ATV Riders Message Board Articles Reviews Videos Photo Gallery wallpaper Links ATV SxS News Interviews Racing News Models Donations Quad of the Month Contact Us

  ATV MODEL REVIEWS | ATV Product News
Arctic Cat | Can-Am | Honda | Kawasaki | KTM | Polaris | Suzuki | Yamaha | Other
Polaris Outlaw 525 IRS ATV Race Review

Polaris Outlaw 525 IRS ATV GNCC Race Review

Polaris Outlaw 525 IRS
ATV Links

2008 Polaris Outlaw 525 IRS ATV
Snowshoe, WV - When I heard that Racer Productions was going to put on a Blackwater-type GNCC event at the Snowshoe Ski resort, I knew I had to go and be part of such an event. I raced Blackwater 4 times and really missed the terrain and atmosphere over the years. I made a quick call to my buddy, Harlen Foley, at ATVriders.com and discussed with him what would be a good choice for the rumored rocky, muddy, and steep terrain. It only took us about 2 seconds to agree that the new Polaris Outlaw 525 IRS would be the perfect weapon for this event.

I had tested the Outlaw 525 IRS last year in Mojave, CA and was very impressed with its performance, to say the least, so I couldn’t wait for the chance to actually put it to the test in a GNCC in nearly stock form. The only mods I would make to the Outlaw would be a tether cord, twist throttle, Maxxis Razr 2 tires, Hiper Racing wheels, John Gallagher custom front hubs, and of course TireBalls to make the I finished the race without dealing with a flat tire.

The only update to the 2008 Outlaw IRS was new colors & graphics along with a new post style seat attachment, which was changed from a hook style in 2007
Also, the Polaris Outlaw 525 IRS I raced was brand new 2007 model because the 2008 Outlaw 525 IRS model was not available for review yet, but the only significant change for 2008 was a new red & white color schemes and the two new straight axle Outlaw models were released with the 525 S for the sand riding and the 450 MXR designed for the motocross market

To put the Outlaw 525 IRS through a true GNCC race track test, I decided to race in the Afternoon Race after the track already had several hundred ATVs already pounding the track for two hours in the Morning Race, so the track would be well worn in with plenty of roots, rocks, and holes to contend with during my race.

I signed up to race Vet A class and was planning on just having some fun in the class. I drew row number 29 on the start, so I knew I would have my work cut out for me for a chance at a descent finish. I think my day went about like most of the other racers out there; lots of bottle necks kept me from catching the leaders of the class.

SnowShoe GNCC Race Start
SnowShoe GNCC Grand-Prix style live engine start on the paved road
The start of the race was held on the main paved road heading to Snowshoe Resort with racers lining up in rows of 5 ATVs in a non-typical live engine start, and when the green flag dropped, the Outlaw immediately hooked up and catapulted me out front to grab the Holeshot over a couple Hondas and a Yamaha. Once, I hit the tight trails in the woods, the benefits of the Independent Rear Suspension was very evident as I had a huge advantage in the rocks, roots and mud due to the incredible ground clearance. On the wide open fire roads there was no other quad that I couldn’t pass. On one road in particular, I had to be hitting well over 60 mph tapped out in 5th gear and that was on an uphill!

Polaris Outlaw GNCC Race Start
Polaris Outlaw GNCC Race Start
The Polaris Outlaw 525 launched Jeff Stoess to the Holeshot, and he worked his way up to 5th place by the 3rd lap
Jeff Stoess recorded a 33:48 laptime in the 2nd lap, which was the fastest lap of the race for anyone in the Vet A Class

By lap three, I had worked my way up to 5th place, but on the fourth lap, I was getting a bit tired and I made some bad decisions that the even the Outlaw's IRS couldn't save me, so I found msyelf stuck three times, which dropped me back to an 8th place finish for the day, which I was pretty happy with considering I hadn’t rode an ATV in months.

One thing that was for sure, the extremely rough and technical Snowshoe GNCC track provided the perfect testing ground for evaluating the Polaris Outlaw 525 IRS.

::CONTINUED::
::Page 1:: 2

Copyright 2002-2022, ATV Riders All Rights Reserved - ATV Riders Forum - Message Board - Archive