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Kody Kamm Starts Strong at ISOC Opener in Duluth

Press Release
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Polaris snocross racers earned three of six available Pro Open podium spots in the first two rounds of ISOC National racing at Duluth, Minnesota, Nov. 27-29, led by Kody Kamm (Hentges Racing), who finished third in the season opener on Saturday night, then held the lead from start to finish to win Sunday’s final.

In the Pro Lite class, Polaris racer Zak Mason (Team LaVallee) earned two top-five finishes, including a win in Sunday’s final, and in the Sport class, Polaris racer Jacob Yurk (Team Vermillion) won both of the weekend’s finals.

PRO OPEN: Kamm Reaches the Podium Twice

The lasting impression from the opening weekend of ISOC National racing was of Kody Kamm’s dominating victory in Sunday’s Pro Open final. He grabbed the holeshot and led all the way to the checkered flag.

“I got a great start in the final and I managed to ride a great race and stay in the lead the whole time with no mistakes,” he said on the podium after the race. He said he knew challengers were surging in the closing laps, but “I just tried to finish off strong and I got it.”

Kamm ran well all weekend on his Polaris Race Sled. He was the top qualifier for Saturday’s final, but he false-started and was sent to the back of the field for the restart. Yet he charged through the field and finished third, joining second-place finisher Kyle Pallin (Team LaVallee) on the podium.

Pallin and Ross Martin (Judnick Motorsports) got the weekend off to a great start on Friday night, when both advanced through a series of head-to-head elimination races in the Amsoil Dominator to qualify for the three-sled final. Pallin finished second in the Dominator and Martin took third.

Polaris racers who earned Top 10 finishes in Saturday night’s Pro Open final were: 2. Pallin; 3. Kamm; 5. Martin; 8. Corin Todd (Leighton Motorsports); 9. Petter Narsa (Hentges Racing); and 10. Ryan Springer (Carlson Motorsports). Polaris racers with Top 10 finishes in the Sunday final were: 1. Kamm; 5. Pallin; 6. Todd; 7. Martin; and 10. Narsa.

After two rounds of ISOC National Pro Open racing, nine Polaris racers are in the top 20 in points. Kamm leads the way and is just 1 point out of first place: 2. Kody Kamm; 3. Kyle Pallin; 6. Ross Martin; 9. Corin Todd; 11. Petter Narsa; 12. Ryan Springer; 15. Colby Crapo (Huber Motorsports); 16. Trevor Leighton (Leighton Motorsports); and 19. Andrew Lieders (Lieders Racing).

PRO LITE: Mason Wins & Muller Takes Third

Polaris racers Zak Mason and Travis Muller (Cottew Motorsports) finished in the top five in both of the weekend’s Pro Lite finals, with Mason winning on Sunday and Muller finishing third to reach the podium. In Sunday’s final, Mason grabbed the holeshot, fell back to third, then pounced when the leaders got tangled up, and he ran away with the win.

After two rounds of racing, Mason is second In Pro Lite points, Muller is third, and Polaris racer James Johnstad (Cottew Motorsports) is eighth.

SPORT CLASS: Yurk Sweeps With Pair of Wins

Polaris racer Jacob Yurk, who finished second in ISOC National Sport-class points last season, got the new season off to a tremendous start by winning both of the weekend’s Sport finals at Duluth. In the first final, Polaris racer Nickolas Lorenz (Lorenz Racing) earned a spot on the podium with a third-place finish.

Yurk leads the Sport points race after two rounds, and is joined in the top 10 by three Polaris racers: 4. Nickolas Lorenz; 6. Jake Geeseman (Wollenberg Motorsports); and 10. Evan Daudt (Daudt Racing).

PRO-AM CLASSES: Tate Takes Third in Only Snocross Event

In the Pro-Am +30 class final at Duluth, Polaris racer Justin Tate (2-Eight Motorsports) finished third in what will likely be his only snocross race of the season. He focuses on cross-country racing on his Polaris AXYS Race Sleds on the USXC circuit, which starts its season in December.

In the Pro-Am Women’s final, four Polaris racers finished in the top eight: 2. Elina Ohman (Team Southside Polaris); 4. Signe Braten (Team Southside Polaris); 6. Amanda Duitsman (Plaisted Racing); 7. Markki Farmer (Fort Fremont Racing); and 8. Jennifer Martel.

The next race on the ISOC National schedule is the Makita Snocross National in Fargo, North Dakota, December 11-12.

VINTAGE FEVER

Kent Lester
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VINTAGE FEVER

The vintage sled phenomenon has been growing like wildfire the last few years.

Mining the internet for leaf spring sleds has become a pastime for more and more enthusiasts of all ages.

