The Grand Prix Ski-Doo of Valcourt is almost at our doorstep, and in 35 days, thousands of fans will invade the legendary Circuit Yvon Duhamel to hear the exciting sounds of snow machines battling it out for top honours. For its 33rd edition, the organizers are promising adrenalin rushes beyond imagination.

Snowmaking and Racetracks Construction

Thanks to Mother Nature, the Grand Prix technical team is hard at work with snowmaking machines producing more than enough of the white stuff to build quality racetracks designed to exceed the expectations of competitors. The ground crew has already spent over 330 hours making 10,894 cubic metres of snow to build the foundations of the snocross track. Additionally, our water tank truck has made 460 trips to water down the ice oval rink that has now reach a thickness of 12 inches, which is 50% of the thickness for a mirror-like ice track.

Third Edition of the Triple Crown

Snocross riders will once again face-off in the grand finale of the third Triple Crown Edition on Friday, February 20, 2015 at the Grand Prix Ski-Doo of Valcourt. The last of the three rounds of competitions will see American and Canadian riders trying to win the Marcel Fontaine trophy. To be eligible to run in the final segment in each of the three classes, competitors will have to take part in the first two preliminary rounds held earlier in January.

Athletes ready to show off on the oval track

Jacques Villeneuve fans were delighted when he announced his return to the Grand Prix of Valcourt following his cancer diagnosis. The veteran has been hard at work getting his Ski-Doo upgraded for the big event. But Villeneuve will not be the only Quebec competitor to fight for top honours against American stars such as Nick Van Strydonk, Dustin Wahl and Marc Chartier, in the Pro Champ 440 Class. Jason Lavallée, Circuit Pro Tour defending champion, and rising star Sabrina Blanchet, one of the two Grand Prix ambassadors, also intend mix it up with the top riders.

A snocross track

Snocross riders will renew with the fast and demanding track that was redesigned last year by the technical department of the Grand Prix. The new layout will once again feature a series of three triple jumps and three double jumps that showcases the riders’ abilities to the crowd, which benefits from a clear view of all the on-track action. Quebec rider Danny Poirier, the East Coast Snocross defending champion and co-ambassador of the Grand Prix, will be looking to win the Pro Class Grand Prix of Valcourt trophy for his first time ever.

PRESS CONFERENCE

The organizers of the 33rd edition of the Grand Prix of Valcourt invite the media to its annual press conference that will be held January 28 at 10:30 a.m. at the J.Armand Bombardier Museum in Valcourt.

ADVANCE SPECIAL PRICE TICKET SALES WILL SOON COME TO AN END

Until February 1, 2015, fans can still buy three-day general admission tickets at the discount pre-event price of $45 or pay only $120 for a three-day trackside heated suites pass. Tickets are available online at grandprixvalcourt.com. Following the end of the pre-event sales period, tickets will be available at the regular price of $55 for general admission and $145 for the heated suite package. All offers include taxes.

The Snowmobile Manufacturers through ISMA are excited to partner with the organized snowmobiling community and the many snowmobile associations and clubs who support snowmobiling throughout North America.

The unique partnership between the snowmobile manufacturers and the snowmobile community is now over 40 years old and has grown since the inception of the Go Snowmobiling promotion 6 years ago.

The Campaign is designed to encourage the associations to work with their local snowmobile clubs, Visitors and Convention Bureaus, and other interested parties in developing and holding snowmobile demonstration rides this winter.

The snowmobile riding events may be held any time between January 1 – March 31, 2015.

The contest encourages the development and expansion of relationships that clubs and associations have with Visitors and Convention Bureaus, the media, and the related snowmobile businesses: dealers, restaurants, gas stations, banks, resorts, etc.

