The Polaris AXYS platform is making a dramatic impact in cross-country snowmobile racing this season on the United States X-Country Snowmobile Racing (USXC) circuit.
In USXC racing on Jan. 3 at Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, Polaris racers on RUSH® models built on this innovative chassis finished 2-3 in the Pro Stock race, and six of the race’s top eight finishers were on RUSH sleds. In the Pro Open race, five of the top 10 finishers were Polaris racers on RUSH models.
In the USXC points standings, six of the top seven racers in Pro Stock points are on RUSH sleds built on the AXYS platform, as are four of the top 10 drivers in Pro Open points.
“The power-to-weight ratio of the new RUSH built on the AXYS platform has given us an advantage over the competition,” said Polaris Racing Manager Tom Rager, Jr. “The reduced weight not only helps with the handling, but also gives us improved acceleration and top speed.”
PRO CLASSES: AXYS Riders Dominate the Standings
In the Pro Stock race at Detroit Lakes, Gabe Bunke (Bunke Racing) took second and Ryan Faust (Faust Racing) finished third. Justin Tate (2-Eight Motorsports) was fourth, Spencer Kadlec (Bunke Racing) was sixth, Travis Faust (Faust Racing) was seventh, and Bobby Menne (131 Racing) finished eighth. Ryan Faust left Detroit Lakes as the leader in Pro Stock points, followed by these Polaris racers in third through seventh place: Bunke, Tate, Travis Faust, Kadlec, and Menne.
In both Pro classes, every Polaris racer is on a RUSH model built on the new AXYS platform, which is making its debut in cross-country racing this winter.
In the Pro Open race, five Polaris racers ran in the top 10, led by Nicholas Jahnke in fifth, Ryan Faust in sixth, Travis Faust in seventh, Tate in ninth, and Kadlec in 10th. Ryan Faust is currently fourth in Pro Open points, Travis Faust is fifth, Jahnke is sixth, and Tate is in seventh.
SEMI-PRO: Polaris Earns 3 of 6 Podium Spots
Polaris racers Alex Hetteen (131 Racing), Grant Weber (Faust Racing), and Taylor Bunke (Bunke Racing) all earned podium spots with strong finishes in the Semi-Pro races. Hetteen finished third in the Semi-Pro 600 and is currently third in class points, while Bunke is seventh in points.
In the Semi-Pro Improved race, Weber finished second, Bunke took third, and Hetteen finished ninth. In the points standings, Weber is second, Bunke is third, and Hetteen is in eighth.
Grant Weber led a 1-2-3 Polaris sweep as he won the Sport Open race. While Weber took the checkered flag, Jason Cleasby finished second and Robert Loire took third. Jeff Hayford was seventh and Michael Feigitsch finished eighth.
In the Sport 600 race, Loire finished second, Hayford was sixth, Daniel Herberg was seventh, and Kelsey Pladson (Bunke Racing) took eighth. Loire left Detroit Lakes as the points leader in both Sport 600 and Sport Open. Pladson is third in Sport 600 points and Herberg is fourth.
Jill Tangen won the Women’s Class race and Kelsey Pladson took second. Anne Pladson (Bunke Racing) finished fifth and Kalley Bardson was sixth. Tangen is the class points leader and Kelsey Pladson is in second. Anne Pladson is fifth in points, Brittany Christensen (Christensen Racing) is sixth, and Bardson is seventh.
Polaris racer Parker Thilmony finished second in the I-500 Class race, Robert Loire took sixth, Kyle Dickinson was seventh, and Michael Feigitsch was eighth. Thilmony also finished third in the Masters 40+ Factory Stock 600 race.
Andrew Diekmann earned podium finishes in both Expert 85 classes. He took second in Expert 85 and third in Expert 85 Improved. Matt Prusak finished third in the Trail Class race.
The next race on the USXC schedule is the Grafton (ND) 100 on Jan. 17.
Polaris is a recognized leader in the powersports industry with annual 2013 sales of $3.8 billion. Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets innovative, high quality off-road vehicles, including all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and the Polaris RANGER and RZR side-by-side vehicles, snowmobiles, motorcycles, and on-road electric/hybrid powered vehicles. Polaris is among the global sales leaders for both snowmobiles and off-road vehicles and has established a presence in the heavyweight cruiser and touring motorcycle market with the Victory and Indian Motorcycle brands. Additionally, Polaris continues to invest in the global on-road small electric/hybrid powered vehicle industry with Global Electric Motorcars (GEM), Goupil Industrie SA, Aixam Mega S.A.S., and internally developed vehicles. Polaris enhances the riding experience with a complete line of Polaris Engineered parts, accessories and apparel, Klim branded apparel, and ORV accessories under the Kolpin and Cycle Country brands. Polaris Industries Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol PII, and the Company is included in the S&P Mid-Cap 400 stock price index.
Information about the complete line of Polaris products, apparel, and vehicle accessories is available from authorized Polaris dealers or anytime at polaris.com.
