Polaris snowmobile racers on the new Polaris 440 IQ race sled achieved global domination recently as they captured the two premier snocross racing titles in Finland to complement the four championships won by North American racers on the WSA circuit.

Niko Korsumäki and Hannu Toppala took full advantage of the incredible power, handling and durability of the 440 IQ race sled to win season points titles in the Pro Open 800 and Pro Stock 440 classes, respectively. Both racers compete for Team Brandt on the extremely competitive European racing circuit.

The 440 IQ race chassis carried Polaris racers to podium finishes all season in the Finnish Pro Open 800 class. Polaris racers finished first, second and fourth in points, and there were four Polaris racers in the top 10, twice as many as were on the other North American brands combined.

Polaris had six racers in the top 20, 33% more than its closest North American brand competitor.
Champion Niko Korsumäki was dominant all season, winning five of eight events while no racer on a competitive North American brand won even once. He amassed 165 points to win the title, giving him a 75-point margin over the closest non-Polaris finisher. Polaris racer Hannu Toppala finished second in the points standings and Henry Toppala was fourth.

Hannu and Henry Toppala piloted Polaris race sleds to strong finishes in the Pro Stock 440 class as well. Hannu won the season points title in Pro Stock 440 while Henry repeated his Pro Open showing by finishing fourth. Hannu won five of the seven races while no other racer won more than once.

In the Pro Stock class, Polaris had three racers in the top 10 – three times as many as the other North American brands combined – and Polaris had five racers in the top 20 places.
“In North America and Europe, the 440 IQ proved itself over and over,” said Rager. “It won in all conditions and in a variety of racing classes. That’s the mark of a powerful, great-handling race sled that can withstand the rigors of a full racing season. It was a great first season for the 440 IQ. We’re extremely proud of the guys who developed the sled and the racers and teams who campaigned it.”

As it showed all season in WSA racing across the snowbelt, the Polaris 440 IQ race sled is the clear performance and innovation leader on the racing circuit. The race sled uses a powerful Liberty 440 liquid-cooled twin that delivers incredible torque and acceleration to secure holeshots and give Polaris an edge as they run corner to corner.

The Liberty 440 is also the basis for the all-new Liberty 600 HO engine found in several 2006 Polaris models. This new 600 mill is destined to set the new benchmark for 600 class performance.

The 440 IQ sled is built on the innovative Polaris IQ Chassis and variable caster IQ Independent Front Suspension, which positions major elements such as the suspension, engine and rider to create the ideal balance of power and control.

This same ingenious chassis is the backbone for several 2006 Polaris models including the class-leading 600 HO Fusion; turbo charged FST Switchback and deep snow king 700 RMK. Each combines the industry leading innovations and suspension technologies found on the IQ Chassis with proven Liberty power to dominate the trails.

Press Release

Fenwick, ON – After fifteen years of building one of the most prestigious Snowmobile Grass Drag events in North America, Bieda’s Powersports has chosen to call it quits for the 2005 Snowmobile World Cup of Grass Drags. Originally slated for August 20-21, 2005 World Cup promoters Henry and Stephen Bieda had been facing declining returns for the labour intensive and “highly political” event the past few years and simply felt it was time to focus efforts into other ventures.

One of these exciting new ventures was set on course in January 2005 by Stephen Bieda the founder of the Canadian Powersports Dealer Association. Stephen has decided to focus more effort into the building of a long overdue nationwide network of powersports dealers with the mandate of building stronger, better educated and more professional group of dealerships to better meet the needs of an increasingly sophisticated powersports consumer.

Other alternative uses for Bieda’s 88 acre powersports park include hosting on an outdoor International ATV expo. “The inconsistent weather patterns which make the sport of snowmobiling a challenge for promoters are not an issue for the ATV market” says Henry Bieda. The ATV industry is thriving and owners can use there ATVs within the Niagara Region unlike a snowmobiles which require considerable travel costs to find snow and annual permit expenditures to access groomed trails. An ATV is no substitute for the adrenaline rush of a snowmobile for the sledhead however an ATV for many owners is more that just a toy, it is also practical tool for plowing snow and working around the yard.

“Snowmobiling has suffered some setbacks in the past several years with industry sales figures steadily dropping due in part to continent wide poor snow conditions” says Stephen Bieda. “Prospective snowmobile drag race sponsors and exhibitors have really tightened their belts because they simply have not been achieving the sales figures necessary to hit their budgets” says Henry Bieda. Conversely, ATV manufacturers and aftermarket accessory suppliers are cropping up everywhere, “this tells me there is a need for an outdoor and International ATV Expo” says Henry Bieda. Bieda’s Powersports Park is an ideal setting for such an event with a built in mud bug pit, a 9.2 acre lake, a motocross practice track and 7 kms of woods trails. The date for the International ATV Expo has not yet been confirmed.

“It has been a tough decision to pull the plug on the Snowmobile World Cup of Grass Drags especially since only once in 15 events had we ever lost money but to continue promoting a stagnant sport such as grass drag racing is something that we just did not feel inspired about anymore” commented Henry Bieda. Henry and Stephen would like to thank all the racers, sponsors and spectators that supported their events over the years and wish them well in their future endeavours.

Press Release – Polaris Industries Inc announces the appointment of Bennett Morgan as president and chief operating officer, effective immediately.

Morgan, 41, is an eighteen-year veteran of Polaris. Prior to this promotion, he was vice president and general manager responsible for leading the company’s all terrain vehicle division, its largest, for the last four years.

Over his career, Morgan has demonstrated success in a wide variety of sales, marketing, and general management roles, including general manager of the Parts, Garments and Accessories Division.

Morgan is taking over the role of President and COO, a position held by Tiller since 1999, and will be charged with the internal operations of the Company and the day-to-day execution. Tiller, as CEO, will focus on strategic issues, the long term direction of the Company and will continue to be the external voice for Polaris.

The Company indicated that separating the duties of CEO and COO has become a necessary step, in part because the company has nearly doubled in size, is growing its international business very rapidly and is facing a larger and more complex competitive and regulatory environment.