From insane aerial acrobatics and jumps of 140+ feet, to a record-breaking performance in snocross and an inspiring performance in adaptive snocross, FOX athletes took center stage at Winter X Games 2014, capturing 10 of a possible 12 medals including a gold medal sweep.

Next generation FOX shocks, with their incredible control and tuning capabilities, helped pave the way to victory for the world’s top snowmobile athletes as they tackled the slopes in Aspen, Colorado.

The winning runs started not long after Winter X 2014 commenced, as Colten Moore made an emotional return to the same event that brought a tragic end to his brother Caleb’s life just one year ago. Colten was flawless in his quest for X Games gold, pulling off tricks with unparalleled ease and confidence. Colten had the gold medal virtually locked up after his first run, allowing him to focus his second run on impressing his family and friends in attendance.

The following day, a new competition at Winter X pitted some of the best snocross racers, backcountry riders and freestyle athletes head-to-head in the snowmobile long jump event. Not surprisingly, FOX-equipped snowmobiles ridden by Levi LaVallee, Cory Davis, and Colten Moore swept the medal round, with LaVallee taking the gold with an impressive jump of just over 147 feet.

Sunday marked the final day of Winter X, with adaptive snocross and snocross as the day’s featured events. It was another FOX sweep in adaptive snocross where favorite Mike Schultz used FOX shocks to help optimize performance of both his sled and his prosthetic leg. Mike has proven to be an inspiration to all athletes after a snocross accident resulted in the loss of Mike’s left leg from just above the knee in 2008.

Mike not only returned to competition, but also started a company called Biodapt and developed his own prosthetic leg called the Moto Knee, which utilizes FOX shocks in its design. In addition to Schultz’s win, Garrett Goodwin and Doug Henry rode their FOX-equipped sleds across the line for Silver and Bronze medals respectively.

The finale of Winter X was once again the snocross competition, where FOX athlete Tucker Hibbert was looking to set the all-time Winter X Games consecutive gold medal count. As has been the case the entire season, Hibbert was an early favorite who quickly found himself at the front of the 15-sled pack.

Hibbert easily won his seventh consecutive gold medal, beating the record previously he held along with snowboarding athlete Shaun White. Following Hibbert across the line with silver and bronze medals draped around their necks were Kody Kamm and Justin Broberg, giving FOX-equipped sleds another medal sweep.

“Winter X Games is the big show for our sport,” said FOX Snowmobile Race Manager Rick Strobel. “To have every racer who won gold running a sled with FOX shocks is about as good as it gets. Everyone puts their hearts and souls to get to this point, and the information we learn is so valuable towards the future development of FOX shocks. The athletes keep pushing which forces us to keep pushing as well and making improvements.”

Headquartered in Scotts Valley, CA, FOX designs and manufactures high-performance suspension products primarily for mountain bikes, side-by-side vehicles, on-road and off-road vehicles and trucks, all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles, specialty vehicles and applications, and motorcycles. For more than three decades, FOX’s team of enthusiasts and professional athletes has been improving vehicle performance through a unique commitment to redefining ride dynamics.

ridefox.com

At the annual Grand Prix of Valcourt Press Conference held Wednesday at the J.Armand Bombardier Museum, Donald Lemay, President of the 32nd Edition, announced that fans attending the event at Circuit Yvon Duhamel this February 14-16 will see all the action on track thanks to the addition of a giant screen right across from the grandstands. Every race, including replays, will be broadcast.

Every television set in the heated suites as well as all those in the big tops will be connected to the live feed. The organization has also redesigned the snocross track layout and has added three triple jumps and faster straight lines to test the technical ability of each athlete. When they reconfigured the track, the designer made sure that spectators would have a clear view of all the corners and jumps.

“We have already spent 250 hours producing artificial snow for the snocross track which will now be laid out and groomed by the snowcat according to the new layout design,” said Donald Lemay, President of the 32nd edition of the Grand Prix Ski-Doo of Valcourt presented by Intact Insurance. “Workers have moved the snowmaking gun to the Xtreme Zone, near the Big Top, in order to manufacture more snow for the landing slope for the freestylers and for the two snowmobile drag strips. We have also been busy building the ice oval track, which is now 16 inches thick, enough to face any severe weather change.”

Again this year, perfect track conditions will be the norm in Valcourt. On another note, snowmobile and All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) enthusiasts will be glad to hear that snow trails leading to the Grand Prix site are open and that on January 26, conditions ranged from fair to good.

In the past few years, some of the trails were not open or conditions ranged from bad to worse. Hopefully, snow will continue to fall and improve trail conditions.

