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Team Polaris Racing followed up their dominating season of a year ago, with another one for the record books. Armed with the durable, smooth-handling Polaris IQ® race sled, Polaris pilots nabbed more Pro podium finishes that any other brand competing on the 2005-'06 WPSA snocross circuit. Polaris racers also won two WPSA individual honors and finished second in both Pro classes.

Not to be outdone, Polaris racers in cross-country racing won more U.S. Cross-Country (USCC) Pro events than racers on any other brand, and in the high-profile ESPN Winter X Games, Polaris racers earned silver and bronze medals.

"We'd like to have won the WPSA Pro titles, but we're pleased with our progress, our depth and the outstanding performance of the IQ Chassis," said Polaris Racing Manager Tom Rager, Sr. "Ross Martin continues to develop into a strong racer and we think he's got a very bright future. Dennis Eckstrom, Levi LaVallee, TJ Gulla and Mike Schultz all had strong seasons as well, and we feel we have a great foundation to build on so we can shoot for the points titles next winter."

Polaris racers on Polaris IQ sleds earned 40% of all the Pro-class podium spots available during the 2005-2006 World PowerSports Association (WPSA) season. Their strong showing included seven Pro victories and sweeps of the top three Pro Open spots at two events.

Top rookie Ross Martin is second in both Pro Classes
Polaris racer Ross Martin of Pleasant Prairie, Minnesota, celebrated his first year as a Pro by taking second in both Pro Open and Pro Stock points. He won four races (two in each class) and had nine podium finishes. His showing was so impressive that he was named WPSA Pro Rookie of the Year. One year ago, Martin won the Open and Stock titles as a Semi-Pro racer.

Team Polaris Depth is apparent
Dennis Eckstrom of Duluth, Minnesota, had a win and two seconds in Pro Open and he finished third in points. He also had three podium finishes in Pro Stock and wound up seventh in Stock points.

Levi LaVallee had a win and three podium finishes in Pro Open en route to finishing seventh in points. He also finished second in the high-profile, non-points ESPN X Games Snocross, an event where Martin took third.

Polaris racer Mike Schultz of Pillager, Minnesota, was named Most Improved Pro Driver. The 23-year-old finished 12th in Pro Stock (up from 25th a year ago) and 13th in the Pro Open standings (up from 21st last season).

By the Numbers: Polaris Racers Crowd the Podium
Racers need to finish in the top three places to earn a place on the post-race podium, and Polaris racers got very familiar with these places of honor this season.

In 10 Pro Open races, Polaris racers captured 46% of all podium spots, including four victories, six seconds and two 1-2-3 sweeps (at Duluth and Canterbury Park). Showing the depth of the Polaris racing program, Polaris racers claimed 34% of the top 10 places in the season’s Pro Open racing.

Polaris racers filled 33% of the podium spots in Pro Stock racing, including three wins, and they earned 31% of the top 10 finishes positions over the winter.

Cross-Country Racers Earn Most Pro Victories
On the U.S. Cross-Country (USCC) racing circuit, Polaris Pro-class racers won five races, more than competitors on any other brand. Polaris racers won 38% of all USCC Pro classes, which were contested by all four major brands of sleds. The Polaris Pro racers earned 30% of the available podium spots during the 2005-2006 USCC season.