Press Release –

Paul Bauerly, one of the top talents in the national Semi-Pro ranks last winter is turning pro and will race for Team Sportech aboard Arctic Cat for the 2009-2010 season.

Bauerly, a rising star in the International Series of Champions national snocross tour, finished in the top five in year-end points in both Semi-Pro Super Stock and Semi-Pro Open last season.

Now Bauerly will join Andrew Carlson (Semi-Pro) and Taylor Carlson (Pro-Women) in the Team Sportech/Arctic Cat race hauler this winter, as the team plans to campaign the full national tour, as well as select Minnesota regional events.

“This is great move for everyone involved and we are thrilled to have him (Paul) on our team,” said team owner Chris Carlson. “Paul is a class act, is a good fit for our team and he’s a proven performer. I’m excited to get him on an Arctic Cat Sno Pro… I think he’s going to surprise a few people this season. Paul’s a guy who is committed to excellence in all that he does.”

Team Sportech is coming off a season that was filled with podiums and incredible highs. Both Taylor and Andrew put themselves on the podium several times; with Andrew earning a pair of national podium finishes during the ISOC Hayward National near the close of the season.

“I’m real excited for this opportunity,” said Bauerly from his home in Milaca, Minnesota. “Chris and his organization represent the perfect scenario for me. They are dedicated to professionalism and their team really does feel like an extended family for me.”

Year over year Team Sportech continues to grow and mature, not just as a top ranking race team but also as one coveted by sponsors. Consistent results, integrity, family values and commitment to professionalism not only made the team a dream target for Bauerly, but sponsors are equally excited about partnering with them.

“I want Sportech Racing to be more than just another snocross team,” said Carlson. “This (the race team) started out as a way for my family to enjoy winter and spend time together doing what we love. We’ve built our team with the same value system that we have used to build our business and raise our family. We bring the highest level of competitiveness to the track every day, and to our sponsors, we bring a unique value proposition that enables them to see us as a collaborative partner that they can be proud to be affiliated with.”

With the addition of a top ranked pro driver in Paul Bauerly to the Sportech fold, the return of a seasoned crew of veterans behind the scenes, and an Arctic Cat Sno Pro race sled that proved to be the machine to beat on the track last winter – continued growth, excitement and results are sure to come for Team Sportech yet again.

About Team Sportech: Team Sportech Racing is a family of racers, mechanics and sponsors who are proud of our accomplishments on the track and off, and are driven to excellence in everything we do. Our racing organization is driven by a deep-rooted passion for the sport and an operational philosophy grounded in integrity. Sportech Racing is located at 10800 175th Avenue NW, Elk River, MN 55330 and can be reached at 763-712-3965. Visit them online at www.teamsportechracing.com

Press Release –

Hentges & Judnick Teams Form Alliance, Scheuring Team Names Racers

Polaris Racing, proven to be the best snocross race team in the circuit, continues to get better. Polaris is proud to announce the alliance between Hentges Racing and Judnick Motorsports teams, along with the signing of Pro racers Robbie Malinoski and Andrew Johnstad by Scheuring Speed Sports.

“These moves strengthen the Polaris racing program and position us to maintain our winning momentum heading into next winter,” said Polaris Racing Manager Tom Rager, Sr. “The alliance between Hentges and Judnick should improve both teams, and the Scheuring team has signed two racers with bright futures.”

Hentges & Judnick Team Up

The Hentges and Judnick teams, whose racers have dominated Pro-class points titles in recent seasons, have announced they will share research and development, component manufacturing and in-season technical in an effort to continue to stay on top and over deliver this upcoming season.

“We have formed an alliance where we’re independent teams under one roof – Polaris Racing – and we’re committed to putting Team Polaris on the podium week in and week out,” said Scott Judnick, co-owner with his wife Colleen of Judnick Motorsports. “We feel that sharing technical information will give us the edge to do that.”

Nate Hentges, co-owner of Hentges Racing, called the alliance “a win-win all around. We’ve been working side by side with them for a while now. This will basically be a technical alliance to help advance our Open sleds for the greatest performance. This will result in a huge savings from the R&D standpoint, especially for dyno time. Instead of each of us working in different directions on motor packages, we’ll have one dyno session that hopefully with save a tremendous amount right away.”

A key resource the teams will share is the experience and expertise of Tim Bender, a former racer whose success has put him in the Hall of Fame. Bender is a long-time Team Manager for Hentges Racing who will now oversee technical development for both teams.

