Minneapolis, February 20, 2006 – Polaris Industries today announced its 2006 ATV racing sponsorships,  the continuation of industry’s largest ATV contingency program for Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) ATV classes, and the addition of a contingency offering for three races in SCORE International’s Off-Road Racing Series.

GNCC Racer Sponsorships

Polaris re-signed Matt Smiley, a 13-year veteran and a top five GNCC racer the last nine consecutive years. Smiley and his Polaris Predator 500 finished fifth overall in the GNCC standings for 2005. For 2006, Smiley will pilot an Outlaw and is backed by Chestnuthill Trailers, a Polaris dealership in Effort, Penn.

Stephanie Parton is the second Pro GNCC racer to be added to Polaris roster. A fan favorite, Parton finished second in the “Women’s” class, only two points out of first. Her racing accomplishments include 2004 ATVA Female Rider of the Year, Three-Time Morning Overall Champion, Two-Time Women’s National Champion and she has 34 Women’s National wins. Parton’s employer, Don Wood Polaris in Athens, Ohio, also is a sponsor.

Polaris also has signed “4-Stroke Stock A” Racer Todd Rothermel, “Super Senior (50+)” Racer John Gallagher and will sponsor the Wilson Racing Team. Rothermel and Gallagher both finished on top of their respective class standings for 2005. Wilson Racing consists of “4-Stroke A” Racer Mike Sroka, “Pro Am” Racer Frank Grimplin and “Youth” Racer Jerry Welch, who will race a Youth Predator 90.  Polaris dealerships supporting the racers include Schreffler Equipment Inc. in Pittman Penn. (Rothermel), Bair’s Polaris-Victory in North Canton, Ohio (Gallagher) and Andy’s Motorsports in Smithton, Penn. (Wilson Racing).

The first race of the 2006 GNCC series is The Orange Crush GNCC, March 4-6, in De Leon Springs, Fla.

WORCS Racer Sponsorship

Expanding its racing roster to the West Coast, Polaris signed WORCS “Stock A” Racer Jeff Bertuzzi to blaze the trails on an out-of-the-box Outlaw. A 20-year veteran to racing, Bertuzzi’s career highlights include winning the Desert and MX championship In Utah in 2000. Bertuzzi also is backed by Polaris Dealer, Stephen Wade Powersports in St. George, Utah.

Bertuzzi’s first race aboard the Outlaw was WORC’s opening weekend, January 20-21, in Phoenix, Arizona, where he took the Stock A Class by almost six-and-a-half minutes. The Outlaw’s second WORCS outing was in Taft, Calif., resulting in another victory for Bertuzzi by almost four minutes.

“Polaris is excited about the early success of the Outlaw on the off-road racing circuit and we look forward to many more podiums. Adding the perspective and race experiences of various racers also provides invaluable information used to further enhance the machine,” added Dougherty.

Contingency Programs

For the 2006 racing season, Polaris also expanded the company’s contingency program with the addition of the SCORE International Racing Series.  The company is offering the following contingencies for three SCORE races:

About Polaris

With annual 2005 sales of $1.9 billion, Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), Victory motorcycles and the Polaris RANGER 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 motorcycle cruiser 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 and Pacific 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.