Minneapolis, January 5, 2009 -For this year's DAKAR, Polaris will be the first manufacturer to participate with an official ATV Team. Polaris France has four members, racing in the famous race.
"We are excited about being the first manufacturer to have an official race team for the DAKAR," said Eric Nault, race team manager for Polaris. "Polaris France has put together a competitive team for the race and we look forward to the outcome."
French Racer Hubert Deltrieu, winner of the DAKAR Series Central Europ, Lybia Desert Challenge, Pharaons Rallye and second at the DAKAR Series Portugal, will lead the DAKAR team. Deltrieu will be accompanied by French Racers Eric Carlini and Betty Kraft. Kraft is one of only three women competing in this year's DAKAR and has the goal to be the first woman to cross the finish line! Italian Racer Pietro Fogliani rounds out the team. Fogliani has raced the truck class at DAKAR three previous times and his experience will be invaluable to the team.
The racers chose the 2009 Outlaw 525 IRS for this grueling race as the quad has proven its tenacity and endurance in races with challenging terrain. The Outlaw 525 IRS' Independent Rear Suspension soaks up the rough terrain minimizing rider fatigue which provides a nice advantage for the racers.
The DAKAR started on January 3 and concludes January 18 and can be followed at www.dakar.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(tm), 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 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 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 .