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Polaris is going full throttle into the ATV racing season with the company’s biggest effort to date in factory racing sponsorships. For 2008, Polaris will have racers competing in the Grand National Cross Country series (GNCC), World Off Road Championship series (WORCS), World PowerSports Association (WPSA) and ITP QuadCross.
“Polaris has tripled the race team for 2008,” said Justin Burke, race team coordinator for the Polaris ATV Division. “We enjoyed many successes in 2007 and with the additional efforts, Polaris will be even more competitive for 2008. The addition of two new race quads, the Outlaw 525 S and Outlaw 450 MXR, and the existing Outlaw 525 IRS, gives our racers the advantage in the varying terrain of each series.”
WORCS & ITP QuadCross Racing Sponsorships
ATV racing legend Doug Eichner is back aboard the Outlaw – and the RANGER RZR! – for the 2008 season. Eichner switched to the Outlaw four races into the 2007 WORCS season and finished on the podium six out of the seven races, just six points out of first.
A global off-road racing champion, Eichner delivered eight Pro victories overall to Polaris in 2007 and in 2008 he will race the Outlaw 525 IRS, Outlaw 525 S, Outlaw 450 MXR and the RANGER RZR in the WORCS and ITP QuadCross Series. Polaris and Eichner also have teamed with Lonestar Racing to support the west coast team in its pursuit of WORCS and ITP QuadCross Championships.
In addition to Team Captain Eichner, racers joining the Polaris roster include John Shafe, Angela Butler and Youth Rider Caide Hunt.
Professional racer John Shafe will do double-duty this year, racing the Pro class in both the WORCS and the ITP QuadCross Series. Shafe was fourth overall in the 2007 WORCS series and finished with a strong third place overall in the ITP QuadCross Series. He will race the Outlaw 450 MXR in both series.
Angela Butler, whose resume includes nine championships, will compete in 2008 on the Outlaw 450 MXR in both the WORCS and ITP QuadCross Series. In 2007, Butler won both the Women’s ATVA Championship and WPSA Championship.
Youth Team Rider Caide Hunt will race a pink Outlaw 90 in the “70-90cc Modified” class in the WORCS Series. Hunt is a four-time National Champion, having won the 2004 ITP QuadCross Championship, 2005 WORCS “50cc Stock” and “Modified” Championships and 2006 WORCS “50cc Stock” Championship.
The first race of the 2008 WORCS Series is January 25-27, in Phoenix, Arizona. Round One of the ITP QuadCross race will be held March 8-9, at Glen Helen Raceway, in San Bernardino, California.
GNCC Racing Sponsorships
Up-and-coming XC2 Pro Am racer Kevin Yoho has joined the Polaris race team for 2008. Yoho finished the 2007 season seventh overall in points with four podium finishes. He will alternate between the Outlaw 525 S and Outlaw 450 MXR, depending on race terrain.
Top-10 Pro racer Bryan Baker returns aboard a Polaris for the 2008 season. Baker will race the Outlaw 525 S and is looking get back into the Top 10 this season.
Polaris also re-signed “Super Senior (50+)” racer John Gallagher and will once again sponsor the Wilson Racing Team. Gallagher finished on top of his class again in 2007 with six firsts, four seconds and one third. Wilson Racing consists of XC2 Pro Am racer Mike Sroka and Junior A racer Todd Rothermel. Sroka finished first in the Junior A class with six podium finishes in 2007 aboard the Outlaw 525 IRS. Rothermel rode the Polaris Outlaw 500 to the 4-Stroke Stock A championship on the 2006 GNCC circuit. Gallagher, Sroka and Rothermel will race both the Outlaw 525 S and IRS.
The first race of the 2008 GNCC series is The Triton, March 1-4, in Melbourne, Florida.
WPSA Powersports Tour Racing Sponsorships
Polaris introduced the Outlaw 450 MXR half-way through the 2007 WPSA race season, and the off-road rocket will be available for the full 2008 WPSA series.
Team H-Bomb is back on its Polaris 450s racing the Pro Class with Dana Creech and Jason Luburgh.
An ATV icon, Creech became part of an elite group of riders when he appeared in the film Huevos 3 in 1999. He has competed in WPSA, the Score International Series and the GNC ATV series. H-Bomb racer Jason Luburgh made his Pro debut in ATVA in 2001 and has several Top 10 finishes in WPSA.
Polaris also signed Rath Racing to race in various series. Long-time Polaris rider Daryl Rath will race a Sportsman in WPSA’s QTC, an Outlaw 525 S in the Super Moto Series and GNCC and he will pilot a RANGER RZR in select side by side events. Rath is a 26-year racing veteran with four National Championships, two international titles, 38 State/District Championships and the first-ever Quad Terrain Challenge Championship.
Landon Hurst, Brock Lyons, Cody Anderson and Jay Corey will race on Outlaw 450s for Rath Racing. Hurst and Lyons will race the WPSA’s Pro class, and Hurst also will race the Outlaw 525 S in the Super Moto Series.
Anderson will race the Pro AM Class at WPSA events, and when his schedule permits, he will race in the Super Moto and Extreme Dirt Track series. Corey will race in the WPSA’s B Class on the Outlaw 450. Corey is the youngest rider on the roster and brings both MX experience and cross-country racing experience to the team.
The first race of the 2008 WPSA series May 17-18, in Taylorville, Illinois.
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