After a rather tightlipped ride on the trails of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Yamaha officials would say little about their new model line-up for 2011 other than a simple nod and a sly grin as we commented on the handling and performance characteristics of particular Apex looking models with their nomenclature and decals masked from view. 
    So being somewhat shrouded in secrecy and full disclosure of their entire new model line coming February 2, 2010, here is what we do know.
    The snowmobile in question for all intensive purposes looks every bit of a 2010 Apex. From the saddle we did notice however the ergonomics felt improved over what we felt was a too low seating position in relationship to the bars. In this age of rider forward designs, the Apex has lagged in this category and it appears the new Mystery Apex has addressed this by what we believe to be a higher seating position.
    Like all Yamaha models, the touch points and user interaction with the vehicle were Lexus like. The engine fires to life almost immediately with an unwavering staccato of four-stroke impulses. From the cadence the engine most certainly sounded of a four-hole variety, and later, upon completion of full-throttle burns across a closed course lake surface, the linear pull and wicked top-end almost certainly confirmed our assumptions.
    At trail speeds, the engine displayed some new traits we have not been accustomed to from the Yamaha breed. While already known for their linear four-stroke power, the mystery Yamaha laid down gobs of torque with what we would liken to an electric motor. No harsh hits or unusually downturns in pull. Instead the power comes on with the utmost level of predictability and stays that way till the belt reaches the bottom of the secondary.
    But engine aside, what really stood out was the steering and handling of the vehicle. To digress for a moment, Yamaha in our opinion continues to battle to stay out of the basement in the handling game. With an apparent weight penalty due to their exclusive use of four-stroke power coupled with unusual quirks in their front geometry, Yamaha snowmobiles have rarely been synonymous with light, predictable steering. But that could be changing.
    The steering in short was buttery, power smooth. Yeah that’s right, power smooth as in power steering. With electronic power steering playing  a major role in Yamaha’s all-terrain vehicles and with a patent on the application of power steering for a snowmobile, it appears Yamaha has employed the same type of technology to the snowmobile world.
    Benefits of such a system are numerous, not just in the ability to deliver easy steering effort to a vehicle that until now was fatiguing to drive on twisted trails, but even more so on the ability of Yamaha engineers to now dial up the bite and tweak the front suspension to deliver the cornering predictability we have been longing for. While we can only speculate what lurks under the cowl, the comfort, easy steering effort and much-improved handling were all there, assisted in part by what looked to be a new ski with a revised keel.
    We’ll know the ingredients for certain on February 2nd, when Yamaha unveils their 2011 line. At that time enthusiast will also be able to experience the newfound handling traits, as an extensive demo tour dubbed the Sno-Safari will commence. Details can be found at www.yamahademos.com

After stumbling January 9 at the International Series of Champions Amsoil Championship Snocross Series (ISOC ACSS) race in Sandy, Utah, losing for the first time in 16 starts, Tucker Hibbert stormed back with a vengeance and blazed to a Pro Super Stock win at the Air Force Canterbury National in Shakopee, Minnesota, on January 22.

Blistering through his two qualifying rounds, Hibbert was the top qualifier for the 20-lap Pro Super Stock final at the Canterbury Park horse racing track and gaming facility. In the final, Hibbert shot off the line with the holeshot and never looked back. He quickly opened up a lead over second-place rider Dan Ebert and third-place driver Brett Bender. On lap two, Ebert looked like he edged closer to Hibbert, but in subsequent laps Hibbert pulled away convincingly. The top three drivers held their positions throughout the race.

When Hibbert crossed the finish line he had lapped 10 drivers in the 15 driver field, and finished nearly 32 seconds ahead of Ebert on the .34-mile long course. The victory marked Hibbert's 52nd of his career and his 23rd win in his last 31 starts dating back to November 2007. Behind Hibbert, Pro rookie Ebert finished second earning his third ever Pro podium. Taking third was second-year Pro Bender. It's his second podium of the 2009-10 season.