The Grand Prix was also praised by Alexandre Meunier, President of the Eastern Township Division of the Fondation québécoise En Coeur, for the more than $165,000 in financial support volunteer workers at the Grand Prix have collected over the past 20 years to make a difference for children with a heart disease.

Starting at noon on Thursday February 13, everyone is invited to access free of charge Circuit Yvon Duhamel located at 917, Route 222 in Maricourt (J0L 2L2) for the Open House Day. Fans will be able to watch ice oval and snocross racers as they practice all afternoon long for the big weekend. Fans can also walk the paddocks to meet their favourite riders or simply walk into the Heated Suites to watch the action.

A Full Weekend of Motorsport Racing Activities Awaits Fans

The 32nd running of the Grand Prix Ski-Doo of Valcourt presented by Intact Insurance will again offer fans a full weekend of racing activities featuring six types of winter motorsport competitions. From Friday to Sunday, the world’s best ice oval track snowmobile racers, including Quebec’s Jacques Villeneuve, Malcom Chartier, of Marine City, Michigan, Dustin Wahl of Greenbush Minnesota, Dustin Gherke from Morrisonville, NY, and defending Valcourt champion Nicholas Van Strydonk of Tomahawk, Wisconsin, will showcase their talents as they attempt to win the big prize.

On Friday, Valcourt will be the site of the grand finale of the Triple Crown Snocross Classic featuring the top Pro, Pro Lite and Sport class riders from the American East Coast Snocross (ECS) Series and the Quebec SCMX Series.

For three days, spectators will also witness the feats of the top professional snocross riders of the Eastern United Stated and Canada, including competitors from the Canadian CSRA Series and riders from the Ski-Doo teams competing in the ISOC Series, as they battle for top honours in the Pro Open class.

Everyone is invited to attend, free of charge after 4:00 p.m., the Friday night under the lights Round 2 of the professional Top Speed Racing Snowmobile Drag Racing Series. Amateur drag racing competition will begin at 1:00 p.m. for those who wish to test their snowmobiles in straight-line racing. Included on the program for Saturday and Sunday are the daredevil motorcycle and ATV racing riders competing on the Yvon Duhamel ice oval speed track.

On Saturday, Xtreme enthusiasts can attend the highflying freestyle snocross show schedule to start at 6:00 p.m. in the Xtreme Zone. This year, Quebec riders will face off against American Freestyers from Maine. Admission to the Freestyle Snocross exhibition is $15 per person after 4:00 p.m., and free of charge for Grand Prix of Valcourt ticket holders. There is plenty of fun and games for the whole family, including slides for kids and live on-site rock bands.

General Admission Tickets Still Available On-line

Fans of the great outdoors can still buy an all-inclusive, three-day general admission pass at a reduced price of $45 instead of $55, taxes included, until February 11, 2014. A minimum service charge of $1 is added for each ticket ordered online or by phone.

Tickets are available online at grandprixvalcourt.com/en/billets or by phone at 1-866-532-7553 or 1-450-532-3443. Daily general admission tickets are also on sale at $10 each for Friday and $30 each for Saturday and Sunday.

The heated Grand Prix Suites tickets are sold out. Accompanied by an adult, children under 12 are admitted free on the Grand Prix site. However this offer does not apply for the heated suites.

Monster Energy/Arctic Cat’s Tucker Hibbert captured his seventh consecutive Snocross gold medal Sunday afternoon with a dominant performance at X Games Aspen 2014.

The 12-time medalist is the first winter athlete to win seven back-to-back gold medals and is tied with snowboarder Kelly Clark to hold the most medals in one X Games discipline.

Hibbert immediately set pace on Buttermilk Mountain’s technical counterclockwise track by laying down the fastest lap (44.4 seconds) in Sunday morning’s timed practice giving him number one pick in the 12-rider, 8-lap qualifying race. He was quick off the line in his heat race and led every lap to earn a direct ticket into the final.

With temperatures in the mid-30s and a clear blue sky, 15 of the world’s top snocross riders lined up for the 16-lap final event.

Hibbert pulled a massive holeshot down the start straight and nearly high-sided in the 180-degree left-hand turn but kept his sled under control to hit the first rhythm section out front.

With every lap, he extended his lead while the track continued to deteriorate and become more challenging. With full control of the race, he backed down to ride the remaining laps smart and smooth to capture his eighth overall gold medal by 13 seconds.

Hibbert and his team will now travel to Deadwood, South Dakota for rounds seven and eight of the ISOC National Snocross tour. Stay connected to tucker-hibbert.com to follow him chase his eighth pro national snocross title this winter.

