Press Release –

BRP secures retail-financing options with U.S. and Canadian banks.

BRP is offering its customers competitive retail financing options thanks to agreements with U.S. Bank and Sheffield Financial in the United States and TD Canada Trust in Canada, the company reported in a press release.

The financing is available to BRP’s North American dealers currently carrying Ski-Doo, Sea-Doo, sport boats, Evinrude outboard engines, Can-Am ATVs and Spyder roadsters.

BRP recognized the demand for retail financing that its dealers needed, says Roch Lambert, vice president and general manager of North American sales and marketing for Ski-Doo, Sea-Doo and Evinrude.

“The need for retail financing and providing our dealers with the best resources in obtaining retail credit has been our No. 1 priority,” Lambert said in the release. “We have been able to leverage our relationships with key lending institutions in order to negotiate favorable rates and services for our dealers.”

Press Release –

For a company whose winning tradition stretches nearly five decades, Team Arctic’s 2009 winter snowmobile race season ranks among the most memorable.

The winning started at the first snocross in November, expanded into cross-country arena and continued through the entire hillclimb series with a level of domination that placed Team Arctic alone and on top. After the final race in March, the results were tallied and told a story of record-breaking success and supremacy.

In the eight-race ISOC National Snocross Series, Team Arctic proved the potency of top talent matched by the phenomenal Sno Pro 600 race sled, winning 32 of the 60 possible finals comprised of Pro, Semi Pro and Sport classes.

Just as impressive, of the 180 possible podium finishers during the season, 85 wore the proud colors of Team Arctic. And three racers scored championship point titles: Carly Davis in Pro Women; Cory Davis in Semi Pro Stock; and Cody Thomsen in Sport Super Stock.

“The fact that we won more than half of all the finals says everything about the quality of our racers and snowmobiles,” said Mike Kloety, Team Arctic Race Manager. “Plus, Tucker Hibbert went undefeated in the four Nationals he competed in, as well as winning the ESPN X Games. Had he raced the entire season, there’s no doubt he’d have won more finals and taken both championships.”

A similar story unfolded in the seven race USCC cross-country circuit, where Team Arctic racers captured 39 of the 87 possible class victories, and 126 of the 261 podium positions.

Such domination netted seven class championships for Team Arctic, with D.J. Ekre grabbing Pro Open, Cody Kallock taking Semi Pro Improved, Adam Brandt winning both Amateur 600 and Amateur Improved, Marty Feil in Fan 600, Adam Mach taking Jr. 10-13 and Timmy Kallock winning Jr. 14-17.

“We support all levels of cross-country racing, and it shows,” said Kloety. “We had four different Pros winning in the top classes, and similar range of winners in all the classes.”

Winning from the top on down was a hallmark of Team Arctic in the RMSHA hillclimb circuit, where the formidable M Series snowmobiles and a cadre of great racers combined to dominate the eight-race series.

Out of 172 possible first place finishes for the year, Team Arctic hillclimbers won 78 plus took 15 King titles along the way. Likewise, Team Green occupied 201 of the 519 possible podium positions, scored five high point championship awards and claimed 15 World Championship titles at Jackson Hole.

“In the race to the top, our hillclimb team was unmatched,” said Kloety. “We’re accustomed to winning, but their performance this season was beyond expectation.”

While the winter race season has ended, Team Arctic’s summer drag and asphalt racers are poised to extend the win streak. With a powered-up 800 engine on tap in the new 2010 models, along with the 177-hp Z1 Turbo, Team Arctic has unmatched firepower for the straightline battles that will soon begin.

For the latest news on Team Arctic, go to www.arcticcat.com.

Press Release –

Pro-Class Star Has Raced at Every Event in USCC Circuit History

At the United States Cross Country (USCC) snowmobile racing circuit’s season awards banquet, the USCC confirmed what everybody already knew: Polaris racer Gabe Bunke is an Iron Man.

Bunke, 32, received the USCC Iron Man award at the 2009 awards banquet in recognition of him having raced in every USCC event – 43 consecutive races.

Bunke’s amazing run has included three USCC class point titles and consistent top-five finishes, and he has done it while sometimes racing hurt.

