The sled was introduced before a large crowd of racing and riding enthusiasts at Haydays, the annual Lino Lakes, MN, swap meet and grass drag that serves as an early start to winter.

The new 440 IQ combines all the traits Polaris racers are looking for in a race sled: it’s lightweight yet extremely tough and durable; it has long-travel front and rear suspension that can endure rough race tracks and corner well; and it has a racer-friendly ergonomics package that can be adjusted to accommodate all racers’ riding styles.

“We are extremely excited about what our sled development team has come up with and I know our racers can’t wait to get on the track in Duluth,” said Team Polaris Racing Manager Tom Rager, Sr., referring to the site of the season opener in late November.

Polaris Snowmobile Product Manager Craig Wilfahrt said the 440 IQ has shown durability and strong performance in every form of testing.

“Just as our 900 Fusion consumer sled is purpose-built for trail performance, the 440 IQ is purpose-built to withstand the punishment of snocross tracks and deliver consistently strong power and great handling,” Wilfahrt said. “We had racers such as our pro star DJ Eckstrom run open mod units in Open Class races late last season and the sleds performed extremely well. They withstood all the rigors of racing and we followed that with a full off-season of successful testing in the field and in test labs. The 440 IQ is ready to go racing.”

In addition, many top Polaris racers played a key role in the design and development of the 440 IQ by providing valuable input throughout the engineering process.

Unlike past race build efforts, the 440 IQ is truly an engineered race sled, with literally years of development incorporated into its design. Built upon the same intelligently designed IQ Chassis as found on the 2005 900 Fusion™ and 900 RMK™, the 440 IQ features a host of technological advancements designed to put it at the front of the pack. The IQ chassis was developed with a fresh approach to building the most-sophisticated and best-performing snowmobile possible.

The 440 IQ race sled is light, strong and well-balanced thanks to a centralized mass design philosophy. This puts the chassis’ center of gravity low and toward the middle of the sled to create a balance that promotes efficient power delivery to the track and allows the suspensions to deliver optimum performance.

The race sled’s IQ rear suspension has an amazing 14-inches of travel and is designed to withstand impact from big jumps and to get the track hooked up and driving instantly after landings.

The IQ IFS™ (Independent Front Suspension) has 11 inches of travel and is equipped with premium Walker Evans race shocks for consistently outstanding performance. These shocks have remote oil reservoirs to promote cooling during hard racing, and they have 16-position adjustability so riders can dial in their suspension to suit their riding styles and race conditions.

Polaris racers will benefit from Polaris-exclusive Rider Select™ ergonomics, which are also found on the 900 Fusion and 900 RMK. The centerpiece of the ergonomics package is the Rider Select steering system in which the steering post can be adjusted to a variety of positions. While not a quick adjust push button system as found on the 900 Fusion and 900 RMK, the 440 IQ does offer a host of bar positions to suit different riders and different riding styles.

The Rider Select ergonomics of the 440 IQ also provide racers with free range of movement. The race sled has a narrow tunnel, wide floorboards, a two-stage seat with a tapered top section and a smooth-faced console. The engine recoil handle is positioned in the center of the console to accommodate both left- and right-handed racers.

The 440 IQ gets its checkered flag power from a Polaris Liberty™ 440 engine that produces 6% more midrange and peak horsepower than last season’s 440. This engine has an all-new crankcase, oversized intakes, premium V-Force reeds and a patented Polaris Dragon ignition system. The engine has a down-draft air box and a high-flow exhaust manifold feeding into a ceramic-coated pipe.

Stopping power is provided by a new Cyclone master cylinder coupled to a returning Phantom brake with a dual-piston caliper.