Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/437570
www.PowersportsBusiness.com NEWS Powersports Business • December 29, 2014 • 3 HOTNEWS CONTINUED FROM COVER in our vision of bringing all forms of UTV racing together for one epic championship event. Providing new Polaris RZR XP 1000s for the winners of the two pro classes is huge," said UTVUnderground.com CEO/founder Joey "Joey D." DiGiovanni. The four-day event format will feature one full day of rac- ing, contingency and tech in downtown Laughlin, along with demo and enthusiast rides, and a business-to-business UTV industry summit. The UTV World Champi- onship is part of The Best in The Desert (BITD) Off-Road Racing Association series and will be marketed, co-produced and covered for television by Mad Media. The format will bring together UTV desert The insurance and risk protection specialists at Aegis Specialty Insurance Services have partnered with motorcycle and powers- ports dealerships across California to add cutting-edge protection for California riders. In keeping with the theme of this innova- tive Silicon Valley company, the Aegis Power- sports brand leverages the latest technology and data to combine extended service con- tracts, road hazard protection, priority mainte- nance and insurance into one comprehensive offering for motorcycles, ATVs, dirt bikes and personal watercraft. Earlier this month, Aegis Specialty Insur- ance Services unveiled its new brand — Aegis Powersports — that brings together industry veterans in the insurance, powersports and dealer finance and insurance (F&I) space to provide innova- tive consumer protection products. Aegis Powersports will market extended vehicle service, road hazard and priority maintenance contracts to customers through participating powersports dealerships. Combined with the innovative insurance products already offered by Aegis, the full product suite provides the most complete protection for powersports enthusiasts, whether they ride motor- cycles, dirt bikes, ATVs, or personal watercraft. "We are very excited to extend our area of expertise into the powersports arena," said David Sacks, CFO of Aegis Specialty. "The addition of industry veterans Troy Billen and Dana Yorba to our team is indicative of our commitment to providing custom- ers in the dealer finance and insurance space with expertise they can truly rely on." Aegis Powersports will use state-of-the-art technology to com- bine its full suite of products on an easy to use platform, allowing powersports dealers to offer the products to their customers in conjunction with the sale of a new or used vehicle. All contracts will be backed by Aegis Security Insurance Company, rated "A" (Excellent) by AM Best. "Powersport vehicles are intended for fun — in the dirt, on the road and across the water. We provide serious peace of mind for our customers, so they can enjoy their ride and not worry about unforeseen breakdowns," noted Jeff Kenny, vice president of dealer products for Aegis Specialty. INSURANCE FIRM LAUNCHES POWERSPORTS BRAND NEWS 4 ... Dealer opens second N.J. store 4 ... AIMExpo boasts 200 exhibitors for '15 5 ... CFMOTO earns APEC honor FINANCIAL NEWS 8 ... Steve Dodds 8 ... Same Store Sales 9 ... Wall Street Journal's Slingshot demo 10 ... Study: CFOs optimistic for 2015 10 ... ARI, Shopatron join in partnership OPINION 11 ... From the Editor 11 ... Online at PowersportsBusiness.com PSB: FOCUS Auction/Pre-owned 12 ... Pre-owned dealer adds service 14 ... KBB.com used vehicle values 15 ... NPA announces promotion 18 ... EFG adds certified pre-owned service ATV 21 ... Kimpex introduces new track kit 21 ... Manufacturer adds UTV filters PWC 24 ... PWC sales continue gain in October 24 ... Yamaha, Sea-Doo race results SOLUTIONS 26 ... Hal Ethington 27 ... Steve Jones AFTERMARKET 28 ... Hot Products 31 ... SpeedMob adds two brands SNOWMOBILE 29 ... Snow HOF inductees announced 29 ... Analyst: Snowmobile sales rise INSIDE MSR sponsoring AMA's Big 6 races Malcolm Smith Racing (MSR) has signed a two-year contract to be the presenting sponsor of the AMA District 37 Big 6 Grand Prix Series (Big 6) beginning in 2015. The largest AMA-sanctioned off-road rac- ing series west of the Mississippi, Big 6 strives not only to strengthen relationships with cur- rent sponsors, but to seek additional sponsors in order to expand the series, according to Big 6's Mike Garvin. "We are excited to have MSR be the pre- senting sponsor of the Big 6 Series for the next two years," said Malcolm Smith Racing brand manager Nick McBride. "This is a great oppor- tunity to get back to our roots. Our brand was started by an off-road legend, Malcolm Smith, and for us to be involved with a series like