“I’ve raced through a couple injuries and I’ve been knocked out of races because of bad crashes before,” Bunke said. “But it’s my determination. I want to be good at the end of the year and you have to try to race every race to do well. It almost seems like with some people, if they have a little bobble, they quit. I keep racing.”

He developed a strong respect for determined, never-say-die racers as a child growing up in Roseau, Minnesota, the birthplace of Polaris.

“I remember skipping school to listen to the I-500 [cross-country race] on the radio, and you hear about guys who would come in with just one ski and maybe half a snowmobile, and they’d work on it and keep racing,” he said.

His knack for cross-country racing was also nurtured around Roseau.

“The ditch riding, the riding across open fields, that’s basically what I grew up with,” he said, which is why he has focused on cross-country rather than snocross. “I’ve raced some snocross… but for the most part I stayed away from it. I realized it was something I didn’t really have a knack for. It was all rhythm and jumping, not speed. It wasn’t what I had grown up with.”

Impressive USCC Resume

Bunke has defined Pro-class determination and success on the USCC circuit. Along with racing at every event in USCC history, he has consistently run strong.

In the 2009 USCC season, he finished second in Pro 600 points, and won two of the final three Pro 600 races of the season. He also finished fifth in Pro Open points.

These results are typical of his strong performance every season. Here is where he finished in USCC points in previous seasons:

• In 2008, he won the Pro Open class and finished third in Pro 600.
• In 2007, he won both the Pro 600 and the Pro Open points titles.
• In 2006, he finished second in Pro 600 and sixth in Pro Open.
• In 2005, he finished second in Pro Open and third in Pro 600.

Bunke raced on a Polaris 600 Dragon SP in the 2009 I-500 race, and raced on a Polaris IQ® Race Sled on the USCC circuit.

He has also won the Soo I-500 oval endurance race twice, in 2002 and 2005, both times on Polaris snowmobiles. Bunke is an independent contractor who lives in Moorhead, Minnesota, with his wife and “two and a half kids, you might say. We’ve got our third one on the way.”

Racing in His Blood

Bunke was born in Winona, a city in southeastern Minnesota, but his family moved to Roseau when he was 6 months old because his father, the late Jerry Bunke, was joining the Polaris Factory Race Team.

Jerry Bunke was a tremendously successful oval racer in the late-1970s. Racing on the legendary Polaris race team that was dubbed the “Midnight Blue Express,” he was the 1977 USSA Driver of the Year. He continued to win in the 1978 season before dying as the result of a racing accident in February 1978. He was 26. Jerry Bunke was inducted into the Snowmobile Hall of Fame in 1996, and he is still revered by Polaris race fans and old friends in Roseau.

“Everybody plays hockey in Roseau, and I played from the time I could skate until I was about 13 or 14, when I started to drift over to snowmobiles,” Gabe Bunke said. “I was pretty much consumed with snowmobiles.

“The first year I raced was the 1996-1997 season, when I was 20 years old. Burt Bassett at Pro 5 [a Roseau performance shop] was one of my main supporters. I almost want to call him my second dad. He had had a good relationship with my dad when he was young and after he saw what I could do, he really helped me.”

Gabe Bunke has raced several disciplines, but his heart is in cross-country racing, where he has carved out the reputation of a consistent and determined winner.

Press Release –

The Snowcross season has come to an end with a great final weekend for Byers Motorsports. A surprise snowfall Friday night gave the race track the perfect finishing touches for Craighurst’s record number of competitors.

Although Saturday’s winds and blowing snow weren’t quite ideal, the mild temperatures and sunshine on Sunday made up for it, setting the stage for a great day of racing and year-end points battles. Spectators crowded the stands and weren’t let down as everything was on the line for the final event of the season.

With the track being built on a ski hill the spectators were able to view virtually the whole track with a long haul straight up the hill, “S” bends down the hill to a rhythm section, table top and triple at the bottom of the hill. The Supertrax/Byers Motorsports Team went all out for the final race in front of the home town crowd with family and friends supporting.
 
The week started off with Jamie’s race sled on display at the “Big 4 2010 Sneak Peek” show. The Show took place at Georgian college Barrie Campus with the 2010 snowmobiles from all four manufactures on display for the public to check out.

