FXR is proud to announce that nine-time Winter X Games medalist and current world record holder for longest snowmobile distance jump (412ft.), Levi LaVallee has now joined Team FXR manufacture of World Class Outerwear.

Levi and the rest of Team LaVallee, including Kyle Pallin, who’s race highlights include a bronze at Clash of Nations in Sweden, Jake Scott, who holds fifteen Eastern Racing Circuit titles and last years Pro Lites Champion and newcomer Andy Lieders, the second place overall points champion for the 2013 Pro Lites class, have entered a multi-year contract with FXR.

A revolutionary icon in freestyle snowmobiling, Levi who was named the nineteenth most influential person in Action Sports by ESPN, has been on FXR’s radar since he stepped onto the ISOC circuit.

Over the past five years Levi has consistently won the ISOC fan favorite award making him the ideal person to represent FXR on and off the racing stage.

Levi’s mutual interest in FXR’s style on the track dedicated to development and consistent commitment made us his first choice when he was looking for a clothing sponsor to partner with for 2014 and beyond.

FXR has always focused on working with top athletes to develop high performance outerwear that meets the demands of the most skilled athletes; FXR is looking forward to doing the same with Levi and Team LaVallee.

With LaVallee’s freestyle and race experience he will be asset to our R&D team.

Levi’s first appearance in FXR gear was at FOX’s Time Square celebration for its initial public offering into the NASDAQ Stock Market, where Levi performed a ramp-to-ramp jump on his snowmobile in front of a crowd of thousands.

Sporting FXR’s Podium Warp MX gear Levi lit up the big apple in an epic start to the FXR/Team LaVallee relationship.

Dear New York Snowmobiler:

Over the next 6 weeks the Adirondack Park Agency will be holding hearings on the classification of lands to be acquired by the state from The Nature Conservancy. The classification proposals involve lands in the Town of Indian Lake, Hamilton County and Towns of Minerva and Newcomb, Essex County.

The classification of these lands will determine whether or not snowmobilers will have access to portions of this property. The land of particular interest is known as the Essex Chain Tract. It was on this land that the Gooley and Polaris sports clubs operated. The big question is, will the property be classified as Wild Forest or will it be classified as Wilderness?

A Wild Forest classification will at least offer the potential of snowmobile use through the Unit Management Plan process (UMP), while a Wilderness or Canoe designation will preclude snowmobile use forever! The only land classification that allows for snowmobile trails is Wild Forest. So far, eight (8) hearings have been scheduled (and more may be scheduled):

Wednesday, June 12, 2013
6:00 pm
Adirondack Park Agency
1133 NY State Route 86
Ray Brook, NY 12977

Monday, June 17, 2013
1:00 pm
Minerva Central School
1466 County Route 29
Olmsteadville, NY
Monday, June 17, 2013
7:00 pm
Newcomb Central School
5535 State Route 28
Newcomb, NY

Wednesday, June 19, 2013
6:00 pm
Downtown Conference Ctr
at Pace University
N163 William Street, 18th Floor
New York, NY

Tuesday, June 25, 2013
6:00 pm
Indian Lake Central School
6345 NYS Route 30
Indian Lake, NY

Monday, July 1, 2013
7:00 pm
The Harley School
1981 Clover Street
Rochester, NY

Tuesday, July 2, 2013
1:00 pm
NYSDEC
625 Broadway
Albany, NY

Tuesday, July 2, 2013
7:00 pm
Warren Cty Board of Supervisors Room
Warren County Offices
1340 State Route 9
Lake George, NY

It is extremely important that snowmobilers attend these hearings and ensure that their voice is heard. Our best effort needs to be made to keep the land open to snowmobiling. Pick at least one of the hearings and help us make sure that the APA understands that we want the land classified as Wild Forest (Alternative 4A) and not Wilderness or Canoe.

PLEASE ACT NOW! If you cannot make one of the hearings, then please submit written comments. They do not need to be long; they just need to make the point that you are in favor of Alternative 4A, classifyingg these lands as Wild Forest.

