MEDINA, MN (Jan 22, 2007) – Polaris oval racer Nick Van Strydonk tied a record for victories and Polaris snocross racers dominated the podium during racing at the 44th annual World Championship Snowmobile Derby in Eagle River, Wisconsin, on January 18-21.
Van Strydonk tied a Derby record by winning four class titles in a single weekend on the legendary ice oval. The Tomahawk, Wisconsin, racer won the Pro Sprint 600, Pro Sprint 500, and the Semi-Pro Sprint 600 and Sprint 500 titles aboard his Polaris race sleds.
In snocross racing, Polaris racers swept the top spots in the Pro and Semi-Pro classes and they crowded the podium in several classes.
“Eagle River is a special place and there’s nothing like Derby weekend, so it’s extra special to win big on Derby weekend,” said Polaris Racing Manager Tom Rager, Sr. “Some of our young racers really stepped up to win big races and gain valuable confidence in themselves and their Polaris race sleds. What Nick Van Strydonk did was outstanding, and it gives him momentum for the remainder of the season.”
POLARIS RACERS WIN SEVERAL OVAL TITLES
The checkered flags and trophies awarded to class winners at Eagle River are among the most coveted prizes in snowmobile racing, and Polaris oval racers earned a large share of the weekend’s hardware.
Along with the impressive record-tying performance of Van Strydonk, other Polaris racers who won on the unique banked ice oval were:
- Dustin Wahl, who led fellow Polaris racer Matt Schultz in a 1-2 finish in Formula 1 Open.
- Jeff Ludwig, who won the Top Gun Champ 440 title.
- Trevor Fontaine, the winner in Formula 500.
- And young Dylan Jansen, who led a 1-2-3 Polaris sweep in the 120 class ahead of Kevin Kuklinski and Jake Drexler.
In the World Championship race on Sunday, Dustin Wahl finished second, Matt Schultz was third, Terry Wahl took fourth and Jeff Ludwig finished eighth.
SNOCROSS RACERS DOMINATE PREMIER CLASSES Polaris snocross racers used the precise-handling IQ® race sled to win all four Pro and Semi-Pro classes, including a 1-2-3 sweep in the super-competitive Pro Open and a 1-2 finish in Pro Stock.
Chris Kafka (Hentges Racing) won the Pro Open title ahead of fellow Polaris racers and Rocky Mountain Motorsports teammates Joe Parsons and Willie Elam, who finished 2-3, respectively. Elam rose to the top in Pro Stock, which he won ahead of runner-up Kafka.
Derek Ellis (Rocky Mountain Motorsports) won Semi-Pro Open and Polaris racers who finished 4-5-6 in the class were Rylie Hogue (Rocky Mountain Motorsports), Ryan Carey and Kurt Heiser. Rylie Hogue took his turn atop the podium by winning Semi-Pro Stock, while Keiser finished third, Shaun O’Connell was eighth and Ellis was ninth.
In Semi-Pro Stock 600, five Polaris racers placed in the top eight, including Ellis in second and Carey in third. In Sport Stock 600, Brian Ludwig took second.
Polaris racers erased the competition in Women’s Stock, where Kendra Daniel led a 1-2-3-4 Polaris sweep. She was followed in the standings by runner-up Kristen Leirmoe, Heather Warga in third and Taylor Achterberg in fourth. These women changed up the order in Pro Am Women as they finished second through fifth in this order: Heather Warga, Kristen Leirmoe, Kendra Daniel and Taylor Achterberg.
About Polaris With annual 2005 sales of $1.9 Billion, Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), Victory motorcycles and the Polaris RANGER 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 motorcycle cruiser 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 and Pacific 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.