In other news, Mike Schultz (pictured on the No. 5 Ski-Doo) returned to racing on the National snocross series since being injured in December 2008 and having his left leg amputated just above his knee. Competing in the Pro Plus 30 class on a prosthetic leg with a special knee he designed himself, Schultz started slow and found some trouble early in the six-lap race. He recovered in sixth place and charged up to fifth place at the finish.

In the Semi-Pro Open final, Logan Christian powered from a fifth-place start and moved all the way up to first place on lap 12 of the 15-lap final and took the win. Behind him, Justin Broberg took second and Dyan Martin took third. In the Pro Womens final, Carly Davis powered to a win and Kylie Abrahamson finished second.

The ISOC ACSS Air Force Canterbury National continues on January 23. Racing starts at 9 a.m. with the Main Event kicking off at 4 p.m.

On December 13, 2008, Mike Schultz's life changed forever. That day the longtime snocross racer crashed in a heat race at the Ironwood, Michigan, ISOC ACSS National severely injuring his left leg. After complications and three surgeries, his left leg was amputated just above the knee. About five weeks after the surgery, Mike was back riding his snowmobile, and was honored by ISOC at the BIR National in February 2009. In March 2009, he was given the ISOC True Grit award for his determination in the face of hardship.

A fabricator and tinkerer, the Pillager, Minnesota, resident wanted to resume snocross and riding his dirtbike, so he started designing his own prosthetic knee that could withstand the pounding of snocross and motocross. His first prototype was done in the spring and in the summer 2008, he competed in the Extremity Games and X Games Super X Adaptive motocross race, where he scored a silver medal. On January 2-3, 2010, more than a year after his accident, he competed in his first snocross race at the ISOC Minnesota Regional in Elk River, Minnesota. He is competing in the Pro Vets class at the Canterbury Air Force National and in the first-ever Adaptive Snocross race at the Winter X Games at the end of January. About two weeks before the Canterbury Air Force National, Sledder.net caught up with Schultz for an interview. Here's an excerpt of it. For the full interview, visit www.sledder.net.


When was the first time you got on your sled this year?
"I got a really late start this year being it was so warm for awhile. December 8 was the first time I got out on the track to do a little riding."

What was it like racing a snowmobile for the first time after your accident compared to racing motocross?
"Coming into it I was thinking it might be a little easier because it's a more stable platform but it's actually quite a bit harder than I thought because it takes a lot more body movement to control the machine. It's been pretty challenging trying to get my knee to work the way it needs to for me to be able to move back and forth on the machine."

What were your expectations for that race?
"I entered both Pro classes and my goal was just to keep up with them and that's what I was able to do. So it was a good first try."

Besides the ISOC Minnesota Regional, Canterbury Air Force National and Winter X Games, what other snowmobile races do you plan to do this winter?
"I'm thinking about doing a cross-country possibly, but I'm not saying for sure if it's going to happen or not. After the Winter X Games, I'd like to do another race or two. I'm scheduled a couple of riding clinics at Buffalo River Race Park [near Glyndon, Minnesota] we're working on in February. I'm going to try to get to another race but I've got these other things also."

What are some of the challenges you face racing snocross?
"In my mind I sure want to go faster than what my body can go. My pace is good – doubles, triples, I can do all that. The hardest part is trying to pound through a whoop section. Like I used to be able to skip through them and just pound into them. That I can't quite do. I'm not able to do that nearly as good as I could before."

What kind of adjustments have you had to make racing sleds?
"When I'm pounding through a whoop section I can get off balance pretty easy. I start bouncing off the machine. I can't quite react quick enough like I did before. My prosthetic side I can't have that as stiff as my sound side. When I pound into something hard the prosthetic side will give before my good side so it kinda throws me off balance. It's definitely tougher but things are going so much better than I thought they would."

You raced in the Pro classes at the ISOC MN Regional but are competing in the Pro Vets class at Canterbury National. Why?
"That's about the best place that I'll fit in as far as competition wise. I really wanted to run in the Pro classes but I'm just not quite up to that pace yet. I'm 28 so I'm close to that 30 mark."