Written comments must be submitted by mail, fax, or email by July 19th, 2013, to:

James E. Connolly, Deputy Director, Planning
Adirondack Park Agency
Post Office Box 99
Ray Brook, NY 12977

Fax: (518) 891-3938
Email: apa_slmp@gw.dec.state.ny.us

The APA website can be found at: http://apa.ny.gov

A full description of the APA’s Alternatives can be accessed here

Clubs in the Adirondack Park as well as their members should also send a copy of their testimony to their Town Supervisor. In the end, Town government may have a great deal to say relative to what the land classification may be. In addition, if there is a trail that you want to see established through or within the Essex Tract, this is the time to make that known to your local town and to NYSSA. The Essex Tract contains at least 19 miles of gravel roads which can be utilized as snowmobile trails.

I can’t emphasize more that this is the time to speak up. It is now or never in relation to the classification of this property and whether or not snowmobilers will have use in the future. Please let us know what hearing(s) you plan on attending and /or are speaking at.

While many of us get limited occasions to enjoy the Adirondack Park for its snowmobiling opportunities, it nevertheless remains the number one place for snowmobile visits by our sport’s participants. According to last year’s economic study, 28% of all riding days occur within the Park. With more and more lands being subdivided and sold to people unfamiliar with our sport, there is no doubt that the trails within the Adirondack Park will become more important to us over time. Whether we live on Long Island, in Chautauqua County or in the heart of the Adirondacks, we must all protect our right to ride on state land within the Park at every opportunity.

Dominic Jacangelo
Executive Director, NYSSA

The New York State Snowmobile Association (NYSSA), a non-profit corporation, is the largest snowmobile association in the country working on behalf of the 135,000 registered NY snowmobile owners, who contribute approximately $868 million to the New York economy, and 235 snowmobile clubs to improve trails, facilities and services for participants, and defend snowmobilers against discriminatory legislation.

The Valcourt Race Shop team is working hard this summer to finalize snowmobile configurations in preparation for the coming season.

While it will be September before all the final specs are released on the 2014 MXZ x 600RS race sled, a few general things are known and can be shared.

2014 MXZx 600 RS basics

• New Body Style
• New Rear Suspension
• New Track
• New Tunnel
• New Front Suspension Geometry
• New Steering Geometry
• Increased cooling capacity
• Improved Clutch Calibration
• Improved ECM Calibration
• More HP

Concentration has been on improved holeshots, easier steering and better suspension calibrations for the snocross set-up with more details to follow September 6th at Hay Days. Racers can CLICK HERE, to download an application before the deadline of May 15th.

Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP), a privately held company, is a world leader in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and marketing of motorised recreational vehicles. Its portfolio of brands and products includes: Ski-Doo and Lynx snowmobiles, Sea-Doo watercraft and boats, Evinrude and Johnson outboard engines, Can- Am all-terrain and side-by-side vehicles and roadsters, as well as Rotax engines. BRP products are distributed in more than 100 countries.

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

As the last checkered flag dropped on the 2012-2013 snowmobile racing season, Team Arctic racers upheld the tradition of claiming the most high-point championship titles in the sport’s most prestigious circuits.

The championship success underscores the talent and dedication of the racers and crews, as well as the high-performance pedigree of the Sno Pro and M Series snowmobiles.

“When you win most of the battles, you’re likely going to win the war,” said Team Arctic Race Manager, Mike Kloety. “In USXC cross-country especially, yet also in ISOC snocross and RMSHA hillclimbs, we won more than our share of the battles and, as a result, took home most of the championship high point titles.”

The most stunning display of championship supremacy unfolded in the USXC cross-country circuit, where Team Arctic racers claimed High-Point titles in 13 of 20 classes.

Headlining the cross-country domination were Christian Brothers Racing Pros Ryan Simons and Zach Herfindahl, who finished 1-2 in both Pro 600 and Pro Open championship tallies. Other stand-out title performances in USXC belong to Benjamin Langaas, who won both Expert 85 and Improved 85 titles; And Jolene Bute, who won all 10 Womens finals (and the Championship title) during the season.

In ISOC National snocross competition, Team Arctic/Monster Energy superstar Tucker Hibbert reclaimed the Pro Open Championship title following a season of ironclad domination during which he won 11 of 16 finals, plus his sixth Winter X Games gold medal in a row. Joining him atop the ISOC Championship box was Team Arctic’s Josh Zelinski, who captured the Pro-Am Plus 30 high-point title.