“He’s in charge of our sleds and the Hentges sleds,” Scott Judnick said.

“Tim is obviously one of the key pieces of this alliance,” Hentges said. “He has built all our motors and done all of our R&D work,” and now both teams will benefit from Bender’s know-how.

The teams share a racing facility in Wausau, Wisconsin.

Malinoski & Johnstad Join Scheuring Speed Sports

Scheuring Speed Sports Owner Steve Scheuring announced the signing of Pro racers Robbie Malinoski and Andrew Johnstad for the upcoming season.

“This is a very exciting time for Scheuring Speed Sports and our sponsors,” the owner said. “Robbie has multiple championships in both Pro and Semi-Pro and will be in the hunt for the championships this year on our 2010 Polaris IQ® snocross sleds.

“Andrew Johnstad has also won multiple championships in Semi-Pro and cut his teeth in the Pro ranks last year. Watch for great results from Andrew this season and don’t be surprised if he makes a run for the championship as well.”

In his first season as a Pro-class racer, Johnstad finished 12th in Super Stock points last winter and 14th in Pro Open.

“I’m excited to be part of one of the premier teams on the circuit and look forward to an incredible season,” Malinoski said.

Johnstad said joining the team “is an incredible opportunity for me with the resources Steve has available. And working with Robbie will be a great adventure as well.”

Among the Scheuring team’s major sponsors are Amsoil, Makita and the U.S. Air Force. The team is based in Aurora, Minnesota.

Multiple Champions on Aligned Teams

The Hentges and Judnick rosters feature racers who have dominated the podium in recent seasons and have won several Pro and Semi-Pro points titles.

The Hentges roster includes:

• Pro racer TJ Gulla, the defending ISOC Pro Open points champion who finished third in Pro Super Stock points.
• Pro racer Levi LaVallee, the defending ISOC Pro Super Stock champion who was third in Pro Open Points and who has won multiple Winter X Games gold medals. He was also last season’s Woody’s Athlete of the Year.
• Pro racer Brett Bender, the ISOC Pro Rookie of the Year and Woody’s “Stud of the Year” who finished second in Pro Open points.
• Semi-Pro Chris Kafka, seventh in Open points and ninth in Super Stock points.

The Judnick roster includes:

• Pro racer Ross Martin, the 2007 and 2008 Pro Open points champion who was injured mid-season last winter. In just three races last season, he earned enough points to finish in the top 20 in Pro Open and Pro Super Stock points.
• Pro racer Matt Judnick, who was eighth in ISOC Pro Open points and 11th in Super Stock points.
• Semi-Pro Mike Bauer, ninth in Open points and 10th in Super Stock points.

Scott Judnick said Ross Martin, who broke his hip at the 2009 Winter X Games, has recovered fully and has been cleared to begin motocross riding and racing.

“We’ll have Ross back. He’s our anchor,” Judnick said. “After his accident, he ended up having surgery done at the Mayo Clinic and had all his follow-up done there as well. They have just worked miracles and they couldn’t be happier with the way it went.”

Teams Retain Their Individual Sponsors

While the Hentges and Judnick teams share shop facilities and technical expertise, they will operate independently in terms of business and sponsors. Both teams will return for the 2009-2010 season with the primary sponsors they had last season.

Judnick Motorsports’ primary sponsors include DuPont, Amsoil and Jack Link’s, while Hentges Racing’s main sponsors include National Guard and Pirtek.

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) and the Polaris RANGER™, snowmobiles and Victory Motorcycles for recreational and utility use. Polaris is a recognized leader in the snowmobile industry, and one of the largest manufacturers of ORVs in the world. Victory Motorcycles, established in 1998 and representing the first all-new American-made motorcycle from a major company in nearly 60 years, are rapidly making impressive in-roads into the cruiser and touring motorcycle marketplace. Polaris also enhances the riding experience with a complete line of Pure Polaris apparel, accessories and parts, available at Polaris dealerships. 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, is available from authorized Polaris dealers or anytime from the Polaris homepage at www.polarisindustries.com.

Press Release –

The United States Cross-Country snowmobile racing association announced today it has hired Jim Urquhart as its new Marketing and Media Relations Manager.

Urquhart will oversee day-to-day sponsorship sales, fulfillment and communication duties for the circuit and serve as a constant public relations contact for USCC.