Research shows us that many individuals who do not presently snowmobile are very interested in “giving it a try.” Over 80% of all citizens look very favorably toward a fun snowmobiling winter experience. Our research firm, interviewing thousands of non-snowmobilers across North America, discovered that when asked, non-snowmobilers will rate their interest in going snowmobiling on a scale of 1 – 10 as high as a 9 rating. Those of us who have participated in taking friends snowmobiling know there are miles of smiles from those that we invite to join us and a good time is had by all. Very often our snowmobiling family expands as new riders purchase their first new or used snowmobiles as a result of our invitation to try snowmobiling for their own family fun in the winter.

We encourage all clubs and associations to participate in this fun and profitable contest. We encourage snowmobilers to welcome non-snowmobilers to enjoy snowmobiling and the great scenery, friendship, and fun that we all enjoy during the winter months.

All snowmobile clubs are encouraged to participate in the Take a Friend Snowmobile events and support their state or provincial snowmobile association in helping make their organizations grow and prosper.

An Action Manual containing some great ideas on holding a ride event can be found on the GoSnowmobiling.org website.

All participants are welcome and encouraged to post photos of their events on our www.Facebook.com/GoSnowmobiling Facebook page along with some brief written points telling us some details about the ride.

Our Facebook page is now close to 7000 likes and is growing rapidly. Come join us!

Bunke Racing launched into the snowmobile enduro racing season in winning style as co-drivers Gabe Bunke and Aaron Christensen teamed up to win the Kinross (Mich.) Lions Club 500 on January 10.

They led a Polaris sweep of the top three spots, and the victory put the Bunke Racing team in the lead in both Midwest International Racing Assn. (MIRA) points and in the No Bull Triple Crown competition.

The 500-lap Kinross race was trimmed to 400 laps because of darkness, and the winning Bunke Team was one of just four teams to complete all 400 laps.

They won by just over 3 seconds ahead of the Team Blu Polaris sled raced by Cardell Potter and James Hicks. Finishing third, 12 seconds behind the Bunke sled, was the Hoos Racing Polaris piloted by Tyler Nickel and Cody Bauer.

The Hoos Racing entry had qualified fastest and started on the pole, while Team Blue started second, and the winning Bunke Racing sled started 17th.

The top three Polaris teams ran near the front of the field for most of the race, but their positions changed significantly over 400 laps. On Lap 154, for instance, Team Blue led, Bunke Racing was one lap back in fifth place, and Hoos Racing was in ninth, three laps behind the leader.

Bunke and Christensen are the three-time defending champions of the premier event in enduro racing, the Soo I-500, which is the second race in the No Bull Triple Crown. The winners of the new Triple Crown series will be determined by their finishes in three enduro races: The Kinross 500, the Soo, and the Michigan Cat 500 in Lincoln, Michigan. The Soo will be run on Feb. 7 in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and the Cat 500 will be held Feb. 21.

The Triple Crown purse totals $30,000, with the winners guaranteed to win at least $15,000.

With the Kinross win, Bunke Racing lead in MIRA points with two points races to go: The Caro (Michigan) 150 on January 24-25, and the Cat 500. The Soo I-500 is a non-points race.

Polaris is a recognized leader in the powersports industry with annual 2013 sales of $3.8 billion. Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets innovative, high quality off-road vehicles, including all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and the Polaris RANGER and RZR side-by-side vehicles, snowmobiles, motorcycles and on-road electric/hybrid powered vehicles.
Polaris is among the global sales leaders for both snowmobiles and off-road vehicles and has established a presence in the heavyweight cruiser and touring motorcycle market with the Victory, Indian Motorcycle and Slingshot brands. Additionally, Polaris continues to invest in the global on-road small electric/hybrid powered vehicle industry with Global Electric Motorcars (GEM), Goupil Industrie SA, Aixam Mega S.A.S., and internally developed vehicles. Polaris enhances the riding experience with a complete line of Polaris Engineered Parts, Accessories and Apparel, Klim branded apparel and ORV accessories under the Pro Armor and Cycle Country brands. Polaris Industries Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PII”, and the Company is included in the S&P Mid-Cap 400 stock price index.

Information about the complete line of Polaris products, apparel and vehicle accessories are available from authorized Polaris dealers or anytime at polaris.com.

