MINNEAPOLIS, MN (April 2, 2020) – Destination Polaris, the number one off-road and only OEM television show in North America, is set to debut its eleventh season April 5 on The Fox Sports Network. The 2020 season travels the country taking viewers to amazing destinations across North America including Montana, Oregon and Alberta, Canada. The upcoming season will also feature four custom Polaris Off-Road vehicle builds with aftermarket manufacturers including Assault Industries, PRP Seats, among others.
“At Polaris, we work every day to get people to Think Outside and create memorable experiences.” said Pam Kermisch, Vice President of Marketing for Polaris Off Road Vehicles. “Polaris created Destination Polaris to showcase ultimate off-road locations and inspire adventure around the world, and we’re excited to bring viewers along this season.”
The upcoming season will feature the following episodes:
• April 5 (Montana): Join the team for a fun family ride through southern Montana ghost towns on Polaris vehicles with two brothers who own Polaris dealerships.
• April 12 (New Mexico): Red River is a small ski town in northern New Mexico that caters to the outdoor adventurer year round. Destination Polaris joins Weezie's Wild Rides to explore some of the best sites around Red River and ride to the highest point in New Mexico.
• April 19 (Colorado): There’s no better partner to have in life than one you met out on a trail. That’s the background story for the couple who own Adrenaline Driven Adventure Co in Grand Junction, CO. They met while out on a Polaris RZR® ride, fell in love and years later opened a Polaris Adventures Center to share their love for riding with others. During this episode the Baker’s take the crew to some of the best side-by-side trails in the state.
• April 26 (Glamis North): Destination Polaris travels just north of Glamis for a ride with Rugged Radios and their crew. Riders can find some of the most breathtaking backdrops in the California desert and the team finds one location that is truly unforgettable.
• May 3 (Oregon): The Oregon Dunes provides incredible sites along the Pacific Ocean that almost no other place in the country can provide. Come alongside Destination Polaris to experience all that Oregon has to offer.
• May 10 (Assault Industries Project “X”): Destination Polaris gets an inside look at a custom RZR PRO XP built by Assault Industries. This top-of-the-line desert machine is sure to impress.
• May 17 (Alberta, Canada): The Canadian Rockies offer some of the best views and terrain in North America. Destination Polaris rides through the snow covered mountains to a World War II plane crash site and around one of the tallest peaks in Alberta.
• July 12 (Rugged Radios Project “X”): Over the years Rugged Radios have built some of the most iconic custom machines in the industry. This year, they went back to their offroad roots and built the ultimate desert machine.
• July 26 (PRP Seats Project “X”): Known for being the leader in off-road seats, PRP takes it to the next level by building a top of the line RZR PRO XP 4.
• August 2 (TMW Off-Road Project “X”): For years TMW Off-Road has been a leader in custom sand machines and this time it’s no different. They take a RZR XP 4 Turbo S and transforms it into the ultimate off-road machine.
For more information about Destination Polaris and to view each season episode visit www.destinationpolaris.com on April 5 or the Destination Polaris YouTube channel. Also, join the conversation and follow Polaris Off-Road on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
About Destination Polaris Destination Polaris is the #1 Off-Road TV Show in North America. Available in over 100 million homes in the US and Canada Destination Polaris is the premiere show to catch up on all the best riding spots, off-road racing and custom builds. From sand dunes to mountain peaks, canyon rides to mud pits, Destination Polaris is your authority for all terrain travel. Join hosts, Jared Christie and Alexa Score each week on Fox Sports Networks as they uncover the world's top riding destinations. Plus, Project 'X' turns an everyday machine into the biggest, baddest, UTV vehicles on the market.
Destination Polaris airs on Sundays at 11:30 AM on FOX Sports Networks and Tuesdays and Thursdays (check local listings).