You’d think it would be the “old guys,” those who actually owned these sleds back in the sixties and seventies who would be the most avid in their search for good vintage iron. It is true; many snowmobilers who owned those classics back in the day would love to return to their roots and find a “perfect” example of what they rode decades ago just to revisit the thrill of snowmobiling like they experienced at first.

What’s really interesting is the number of younger people – those in their twenties, thirties and early forties – who are out there looking, too. Remember, even a person in their forties was just a kid when the last “leafers” rolled off the assembly lines, so it’s unlikely they actually owned a new one back then.

Maybe it’s because they inherited one from a parent or picked up a used one when they started snowmobiling – hard to tell. It’s curious, though, how many of these younger vintage buyers will confess they had never owned or even ridden a leaf spring sled but got into it because a friend had bought one and they just loved the idea of riding something so raw-boned and unique.

Our crew at Supertrax are a great example. Our garage has been infested with a herd of leafers the last couple of years – ancient TNTs, a Scorpion, a Snow Cruiser, several Sno-Jets, a Moto-Ski and most recently, a Yamaha ET-250.

Our younger team members are the ones doing the restoring and refurbing and, yes, the riding. Interestingly, these guys are learning more about snowmobile clutching, 2-stroke rebuilding and track and skid revitalizing than they ever learned from riding our up-to-date press fleet. It’s what they’re loving.

For over a decade the industry has been concerned about the average age of snowmobilers getting older and new, younger enthusiasts not growing commensurate with the ones leaving the sport because of old age.

It seems to us, the simplicity and accessibility of these old sleds is generating a whole crowd of young enthusiasts. It’s as simple as being able to pop open the hood and do your own tuning and maintenance yourself.

Maybe, in the big picture, we’re missing something.

Get Ready to Go Snowmobiling Ontario Week

Press Release
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The Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) and its member clubs are celebrating the $1.7 billion annual economic impact of snowmobiling in Ontario and the coming sledding season during Get Ready to Go Snowmobiling Ontario Week, November 24 to 30.

Following a 30% participation increase over the past two seasons, this year’s celebration starts with a robust 12% increase in pre-November 1st permit sales.


Get Ready to Go Snowmobiling Ontario Week invites more people to discover the family fun of organized snowmobiling, plus its many social, health and recreational benefits. In addition, Get Ready Week is the cue for snowmobilers to prepare their sleds and gear, and to start planning their Ontario rides.

This is possible because club volunteers are hard at work during Get Ready Week clearing, preparing and signing over 30,000 kilometres of OFSC trails to make them available when snow conditions allow. As well, Get Ready Week marks the final days that Seasonal and Classic Snowmobile Trail Permits are available at pre-December 1st savings by shopping online at permits.ofsc.on.ca or in a local retail outlet.

25 Snow Tours: The OFSC is promoting 25 snow tours located across the province to make snowmobiling even more accessible and enjoyable. These turnkey routes are specially selected to boost winter tourism by making it easy for riders of every experience level to enjoy unique snowmobiling adventures while visiting new destinations.

Interactive Trail Guide: The OFSC Interactive Trail Guide features the most accurate and up to date display of the entire OFSC trail network available anywhere. This popular online tool enables OFSC snowmobilers to plan their rides and view the latest colour-coded trail status updates (Red = Trail Not Available; Yellow = Limited Availability; Green = Trail Available.) It also showcases the routes of the 25 Snow Tours.

Early Season Priority (ESP) Trails: Snowmobilers looking for their first ride of the season can find it on ESP Trails. These OFSC trails on old logging roads, abandoned rail lines, utility corridors and unassumed road allowances will signal their early limited availability by turning from red to yellow on the OFSC Interactive Trail Guide as soon as they are ready to ride.

Mobile Apps & Routable GPS: Ontario snowmobilers can check trail status from their smart phones by downloading the latest version of the OFSC trail network with the iSnowmobile Mobile App for Apple or Android. Snowmobile Ontario 1 routable versions of the OFSC provincial trail system are also available for Garmin GPS units.

The Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) is a volunteer led not for profit association that provides the voice for organized snowmobiling in the Province of Ontario.

This season, Get Ready to Go Snowmobiling Ontario Week also celebrates many OFSC initiatives, sure to help make memorable experiences all winter long, which can be found online at ofsc.on.ca

FINAL SIX FIRST ROUND NOMINEES POSTED!

Staff Report
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North America’s Top Snowmobiler Competition Posts Round 4 Nominees!

CLICK HERE right away and check out the Round 4 nominees just posted.

There are six new, interesting, exciting and gutsy nominees looking for your vote so they can move on to the quarter finals and become North America’s Top Snowmobiler!

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS

We now have 9 finalists from the three first rounds – by December 3rd we will have all 12 finalists ready to go into the quarter finals. The tension is building as the nominees in each round have progressively been expanding their social media networks – netting tens of thousands of votes!