Tucker Hibbert had this to say, “It’s rewarding to get another gold. X Games is a super fun race and an event I’ve been taking really serious for quite a few years. It’s the goal to have everything go as smooth as it did and I’m really excited about it. I felt really confident and comfortable on the track all weekend. I know that confidence comes from the hard work, practice and testing we put in as a team before the race. I strongly believe in our program and it pulled us through this weekend again. The racetrack was pretty technical. The timing sections up the hill were tricky and it was choppy coming down the hill. It was really a mix of everything and one of the more challenging tracks we’ve had at X Games. I’m a racer and I’m motivated to win. I have to keep working hard and doing what I’m doing. I believe I have more years of winning in me and am excited for what the future holds.”

January 18 to 26, 2014 is Snowmobile Safety Week and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) kicked off the campaign with some important messages about staying safe throughout the snowmobile season in Ontario.

OPP Commissioner Lewis, Deputy Commissioner Brad Blair, Provincial Commander for Traffic Safety and Operational Support were joined by OFSC Vice-President Graham Snyder, members of the Highway Safety Division and other OPP and OFSC members to share information about the risks and dangers associated with snowmobiling.

The OPP also shed light on the five fatal snowmobile collisions that have taken the lives of six people so far this season, citing speed as a causal factor in all five of these incidents, four of which occurred on roads and none on OFSC prescribed trails.

According to the OPP, a change in behaviour is needed in some segments of the snowmobile community because speed was a causal factor in half of the 18 snowmobile fatalities that occurred last season (2012-2013) and the other half were attributed to drinking and riding.

The OPP and OFSC praised the collaboration of the S.T.O.P. (Snowmobile Trail Officer Patrol) and S.A.V.E. (Snowmobile ATV and Vessel Enforcement) Unit members in their efforts to make snowmobiling in Ontario safe through a combination of enforcement and education.

Frigid temperatures, unstable terrain, lakes and rivers and reduced visibility were identified as some of the natural elements that make snowmobilers a particularly vulnerable group of riders. The OPP and OFSC emphasized the importance of riding sober, avoiding lakes and rivers and they recommended staying on OFSC prescribed trails to increase their chances of enjoying incident-free riding. OFSC prescribed trails are groomed, maintained and patrolled throughout the season.

As part of the kick-off, S.T.O.P. Chair Andy Chvedukas recounted a story about a significant snowmobile collision that almost cost him his life and left him severely injured. Chvedukas’ snowmobile collided with a tree when he glanced back for just a few seconds to see if his fellow riders were still behind him.

The OPP and OFSC are asking snowmobilers across the province to get on board with their efforts to make snowmobiling in Ontario safe and enjoyable by riding within the law.

The OPP is committed to saving lives on Ontario’s highways, trails and waterways through the reduction of preventable injury and death. Initiatives are developed and delivered through the Provincial Traffic Safety Program.

The OFSC is committed to proactive leadership in promoting safe, responsible riding, on and off Ontario snowmobile trails, by building safer snowmobiling knowledge, attitudes and behaviours through rider education, safety legislation, development and enforcement.

Team Arctic racers delivered another powerful performance at the third round of the USXC cross-country series in Willmar, Minn., winning 13 classes and capturing 39 out of 60 podium positions.

Team Arctic/Christian Brothers Racing Pro Brian Dick once again topped the premier category, winning the Pro Open class and finishing second in Pro Stock. Teammate Zach Herfindahl took third in the Open while Wes Selby finished third in the Stock final. Along with Chad Lian and Jordan Torgerson, Team Arctic racers took five of the top-10 positions in the Open class.

There was even greater Team Green domination in the other class finals at Willmar. Lance Efteland led a podium sweep of the Semi Pro Improved class while both Chase Nordstrom and Gary Tintes each captured two wins in their respective classes. John Koch and Ean Voigt each came close to scoring two wins, and Jolene Bute returned to win the Women’s class for the second event in a row.

“Willmar was another great showing for our racers and teams,” said Mike Kloety, Team Arctic Race Manager. “Of course we want to win all of the classes, especially the premier Pro and Semi Pro events. And we’ve accomplished that at every race this season, so another brand winning one or two illustrates the difficulty of staying out front each week. There are no easy victories and when our racers don’t win it makes everyone work harder. Willmar was the last lake-ice race of the season in USXC. Now that we move into the ditches and terrain we’ll see some more great battles.”

While the National snocross tour was on break for the upcoming X Games, a CSRA regional snocross in Stadacona, Quebec, proved the perfect opportunity for Team Arctic pro racers to claim some hardware, with Corey Watkinson winning Pro Open, Angela Vachino taking two Pro Women finals, and Billy Turning capturing the Pro Lite win.

The next USXC event is Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014, in Oslo, Minn. The ESPN X Games is Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014 in Aspen, Colo.

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