“Cross-country continues to grow and expand and what started six years ago as just a few racers has grown to hundreds,” said USCC President Pat Mach. “This year we’re launching USCC East as well, so we wanted to bring in someone to handle sponsorships and media relations full-time to make sure all the bases get covered on that end.”

Urquhart has served as editor of SNO-X Magazine for the past six years and has been an amateur snowmobile racer for almost 10 years, racing snocross and cross-country.

“When Jim came to us wanting to work full-time for the USCC, Pat and I took a step back, looked at our options and decided it was time to make the move,” said USCC Marketing Director Chad Colby. “Jim has helped us out for the past few years and I’ve raced against him so I know what kind of person he is. I know he’ll do great work for us.”

Anyone wishing to contact Jim Urquhart can do so via phone: 715/247-5052; or e-mail: jimu@usccracing.com.

USCC and USCC East schedules will be announced soon. The circuits will have two combined events, the Red Lake I-500 (January 15-17, 201) and a Supercross-style East- West shootout race set for Michigan later in the season. USCC membership packets are scheduled to be mailed out August 15, so sign up before then if you want USCC sponsor discounts. Be sure to check www.usccracing.com for the latest news and updates and sign up to receive the USCC newsletter, The Course Marker.

Press Release –

TEAM Industries, the largest manufacturer of CVT’s in North America, introduces to the snowmobile public, the TEAM Tied Driven Clutch.

The TEAM Tied Driven Clutch is an advancement over the TSS-04 clutch in that the sheaves open axially without rotating relative to each other.

This means that the belt does not have to scrub the sheaves during upshift and downshift. That leads to less friction and more efficiency.

Our testing has shown we can lower spring rates and still maintain tremendous backshift. This makes it easier for the clutches to shift farther for top end.

Edwin Wirbel set the NHRA/NSDRA Pro Stock 1000 asphalt record the first race he ran the TEAM Tied Secondary running 8.289 @ 153.4 mph.

Jerry Matthews at SLP, Greg Goodwin at Goodwin Performance, Max Maxedon at Tri City Polaris, Dave Tryggstad, and Christian Brothers Racing all tested the clutch last winter and are very enthusiastic about it.

This is the most technically advanced, affordable, driven clutch in the industry.

Retail price is $433 complete with spring and Twin Track Helix. Also new this year, custom helixes will be the same price as our off the shelf part numbers for the Tied Secondary, $109. We can cut any helix you can dream up.

Press Release –

TRAIN WITH PRO RIDERS INCLUDING ANDREW SHORT, JAMES POLVONY AND TUCKER HIBBERT DURING FCA MOTOCROSS CAMP AT ERX

The motocross event of the season is coming to Elk River, July 19th as the Elk River Extreme Motor Park (ERX) and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) team up to bring some of the best motocross riders in the world to ERX for a one-day event which will inspire and give you hands on training to be better both on the track and off.

Scheduled in conjunction with the AMA National Motocross races in Millville, Minnesota; you can watch your favorite riders compete on Saturday and then learn from them on Sunday at ERX. Confirmed riders who will be at ERX include Andrew Short, James Polvony and Tucker Hibbert (who is also a world champion snocross and X-games gold-medalist). These top riders and others will deliver world-class hands-on, personal instruction to those in attendance on every aspect of competitive motocross both on the track and off. Many of the pro riders are also expected to be available for autographs and photos following the event.

All ages are welcome to attend and the cost is just $105 per rider. Interested riders are encouraged to register early; registration is limited and this event is expected to fill up fast. Registration information can be found online at www.erxmotorpark.com or simply call 763-712-3965. Gates open the day of the event at 8:00am for check in and classes and instructional seminars start at 9:00am and conclude at 4:30pm. Lunch will be provided with paid registration.

Don’t miss this chance of the season to train with top professional motocross athletes and experience a life changing truth what will inspire you to ride harder, faster and with a new purpose. For more information on the Fellowship of Christian Athletes visit them online at www.fcamx.org.

For more information visit www.erxmotorpark.com or call 763-633-RIDE. ERX Motor Park is located just 3 miles north of Elk River just off Highway 169.

Press Release –

SnowTrax Television, North Americas most watched snowmobile show and new owners, Supertrax Media Inc are proud to announce this year’s winner of the SnowTrax Real World Sled of the Year. The winner is the Ski-Doo MXZ 600 E-TEC Adrenaline.