The last six nominees are posted right now! Only three will go on to the quarter finals!

VOTE OFTEN

When you vote for your fave nominee once a day, every day! You’re automatically entered in draws for amazing prizes! Stuff like Woody’s Traction Kits, Superclamp Vouchers, EPI Clutch and Belt kits, BV2S Helmets and crazy cool Makita Power Tool sets. We’re giving tons of this stuff away every week and you can win simply by voting often!

THE QUARTER FINALS ARE TWO WEEKS AWAY

In just two weeks beginning December 4th we will post the six top finalists from rounds one and two – their names are at the bottom of the voting page at supertraxmag.com/nats. Get ready to vote for your fave nominee to win the North America’s Top Snowmobiler Contest!

Vote now at supertraxmag.com/nats!

YAMAHA’S NEW 1000 TRIPLE

Kent Lester
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YAMAHA’S NEW 1000 TRIPLE

If you’ve been keeping up with what’s going on in the off-road business you may already know that Yamaha has a 998cc version of the 1049cc triple used in the Viper.

The company claims the engine is “completely different than the 1049” but viewing the photos we’ve seen of the two engines and on observation of the real flesh and blood YXZ press unit we had access to a few weeks ago, we’d swear the engine’s external dimensions and head design are pretty much identical.


To be fair, we’d certainly concur its inner dimensions and construction are quite different than the engine presently used in the Viper, including its crankshaft, cam specs, piston and rods. Enough about that.

Yamaha says this new 998 twin-cammer makes somewhere around 107 to 110-hp using EFI and no turbo. After driving it, we have no doubt those estimates are accurate.

This is a high revving, responsive mill that churns power seamlessly up to its 10,500-rpm redline. Since the YXZ uses a gear-on-gear tranny, there may be some questions as to whether it would need fine-tuning to work with a CVT – but we think Yamaha may be working on the availability of a CVT-equipped YXZ down the road, anyway.

Our big question is: Is this engine ever going to make it into a snowmobile? If Yamaha has been looking over the fence at what Ski-Doo is accomplishing with sales of its 900 ACE, it makes sense that some version of this engine would fit the same market. Maybe a mid-market range 105-hp Yamaha powered Viper, priced to appeal, would be a big seller and open up even more space in showrooms for Yamaha.

Another possibility would be that Yamaha would use this engine for a production turbocharged Viper. Power in the 160-170 range could easily be obtained with a liter of displacement and it should be noted that Polaris’ off-road RZR turbo (925ccs) actually has 75ccs less displacement than its naturally aspirated 1000 parallel twin.

We think there’s credibility with this guesstimate as it seems inevitable the YXZ will eventually be factory turbocharged to match Can-Am and Polaris’ pressurized offerings.

WHAT TRACK LENGTH IS BEST?

Kent Lester
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WHAT TRACK LENGTH IS BEST?

When it comes to handling, one of the biggest doubts buyers shopping 137-inchers have is whether or not they’re going to lose the razor sharp handling a short tracked sled provides.

If you’ve ridden both lengths back-to-back on similar models, you have to admit there is a bit of a difference on tight trails and riders usually need to compensate with a bit more body-english in the corners and use more aggressive skis. However, the ride benefits, even on groomed trails, are well worth the extra investment in a 137.


The question has been made even more indelible because of the almost industry-wide conversion from 120-inch sleds to 129s. The extra nine inches of track is nearly imperceptible on the snow and we’d have to say handling is just not compromised at all. The increase only amounts to about 3 extra inches actually contacting the snow with a 129, but it’s closer to 6-inches with a 137.

We’ve found 137-inch handling is easiest to adapt to when the skis and particularly the carbide runners are new and sharp.

First ride of the year, you’ll notice less difference than later on when the runners are more worn and there’s less bite to arc the track out of its straight-ahead momentum on initial turn-in.

One way to work on this is to use a Bite-Harder sharpening tool to keep your carbides honed – especially if you’re riding hard-pack a lot or running on icy trails.

Most riders tell us, for mainstream riders who aren’t running flat-out all day, the handling response with the 137 is completely adequate and not a problem. It’s only at the extreme limits of riding you can notice any difference. The extra floatation definitely makes any compromise worth it.

We’re also wondering if the industry’s move to 129-inchers will stem the demand for 137s after this year. Long-tracked sleds have been freight-training through showrooms the last three years.

Arctic Cat Dream Ride Giveaway Contest Build – PART 3

SnowTrax TV
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AJ starts working on our M 8000 Limited project build for the Arctic Cat Dream Ride Giveaway contest.

This sled will be completely upgraded with parts from Cat’s online catalog as well as all the 2016 updates including clutches, front end and the 3-inch lug Camoplast track.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel!