the Big 6 is exactly what our brand is about." Founded in 1971 by "On Any Sunday" legend Malcolm Smith, MSR began as a small accessory provider and evolved into an indus- try leading motorcycle apparel and hard parts manufacturer. PSB The inaugural Polaris UTV World Championship will take place Feb. 19-21 in Laughlin, Nev., and include a UTV industry summit as part of the festivities. racing, UTV motocross style short-course racing and enthu- siast rides into one massive multi-day event on the edge of the Colorado River. The event will also be a showcase for UTV manufacturers and aftermarket manufacturing companies. Enthusiasts and racers will be able to pre-run the racecourse in stock UTVs during the "Fam- ily Fun Poker Run." "Polaris RZR is actively shap- ing the UTV culture, and we feel this event will help grow and showcase that culture world- wide," said Jason DiFuccia, director of marketing for Polaris Off-Road Vehicles. "We look for- ward to building this event with all of the partners, sponsors, rac- ers and enthusiasts over the next few years." Along with displaying several of their off-road vehicles and accessories including the industry flagship Polaris RZR XP1000 and the Polaris ACE, Polaris will be hosting RZR demo rides. TV SHOW TURNS TO INDUSTRY COMPANIES When the television show "Extra" wanted to make a differ- ence in the life of a deserving U.S. Army veteran, the show reached out to Discover Today's Motor- cycling to help make it happen. DTM worked with American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Alpin- estars and Shoei Safety Helmet Corp., for an episode that the producers at "Extra" promised "to give one deserving veteran a life-changing surprise that he will never forget!" "Extra" called it "Pranksgiv- ing," and the crew enlisted the help of Michelle Obama, actor Michael Weatherly of the CBS drama "NCIS," show host Mario Lopez and others to give Army Sergeant Jonathan Arneson an experience that "left the brave veteran speechless and in tears." "Extra" averages more than 2.1 million viewers per telecast. It is now ranked No. 3 among news/magazine shows in over- night markets. DEALERSHIP DROPS $10K FROM THE SKY Black Diamond Harley- Davidson drew more than 1,000 people to its Black Friday event, however they weren't all coming to spend — they were all there to collect. The Marion, Ill., dealership brought in a helicopter to drop JEFF KENNY On Nov. 14, Arctic Cat Inc. announced that Christopher T. Metz, 49, has been named president and chief executive officer, effective Dec. 3. Metz succeeds Christopher Twomey, who remains Arctic Cat's board chair. Commented Twomey: "The board conducted a national search for a new CEO, and we are delighted that Chris is join- ing Arctic Cat. Chris is a proven leader in the consumer and durable goods industries. He has built a career on improving the per- formance of market-leading companies. He brings an outstanding strategic skill set to his new role at Arctic Cat — a keen focus on executional excellence and deep experience in product marketing, finance, global opera- tions and talent management. Importantly, he is adept at creating strong partnerships with customers and dealers. Along with the rest of the board, I am pleased to welcome Chris and look for- ward to working with him." Since 2005, Metz has served as a managing director of Sun Capital Partners, Inc., a leading private investment firm with more than $10 billion in capital under management. Prior to Sun Capital, Metz was president at Black & Decker, leading its Hardware and Home Improvement Group from 1999 to 2005. During his 13-year tenure at Black & Decker, he held various other senior leadership positions, including: president of Kwik- set Corporation, the world's largest residential lockset manufac- turer; president of Price Pfister, a leading manufacturer of finish faucets; president of Baldwin Hardware; and general manager of European Professional Power Tools and Accessories, based in Frankfurt, Germany. Metz said: "I am excited to lead a terrific team at Arctic Cat. The company has a strong consumer brand and significant opportuni- ties to increase its sales and profitability. I am eager to build on the company's success and enhance shareholder value." Metz serves on the board of directors of NYSE-listed Vince Holdings Corp., a global fashion brand and retailer with approxi- mately $300 million in annual revenue. Metz earned a master of business administration degree from the Kenan Flagler School of Business of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He holds a bachelor's degree in finance and marketing from the University of Delaware. CHRISTOPHER T. METZ Arctic Cat names Metz CEO See Hot News, Page 5