Press Release –
Dustin Wahl Earns Podium Spot In Championship, Beau VanStrydonk Wins Two Oval Titles, Snocrossers Sweep Pro Open
Polaris snowmobile racers earned nine World Championship titles and three Polaris ice oval racers finished among the top six spots in the World Championship race held at the 46th annual Eagle River (WI) Snowmobile Derby on January 15-18.
In the World Championship final held Sunday, January 18, at the famed Derby Track, Polaris racer Dustin Wahl of Greenbush, Minnesota, fought through the field following a restart to earn a third place finish.
Nick VanStrydonk of Tomahawk, Wisconsin, finished fifth and Brandon Johnson of Greenbush finished sixth.
Polaris racers won Eagle River World Championship titles in both ice oval and snocross classes during the four days of racing. The Polaris oval champs were:
• Dustin Wahl in Formula One Open (Thursday) on a Wahl Bros. race sled with a Polaris Liberty® engine.
• Beau VanStrydonk of Tomahawk, Wisconsin, Pro Sprint 600 and Junior III 600 Sprint (both on Friday).
• Joey Fjerstad, Minneapolis, Minnesota, in Semi Pro Champ 440 (Friday).
• Scott Clark, Eganville, Ontario, in Formula 500 (Friday).
Polaris racers who won World Championships in snocross were:
• Shaun Crapo, Aurora, Minnesota, Pro Open (Friday)
• Chris Kafka, Stratford, Wisconsin, Pro Open (Sunday)
• Kendra Daniel, Marshfield, Wisconsin, Sport Women
• Manny Drexler, Stratford, Wisconsin, 120 Champ
Wahl Fights Through Pack in WC
Dustin Wahl posted the fourth-best time in World Championship time trials, and ran well in qualifiers to earn a spot in Sunday’s final.
Just five laps into the final, Wahl got caught up in an accident on a restart and was forced to restart at the back of the field. He worked his way through the field to reach third when he ran out of laps and had to settle for a podium position rather than the title.
VanStrydonk and Johnson ran strong to finish in the top six and Joey Fjerstad reached the final but crashed out of the race on lap five.
Strong Oval Finishes
In the Junior III 600 Sprint class on the Eagle River ice oval, Polaris racers finished 1-2-3-4, led by winner Beau VanStrydonk.
Finishing second through fourth, respectively, were Michael Urban, Gunnar Sterne (on a Polaris-powered Wahl sled) and Matthew Ritchie.
Polaris racers also dominated the Formula 500 final on Friday. Scott Clark took first, and finishing third through eighth, respectively, on Polaris sleds were: Eric Buchholz, Ben Harris, John Henke, Ken Lacy, Greg Davis and Bryan Fischer.
Snocross Racers Shine
Derby organizers showcase selected snocross classes during their popular Friday Night Thunder event and also during Sunday’s lineup of World Championship finals. Polaris snocross racers ran well in the spotlight both times, winning the Pro Open class each time.
On Friday night, Shaun Crapo won Pro Open to lead a parade of Polaris IQ® Race Sleds across the finish line. Seven of the top 11 racers were on Polaris sleds, including: Derek Ellis (fourth), Mike Bauer (fifth), Chris Kafka (sixth), Ryan Carey (eighth), Bill Smith (ninth) and Kory Hodkiewicz in 11th.
On Sunday, Kafka won Pro Open and Ellis finished third. In Sport Women snocross, Kendra Daniel won Stephanie Schmidt took second.
About Polaris – With annual 2007 sales of $1.8 billion, Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets all terrain vehicles (ATVs), including 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 ATVs 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 are available from authorized Polaris dealers or anytime from the Polaris homepage at www.polarisindustries.com.