ROUND 3 NOMINEES ARE NOW LIVE!

Staff Report
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The third round of North America’s Top Snowmobiler Nominees have been posted and their videos are running right now!

Watch the teaser video introducing the six new North America’s Top Snowmobiler nominees! Pick your nominee and cast your vote – today! Vote once a day – every day for your fave nominee.

VOTERS ARE WINNING SWEET SWAG!

Every time you vote you’re entered in a draw for amazing prizes – no keychains or coffee mugs here – just great stuff like BV2S Helmets, Makita Power Tool Sets, EPI Clutch Kits, Woody’s Traction Products and Superclamp accessories!

Each week we’re awarding prizes to lucky voters all across North America so vote daily!

THINK YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES?

Nomination entries will close this weekend, but there’s still time right now to step up and be a contestant by nominating yourself in the North America’s Top Snowmobiler Competition.

Go to to supertraxmag.com/nats and click on the box in the top right of the voting page where it says, “Nominate Yourself for Round 4 of Voting”.

Get out your iPhone, video camera, or mobile device and tell us why you should be North America’s Top Snowmobiler!

WHAT IF YOU’RE RIGHT ABOUT YOURSELF?

What if you are North America’s Top Snowmobiler and you haven’t entered? You’ll miss a chance to win your choice of a brand new 2017 Ski-Doo Snowmobile and an all expense paid trip to Club Ski-Doo this winter!

Get voting right now and you’ll be entered to win great prizes. Nominate yourself right now and you could win the Grand Prize – a new 2017 Ski-Doo of your choice!

Go to SUPERTRAXMAG.COM/NATS right now!

Congratulations to ROUND 2 winners Ryan Jensen, Pierre Luc Dorion and Ashley Glover! You rocked it!

ARCTIC CAT’S NEW 800

Kent Lester
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ARCTIC CAT’S NEW 800

We’ve been speculating for a couple of years about an all-new 800 2-stroke from Arctic Cat.

You’ve been pretty rabid about it and there’s lots of guessing going on.


Whether or not this engine is ready for the next model year, we just don’t know – but here’s a lists of things we do know:

1. Arctic Cat’s relationship with Suzuki is different than it was three years ago when the 600 DSI was introduced to the press. At that time, Arctic Cat had made it very clear the Suzuki engine supply agreement was coming to a close and alternate sources were being investigated.

The time limit has passed and Cat is still using a number of Suzuki engines: The EFI 800, 500 2-stroke and the 570 fanner, also the 1056cc 4-stroke used in the Turbo and the 5000 Series are all Suzukis. Apparently there was an extension agreement drawn up and these engines are still found in the Cat stable – for how long we don’t know.

2. Arctic Cat has established a strong engine supply relationship with Yamaha and Kymco over the past few years. Without question, using the 1049cc Yamaha triple in its ProCross variations was a huge and positive move for Cat. It also looks like the Kymco 700cc twin Cat is using this year is a winner. Will either of these companies build Cat’s next 2-stroke? Doubt it.

3. Arctic Cat’s engine plant in St. Cloud, Minnesota has more capacity to build more engines and the quality that is coming out of that factory is impeccable – actually patterned to exceed what is available from both European and Asian engine builders. Case in point is that all DSI 600s have been built there from the beginning.

4. Any new 2-stroke will likely have slot injection, DSI construction and will be built in Cat’s own factory in St. Cloud.

5. It’s not always as easy as building a bigger displacement version of another engine (ie. An inflated DSI 600). Anyone who has owned or ridden an E-TEC Ski-Doo knows those two engines are completely different and both their longevity and their performance is on a very different scale.

Since a Cat 800 will have to step up and meet both Ski-Doo and Polaris performance-wise (actually, likely exceed them) right out of the gate, this engine will require much fine-tuning, testing and validation before it is released. Thus the 3-year wait so far.

6. Does Cat have a new 800? You bet it does. Will it be available soon? It may still be in the validation stages and who knows how long that will take? It could be years. Meanwhile, the existing 800 continues to perform well, has a very good reliability record and with new TEAM clutches this year, will be able to hold off the competition.

That’s all we know.

ANOTHER PRIZE AWARDED…KEEP ON VOTING!

Staff Report
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ANOTHER PRIZE AWARDED…KEEP ON VOTING!

Aline Mazerolle just won a Makita Tools 18V LXT Lithium-Ion 4-Pc Combo kit for casting a vote for North America’s Top Snowmobiler!

Go to supertraxmag.com/nats

‪#‎NATScontest15‬ ‪#‎skidoo‬ ‪#‎makita‬

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    SNOWTRAX has established itself as the most watched snowmobile TV series in North America.
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