Team Arctic proved their depth and excellence at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn., winning 8 of 16 classes and capturing 18 of 48 podium finishes at the third stop of the 2014-2015 ISOC National Snocross tour.

In a stunning display of class leadership and ZR 6000R SX excellence, Team Green captured victory in both Pro Lite finals and both Sport finals in addition to sweeping the podium in Sport and Transition.

Corey Watkinson and Tyler Adams each scored their first respective win in Pro Lite, with Watkinson taking the win on Friday and first-year Pro Lite racer Adams taking the win on Saturday.

Their solid finishes launch them straight into the season-long championship title chase. Montana Jess did the double at Canterbury, taking both Sport class wins along with a commanding lead in the point chase.

Other Team Arctic class winners at Canterbury Park included Trent Wittwer (Amateur), Ryley Bester (Jr. Novice), Brandon Nelson (Transition) and Tucker Haala (Champ 120).

In the Pro Open class, Team Arctic’s Tucker Hibbert fell just shy of scoring his 100th Pro National victory, taking a second and fourth during the weekend while extending his point lead and earning top-qualifier honors both days. He was joined by the next top qualifier, Logan Christian, who scored a 5th and 10th respectively.

“Our team proved their depth across the entire range of classes,” said Mike Kloety, Team Arctic Race Manager. “To win half of all finals – including sweeping the Pro Lite and Sport classes – highlights the skill and dedication of our racers and teams, as well as the strength of our consumer-based ProCross race chassis.”

The next stop on the 2015 ISOC National tour is Jan. 30-31, 2015, at in Deadwood, SD, following the ESPN X Games on Jan. 25.

Arctic Cat Inc., based in Thief River Falls, Minn., designs, engineers, manufactures and markets all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and snowmobiles under the Arctic Cat brand name, as well as related parts, garments and accessories. Its common stock is traded on the NASDAQ National Market under the ticker symbol ACAT.

More information about Arctic Cat and its products is available on the Internet at arcticcat.com.

Polaris snocross racers dominated ISOC National racing Jan. 9-10 at Shakopee, Minn., as Ross Martin (Judnick Motorsports) and Kyle Pallin (Team LaVallee) each won one of the weekend’s two Pro Open finals and Polaris racers finished first and third in both races.

Kody Kamm (Hentges Racing) took third to reach the podium as Martin won on Friday, and Martin earned a second podium spot with a third-place finish when Pallin won on Saturday.

Polaris racers earned 66% of the weekend’s Pro Open podium spots and five Polaris racers finished in the top 10 in both finals. After six rounds of ISOC National racing, there are five Polaris racers in the top 10 in Pro Open points, including Pallin in second, Kamm in fourth, and Martin – who has reached the podium in three straight finals – rising to sixth place in points after starting the Shakopee weekend in 10th.

Pro Open: Pallin Gets Milestone Win as Polaris Sweeps

In Friday night’s Pro Open final at Shakopee, Ross Martin battled for the holeshot, came out of the first turn in second, then flew into the lead by the end of the first lap and never looked back. He built up a lead of around 8 seconds at one point as he claimed his first victory of the season.

“Unbelievable. This is where I belong,” Martin said from atop the podium at Canterbury Park after the race. “My confidence is back and I’m going for it… Canterbury’s always been good to me. The team worked so hard over the break getting my sled set up to where I want it and it all came together tonight. We just had to get this done.”

Kamm finished third on Friday, Pallin took sixth, Jake Scott (Team LaVallee) finished seventh, and Corin Todd (Leighton Motorsports) was ninth.

On Saturday night, Pallin won a Pro Open final for the first time in his career, and he was joined on the podium by third-place finisher Martin. Kamm finished fifth, Todd was seventh, and Justin Broberg (Hentges Racing) took eighth.

“It took 4 years for this moment to happen, but I finally did it!” Pallin said via Twitter afterward. “I got my first Pro Open win at Canterbury.”

