The editors of Supertrax magazine honored the real-world Terrain Domination of Polaris snowmobiles by presenting three 2012 Polaris models with Best in Class Awards.

The 800 RUSH Pro-R, the Switchback Pro-R platform – “It doesn’t matter which engine you choose here,” the editors said – and the 800 Pro-RMK were named the best in their respective classes.

The editors praised the incredible handling and great ride of the PRO-RIDE Chassis as well as the power, reliability and efficiency of the Cleanfire engines that power all of the honored models.

800 RUSH Pro-R: Best 150 hp Plus Sled

The editors selected the 800 RUSH Pro-R as the Best 150-Plus Horsepower Sled, noting that it outperformed the Ski-Doo MXZ X 800 E-TEC rMotion.

“The RUSH actually launches harder as a result of its uncoupled PRO-RIDE external shock skid and can pull the Doo past 70,” they wrote. “More than this there’s the RUSH’s amazing handling, linear turn-in, rock solid on-center feel and exceptional control in deep whoops. No one can get away from the PRO-RIDE’s bottomless feel either. The skid simply swallows huge craters and stuff you’re sure is gonna hurt, even while you’re seated.”

Switchback Pro-R Platform: Best Crossover Sleds

The editors named the Switchback Pro-R the Best Crossover Sled, and said it didn’t matter if the sled had the 600 or 800 Cleanfire engine. They compared the nimble handling of its 136″ uncoupled rear skid favorably with that of a short-track RUSH model.

“It’s not until you get into the powder you realize how good it floats and handles off-trail riding excursions,” they wrote of the Switchback Pro-R platform. “There’s some kind of subliminal thing going on when you’re riding it that inspires mystical, positive vibes, not having an extra piece of track and skid sticking out behind you. Fact is, it handles almost exactly the same as a RUSH and the rear suspension ride of Polaris’ unique PRO-RIDE setup is not only uncompromised, it’s flat-out been improved.”

800 Pro-RMK: Best Mountain Sled

The editors’ choice as Best Vertical Sled was the 800 Pro-RMK, and they said it didn’t matter if the sled had the 155″ or 163″ track. Both were excellent, they said.

“Seriously, Polaris has, by employing an absolute laser focus, taken back the mountain market with the Pro-RMK in any track length variant. This snowmobile so completely exceeds its riders expectations it is almost an understatement to say it leads in this segment.

The now bulletproof 800 [Cleanfire engine] is perfectly suited for high elevation climbing or insane highmarking as a result of the engine’s inherent, Cummins-like torque characteristics.”

Polaris is a recognized leader in the powersports industry with annual 2011 sales of $2.7 billion. Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets innovative, high quality off-road vehicles (ORVs), including all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and the Polaris RANGER side-by-side vehicles, snowmobiles, motorcycles and on-road electric/hybrid powered vehicles.

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

The 2012 Iron Dog, presented by the Alaska National Guard, is scheduled to start on February 19, 2012 in Big Lake, Alaska.

The race, in its 29th year, will take racers from Anchorage to Fairbanks via Nome across some of Alaska’s most remote and rugged terrain with temperatures dipping to -50F.

This seven-day, world-class event is made up of 31 two-person teams traveling through villages including Ruby, Galena, Tanana and Kaltag.

Only a fraction of those teams will make it through all 25 checkpoints to cross the finish line. The first place team is expected to arrive on the Chena River in downtown Fairbanks at approximately 1pm on Saturday, February 25th.

Covering 2,000 miles and touching more Alaskan communities than any other single event statewide, the Iron Dog is also a vehicle for other, more humanitarian objectives.

The Iron Dog distributes snowmobile and cold weather safety tips through a variety of means, and also puts great focus on educational and philanthropic efforts, such as the Urban Rural Student Exchange program which began in 2011.

This student exchange program allows students from both urban and rural communities to come together and collaborate on a single project while fully immersing themselves into another culture.

This year, students from Unalakleet will be traveling to Anchorage to work with local students on race logistics for the race start.

Anchorage students will then travel to Unalakleet for a similar experience along coastal Alaska and both teams will meet in Fairbanks to assist with the race finish.

Lastly, the 2012 Iron Dog Raffle, will be donating 50% of the net proceeds to Alaska’s Healing Hearts, an Alaska based veterans organization benefiting Alaskan combat veterans and their families.
 
The Alaska National Guard; Alaskan businesses Kendall Toyota of Alaska, Alaska Power Sports, USTravel, and others; and a host of communities across Alaska are the main supporters of the Iron Dog.

For more information on Fairbanks, request a free copy of the Fairbanks Visitors Guide and Winter Guide from the Fairbanks Convention & Visitors Bureau at 1-800-327-5774 or (907) 456-5774 or by writing to 101 Dunkel Street, Suite 111, Fairbanks, Alaska 99701.

Follow the race and find more information at www.irondograce.org.

