As the very first Yamaha SR Viper units rolled off the assembly line at the Arctic Cat factory in Thief River Falls, MN, employees involved with the snowmobiles gathered to celebrate. The milestone was marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony with executives from both Arctic Cat and Yamaha.

Arctic Cat Chairman and CEO, Claude Jordan addressed the crowd stating, “Every employee standing here should be proud of this history-making day. We are very excited how our relationship with Yamaha continues to grow and the successful future that lies ahead for both companies.” Jordan closed by saying, “Going forward we believe this relationship will provide tremendous value to Arctic Cat, our customers, our dealers and our shareholders.”

The all-new Arctic Cat 7000-Series snowmobiles are the result of an industry-first in the modern era: Arctic Cat is in a supplier agreement with Yamaha to leverage their respective strengths.

For the first time ever Arctic Cat riders can match the renowned Arctic Cat ProCross chassis and handling with high performance Yamaha 4-stroke power. The C-TEC4 1049cc, three-cylinder engine is widely regarded as the most responsive, highest performing 4-stroke in the 135-hp category.

Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA president, Toshizumi Kato stated, “Together we have made a snowmobile which has the best of both our snowmobiles DNA. I look forward to a future of mutual and beneficial growth for both Arctic Cat and Yamaha. Today, let’s celebrate our accomplishment thus far, for tomorrow the opportunities are endless.”

Arctic Cat Inc., based in Minnesota, designs, engineers, manufactures and markets snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) / Recreational Off-Highway Vehicles (ROVs) under the Arctic Cat brand name, as well as related parts, garments and accessories. Arctic Cat is among the most widely recognized and respected brands in the snowmobile and ATV/ROV industry. The company markets its products through a network of independent dealers located throughout the United States, Canada and Europe, and through distributors representing dealers in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and other international markets. Arctic Cat trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol ACAT.

For more information, please visit www.arcticcat.com.

More than two years of engineering, development, manufacturing and logistics work came to fruition in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, as the very first Yamaha SR Viper RTX SE units rolled off the assembly line at the Arctic Cat factory.

The milestone was marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony with executives from both companies and witnessed by the factory employees responsible for building the units.

“Our alliance is a show of great cooperation between our companies and this, I believe, is the biggest news to hit our business in decades,” said Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA president, Toshizumi Kato. “On behalf of Yamaha Motor Japan I would like to congratulate everyone on this major accomplishment of what we see here today. Thank you to the factory workers of Arctic Cat, you should be very proud of the work you have done.”

The all-new SR Viper models are the result of an industry-first in the modern era: Yamaha is in a supplier agreement with Arctic Cat to leverage their respective strengths.

Yamaha is undisputed in the snowmobile world for its leadership position in high performance 4-stroke engines. Arctic Cat is known for lightweight chassis and suspension design.

“Together we have made a snowmobile which has the best of both our snowmobiles’ DNA,” continued Kato in his remarks. “I look forward to a future of mutual and beneficial growth for both Arctic Cat and Yamaha. Today let’s celebrate our accomplishment so far, for tomorrow the opportunities are endless.”

Full SR Viper model production is planned to begin at the end of September, with dealer deliveries ongoing throughout the fall.

For more information about the all-new SR Viper models, visit Yamaha-Snowmobiles.com and follow Facebook.com/YamahaSnowmobilesUSA.

Polaris snowmobile racers will enjoy the competitive advantages of the innovative new 2014 Polaris IQ Race Sled that features a new lightweight crankshaft and new 128″ rear suspension.

These improvements and other updates to the race sled are designed to provide Polaris racers with better holeshot performance, enhanced throttle response, improved traction and greater stability in the rough for Terrain Domination.

The new 2014 Polaris IQ Race Sled is the result of integrated collaboration among Polaris snocross and cross-country racers, race team personnel and Polaris snowmobile engineers. Together, they developed the new features and validated them through extensive testing that included use in selected races last season.

The Polaris Racing Department has historically led the industry in developing innovative racing technology that “Wins on Sunday, Sells on Monday,” including legendary Polaris IFS, powerful 2-stroke engines and more.

“This season’s race sled is the refinement of a legendary vehicle, with a focus on holeshot and throttle response improvements,” said Matt Prusak, Race Program Leader in the Polaris Snowmobile Division. “The benefits will be seen by snocross and cross-country racers alike.”

Polaris Race Manager Tom Rager, Jr., said racers and teams have been impressed with the performance of the new race sled in testing and on-track evaluations.

“The industry’s only purpose-built race sled just keeps getting better and better,” said Rager. “A lot of the sled’s development credit goes to several of our riders, Ross Martin in particular, who tested it and made it so good.”

FEATURE UPDATES ON THE 2014 POLARIS IQ RACE SLED

Re-engineered elements of the 2014 Polaris IQ Race Sled include:

NEW Lightweight Crankshaft

The new lightweight crankshaft features a design that provides the same balance as the previous crankshaft – with a 2.5-pound weight reduction in rotating mass.

This results in a 25% reduction in inertia, improved throttle response and increased acceleration. Racers will achieve better holeshots, and the engine will reach its optimal operating RPM faster.

NEW 128″ Rear Suspension

Polaris racers will benefit from the increased traction of the new 128″ rear suspension and new 128″ track. This new setup delivers better holeshots, better stability in whoops sections, and improved cornering.