The win kept Pallin in second in the tight Pro Open points race. Kamm is fourth in points, while Martin moved up to sixth, Scott is ninth, Broberg is 10th, and Todd is 12th.

Pro Lite: Leighton Moves into Points Lead

An eventful weekend for Leighton Motorsports included good and bad news, and a positive final result as Trevor Leighton finished second on Saturday night to become the class points leader.

In Friday night’s Pro Lite final, teammates Leighton and Zak Mason crashed together in the first turn, ending their hopes of winning. Leighton remounted and finished ninth while Mason was injured. Leighton Motorsports reported on its Facebook page that Mason fractured his scapula (shoulder blade) in Friday’s crash, and could miss at least a month of racing.

Two Polaris racers reached the podium Friday night as Ryan Springer (Carlson Motorsports) finished second and James Johnstad (Judnick Motorsports) took third. Travis Muller (Cottew Motorsports) finished fourth and Andrew Carlson (Carlson Motorsports) took fifth.

Trevor Leighton finished second in Saturday night’s final and was joined in the top 10 by: Andrew Carlson (Carlson Motorsports) in fourth, Springer in sixth, Muller in eighth, and Johnstad in 10th.

After six founds of ISOC National racing, Polaris racers dominate the Pro Lite points standings, led by Leighton, who moved from third to first in points with his strong Saturday finish. The other five Polaris racers in the top 10 are: Carlson in third, Johnstad in fourth, Springer in fifth, Muller in sixth, and Mason in seventh.

Justin Tate Wins in Pro-Am +30

Polaris racer Justin Tate (2-Eight Motorsports) won the weekend’s Pro-Am +30 final. Bruce Jesionowski (Snirt Racing) finished eighth, Scot Adams (Never Enough Racing) was ninth, and Tony Flippis III was 10th.

Tonie Sledz (Sledz Racing) finished third in the Pro-Am Women’s final and Amanda Duitsman (Plaisted Racing) was fifth, Jakki Farmer (Farmer Racing) was sixth, Jennifer Martel was seventh, Brittani Robinson (Wheels of Thunder Motorsports) was eighth, and Jessica Martel was 10th.

In the weekend’s second Sport final, Cole Cottew (Cottew Motorsports) finished second and Nickolas Lorenz (Lorenz Racing) took third. Durk Roper (Roper Racing) was fourth, Jeff Jasan (RSI Racing) was fifth, and Jacob Yurk (Team Vermillion) was eighth.

Mitchell Thelan (Thelan Racing) won the weekend’s first Amateur class final, and Logan Davies (Davies Racing) had a second and third in the weekend’s two finals, while Freddie Grove (US 27 Motorsports Racing) finished third. Jim Wazny (Wazny Racing) won the adaptive race at Shakopee.

The next stop on the ISOC National tour will be Jan. 30-31 in Deadwood, S.D.

Polaris is a recognized leader in the powersports industry with annual 2013 sales of $3.8 billion. Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets innovative, high quality off-road vehicles, including all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and the Polaris RANGER and RZR side-by-side vehicles, snowmobiles, motorcycles, and on-road electric/hybrid powered vehicles. Polaris is among the global sales leaders for both snowmobiles and off-road vehicles and has established a presence in the heavyweight cruiser and touring motorcycle market with the Victory and Indian Motorcycle brands. Additionally, Polaris continues to invest in the global on-road small electric/hybrid powered vehicle industry with Global Electric Motorcars (GEM), Goupil Industrie SA, Aixam Mega S.A.S., and internally developed vehicles. Polaris enhances the riding experience with a complete line of Polaris Engineered parts, accessories and apparel, Klim branded apparel, and ORV accessories under the Kolpin and Cycle Country brands. Polaris Industries Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol PII, and the Company is included in the S&P Mid-Cap 400 stock price index.

Information about the complete line of Polaris products, apparel, and vehicle accessories is available from authorized Polaris dealers or anytime at polaris.com.