BOSS Racing headed to the famed Eagle River Derby Track in Eagle River, Wisconsin over the past weekend to attend the “Indianapolis 500 of Snowmobile Racing”.

The 49th annual event, brought the best snowmobile racers in the world to compete in a variety of snowmobile disciplines; ice ovals, vintage and snocross.

Thousands of fans come out each year to witness this legendary event, and this year maintained that tradition, despite arctic temps early on.

The snocross track was a compact oval placed in the center of the derby’s world renowned ice oval, with hard turns and a shorter than usual rhythm section. All of the top snocross teams were present―loading the tight field with impressive money and talent.

In these constrained scenarios, starting line position proves to be a heavy indicator for final results and things got a little rough and tumble throughout the weekend, as riders took unusual risks attempting to pass on the condensed track.

In the end, Team Jimmy John riders, Derek Ellis (#106) and Mathieu Morin (#14) had good finishes- each battling for 4th place overall finishes.

“All-in-all, it was a great weekend of racing. We laid down strong rides in each of our classes and had a bit of tough luck in our second rounds, but we’re grateful we all walked away uninjured. Now we are eager to get back to the work of pursuing points on the national circuit, and continue our quest for the series podium.” – Derek Ellis

Team Jimmy John’s resumes the points chase on the International Series of Champions (ISOC) tour in Farmington, New York February 3-4, 2012.

Meanwhile on the other side of the pond, Swedish superstar Petter Narsa will defend his 2011 Gold Medal at Stadium Cross in Östersund, Sweden this week.

Visit www.teambossracing.com

Arctic Cat is hosting 2012 snowmobile demo ride events in select North American locations.

Models available to ride include the 2012 Arctic Cat F1100 and XF1100 in the new ProCross chassis, plus the TZ1 Touring, F5 LXR and Bearcat Z1 in the Twin Spar chassis.

Here is the revised schedule and locations as of Jan. 26, 2012. More dates and locations will be added.

Jan 26-29 South Range, Mich. 715-358-3929 (between 9:00am – 5:00pm CST)
Feb. 2-4 Marquette, Mich. Dealer/Customer Ride, Adventure Centre
Feb. 11 Minocqua, Wis. Cruiser Fest, R & R Motorsports
Feb. 16-18 Quebec City, Dealer/Customer Ride at Four Points by Sheraton.
Feb 23-25 Port Sydney, Ontario, Arnie’s Cat House
March 2-3 Colebrook, NH, Snodeo Livingston’s Arctic Cat
March 9-10 Old Forge, NY, SnoFest, Big Moose Arctic Cat

For additional information on Arctic Cat Arcticwear clothing and accessories, see your local Arctic Cat dealer or visit www.arcticcat.com.

To find a dealer near you, call 1-800-3-ARCTIC.

Monster Energy/Arctic Cat’s Tucker Hibbert, the reigning U.S. National Champion and 2010 World Champion, will travel to Falun, Sweden the end of March to compete in Clash of Nations’ inaugural Super Snowcross event.

Over two days, 90 athletes from around the world will compete in Super Snowcross, Freestyle Snowmobile, Big Air Snowboard and Big Air Ski competitions at the prestigious Lugnet Arena.

Hibbert is no stranger to competing in Sweden. Two years ago, in his first race outside of North America, he traveled to Mala to enter his first FIM Snowcross World Championship event. He was welcomed by thousands of fans and went on to win the title. He quickly learned that Sweden is stacked with snowmobile enthusiasts and knew he had to return.

Europe’s top action sports athletes along with select North Americans are expected to attend the second annual Clash of Nations. Lugnet is a world-class sporting complex where 58 of the 67 Swedish Sports Confederation’s activities can be practiced. The arena has seating for up to 30,000 spectators and is located 200 km northwest of Stockholm.

Clash of Nations will mark Hibbert’s final snocross event of the 2011/2012 season. Until then, he will compete in five ISOC National Snocross events across the U.S. and the FIM Snowcross World Championship in Russia.

To stay connected with his racing adventures, visit www.tucker-hibbert.com.

Tucker Hibbert – #68 Monster Energy/Arctic Cat – “I’m really excited about going to Sweden for Clash of Nations. I haven’t been back to Sweden since the World Championship in 2010. It was an awesome country to race at and visit. I was surprised by the excitement of the fans and amount of support I had there. I felt so welcomed and knew I had to find a way to go back. Clash of Nations should be a really cool event. It sounds like Lugnet is a quality venue and will be perfect for spectators to watch racing. With all the different events going on, I think it’ll be a relaxed, fun atmosphere.
We (the team) have a crazy schedule between now and Clash of Nations but we’re ready. I’ll race five big events in a row with two of them out of the country. It’ll be busy but exciting at the same time. It’ll be cool to end my season in Sweden. Hopefully we’ll find the same support and success we had there in 2010!”