In the MIRA enduro circuit, Cadarette Racing added to their long series of outstanding accomplishments by taking the overall Pro Enduro Championship with racers Troy DeWald and Ryan Spencer.

Out west in the RMSHA hillclimb series, Team Arctic’s Rob Kincaid, Chance Buckallew and Kaycee Balls added Championship titles to their win tallies, reinforcing the team’s strength that was also highlighted by Kyle Tapio’s King of Kings title (and five total victories) at the Jackson Hole World Championships.

“As much as we value and appreciate individual race wins, I believe that high-point titles tell the most complete story about Team Arctic,” said Kloety. “These championship titles reflect speed, consistency, mechanical aptitude and, of course, dedication. So on behalf of everyone at Arctic Cat, we want to thank all the racers, crews and teams who made 2013 a season of championship success.”

“Likewise, I want to express our gratitude to all Team Arctic racers who took part in the 2013 race season. We’re already moving forward with improvements to our race sleds and program for the coming season, and we’ll be back in the action this summer with grass drag competition.”

About Arctic Cat – 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 www.arcticcat.com.

No matter the circuit or the terrain, FOX athletes finished strong this season capturing year-end championships in virtually every discipline in snowmobile racing. From the snowmobile world’s biggest stage at Winter X Games and the national snocross tour to the premiere cross-country and hill-climb circuits in North America, FOX-equipped sleds came out on top.

In the rough-and-tumble world of the International Series of Champions National Snocross tour, where the terrain is beyond anything found on the trail, FOX athletes knocked out the competition in both Pro Open and Pro Lite categories. In the highly competitive Pro-Lite ranks, where stock suspension tuning is key, Jake Scott dominated the second half of the season, gaining confidence and nabbing victories race after race.

FOX took care of business in the Pro Open ranks, where Tucker Hibbert sewed up the top spot early in the final weekend of competition. Regarded by most as the best snowmobile racer in the sport today, Hibbert has relied on FOX to win seven national snocross championships. Adding more credence to his performance, Hibbert also captured the gold at the 2013 Winter X Games snocross competition, bringing his medal count at Winter X to 11.

When it came time for Ryan Simons to choose a suspension package to control the unknown terrain in the high-speed world of the U.S. cross-country tour, he immediately turned to FOX. Throughout the season, Simons demonstrated why he is often regarded as one of the fastest terrain racers on the planet, as he tackled wind-swept ditch lines and whiteout-condition lake beds with ferocity. The result: A victory at the prestigious I-500 and another FOX championship in the premiere Pro 600 class.

As the winter season wound down, the competition on the slopes of the Rocky Mountains looked up, as racers attempted to conquer near vertical ascents over some of the world’s harshest terrain.

Covered in ice, rocks, ruts and huge craters, the Rocky Mountain Snowmobile Hillclimb Association hosts some of the biggest and most challenging hill-climb competitions in the world, including the renowned Jackson Hole World Championship. Kyle Tapio rose above the competition and was crowned King of Kings by besting the rest in Improved Stock and Open Mod classes.

Not to be outdone, Erin Beukelman is in position to capture the year-end Mod King of Kings title as he sits on a comfortable margin with one race remaining.

“When it comes to snowmobile racing, nobody has more experience with tuning and setups than we do,” FOX Snowmobile Race Manager Rick Strobel said. “We were the first performance shock company to really embrace the snowmobile market, and that experience combined with our passion to win and unmatched shock technology is what sets us apart from everyone else.”

About FOX – FOX redefines ride dynamics for ATVs, mountain bikes, motocross, off-road vehicles, snowmobiles, trucks and UTVs. In 1974, Bob Fox redefined the world of motocross suspension with the FOX AirShox, and for more than three decades, FOX’s team of enthusiasts and professional athletes have been uniquely committed to redefining ride dynamics that improve your performance. Headquartered in Scotts Valley, Calif., FOX’s main manufacturing operations are in Watsonville, Calif., its off-road division and manufacturing are in El Cajon, Calif., and its Midwest Service Center is in Baxter, Minn. FOX distributes its products in more than 40 countries.