The First True Production “Sledneck” Targeted Snowmobile Teams Up with the Best Back-Country Free-Riders in North America.
MEDINA, MN (March 20, 2008) – The all-new king of back-country riding, the 2009 Polaris 800 Assault RMK, will be in extremely capable hands as it gets launched, hucked, whipped and powered through wind whipped cornices and spring powder for the next batch of extreme back-country videos.
The purpose built 2009 800 Assault RMK will be ridden by professional athletes including Randy Sherman, Dan Adams, Dan Phillips and snowmobile distance jumping world record holder Paul Thacker this coming spring and next winter for some of the most talented back-country snowmobile video producers in the world.
These riders make their living by piloting snowmobiles off mountain ledges, by soaring over crests between peaks and by whipping their sleds after ripping uphill through cornices. To do so they need the ultimate combination of power, toughness and handling in some of the most precarious situations, and the new 800 Assault RMK delivers.
The Assault is a race-bred RMK chassis powered by the 154-Hp, liquid-cooled Liberty® 800 Cleanfire4™ twin. Exclusive premium Walker Evans shocks can be found on all four locations, including all new piggy-back Walker Air shocks up front. For the ultimate traction in spring snow conditions, the Assault RMK rides on an aggressive 146” Competition track with 2.125” lugs.
Assault, Pro Riders to Star in Videos
As soon as the new Assault became available, some of the sport’s best xtreme riders headed for the back-country with film crews to shoot videos that will be available starting this fall.
The featured riders who will be piloting the Assault for the cameras include:
Paul Thacker: In February 2007, this Alaskan braved a blinding snowstorm to set a snowmobile distance jumping record of 245 feet on a Polaris IQ sled. One year later (February 16, 2008), he re-set the record with a jump of 271 feet. Both records were set at a Shakopee, Minnesota, race track, but Paul is much more at home at high altitudes, in deep snow, wringing the power out of an Assault while launching huge jumps and soaring over peaks for the Slednecks cameras.
Randy Sherman: As soon as an Assault was made available, Randy left his Anchorage, Alaska, home and met the Compound Films crew in the Colorado Rockies. He flight-checked the Assault and gave it a double thumbs-up. Videos of his first rides – which are loaded with jumps and whips – are featured on the Polaris website. Randy is featured in several Slednecks films, was featured in the “2 Stroke Cold Smoke” videos and can be seen in clips on YouTube.
Dan Adams: This Wyoming-born Slednecks team rider is at home on deep snow and soaring high above it. He has been featured in numerous xtreme riding films and is considered by many to be the God Father of backcountry free riding.
Dan Phillips: Dan is a veteran of numerous xtreme riding films, including “2 Stroke Cold Smoke” videos, and he competed in the 2006 Red Bull Fuel + Fury competition. Dan currently wrings out his custom Polaris in the backcountry of Alaska and is eager to get aboard the new Assault RMK.
The new 800 Assault RMK 146 is current available for order during the Polaris First to Own Snow Check program. Details about the new sled – including action videos from the Randy Sherman Sessions in Colorado – as well as a dealer locator are available at www.polarisindustries.com.
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, one of the largest manufacturers of all terrain recreational, utility and side-by-side vehicles (ATVs) in the world, and rapidly making impressive inroads into the motorcycle cruiser and touring marketplace under the Victory® brand. The Victory Motorcycle division was established in 1998, representing the first all-new American-made motorcycle from a major company in nearly 60 years. 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.
