STURTEVANT, WI, October 16, 2002 - Bombardier Recreational Products' Team Evinrude delivered an outstanding performance at this year's season-ending Bassmaster Classic in Birmingham, Alabama, placing all three pros it entered among the top ten finishers, including the 2002 B.A.S.S. "Angler of the Year" Davy Hite.
"I feel the 'Angler of the Year' award is what you dream about as a fisherman," said Hite. "The fishermen consider it the prize in the sport and to come into this Classic with that momentum as sort of the number-one ranked guy going in, I loved it."
Hite, who also won the B.A.S.S. "Angler of the Year" in 1997, finished ninth, while Larry Nixon, 1993 Bassmaster Classic winner and a veteran of 23 Bassmaster Classics, finished fifth. David Walker finished third - for the second year in a row - but was pleased with his performance and thrilled with the Team Evinrude performance at the Classic.
"Last year, I lost two fish the second day that would have won the tournament," Walker said. "This Classic was a great deal of fun, and I'm totally satisfied with third because I know I did my best. Out of nine bass anglers on Team Evinrude, three of us qualified for this event, and all three of us placing in the top ten is just mind-blowing. When you are up against 52 of the best anglers in the sport, the competition is grueling."
Nixon, who seems to be a perpetual Bassmaster Classic participant, could not recall a more complete team performance. "With 52 entrants, it's downright amazing that all three of us made the top ten," Nixon said. "It has been a long time since we have seen a performance like this at a Classic."
"One of the biggest challenges is getting qualified to go to the Classic," Nixon added. "You need to be focused on catching fish all season. And with the Evinrude direct injection outboards that power our team, we never have to worry about engine performance out on the water. That lets us concentrate on catching limits of bass that keep us at the top of our game."
"What people don't always realize is that just one engine failure when you've got a good bag going can cost you 'Angler of the Year' or an entry into the Bassmaster Classic," Hite added. "The Evinrude engine definitely helped me become 'Angler of the Year' and got me to the Classic. Anyone can be a sponsor, but not all of them can ensure you finish, start after start. All year - and our year is based on finishing every event on the tournament trail and accumulating points - I didn't have a single engine failure."
"We are extremely pleased to have our team place so well at the Bassmaster Classic," said Robin L. Michael, Director, Communications, Boats & Outboard Engines Division. "It really says a lot about the high-caliber anglers we have on our team - they truly are some of the most talented fishermen in the sport of bass fishing. We are proud to have them represent Evinrude direct injection outboards."
Bombardier Recreational Products designs, develops, builds, distributes and markets utility vehicles, Rotax® engines, Ski Doo® and Lynx® snowmobiles, Bombardier® ATVs, Sea-Doo® watercraft and sport boats, Bombardier Fish Hawk fishing boats as well as Evinrude® and Johnson® outboard marine engines and Ficht® direct fuel injection technology.
Bombardier Inc., a diversified manufacturing and services company, is a world leading manufacturer of business jets, regional aircraft, rail transportation equipment and motorized recreational products. It also provides financial services and asset management in business areas aligned with its core expertise. Headquartered in Montréal, Canada, the Corporation has a workforce of some 80,000 people in 24 countries throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Its revenues for the fiscal year ended Jan. 31, 2002 stood at $21.6 billion Cdn. Bombardier trades on the Toronto, Brussels and Frankfurt stock exchanges (BBD, BOM and BBDd.F).