Prior to this year, you competed at the Winter X Games five times. How do you think you'll do this year in Adaptive Snocross?
"I'm hoping I'm going to do pretty good since I have been a professional in the past. I'm really new at [adaptive snocross] but hopefully I'll be up on that box and get a medal."

What are your long-term racing ambitions?
"I'm not interested in going after championships or being a full-time professional racer anymore. It's just more or less trying to get back into doing the things I did before and see how good I can get and try to help out some other people along the way and develop prosthetic equipment that I need to ride again. It's kind of a whole bunch of things. I want to stay competing as long as I can but just kinda keep going to see what I can do."

You designed your own prosthetic knee. Do tell.
"This thing is totally custom from the ground up. How it all started I knew what I needed to do and I knew what I wanted to use as a shock so I developed the whole knee around the shock. I did all the blueprinting of it and the machining and everything. I worked on the blueprinting on it for about a month. The first prototype I worked on for a week in the shop before I could bolt it on and try it out. I bolted it on and right away it worked way better than I ever expected. I was able to hop on the dirtbike and rip off some pretty fast laps. I guess I did my homework pretty good before I started building it because the first prototype worked pretty well. I started working on it on March 25 and the first time I tried that first prototype was April 25."

What kind of shock is it?
"It's a Fox mountain bike shock. That thing is the perfect setup because it's super lightweight. It's an air shock so I can adjust it, so it's perfect for what I need it for. I've had a couple revisions to it from [April] but it's pretty much basically the same thing. I made an adjustable insert where the rollers go that are attached to the shock. I'm able to put different roller guides in there to adjust the progressiveness of the stroke of the shock. On the snowmobile side of it, I make it so it's real soft in the beginning and then really stiff in the middle and soft at the end so I can stay seated and it's not really fighting me to stand up unless I want to."

Word is that you want to bring the prosthetic knee to the market for others to utilize. Is that true?
"My goal is to have this thing fine tuned and be around on the market so other people can use it and do some of the things they’ve never been able to do. Somewhere along those lines is where my future is headed is working with that type of stuff and not only helping myself but get some other amputees out there doing the things I'm doing."

On his 22nd birthday, Lake Shore, Minnesota's Dan Ebert gave himself the ultimate birthday gift: a victory in the coveted United States Cross Country Racing Red Lake I-500.

Ebert overcame a third-place position after day two of the three-day, 500 mile race to take his first ever I-500 win. After the second day of racing, Arctic Cat rider D.J. Ekre was in the lead, just 22 seconds ahead of fellow Arctic Cat rider Cory Davis. Ebert was more than one minute behind the top two leaders.

On day three under cloudy skies, mechanical problems plagued Ekre and Davis crashed, ending their bids for an I-500 victory. That allowed Ebert to move up to the top spot, and to take the win. Ebert, an Arctic Cat rider who will compete next weekend at the International Series of Champions Amsoil Championship Snocross Series (ISOC ACSS) race at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota, and then in snocross at the Winter X Games on January 31, took the win in only his second appearance ever at the event. It's also Arctic Cat's first win in the grueling 500-mile race since Troy Taggart topped the box in 2001.

Behind Ebert, Polaris rider Gabe Bunke finished second and Arctic Cat rider Ryan Huston took third.



USCC
Red Lake I-500
Thief River Falls, MN
January 15-17, 2010

1. Dan Ebert (Cat) 8:11:35.371
2. Gabe Bunke (Pol) 8:13:42:290
3. Ryan Huston (Cat) 8:16:22:969
4. Cody Kallock (Cat) 8:27:43:946
5. Aaron Christensen (Pol) 8:32:20.999
6. Chad Lian (Cat) 8:33:20.420
7. Jesse Thelen (Pol) 8:33:36.338
8. Arne Rantanen (Cat) 8:38:24.748
9. Nick Roehl (Doo) 8:52:41.835
10. Brian Dick (Cat) 8:54:21.369

BRP is expanding its revolutionary E-TEC engine technology in Ski-Doo snowmobiles with the introduction of the much anticipated Rotax E-TEC 800R engine. This lightweight two-stroke engine uses sophisticated electronic injectors and a powerful central computer to deliver stunning improvements in performance, efficiency and ease-of-use. This engine debuts in a limited build 2010 Ski-Doo MX Z X-package sled.

