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Factory Polaris/Rath
Rider Frank Batista Finds Home on Snowshoe
Mountain GNCC Podium
Frankie Batista |
Minneapolis, September 17, 2008-The Factory
Polaris/Rath/Dunlop Team headed from Minnesota
to another well-known winter haven, Snowshoe
Mountain, last weekend to compete in the Round
10 GNCC Cross Country event. This may be a ski
resort but last weekend it turned into an ATV
Wonderland as the competitors, teams and fans
made the way up the mountain for some
spectacular views and some amazing racing. With
asphalt starts and ski lift viewing it was a
beautiful thing!
Frank Batista a well-known TT/Flat track
racer opted to switch out his Extreme Dirt
Track tires and lightweight slick race machine
for the likes of a full on 4X4 Polaris Utility
Race ATV for the 2008 GNCC Series. Batista
brought his talent and winning ways aboard his
Sportsman 800 and went to work. Learning the
ropes and a new machine was a little easier with
how well the Sportsman handles, along with the
performance it puts on the track. Batista raced
his way to the podium with a well-deserved
second-place finish in the Open Utility 4x4
class. This may be his rookie season, but that
was not apparent this past race.
With rain the night before and a heavy dense
fog in the early AM, it was almost quiet as the
riders headed for the line to take part in a
very unusual asphalt starting pattern. ATV
racers were lined up as far as the eye could see
and with a quick wave of the hand, flights were
off and racing in five second intervals. Batista
launched his Sportsman off the line and around
the corner heading for the fourteen-mile loop.
Shortly after, Daryl Rath’s line was up and he
was ready to take his turn at the treacherous
course. Unfortunately, Rath was unable to avoid
trouble, and was unable to finish the race with
his teammate.
“It was still a great weekend with Frankie
being on the podium, I am looking forward to the
day we are standing on the podium together,”
Rath said.
Batista raced an impressive pace through the
entire course and was able to score his highest
finish this season. Batista stated, “I was ready
to accept the challenge of racing something new,
in a new discipline. After riding the Polaris
Sportsman and working with The Rath Team I knew
I could I could put together a winning season. I
am determined to continue moving forward as I
have my goal set on a first place finish.”
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 in-roads
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.
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