Three Polaris Racers Win Class Titles in Event Cut to Two Days of Racing
Five Polaris cross-country racers finished among the top 10 in the Pro 600 class of the USCC’s I-500, which was reduced by one day to a two-day event after extremely high winds near Thief River Falls, Minnesota, limited visibility and made it unsafe to race on January 23, the scheduled final day.
Polaris racers Aaron Christensen, Corey Davidson, Justin Tate, Eric Gausen and Jesse Thelen finished sixth through 10th, respectively, and Gabe Bunke finished 12th in Pro 600, the United States Cross Country Snowmobile racing Association’s premier class. The finishing order was based on driver standings at the end of Saturday, January 22, the second day of racing.
In the Pro Open class, Polaris racers finished sixth through 10th in this order: Aaron Christensen (sixth), Davidson, Tate, Gausen and Bunke.
Three Polaris racers won I-500 class titles, including Ken Christensen, who won the Masters 40+ class while fellow Polaris racer Eric Christensen was third.
In the Legends 50+ class, Polaris racer Dennis Topp erased the first-day leader’s 13-minute lead to win the class, and Paul Anderson finished third on a Polaris.
Polaris racers swept the top four places in the Trophy 600 class, with Zach Griffin winning, Luke Routh second, Dustin Dohrn third and Dusty Cohoe in fourth.
In Semi-Pro 600, Polaris racer Ken Christensen finished second, Mike Hedlund was third, Travis Hjelle was fourth, and Bobby Menne IV was sixth. All four of these racers improved their rankings on the second day of racing, led by Christensen climbing four spots with a strong run. But bad weather on day three prevented them from making a final day’s run for the title.
In Semi-Pro Improved, Ken Christensen finished second, Travis was third and Menne was fifth.
In the final standings for the Vet 30+ class, Corey Davidson was second and Jesse Thelen was third.
The next USCC race is the Chase on the Lake 100, February 13 in Walker, Minnesota.
About Polaris – With annual 2009 sales of $1.6 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 and has recently introduced a new on-road electric powered neighborhood vehicle. 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 inroads 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 MidCap 400 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.