”This award is not about who’s the fastest, or what sled has the newest gadget,” commented SnowTrax Host, Luke Lester. “The Real World Sled of the Year award tangibly acknowledges a sled that, throughout the course of an entire season, left our staff completely satisfied with the entire riding experience, every ride”.

The Real World Sled of the Year award is in its fifth season. During that time SnowTrax has honored notable winners like Yamaha’s Venture GT, Ski-Doo’s 600 SDI, the Polaris 600 IQ and last season’s winner the Polaris Shift. While the 600 class appears to be favored, it’s not a rule. The award is open to any segment or size sled. “We perform a host of quantitative evaluations on all the sleds we have long-term access to” comments SnowTrax’s Director of Sales and Marketing, Vern Putzer. “At the end of the day, the biggest factor we use to determine a winner is seat-of-the-pants feedback gathered from not only the Show Hosts, but valuable input from our stable of experienced and opinionated guest riders.”. Putzer went on to say: “These impressions can’t be gathered accurately in a day or even a week of riding. What sets this award apart from the rest is timing – it’s presented at the end of the season – after thousands of miles have been accumulated on each contender.”

Last year, Ski-Doo’s then all-new, XP TNT came a very close second losing as a result of warranty issues and disappointing ride quality. In 2009 BRP attacked these problems with a vengeance, resulting in a sled so good, the hardest part of the Sled-of-the-Year process was picking who would come second. “From the very first time I rode this sled I was impressed” commented SnowTrax Co-Host, Taera McLean. “Ergos, bells and whistles, and an engine not only exceptionally fuel efficient but one which pulls and then keeps on pulling won my vote! No one argued on this sled’s potential to take the Award. In fact it was hard to put any other ride up there with it!”

Where other awards pick winners at the beginning of a season based on, often times, only a brief encounter with a new sled, The Real World Sled of the Year is put through paces under every imaginable condition, on every trail surface our viewers might use it. The sled has to start and run reliably every time. It has to be easy on the wallet at the pumps and it has to be capable of 300-mile days without leaving a rider feeling beat up. Important features like storage, wind protection, hot grip performance, gauge packages, ergonomics, adjustability and straight line speed are all taken into consideration before a winner is crowned.

Luke Lester went on to say: “There’s been sleds which, at the beginning of the year, looked like shoe-ins to win Real World Sled of the Year. However, as the season progressed things would come up we simply could not overlook” Luke wrapped up the SnowTrax Crew’s overall feelings with these words: “We ran four MXZ 600 E-TEC’s this year in different trim levels and every one of them outperformed not only our expectations, but also, our imaginations, every time we rode them”.

Ski-Doo’s Director of Marketing and Communications, Steve Cowing had this to say about the award “Winning the SnowTrax Real World Sled of the Year award means a lot to both myself and Ski-Doo because its different from most awards as it comes AFTER a season of riding – when the knowledgeable editors have had a chance to log many miles on the production machines from all manufacturers. It validates all our hard work on the REV-X platform and E-TEC engine technologies as being the best in the industry. On behalf of BRP – thanks to SnowTrax for the recognition.”

From the entire crew at SnowTrax Television and Supertrax Media Inc, Congratulations to Ski-Doo and the MXZ 600 E-TEC Adrenaline for being the 2009 SnowTrax Real World Sled Of The Year.

Celebrating its 15th year, SnowTrax Television is a magazine format show that is packed with editorial content that is tailored to every type of rider. Each episode features in-depth product evaluations, instructional tech tip’s, destination features along with the latest news in the industry. Affiliated with national broadcasters TSN, TSN2 and A-Channel in Canada and the Outdoor Channel in the United States, SnowTrax Television is the most watched snowmobile show in North America.

Press Release –

Yamaha FX Nytro® to continue 4-Stroke Challenge in snocross this season!

Yamaha Snowmobile Division announced today that snocross fans will find the high performance 4-stroke-powered FX Nytro race sled in the starting grid at races this coming season.

“After the late-season successes our racers posted this spring, a number of interested parties have contacted us with the intent to put together a fully privateer race program on our FX Nytro race sleds,” said Snowmobile Marketing Manager Wade West. “We are currently in negotiations and details will be released when a final deal is completed. The good news for Yamaha fans is that they will have a reason to come to the races and cheer.”

“Racing is an important part of Yamaha’s culture and an important part of the snowmobile culture,” continued West. “We’re committed to working with an independent team to ensure Yamaha is competitive at top-caliber North American snocross events.”