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Willy
Alcaraz piloted a Polaris RZR XP 900
UTV to take two class wins the Dakar
Rally in South America
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Minneapolis, MN (1/30/2011) - Official
Team Polaris/Xtreme Plus participated for the
first time ever at the Dakar 2012, the world's
toughest off-road race. After having developed
a special new FIA class (T3) for the RZR, the
Polaris/Xtreme Plus Team had run some tests
in several events, and won the Dakar Series,
in Russia, in July 2011.
But Dakar is definitely another story, with
more than 9000 kilometers of
racing, three countries crossed in South America,
469 participants, and
various terrain and extreme weather conditions.
ASO, the promoter, reported
that the 2012 edition was the toughest event
in many years.
Team Polaris/Xtreme Plus enrolled a very
experienced driver Willy Alcaraz
No. 374, who had participated in Dakar in
several classes as a driver and
co-driver, and set up one goal for the first
event, reach Lima in Peru!
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The Polaris
RZR XP 900 UTV proved to be a lightweight
& dependable side-by-side to finish
over 9000 kilometer of racing through
three countries
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After two weeks of the race, Alcaraz proved
the RZR XP is one of a kind, as the team reached
the initial goal by crossing the finish line
in Lima without any technical issues. But
they also claimed the win in two different
classes: T3 and solo. The No. 374 managed
also to finish some of the longest and hardest
stages in the top 30, finishing 42 overall
in the car class. No doubt, this is a unique
and an historical performance for Alcaraz,
the Polaris RZR XP and Xtreme Plus Team!
"In Puerto Plata, at the start of the
race, everybody was amazed to see me
alone in my small car. Some of them were even
laughing at me!," said
Alcaraz. "But days after days, they were
less and less smiling when I was
overtaking them in the dunes. Even if my top
speed was inferior on some
trails, the RZR XP was just incredible and
fun to drive in the toughest
technical section. I managed to stay always
in the top 50. I had just to
repair, change a couple of tires and PVT belt
along the race. The vehicle
was very well prepared by Xtreme Plus and
the mechanic guys did a great job
every night. This is an incredible result
for Polaris, the team and myself!"
"We showed everybody the RZR XP is best
lightweight buggy, with a dedicated
class (T3) to race. It is very fun to drive
and it has amazing capacities
when the terrain is becoming technical,"
Marco Piana, Polaris/Xtreme Plus
Team Manager. "No doubt that a driver
with a more expensive car and buggy
will start looking at this affordable vehicle
to race Bajas, Rallye Raid
and Dakar."
About Polaris
With annual 2010 sales of $1.991 billion,
Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and
markets off-road vehicles (ORVs), including
all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and the Polaris
RANGER® Side X Side vehicles, snowmobiles
and Victory motorcycles for recreational and
utility use and has recently introduced a
new on-road electric powered neighborhood
vehicle.
Polaris is a recognized leader
in the snowmobile industry; and one of the
largest manufacturers of ORVs 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 making in-roads into the cruiser
and touring motorcycle 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 under the symbol
“PII”, and the Company is included
in the S&P MidCap 400 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.
