The just announced 2012 Polaris 600 IQ Race Sled features race-ready suspension calibration that carried Polaris racers to podium finishes in the second half of last season. The 2012 Polaris 600 IQ Race Sled also features the title-winning Liberty 600 engine and a white hood with retro graphics that were featured on Polaris production and racing sleds in the 1970s and ‘80s.
Polaris Snowmobile Racing Manager Tom Rager, Sr., said the race sled’s suspension setup was fine-tuned throughout last season and delivered outstanding performance, so racers will take delivery of 2012 race sleds that are ready to hit the track. “We have Ben Hayes, who previously worked with Fox Racing Shox and Walker Evans Racing, as our in-house suspension specialist, and he worked really hard on setups last season,” Rager said. “We continued testing and development with our racers after the season and made further calibration changes so the front and rear suspensions are better than ever, and we’re going to continue to move forward.” The current setup features revised shock valving and stiffer rear torsion springs than racers started with on the 2011 Race Sled. “It delivers improved performance because the suspension is compliant through high speed bumps, and when the sled comes off doubles or table tops, the sled absolutely goes straight,” Rager said. “We gain speed through the rough sections because the sled stays so straight.”
The 2012 IQ Race Sled is built on the Polaris-exclusive IQ® Chassis. The IFS uses Walker Evans® Aluminum IFP (Internal Floating Piston) 16-position compression-adjustable shocks with piggyback reservoirs and has 10.3″ (26.2 cm) of travel. The IQ® Rear Suspension has a Walker Evans Coil Over Shock as the front track shock, and the rear track shock is a Walker Evans Aluminum IFP 16-position compression adjustable large body shock. The rear suspension has 13.9″ (35.3 cm) of travel. Under the hood is the liquid-cooled Polaris Liberty 600 twin, which has dual Mikuni Rack TM 40 carburetors, NiCaSil-lined cylinders for optimized heat dispersion and the Polaris VES (Variable Exhaust System) for outstanding power and instant throttle response. Managing the power delivery is the legendary Polaris P-85 clutch, and for braking the race sled has a Cyclone master cylinder and lever and a liquid-cooled Phantom dual-piston caliper.
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