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| Colby
Kostman's 2009 Polaris Outlaw 525S ATV |
Fort Dodge, IA (5/29/2009) - Round
two of the IATVHSS was held at Mineral City
Raceway in FT Dodge Iowa. Many of you may recognize
this as the same facility that the 12 hours
of ATV America began at. Mineral City Race Way
was also once a CORE off road racing track and
currently plays host to frequent dirt track
car races. The name Mineral City is derived
from the areas long mining history, as with
much of the surrounding area this property was
a mine itself.
As race day approached Mother Nature again
threaded to make for a muddy race. Heavy rain
fell the morning before the race but with
early afternoon sunshine this track went from
muddy to very dusty in a hurry. The terrain
at this track varies greatly; the higher elevation
portions are a very hard sandy soil that resembles
concrete. This hard soil has countless rain
wash ditches that are very unforgiving to
both rider and machine. As you descend down
the east side of the property you find a much
more loamy sandy soil along the Des Moines
River. This portion of the course develops
deep whoops as the day goes on. The upper
east portion consists of a black moist soil
and plenty of elevation changes along with
fast sweeping straight a way’s and even
a clime up a large crushed asphalt pile.
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Being one of the last people to make your
way to the starting line in a class of 25
plus riders is never a good idea but it never
fails I am that guy. With a less that desirable
spot on the line I was once again going to
rely on the fast starting on the Outlaw to
help me get to the front of the pack quickly.
As expected when the board dropped the Outlaw
fired as fast as I could press the button
and I found myself towards the front of a
large class of talented riders. As expected
the first portion of this course was very
rough and extremely dusty. At this point is
a race you really need an ATV that handles
well and is predictable since you never know
what you may hit in that dust.
Fortunately for me the Outlaw has always
been very forgiving I can be confidant that
even unexpected obstacles will be handled
without to much feed back to the rider. The
Polaris Outlaw has a strong durable belly
skid plate that provides good engine protection
for those unexpected trail obstacles. After
a few short laps I found myself in fifth place
in line behind some very talented racers.
The track conditions were very unforgiving
and seemed to deter ate and take more of a
toll on the racers and machine with every
lap.
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Colby
heads into the pits for a splash of
gas
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Up until the 5th lap The Outlaw had preformed
very well with good power in the straight
a ways, accurate handling and as little harsh
feed back to the rider as could be expected
in this type of terrain. On the fifth lap
though, I started to notice a problem with
the Outlaw it seemed to want to stall in some
of the corners almost like I was locking up
the rear brakes without pulling in the clutch.
At first I thought I was running out of fuel
so I pitted and had my pit crew top off the
tank. Shorty after my pit stop I knew fuel
was not the problem I had other issues and
so, I found a place to pull over for a closer
inspection of the ATV. Shortly before coming
to a stop I could here a noise coming from
the rear of the Outlaw almost like I had a
rock stuck in the brake rotor.
I quickly discovered that that sound was
not a rock but a set of rear carrier bearings
that had failed. At this point my day was
done and up until that point I was very pleased
with this years Outlaw. Even with a disappointing
failure, the 2009 Polaris Outlaw has been
an enjoyable ATV to race.
The increasing number of Polaris Outlaws
that are season at races across the country
attest to the growing popularity and respect
the Polaris Outlaws are gaining. With it’s
many improvement over last years model the
outlaws popularity among racers and weekends
warrior is sure to grow.
One of the most noticeable changes for 2009
is the redesigned much more durable plastic
bodywork this new look really set the Outlaw
apart from the previous sport offerings from
Polaris. Over the next few short week I will
give the Outlaw a closer inspection for any
premature wearing items and make sure it and
myself are ready to redeem ourselves at the
next round.
