming races.

Visit Maxxis.com to see a chart for classes eligible and amounts awarded.

Press Release –

Old habits die hard like Maxxis habit of sponsoring riders who consistently make the top ten in the GNCC ATV.

The 2006 opener was no exception: Chris Borich practically ran circles around the competition to take the victory, which gnccracing.com called one of the most dominant wins in GNCC history.

Brandon Ballance took the third sport on the podium, Chris Jenks placed fourth, and 2005 ATVA National Motocross Champion John Natalie nabbed fifth place. Defending GNCC ATV champion Bill Ballance overcame a mechanical mishap to take the eighth place spot. The Orange Crush was held March 4-7 in De Leon Springs, Florida.

Borich told gnccracing.com that his strong performance was the result of intense preparation: I knew everyone else would be strong, so Ive been training really hard and working at this. I felt good. I just kept pushing and never felt tired. It was only a couple miles in, and I looked back and couldnt see anybody. I was thinking, Cool. Borich finished second overall for the season in the GNCC ATV in 2005.

The next GNCC event is the Maxxis General, to be held March 11-12 in Washington, Georgia. Maxxis is proud to sponsor Chris Borich, Brandon Ballance, Chris Jenks, John Natalie, and Bill Ballance, and congratulates them on their outstanding performances.

Press Release –

Polaris announces that effective March 1, 2006 KTM-Sportmotorcycle AG has become Polaris’ exclusive distributor in Germany for Polaris All Terrain Vehicles, Quadricycles, Snowmobiles and Polaris RANGER™ vehicles.

“KTM has established a dedicated sales force to manage the Polaris brand and product sales. KTM will leverage our back office operations in Germany to increase sales, build the Polaris brand, and increase dealer service and satisfaction while minimizing distribution costs. We are excited to get this project started” said Hubert Trunkenpolz, KTM’s Vice President of Marketing & Sales.

“Polaris is excited to leverage KTM’s strong presence and understanding of the German Powersports market to further develop the Polaris brand and sales in Germany” said Mark Blackwell, Polaris Vice President Victory Motorcycles and International Operations. “Polaris dealers in Germany will sign a separate Polaris dealer contract with KTM and be managed by a separate sales force dedicated to the Polaris product line. While there will be some common KTM and Polaris dealers in Germany going forward, market conditions in specific areas and individual dealer capabilities required for the KTM and Polaris product lines will dictate how many common dealers there will ultimately be.”

In July 2005, Polaris and KTM announced a strategic partnership with the goal of strengthening the competitive position of both companies and providing tangible benefits to customers, dealers, suppliers and shareholders. KTM’s distribution of Polaris products in Germany supports this goal.

It is not expected that KTM will become the distributor of Polaris products in any other European market in the near future. According to Mark Blackwell, “We want to focus our joint cooperative distribution effort on this key market to ensure success and demonstrate the compatibility of our product lines, brand positioning and dealer networks.”

Press Release –

Arctic Cat Inc. (Nasdaq: ACAT), manufacturer of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and snowmobiles sold under the Arctic Cat® brand name, and Piaggio Group, one of the world’s top manufacturers of two-wheel motor vehicles sold under the Aprilia®, Moto Guzzi®, Derbi®, Piaggio®, Vespa® and Gilera® brand names, today announced the execution of a letter of intent designed to expand and strengthen their respective distribution in Europe and North America, and potentially lead to other areas of future collaboration, such as product development and manufacturing.

Arctic Cat and the Piaggio Group are two leading companies operating in the power sport and light transportation industries, with complementary assets and capabilities.

Initially, Arctic Cat and Piaggio will cooperate on product distribution, with both sharing access to their respective dealers in North America and in Europe.

Arctic Cat will be able to sell its ATV products through selected Piaggio Group dealers in Europe, and the Piaggio Group will sell its motorcycles and motor scooters through selected Arctic Cat North American dealers.

“We’re excited about the potential of this strategic partnership to extend our international distribution capabilities and open new channels for growth,” said Christopher Twomey, chairman and chief executive officer of Arctic Cat. “We anticipate that this agreement will enhance the competitive positions of both companies internationally, providing tangible benefits to our customers, dealers and shareholders.”

“The Piaggio Group is currently pursuing a number of initiatives to further strengthen its global presence, particularly in North America. Within this context, we are very pleased to announce this new partnership with Arctic Cat,” said Piaggio Group’s CEO Rocco Sabelli.

Today, the two companies are presenting this new initiative to their respective dealers gathered in Yellowstone, Montana, for Arctic Cat, and Montecarlo, France, for the Piaggio Group.