The race sled was placed front and center of the Polaris booth catching the 1000+ attendees eyes drawing them to look at the race sled along with the “game changing” Polaris 600 Rush. We would like to thank Paul and Doug for the opportunity to show off the race sled and sponsors at the show.
 
In Trailsport 600, #109 Kyle Byers went into the weekend in 2nd place overall in the Regional Points standings. Getting a bad start in his first moto putting him last at the top of the hill, Kyle battled his way through the racers finishing 3rd at the finish.

Moto 2, He got a great start and led from start to finish creating a huge time gap between himself and second place. In the final, Kyle had qualified second but got pushed out off the start placing him in the middle of the field going up the hill.

Kyle wasn’t finishing the season with out a fight. Kyle battled hard and his Polaris Liberty Motor pulled hard up the hill passing multiple racers. Up to second and gaining on first place, Kyle had ran out of time but finished a strong second place at the Final Checkered flag of the season for another podium.
 
Semi-Pro Stock was tough action with about 30 entries. The snow condition was very different on Saturday compared to what we had been racing on this season and had a hard time getting the#219 sled to hook up. Getting bad starts in Moto 1 and 2, Jamie battled and finished 4th and 3rd. On Sunday we made a few changes to the sled and the snow had stiffened up over night.

In the final moto Jamie got a good start and and passed a couple racers going up the hill putting him in 3rd where he finished the race. Qualifying 9th in the front row for the final, Jamie picked a good starting position and got off the line quick. Running in 5th on the first lap, Jamie skied it out over the finish line triple making a pass for 4th. Upon landing, the throttle/cable broke apart putting him out of the race early and finished 11th.
 
In Open action, Jamie’s IQ Mod sled was a force to recon being very fast up the hill. In Moto#1, Jamie got tangled up with a fellow racer off the start going into the first corner. By the time the had gotten un-tangled the rest of the class was at the top of the hill.

The crash lit a fire under Jamie as he charged hard, caught up to the pack and finished 5th. Just before Moto#2, Byers’ Mechanic Rob noticed a bent tie rod and made a last minute repair while the class was lined up for the start. Rob got the sled out to Jamie just before the 2 minute hold was up.

Jamie nailed the holeshot and let the race from start to finish for the win. In Open Moto#3, Jamie was second out of the first corner and pulled up the hill passing a fellow racer on an Arctic Cat before the next corner.

At the bottom of the hill, Jamie got passed after choosing a bad line going through the rhythm section and finished 2nd. Jamie qualified 5th for the final but made a bad lane choice and was pushed to the outside on the start. But once again the sled pulled hard up the hill and was 6th coming back down the hill. On lap 3, Jamie worked his way to 4th but was passed with one lap to go and finished Top 5.
 
With the exception of the bad luck in the Semi-Pro Stock Final, the Supertrax/Byers Motorsports team finished out a good final race weekend. Kyle finished out the season placing 2nd overall in the Trailsport 600 class with 6 podium finishes. In Regional Standings, Jamie placed 7th in the Stock class making 7 of the 8 Regional finals and finished 6th overall in the Open class. In National points standings, he placed 7th in Stock and a great 4th in Open giving him Top 5.
 
Once again, Jamie, Kyle and the rest of the Byers Motorsports team would like to thank their sponsors for another great season. We cant thank them enough for their support and we are alreadylooking forward to next season.
 
2009 Sponsors – Polaris, Supertrax Magazine, Byers Motorsports, Gamma Sales, Woody’s Traction, Amsoil, Steadymate, Creechers Design, SOS Promotions, Best Western-Owen Sound and Peterborough, Sled Pro, TekVest
 

Press Release –

As the Go Snowmobiling Campaign wraps up its second winter, the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs is pleased to report strong results, with increased permit sales, positive sled sales, encouraging feedback from the tourism sector, and many first time snowmobilers on the trails.

Consequently, plans are already underway for Go Snowmobiling 2009/10, including a new direction for showcasing this important lifestyle campaign.

The new approach takes into account the impact of the economic downturn on our industry and is based on careful analysis of better ways for the OFSC to work with its many partners through these tough times.

This past season, the OFSC tested a small Go Snowmobiling presence at non-traditional shows, including the Fall Cottage Life Show and the Toronto Motorcycle Show.