Similar to the setup that Polaris teams have raced with great success in the Mod class for more than four seasons, this new rear suspension is based on the original IQ Race geometry, with new rail beams and tunnel components to package the longer track length. The 2014 Polaris IQ Race Sled utilizes an aggressive new 128″ Sno-XT track.

“Along with delivering an improved holeshot, the new rear suspension tracks straighter in the whoops sections, and results in less ski lift for enhanced turning,” Prusak said. “Our cross-country racers in particular will benefit from the improved high-speed stability.”

Along with the new 128″ rear suspension, additional improvements were made to enhance performance and reliability.

Updated Shock Calibration

Polaris engineers, race teams and the technicians at Walker Evans Racing have combined forces to recalibrate the Walker Evans shocks used in the race sled’s front and rear suspension. The updates are designed to ensure consistently outstanding performance from green flag to checkered on demanding terrain such as extreme snocross tracks.

NEW Brake Pads

The new Hayes Type 126 brake pads were developed to deliver consistently reliable braking as brake systems heat up during aggressive racing action. Racers will also see an improvement in brake pad life.

NEW MY14 Racing Graphics

While Polaris racing teams will customize their sleds with team graphics, racing numbers and sponsor logos, they’ll start with a new look that features a white hood, red belly pan, accents of red, white and blue, and Polaris graphics. The 2014 race sled also has a low white windshield.

RACE-WINNING POWER & SUSPENSION

The 2014 IQ Race Sled is built on the strong, durable and lightweight Polaris-exclusive IQ Chassis. Advanced assembly techniques minimize the parts count to keep weight to a minimum while delivering maximum strength and reliability.

The race sled is powered by the Polaris Liberty 600 engine. It delivers class-leading acceleration for outstanding holeshots as well as impressive horsepower across the entire RPM range.

The liquid-cooled Polaris Liberty 600 twin has twin Mikuni Rack TM 40 carburetors, NiCaSil-lined cylinders for efficient heat dispersion and the Polaris VES (Variable Exhaust System) for maximum power and instant throttle response. The power delivery is managed by the legendary Polaris P-85 drive clutch and a Lightweight TEAM™ Roller driven clutch.

Polaris racers can fine-tune their front and rear suspension performance with the Walker Evans 16-click compression-adjustable shocks. The race sled’s IFS uses Walker Evans Aluminum IFP 16 Position Compression Adjustable Shocks with Piggyback Reservoirs.

Recreational riders can enjoy the same outstanding IFS as Polaris racers, as the race sled’s IFS design is used on Polaris Switchback models and on RUSH models built on the PRO-RIDE Chassis.

In the IQ Rear Suspension, the front track shock is a Walker Evans Coil Over Shock with 16-position compression adjustability, and the rear track shock is a Walker Evans Aluminum IFP 16 Position Compression and Rebound Adjustable Large Body Shock.

The new Polaris IQ Race Sled was developed for use by Polaris snocross and cross-country racers. The suspension and shock packages described here are intended primarily for snocross racing, and the Polaris Racing Department is providing cross-country racers with shock tuning information and setup recommendations for terrain racing.

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

BRP’s 2014 Ski-Doo MX Zx 600RS features major changes: the snowmobile will turn quicker, stay straighter in the bumps, and have stronger starts.

These changes come with the move from the REV-XP to the REV-XS platform and refinements to many systems for pure race track performance in both snocross and cross country.

Primary on the Ski-Doo race only sled is a move to the REV-XS platform that features improved ergonomics, improved aerodynamics, better rider protection and better air intake system for the engine.

The racers will have more room in the cockpit and be able to move forward for easier cornering with the rounded side panels borrowed from the Summit line of snowmobiles – while getting better wind and snow protection from the sleek XS shape.

The design incorporates large mesh covered vertical openings on both sides of the machine for unrestricted intake flow to the engine. Plus there is easier access to servicing of everything under the hood.

The chassis changes are significant also with a longer overall length, new rear suspension geometry, new steering system and refined front suspension. Most noticeable is the lengthened and tilted tunnel at the rear to better handle tail landings on the new 128-inch length track.

The rMotion Racing suspension gets reworked with longer rails to match the track, a 70mm longer front arm with new mounting points, revised coupling system and completely recalibrated KYB Pro 40 shocks. The suspension geometry changes and longer track will provide much better traction for starts and better bump absorption in the nasty snocross style bumps.

The front of the MX Zx 600RS gets a new top A-Arm mount and new rack style steering system with increased leverage. The new mounting location of the A-arm provides better caster characteristics as the suspension cycles through its travel and the rack steering system eliminates any bump steer while taking less work to turn.

Steering effort is reduced enough that racers will feel like power steering is a part of the changes. Additionally the spindle length increases 5mm and the top ball-joint and spindle have increased tapered mating surfaces for a 135% strength increase.

Complimenting the platform and chassis changes are some engine updates to the cylinder and intake system. The cylinders will have tighter tolerances and better finishing for improved flow, while the carburetors increase to 40mm in size. Combined with the new intake tract, V-Force3 carbon fiber reeds, and less restrictive muffler, racers will see better performance from low in the RPM’s all the way to peak power output at 8400 rpm.

Making all the components work together optimally has kept the Valcourt Race shop busy since last fall. Many parts come directly from the factory Open Mod sleds and lessons learned from racing last season have been applied and advanced from as late as last April. Racers can expect new calibrations in the suspensions systems, clutching and engine; all geared to get the most from their machines.

For more information on Ski-Doo snowmobiles visit www.ski-doo.com or the On Track blog site for racing specific information.