Benefits of the 800R E-TEC engine include:
--horsepower exceeding the PowerT.E.K. 800;
--outstanding fuel economy: 19 mpg (12.3 l/100 km);
--great fuel range: 202 miles (325km); 
--increased oil economy: 264 miles/quart (450 km/l);
--virtually no smoke or smell;
--lower emissions than any other 800cc snowmobile on the market;
--first pull starts every time;
--super smooth, refined idle;
--significantly lighter throttle pull;
--automatic break-in function;
--automatic summerization function.

A limited number of black 2010 Ski-Doo MX Z X snowmobiles powered by the new engine will be available for purchase at North American BRP dealers in the next few days.

So consumers can experience this remarkable new engine, a demo tour of the Ski-Doo MX Z X 800R E-TEC sleds will be travelling the snowbelt for the remainder of the winter (a schedule of events is available on ski-doo.com). Plus, a handful of Summit E-TEC 800R models will be available as demonstration units.

BRP first introduced the E-TEC technology in its Evinrude outboard engines in 2003 and subsequently won the Clean Air Technology Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Adapted later on for Ski-Doo snowmobiles, it was first brought to the market in 2008 with the Rotax E-TEC 600 H.O. engine. Since then, it has become the industry’s best-selling 600cc engine and has won numerous industry awards.

Tucker Hibbert's winning streak is over. After 15 consecutive wins in the races he started in on the National snocross series, Hibbert finished seventh in the Pro Open final at Round 3 International of Series of Champions Amsoil Championship Snocross Series (ISOC ACSS) at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, UT, breaking his string of consecutive wins.

It's the first time he's finished worst than first since March 2008 when he took third at the Lake Geneva, WI, finale. That also is the same time when his perfect streak began. Back then, there were two rounds of Pro races held at the Lake Geneva event. Hibbert took third in Pro Open at Lake Geneva 1. At Lake Geneva 2, Hibbert swept the Pro classes, the start of his streak. In '08-'09, Hibbert had a perfect campaign, winning every Pro class final he entered, going a perfect 8-for-8. Hibbert started the '09-'10 season hot going 4-for-4 in the first two rounds on the National series. In Utah on January 9, he catapulted to his 15th straight win when he won the Pro Stock final.

But in the Pro Open final at the Western National in Utah, things changed. Mired in third off the start behind leader and first-year Pro Tim Tremblay and second-place rider Ross Martin, the top three led the parade of 15 total drivers around the .18-mile long track in the 22-lap final. The top three stayed in those positions until lap 14 when Hibbert tipped over in turn one. Hibbert remounted his sled in eighth and charged toward the front on the tight oval shaped track. He made his way up to seventh and that's where Hibbert finished.

"For the first time in a long time, I felt nervous on the track," Hibbert said. "I struggled to get comfortable and my race results reflected that. To be honest, I’m really upset about my performance in the Open final. I got stuck in third and couldn’t figure out how to make up any time on the guys in front of me. I would gain a little then lose a little. It was really frustrating. About halfway through the race, I made up my mind that I was going to win and put on a hard charge then tipped over. It was an awful feeling – laying there and knowing I was going to lose."

Hibbert had the jitters after seeing two riders get landed on in a qualifying race on the small oval track. With limited lines and passing, Hibbert's wife, Mandi, said after one heat race, Hibbert told her, "I'm going to get hurt today." He was scared, she said. Still, in Hibbert's last 30 starts dating back to the beginning of the 2007-08 season, he has 22 wins. In total, he has 51 total career victories, second most all time behind Blair Morgan.