Shows like these put Go Snowmobiling front and centre with thousands of qualified, potential snowmobilers who are already committed outdoors and powersports enthusiasts.

With all of these factors in mind, the OFSC has decided to focus on expanding other showcase opportunities as part of the 2009/10 Go Snowmobiling Campaign and will not be hosting its own stand alone show this fall.

“Our primary Go Snowmobiling goal from the outset was and continues to be to introduce as many new people as possible to this great family recreation activity,” said OFSC Executive Director Paul Shaughnessy. “As responsible leaders, we believe it will be more productive and cost effective for both organized snowmobiling and our industry to take Go Snowmobiling to other shows where our target audience already exists in large numbers.”

The OFSC wishes to thank Arctic Cat, Polaris, Ski-Doo (BRP), Yamaha, Canadian National Sportsmen’s Shows (CNSS), OTMPC, OFSC districts, and all other exhibitors for their support of the OFSC Go Snowmobiling Show.

As OFSC President Bruce Robinson commented: “In partnership with CNSS, we produced a very professional, classy event that highlighted everything the OFSC has to offer and we are very proud that our show served our Go Snowmobiling goals for two years. Now, with the continuing support of our districts, the four OEM’s, and many other industry stakeholders, it’s time for our Go Snowmobiling Campaign to take this new direction.”

The OFSC Go Snowmobiling Campaign is targeted to increase participation in recreational snowmobiling and help grow the industry by promoting the snowmobiling lifestyle.

The Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs is dedicated to providing strong leadership and support to member clubs and volunteers, to establishing and maintaining quality snowmobile trails which are used in a safe and environmentally responsible manner, and to furthering the enjoyment of organized snowmobiling.

Press Release –

In an ongoing effort to provide the highest level of quality, durability and reliability, Yamaha has announced that all 2010 Apex snowmobiles with Monoshock rear suspensions will be upgraded with the new Monoshock II. This is the same rear suspension upgrade that was announced for the 2010 RS Vector GT and RS Vector L-TX GT.

This new skid-frame includes the following new features:

• A new EXTROVERT type driver which includes traditional introvert (internal lug engagement) as well as secondary teeth which penetrate the open windows engaging the metal drive clips to help prevent ratcheting (track slip)
• A new fully open / fully clipped 1.25” Ripsaw track to help prevent ratcheting and improve hyfax wear (each pitch has an open window with a metal guide clip on every rod)
• New rails with additional reinforcement for added strength
• Needle bearings in the lower front pivot arm
• A new larger rear axle for improved durability
• New rear guide wheels to fit the larger rear axle
• A new forward facing / easy access track adjuster

For more information, please refer to the Yamaha Canada web site at www.yamaha-motor.ca

Press Release –

Demoralizing. That describes Western hillclimb competition for anyone not on an Arctic Cat M Series. Team Arctic’s dominance reached epic proportions at the RMSHA Pebble Creek race in Pocatello, Idaho,

Fresh off of winning 15 World Championship titles at the Jackson Hole Hillclimb, Team Arctic racers hit Pebble Creek with overwhelming confidence and unmatched firepower to win 13 classes and three King titles while destroying any shred of hope the competition may have held onto.

“That was the most impressive performance of any team that I can remember,” said Mike Kloety, Team Arctic Race Manager. “Even more remarkable is the team’s depth, with seven different racers notching wins. There’s no arguing that we have the best combination of racers and snowmobiles.”

The results tell the story, with Team Arctic sweeping the Stock, Improved and Mod classes in the 600, 800 and 1000cc engine categories, usually with a teammate taking second in each class.

Likewise, Team Arctic swept all three of the Women’s classes, while the men put an exclamation point on the weekend by winning the Stock, Improved and Mod King competition. The M8 HCR went undefeated in the 800 Stock, Improved and Mod classes, as well as taking the three King titles.

“Our M Series sleds have run roughshod over the competition all season long,” said Kloety. “With our powered-up, 160-hp 800HO engine coming next season, we’re going straight for their jugulars.”

With one race remaining in the RMSHA season (April 10, in Logan, Utah), Team Arctic racers are set to deliver a final knockout punch. Go to www.rmsha.com for more information.