Close on the heels of a positive earnings report which saw Polaris stock gain significant value, approximately 500 employees of the Minnesota based powersports manufacturer were informed they would be losing their current jobs due to a Osceola, Wisconsin plant closure/sale. According to Polaris CEO Scott Wine, the decision was a difficult one but is designed to improve the long-term competitiveness of the company while also reducing costs and improving operational efficiencies.

The Osceola facility started operation in 1991 and currently employs approximately 500 employees. The facility is primarily responsible for the manufacturing of Polaris engines, seats, substructures and various paint applications. That work will now be divided between it's Roseau, Minnesota; Spirit Lake, Iowa and yet to be constructed Mexico based facilities.

According to a Polaris news release, snowmobile assembly will remain in Roseau and Victory motorcycles will continue to be manufactured in Spirit Lake. As part of the plant closure, other processes currently executed in Osceola will be sold to suppliers who will continue to supply those components to Polaris. The closure and realignment will begin immediately and is schedule to be completed by 2010. The company hopes to have a new production facility in Mexico operational beginning in the first half of 2011.

For additional information you can read the complete Polaris News Release here.
Also you can get the local perspective on the plant closure at the Country Messenger site.

With the signing of Assembly Bill 599 on May 18, Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle made the state's 55 mph speed limit during the hours of darkness a permanent law as members of the Association of Wisconsin Snowmobile Clubs (AWSC), Representative Dean Kaufert (second from right) and Senator Jon Erpenbach (second from left), look on.

Although intermittently there has been a 55 mph dusk-to-dawn speed limit  since 2006, the current speed limit rule was set to expire on July 1. The legal definition of "hours of darkness" is one half hour after sunset and one half hour before sunrise, or at other times when there is not enough natural light to clearly see a person or vehicle 500 feet away.

The annual Outdoor Expo, designed to introduce young people to a wide range of outdoor activities, including snowmobiling, was held at the Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, on May 13-14. More than 3,500 middle school students from 49 Wisconsin schools took part in this year's Expo. Volunteers from the Association of Wisconsin Snowmobile Clubs (AWSC) were on hand to answer questions and to explain about how the machines work, the development of snowmobile trails and the importance of safe, responsible riding practices.

Five-time ESPN Winter X Games Snocross gold medalist, Tucker Hibbert, officially accepted an invitation to compete in the Super X (Supercross) event at Summer X Games 16.

Hibbert was chosen as a first round pick by a selection committee and will be one of 16 riders from around the world to compete at the historic L.A. Coliseum at the end of July.  It will be his first appearance at the Summer X Games but he’s no stranger to racing motorcycles. He entered his first motorcycle race a year prior to his first snowmobile race and has been competing in both disciplines at a professional level since 2000.

At only 15, Hibbert was catapulted to instant fame by becoming the youngest gold medalist in Winter X Games history as the sole semi-pro in an all-pro Snocross field. He went on to win three national championships and two more Winter X Games medals before walking away from the national snocross scene in 2003 to shift his focus to racing motorcycles. From 2004-2006, he raced the AMA Supercross and Motocross series’ full-time but continued to race one snowmobile event yearly at the Winter X Games. In November 2006, he returned to the national Snocross circuit and has continued to split his time between both sports. He now holds nine Winter X Games Snocross medals, four national championships, 55 national victories and was recently crowned the 2010 FIM Snowcross World Champion in Sweden. His motorcycle honors include four top-10 AMA Supercross finishes along with one heat race win and eight AMA Motocross top-15 finishes.

The last time Hibbert raced a Supercross event was May 2007. He has continued to practice but has not had the opportunity to compete again until now. He is currently building a Supercross track at his home and is focused on lining up at the Summer X Games as a front-runner. He excels under pressure and hopes his eleven years of Winter X Games experience will play to his advantage.

Hibbert will join an elite club of crossover athletes who have competed at both Winter and Summer X Games.  

In an uncommon move, Polaris already is touting its race sled for the 2010-11 season. Typically, the manufacturers release information about their race sleds in the fall. But through a press release, Polaris is teasing consumers and race fans now, giving a small glimpse into what the factory is planning when the race season begins later this year.

While full details won't be released until this fall, the press release says that Polaris has developed an all-new independent front suspension that has new spindles, upper and lower control arms and upper control arm ball joint.

"In late-season and post-season testing, Polaris engineers and top Polaris factory racers dialed in the new IFS to give racers more precise and flatter cornering, easier steering - and better durability than ever," the press release states.

In back, the 2011 IQ Racer features a new Walker Evans coil over needle front track shock. Polaris says the new front track shock improves performance and consistency in all racing conditions.

***NOTE: Photo is of 2010 Polaris IQ Racer.

A rare shot of a row of Deere 295S models lined up for the 1974 Winnipeg. This was an old school sled but, when the race was over, half the finishers that year were green and yellow in color.(Photo from the C.J. Ramstad archives as found on www.snowpod.com.