Meanwhile, Pro rookie Tremblay celebrated his first Pro victory and his second ever Pro podium. Earlier in the day, the '08-'09 Semi-Pro Open points champion finished second in Pro Stock behind Hibbert.

“I’m living a dream right now, I can’t believe it. To get first place in the pros, I can’t believe it,” Tremblay said in a post-race interview as he stood on top of the podium. “I had great lines and I tried to put everything (together) to go fast, and it just worked good.”

Martin crossed the finish line in second, earning his fourth Pro podium in the '09-'10 season. Entering the Canterbury Air Force National, Martin had the second most Pro podiums behind Hibbert's five wins.

Taking third in Pro Open was Robbie Malinoski. Nursing a sore right shoulder from separating it just days before the Western Nationals, Malinoski was in fourth behind Hibbert and benefitted when Hibbert crashed. Finishing third in Pro Open at the Western Nationals marked Malinoski's first podium of '09-'10 and 19th career Pro podium overall.

Hibbert Wins Pro Stock
Earlier in Pro Stock, Hibbert led flag-to-flag in the 22-lap final, churning 21-second lap times on the .18-mile long track. But it wasn't all that easy to score the 15th straight National series win for the 25-year-old from Goodridge, Minnesota. Though he shot out to the lead off the start, about one-third of the way into the race, Matt Judnick and Ryan Simons tangled in a turn. Unable to separate their sleds, a third rider tangled with the carnage a few laps later creating a sort of road block in the turn. With about nine laps to go, Hibbert powered into that turn and found himself with no place to go but up and over the wreckage. He lost a few seconds but recovered to take the win.

“It was pretty wild man,” Hibbert said after the race. “Some sleds were stuck there the whole time, and I came around one lap and there was a third sled there and I didn’t know what to do, I just drove right into them. I thought I was done for sure, I said it to myself in my helmet.”

Behind Hibbert, Tremblay and Dan Ebert battled for second. On lap six, Tremblay passed Ebert for second and he and Ebert stayed in those positions for the remainder of the 22-lap final. A Pro rookie, it was Ebert's second Pro podium of the '09-'10 season.

Thomsen Scores 3rd Semi-Pro Win
First-year Semi-Pro rider Cody Thomsen collected his third class victory at the Western Nationals in Sandy, UT. He led flag-to-flag in the Semi-Pro Open final to notch his third win and fourth podium overall in the '09-'10 season. Finishing second was Dylan Martin, younger brother of Ross Martin, and in third was Willie Elam.



In Semi-Pro Super Stock 2, Andrew Lieders took the win, his second podium of the '09-'10 season. Logan Christian finished second and Thomsen took third. In Semi-Pro Super Stock 1, Judnick Racing's Mike Bauer took the top spot with Kyle Pallin in second and Chris Kafka in third.

Minto, ND (January 7, 2010) – One of the most grueling and heralded races in snowmobiling is set to take place in the fields, ditches, woods and rivers of the Red Lake Indian Reservation and areas surrounding Thief River Falls, Minn. This year’s I-500 will mark the 39th running of the race that is a brutal test of both man and machine. Spanning three days and encompassing 500 miles of terrain, the winner of the FXR Pro 600 class will receive a $10,000 cash payout and with USCC and manufacturer’s contingencies added the purse could total nearly $20,000.

“The Red Lake I-500 is the USCC’s flagship event,” said USCC President Pat Mach. “The payout, format and level of competition place it at the top of all snowmobile races.”

As it has since its inception, the field of racers will range from top factory-supported Pros to riders who enter the race simply for the adventure of it and to be able to say they raced the I-500. This year USCC expects the rider count to range from 110-125 and over 175 class entries are expected.

“The USCC grows every year and typically we see the most registrations at the I-500,” Mach said. “We had 88 riders at the I-500 last year and 150 riders at the first event in Grafton, ND, so it’s a safe bet we will see an increase in riders at the I-500, we’re expecting about 120.”

USCC expects to know roughly how many riders will be in the race by Monday, January 11 but is accepting registrations until Noon on Wednesday, January 13.

