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Frank
Batista - Polaris Sportsman
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Minneapolis, MN (9/17/2008) - 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.”
The Polaris/Rath/Dunlop
team is sponsored by:
Polaris Industries - Rath Racing - Dunlop
Tires - Fox Shox - FMF Exhausts - Dirty Dawg
Performance -DWT - B&B Racing Engines
- RPM- Fly Racing -Torco Fuels - Hinson Clutch
Components - Xstream Composites- Precision
Racing Products - Amsoil - WPS - QuadTech
- UpDog - Powermadd - Tireballs - Faast Co.
- Scott Goggles - PEP - CV4 - K&N Filters
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, 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(r) 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.
