Posted: 18 Feb 2010 12:57 PM PST

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About Polaris
With annual 2009 sales of $1.6 billion, Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets off-road vehicles (ORVs), including all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and the Polaris RANGER®, snowmobiles and Victory Motorcycles® for recreational and utility use. 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 rapidly making impressive 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.

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Class 1400 - Off-Road.com

Posted: 18 Feb 2010 10:20 AM PST

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LOS ANGELES—Always trying to maintain consistency and quality in its friendly family of series sponsors and race partners, SCORE International, producers of the World's Foremost Desert Racing Series in the U.S. and Mexico, announced today that it has extended its current agreement with Sunoco to include another three years as the Official Race Fuel Supplier for the five-race SCORE Desert Series.

Following January's successful season-opening SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge in Southern Nevada, SCORE's Sal Fish finalized the new agreement, negotiating with Sunoco Sales Manager Mitch Hart to complete the new three-year deal.

"Sunoco has been an integral part of our family of sponsor partners for several years now and it is great for SCORE, our racers and our sport to be able to continue to have them as the SCORE Official Race Fuel Supplier for the next three years," said Sal Fish, SCORE CEO/President. "When we have great sponsor partners like Sunoco it is in everyone's best interest to keep them attached to our SCORE Desert Series. Sunoco commands so much respect in the motorsports world and their service is second to none so it is naturally something special for SCORE to continue to be linked with such a superb organization."

SCORE is part of an ever-expanding list of major racing organizations in a sponsor partnership with Sunoco. Sunoco's impressive resume of racing sanctioning bodies include NASCAR, Lucas Oil Late Model, SuperClean Modified Series, Grand Am, ARCA, AMA Pro Road Racing, SCCA, Lucas Oil Off Road Series, and numerous other domestic and international series.

For decades, Sunoco's fuels have been associated with racing excellence.Since the mid-60s, when Sunoco and the Roger Penske Racing Team with Mark Donahue forged what would be a long and successful alliance, the company has grown into an industry powerhouse.

Today, Sunoco has expanded the reach of its racing fuels line around the world to include all types of professional motor sports and other activities where premium race fuels make a difference.

"Sunoco is the world's leading producer of Race Fuels and we've built our reputation on quality and consistency," said Hart, Sunoco's Western US and International Sales Manager. "Sunoco is proud of our long and successful partnership with SCORE International. We are looking forward to continued support of SCORE, the premier desert racing organization in the world, through our contingency programs, competitive pricing, and outstanding service."

As the largest manufacturer and refiner of racing gasolines in the world, Sunoco has a 40-year track record of winning performances. With an expanded product line, Sunoco offers drivers more choices than ever before.

Sunoco blends every one of its race fuels in-house. Then, it analyzes and tests each batch under strict laboratory conditions. This ensures that racers receive a reliable, high-quality racing gasoline every time.

Round 2 of the 2010 SCORE Desert Series will be the 24th MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250, March 12-14, in Baja California, Mexico. Nearly 275 vehicles, competing in 28 Pro and 7 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs are expected at the popular race.

In addition to season point class point championships, drivers in the Pro car and truck classes are also racing to earn prestigious SCORE Toyota Milestone Awards given to all car and truck class drivers who complete every required mile of the five-race season. Being presented by Toyota Motorsports for the 25th consecutive year, a total of 59 drivers remain eligible after Round 1 of the 2010 SCORE Desert Series.

Current SCORE official annual sponsors are: BFGoodrich Tires-official tire, Volkswagen of America-official vehicle, Sunoco Race Fuels-official fuel supplier, Bilstein-official shock, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance-official Mexican auto insurance, Slime-official tire sealant and Red Bull-official energy drink. Associate sponsors are: Tecate Beer, Coca-Cola of Mexico, Las Vegas Events, Blue C Advertising, Off-Road, SignPros, P.C.I. Race Radios, McKenzie's Performance Products and Advanced Color Graphics.

For more information about Sunoco Race Fuels, please visit www.racegas.com, or contact Mitch Hart, Sales Manager, at mchart@sunocoinc.com.

For more information, contact SCORE at its Los Angeles headquarters 818.225.8402 or visit the official website of the 2010 SCORE Desert Series at www.score-international.com.

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Winter of our discontent - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Posted: 17 Feb 2010 03:21 PM PST

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Inside Los Amigos grocery in the Whittier neighborhood of south Minneapolis, Gassan Khori operates a cash register and recalls the day a fight erupted in the store. He doesn't want the budget crisis to result in less police protection because he worries about crime.

"It's better than 15 years ago, but even so, there is a new problem with gangs, problems with drugs," he said.

Across the metro area, a non-descript Roseville strip mall is an unlikely place to find optimism, but there it is. Tucked among vacant storefronts is the Ukrainian Gift Shop, nominally headed by Elko Perchyshyn. His mother, Luba, 86, is the shop's driving force, selling Ukranian Easter eggs for 63 years. An egg adorned with a horse, signifying wealth, prosperity, endurance and speed, sells for $35.

It's their busiest time and better than last year. "It was tough making the rent," Perchyshyn said of the recession.

Brigitte Cawthorne, 23, works at a St. Paul nonprofit. She cried listening to a man seeking a job describe life in a homeless shelter. "There's a lot of people in Minnesota a lot worse off than me, " she said, echoing a refrain heard across Minnesota.

Caring for the neediest citizens and preserving the parks and other urban amenities wealthier residents expect mean the cities and inner-ring suburbs will be counting on state aid to keep property taxes in check. Minneapolis in particular has an interest in DFLers capturing the governor's office and restoring aid cuts. But that's going to be hard for any governor of any party given the state's $5.4 billion budget deficit and the conundrum posed by Joe and Charney Petroske as they bowled at Tuttles in Hopkins.

"The kinds of things you'd cut, they've already cut," said Joe, who works in computer security. "Education is already on the way down," noted Charney, a molecular biologist, referring to delayed state aid to public schools. "I think they need to improve education rather than cut."

But, "it's hard to raise taxes now with so many people out of work," Joe said.

So what would they do as governor?

"That's the million dollar question, isn't it," said Charney. "The billion dollar question."

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