Decatur City, IA (8/7/2009) -
Due to some last minute testing and modifications
to ATVriders.com Polaris Outlaw ATV, I was unable
to compete in Round 4 of the IATVHSS, which
was held at The Farm MX outside Indianola IA,
but I was happy to be back in action this past
weekend.
Round five of the IATVHSS was held at the Watson
Family Farm outside Leon IA. The track at the
Watson’s farm was 7 miles of rough wooded
sections with sandy creek bottoms and some long
very fast field sections linking them together.
This race has always been notorious for high
temperatures and very dry dusty conditions.
The heat index last year at race time was 104
degrees, but fortunately this year, the temperature
was a comfortable mid 80’s but still very
dry.
In an effort the get this race over before
the late afternoon heat, both morning and
afternoon class were scheduled to run together
with an 11am start time. With 173 racers on
the line, lap traffic was sure to be an issue
on this fast course. After another mid pack
start, I found my self in 9th place when I
came through scoring on the first lap. Shortly
after entering the first woods section after
scoring I found myself running into lap traffic
already.
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Colby
Kostman's scores a season best 4th
place finish on his ATVriders.com
Project Polaris Outlaw 525S
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It is very important to not let a gap develop
between you and the other riders in your class
because slower lap riders can hold you up while
your competition pulls away. By the end of the
second lap, I was in a tight battle with three
other A riders all swapping positions between
third and sixth place. The fast straights were
definitely an advantage for me thanks again
to the high top speed of the Polaris Outlaw
525S. One fellow racer commented to me afterwards
that as we came out of the wooded sections and
started down the open straights that all he
could do is watch me pull away.
As the race went on, the track began to show
signs of wear and developed braking bumps
as you entered the wood and acceleration bumps
as you came out of the woods. The Outlaws
well-designed steering and frame geometry
provides reduced bump steer and feed back
to the riders through the handlebars thus
reducing rider fatigue. I made the decision
not to stop for fuel and risk running out
on the last lap in an effort not to loose
any valuable time since we were all running
so close.
Luckily my gamble paid off and I finished
in 4th place after 2 hours and 15 minutes
with over a half gallon of fuel to spare.
Not only is the Polaris Outlaw a well performing
competitive sport ATV but it is also ECO friendly
with good fuel mileage.