About Polaris As the global leader in powersports, Polaris Inc. (NYSE: PII) pioneers product breakthroughs and enriching experiences and services that have invited people to discover the joy of being outdoors since our founding in 1954. With annual 2019 sales of $6.8 billion, Polaris’ high-quality product line-up includes the Polaris RANGER, RZR and GENERAL side-by-side off-road vehicles; Sportsman all-terrain off-road vehicles; Indian Motorcycle mid-size and heavyweight motorcycles; Slingshot moto-roadsters; snowmobiles; and deck, cruiser and pontoon boats, including industry-leading Bennington pontoons. Polaris enhances the riding experience with parts, garments and accessories, along with a growing aftermarket portfolio, including TransAmerica Auto Parts. Polaris’ presence in adjacent markets includes military and commercial off-road vehicles, quadricycles, and electric vehicles. Proudly headquartered in Minnesota, Polaris serves more than 100 countries across the globe. www.polaris.com.
This episode of Destination: Dirt follows Mitch, Blade and Seth as they begin preparations for the Dakar Rally, starting with a training session with rally raid legend Cyril Despres in the Pyrenees mountains. From there the trio jumps right into the fire, travelling to Saudi Arabia to begin the infamously grueling two-week long Dakar Rally. Despres and his co-driver, legendary explorer Mike Horn, participate in the race as well, while still providing mentoring/coaching for the young Americans. As Seth is only 17 and too young to compete, he provides moral support for the other two drivers before being called back to the United States to compete in the Parker 250 desert race in Arizona.
The Autonomous Work Vehicle is based on Honda’s proven all-terrain vehicle (ATV) chassis, built on a 30-year history of accessing hard-to-reach locations with its rugged four-wheel drive system. The prototype vehicle features GPS and sensor-based autonomy capable of guiding the unit in almost any environment, a rail accessory mount system for limitless accessories and attachments, and onboard power plug-ins. Its compact size and off-road capabilities make it highly maneuverable and perfect for a variety of locations, from dense forests to urban pedestrian zones. Further demonstrating its autonomy, the vehicle can be programmed in different modes – “Follow Me,” “Pattern,” and “A to B” – to accommodate a range of applications.
Since introducing the Autonomous Work Vehicle as a concept under the name 3E-D18 at CES 2018, Honda has worked with a variety of partners to beta-test and evaluate potential uses in a broad array of environments, including a large-scale solar operations company, wildland firefighting, and an agricultural research facility. Honda shared the results of these real-world tests at CES 2019.
Real-world testing with partners
Honda evaluated use cases for the Autonomous Work Vehicle in three different environments: a large-scale solar operations company in North Carolina, a wildland firefighting division in Colorado, and an agricultural and environmental sciences college in California. For the solar operations company – spread across 178 rural acres in North Carolina – vegetation management is one of its largest challenges to reliable and affordable energy generation. It currently uses both sheep and manual labor to keep the vegetation under control. In the real-world testing scenario, Honda equipped a tow-behind mower to the Autonomous Work Vehicle allowing it to remove weeds around the solar panels efficiently and safely. With its autonomous capability, the vehicle provided the solar operations company with a more consistent and faster solution to manage its vegetation. In Colorado, one of the biggest challenges for the division that manages wildland firefighters is the allocation of resources. Currently, firefighters carry approximately 60 pounds of equipment, including chainsaws and water packs, while navigating steep terrain. This arduous task often leaves firefighters fatigued before reaching the front lines of the fire. To relieve this physical strain, minimize injury and free up manpower, Honda installed a gear rack on the Autonomous Work Vehicle to transport supplies, equipment and water. By deploying the “Follow Me” mode, the vehicle autonomously followed the firefighters with their gear in tow. Working with an agricultural and environmental sciences college in California, the Honda Autonomous Work Vehicle supported the harvest of crops and spray applications. One of the largest challenges for a commercial operation is the strenuous and time intensive activity of quickly moving harvested crops from the field to packing operations. To address this challenge, Honda equipped the Autonomous Work Vehicle with a gear rack and crates so agricultural workers could more easily load and transport crops. When using the “A to B” mode, the vehicle efficiently transported the crops autonomously. The Autonomous Work Vehicle was also fitted with a variety of work implements, including a spraying application for weed and pest control. This real-world testing demonstrated the Autonomous Work Vehicle’s ability to save time and minimize the potential for injury to workers in the agriculture industry. As Honda R&D engineers continue development efforts on the Autonomous Work Vehicle, the company seeks to connect with partners to create accessories and attachments that will expand the machine’s potential uses, businesses that may have a need for the vehicle, and autonomy technology and sensor developers to further improve the platform’s off-road autonomy.
Source: Honda.com