The race format will feature three days of racing with riders covering roughly 170 miles a day. Due to the course length each day, every rider will have to make a fuel stop much like a “splash and go” NASCAR fans see in car racing. Riders will make one loop and will not ride “laps” during the race. The course will be different at least one day with possibly a different course each day and, as in years past, much of it will follow ditches and rivers giving fans plenty of chances to see the action. Fans can get course maps at Seven Clans Casino in Thief River Falls as well as on the USCC Web site beginning Thursday night.

“We will keep the format and course routes a secret until the rider’s meeting Thursday night, the day before the race will begin,” said Mach. “This will help insure no one is out scouting the course trying to get an advantage on race day.”

All classes will have a cash payout but there are Trophy 600 and Trophy 85 classes which are intended for amateurs or first-timers and they come with a markedly cheaper entry fee ($150) and award trophies to the highest placing riders. Other entry fees are $490 for Pro classes and $440 for the rest of the classes in the field.

Some noteworthy riders who will be racing the Red Lake I-500 this year include:

- Cory Davis (Soldotna, AK; Arctic Cat), No. 160: Davis is a relative newcomer to USCC events having raced just three of them, but out of those three he has two Pro 600 class wins. He has never raced the I-500.

- Corey Davidson (Holt, MN; Polaris), No. 3: A three-time I-500 winner, Davidson is a wily veteran and finished third in last year’s I-500.

- D.J. Ekre (Shevlin, MN; Arctic Cat), No. 52: Ekre is blazing fast and is becoming more consistent. He finished second in last year’s I-500.

- Brian Dick (Thief River Falls, MN; Arctic Cat), No. 23: When he’s not working during the day as a Development Engineer at Arctic Cat, Dick is racing cross-country. He narrowly missed winning the I-500 in 2006.

- Nathan Titus (Nampa, ID; Yamaha), No. 2T: A former top cross-country racer out West and snocross champion, Titus is back on Yamaha and back racing cross-country. A veteran rider, time away from the genre will be his biggest hurdle.

- Gabe Bunke (Moorhead, MN; Polaris), No. 74: Bunke has raced every USCC event since the circuit was founded in 2003. He’s finished pretty much everywhere in the I-500 except first, including missing the win by less than a minute in 2004.

- Bryan Dyrdahl (Bagley, MN), No. 55: While he’s told friends he’s retired, he’s made no official announcement and some think he may show up to race the I-500. He’s won it five times in 2000, 2003, 2006, 2008 and 2009.

Fans can listen to a free live broadcast of the race by visiting www.usccracing.com. Racing starts at 10:00 a.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Fans can get USCC news by registering online for the USCC newsletter, The Course Marker, and also online via Facebook. For more info on the Red Lake I-500 and USCC racing visit www.usccracing.com.

Photo Courtesy of Tyler Matchwich/USCC Racing

Minnesota snowmobilers are reminded to ride safely and check conditions frequently in light of the current challenging trail conditions.

 “We encourage snowmobilers to get out there and enjoy the weather, but this sudden blanket of new snow is both a blessing and a curse,” said Les Ollila, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Northeast trails manager.  “In some areas, there is barely enough snow to groom.  In other areas, there is too much snow, which insulates the frozen ground and thaws out the swamps and creeks.”

Also, the first grooming runs are very slow and don’t set a firm base, Ollila, adds, and heavy grooming equipment is difficult to navigate in the current wet conditions.
 
To check current snow depths and state snowmobile (and ski) trail conditions, visit the DNR Web site at www.mndnr.gov .  At the bottom of the left column, click on Snow Conditions. Trail data is updated as conditions change. The majority of snowmobile trails are local club trails and this trail information is not on the DNR website. Local contact information is available at http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/snowmobiling/trailcontacts.html, or on
the back of the DNR Snowmobile Trails maps (one for each quadrant of the state - Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest).  Quad maps are available at DNR regional and area offices, the DNR headquarters in St. Paul, or by calling the DNR Information Center at 1-888-MINNDNR.