AMSOIL Championship Snocross, powered by Ram, Pro Open main event goes to Polaris’ Ross Martin in a thrilling final; Corey Watkinson wins the Pro Lites

The extreme cold temps did nothing to freeze the confidence of Ross Martin (Judnick/DuPont/Jack Links/Polaris), who took charge of Friday’s AMSOIL Championship Snocross, powered by Ram PIRTEK Snocross National, presented by Jimmy John’s, in the early laps and ran ‘er through strong at checkers for the win.

And capturing 1st place in the Pro Lite main event at Canterbury was Canadian Corey Watkinson (RJ Motorsports/Arctic Cat), scoring his first-ever professional class victory on the AMSOIL Championship Snocross tour.

Pro Open

All eyes were on Monster Energy/Arctic Cat/Ram’s Tucker Hibbert at the start of the Pro Open main. The No. 1 qualifier was undefeated this season and sitting on 99 career wins. But Hibbert would get pinched at the start, forced to the outside (8th place off the line), while former Pro Open champ Tim Tremblay (AMSOIL/Scheuring/Ski-Doo) pulled the Stud Boy Holeshot, followed closely by Martin.

Tremblay and Martin would briefly swap the lead a couple times in the first few corners before Martin set Tremblay up by tripling out of the finish line jump and railing to the lead around the first turn.

From there Martin was absolutely masterful, with famed AMSOIL Championship Snocross announcer Mike Schroeder calling out “The Boss is back!” to the Canterbury faithful that braved the cold temps to watch what amounted to the best main event of the year thus far.

“Unbelievable,” said Martin atop the podium. “This is where I belong. My confidence is back and I’m going for it … so look out!”

With Martin up front attention turned to the battle for 2nd and 3rd between Tremblay and Kody Kamm (Hentges Racing/Polaris). Tremblay would ride a wide sled and hold off Kamm, the two bumping but keeping the momentum going. This would allow Martin to extend his lead, while Hibbert was charging up through the pack.

Great racing continued through the mid-race laps as Hibbert moved past Kamm and into 3rd, then got past Tremblay on lap seven – setting his site on frontrunner Martin, who had a five-second lead.

With six laps to go Hibbert cut Martin’s lead to four seconds, but came down awkward off the triple behind the finish line (where he previously passed Tremblay) and had to throw it away so he wouldn’t overshoot the first corner.

Hibbert was able to remount, but by then Martin, Tremblay and Kamm were gone – as was the hopes for his 100th win tonight.

As Martin continued to rail up front, his lead grew to 7.5 seconds over Tremblay. Riding consistently and hitting all his marks, Martin scored his first win of the year, upsetting both Hibbert’s four-race undefeated streak and his quest for 100 wins.

“Canterbury’s always been good to me” added Martin. “The team worked so hard over the break getting my sled set up to where I want it and it all came together tonight. We just had to get this done.”

Tremblay would run pretty much uncontested into 2nd place, with Kamm following in 3rd.

Said Tremblay: “I had a pretty good race. Had the lead, but Ross got around me. He was faster tonight, but I’m happy with 2nd place.”

Rounding out the top five were Logan Christian (Christian Brothers Racing/Arctic Cat) in 4th and Hibbert in 5th.

Canterbury Friday Pro Open Results

1 – Ross Martin, Burlington, WI, Polaris
2 – Tim Tremblay, Ste Jeanne D’Arc, Quebec, Ski-Doo
3 – Kody Kamm, Kenosha, WI, Polaris
4 – Tucker Hibbert, Pelican Rapids, MN, Arctic Cat
5 – Logan Christian, Fertile, MN, Arctic Cat
6 – Kyle Pallin, Ironwood, MI, Polaris
7 – Jake Scott, Port Jefferson Station, NJ, Polaris
8 – David Joanis, Cochrane, Ontario, Arctic Cat
9 – Corin Todd, Otego, NY, Polaris
10 – Cody Thomsen, Nisswa, MN, Arctic Cat

