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Polaris Racing Wins
Finke Desert Race
Luke Beechey |
Minneapolis, June 15, 2009 – Polaris Racing’s
Luke Beechey has dominated the final day of the
2009 Finke Desert Race to claim victory in the
Quad division of Australia’s most prestigious
enduro races.
The Finke Desert Race is Australia’s most
famous enduro, attracting hundreds of
competitors in Trail Bikes, Cars or ATVs. Racers
compete over two days in Australia’s Outback
from the iconic town of Alice Springs to desert
outpost, Finke, across desert sand, rocks and
gravel.
Beechey reached Finke in third position on
his Polaris Outlaw 525 IRS, just one second
behind Polaris Racing’s Aaron Ovens (Outlaw 450
MXR). On Monday’s return run to Alice Springs,
Beechey flew home to greet the checkered flag in
an overall time of five hours 33 minutes, 15
minutes faster than his nearest rival.
When asked what made the difference, Beechey
said, "Out there it’s about power and
suspension. The KTM engine was strong through
the sand, and the IRS delivered the ground
clearance to avoid damage on the rocky
sections.”
Polaris Managing Director, Peter Alexander
was one of the happiest fans at finishing line.
“I’m ecstatic! We all felt for Luke last year
when a final day fuel stop mix-up made second
place the only possibility. To Polaris
Australia, Finke is the holy grail.”
Since Polaris launched Australia’s first
Professional ATV Racing team in March 2008,
Polaris has won the following major trophies:
- Finke Desert Race 2009
- Australian Safari 2008
- Australian Tri-State Championship 2008
- Australian Tri-State Runner-Up 2008
- Victorian ATV MX Championship 2008
- Victorian ATV MX Runner Up 2008
- Queensland ATV MX Championship 2008
About Polaris
With annual 2008 sales of $1.9 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.
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 in-roads
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 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.
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