Overall Pro Open Points (5 of 16 rounds)

1 – Tucker Hibbert, 211
2 – Tim Tremblay, 173
3 – Kyle Pallin, 169
4 – Logan Christian, 156
5 – Kody Kamm, 152

Pro Lite

A big pile up on the first turn in Friday’s Pro Lite final at Canterbury’s PIRTEK National saw 2nd place overall Zak Mason (Leighton Motorsports/Polaris) pull the Stud Boy Holeshot – then crash and collect teammate Trevor Leighton (3rd overall in points). The accident rendered both the No. 1 (Leighton) and No. 2 (Mason) qualifying sleds out of the running for tonight’s Pro Lite podium.

Benefitting from the carnage (which Mason and Leighton were both able to get up from and keep racing) was RJ Motorsports/Arctic Cat’s Corey Watkinson. Watkinson inherited the lead and rode a clean 11-lap Pro Lite main – uncontested – through to the checkers.

“The big key was getting that start. I was lucky enough to get away from the carnage there in corner two. Just rode consistent and in control and got the win,” said Watkinson. “The guys got the sled working awesome, ran smooth and rode it the way I wanted.”

“Finally got my first win in Pro Lites. Got the monkey off my back and hope to keep it going.”

Pursuing Watkinson, but never getting closer than 11 seconds back, were James Johnstad (Judnick Motorsports/Polaris) and Ryan Springer (Carlson Motorsports/Polaris). Springer actually had 2nd place up through the last lap before being caught and passed by Johnstad on the final straight away before the checkers.

“I knew coming out of the LCQ it wasn’t going to be easy. Just ran it to the outside there and was able to make it up to the podium,” said Johnstad, who was the only top five overall points racer coming into Canterbury to make the podium.

As it would be both Johnstad and Springer had to come through the LCQ to make tonight’s Pro Lite main, both starting from the back row and working though the field to make the podium.

Rounding out the top five in Friday’s PIRTEK Snocross National Pro Lite class at Canterbury were Cottew Motorsports/Polaris’ Travis Muller in 4th and Carlson Motorsports/Polaris’ Andrew Carlson in 5th.

Canterbury Friday Pro Lite Results

1 – Corey Watkinson, Port Carling, ONT, Arctic Cat
2 – Ryan Springer, St. Francis, MN, Polaris
3 – James Johnstad, Beltrami, MN, Polaris
4 – Travis Muller, Windom, MN, Polaris
5 – Andre Carlson, Big Lake, MN, Polaris
6 – Kevin Wallenstein, Cadillac, MI, Ski-Doo
7 – Elias Ishoel, Norway, Ski-Doo
8 – Michael George, Pine Plains, NY, Arctic Cat
9 – Trevor Leighton, Eagle, ID, Polaris
10 – Marcus Johansson, Norway, Ski-Doo

Overall Pro Lite Points (5 of 16 rounds)

1 – Elias Ishoel, 172
2 – Trevor Leighton, 171
3 – Zak Mason, 161
4 – James Johnstad, 158
5 – Andrew Carlson, 151

AMSOIL Championship Snocross, powered by Ram, continues on Saturday night at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn., Jan. 10, for the Pirtek Snocross National, presented by Jimmy John’s.

Beginning with AMSOIL Championship Snocross’ season-opening round in Duluth, Minn. and running through the season finale in Lake Geneva, Wis., CBS Sports Network will air 17 one-hour programs of the ACS races.

2014-15 AMSOIL Championship Snocross, powered by Ram, season schedule:

Duluth, Minn.: Nov. 28-30
Fargo, N.D.: Dec. 12-13
Shakopee, Minn.: Jan. 9-10
Deadwood, S.D.: Jan. 30-31
Salamanca, N.Y.: Feb. 6-7
Chicago, Ill.: Feb. 20-21
Mount Pleasant, Mich.: Feb. 27-28
Lake Geneva, Wis.: March 13-15

Visit isocracing.com for more information, fan and racer memberships, schedule details and more.