A motorcycle and a snowmobile walk into a bar…Well, not quite, but not too different, as a motorcycle and a snowmobile will simultaneously fly over water in the latest installment of Red Bull: New Year. No Limits.

This year will bring together two incredible athletes who have found their way back to the annual New Year’s Eve celebration via different paths.

The event will air live from San Diego, Calif., on Saturday, December 31 at approximately 11 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT on ESPN, ESPNHD and ESPN3, immediately following the Chick-Fil-A Bowl.

Levi LaVallee has fully recovered from a crash while training for the same event last year, just hours after shattering the world record with a leap of 361 feet on a snowmobile. Robbie Maddison kick-started the series in 2007 by jumping his motorcycle 322 feet over a football field in Las Vegas and followed it up in 2008 by jumping onto – and off – the 96-foot tall Arc De Triomphe at Paris Las Vegas.

This year, LaVallee, a 28-year-old native of Longville, Minn., will jump his snowmobile alongside Maddison, a 30-year-old Aussie now living in Temecula, Calif., who will pilot his motorcycle as both athletes concurrently jump over 300 feet of water from the North park to the South park at the Embarcadero Marina Park in the downtown area of San Diego Bay.

LaVallee will attempt to break his own record of 361 feet and Maddison will be aiming for a leap of more than 400 feet to eclipse the current record of 391 feet.

On-site viewing will be free to spectators at both parks. Gates will open at 6 p.m. PT.

“I am so pumped to be able to come back to Red Bull: New Year. No Limits.,” said LaVallee. “Last year obviously didn’t go the way I was hoping, and I am excited to have another chance at this amazing opportunity.”

“Jumping long distances is a passion of mine, and I’m excited to come back for New Years Eve and sail over San Diego Harbor,” said Maddison. “400 feet is my goal. It’s not all about getting the world record to me, it’s more about understanding this feat and the commitment ahead to achieving what most would consider an impossible jump.”

DOUBLE FEATURE

LaVallee is a seven-time Winter X Games medalist and champion snocross racer. He is widely known for becoming the first person to double backflip a snowmobile in 2009 at Winter X Games. San Diego may not be the first place that comes to mind when discussing snowmobiles, but the lack of snow won’t hinder LaVallee, who will use artificial turf on his run-up path, which will provide the necessary grip for his snowmobile’s track to ensure maximum speed as he hits the take-off ramp.

Maddison boasts accomplished freestyle motocross career, with an X Games silver medal in 2010 in Moto X Best Trick and two wins on the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour (Calgary 2009 and Madrid 2010). He also has a successful history of record-breaking achievements and globally captivating feats. Among them are backflipping across the Tower Bridge in London and clearing the Cornith Canal in Greece, to go with his previous New Year’s Eve successes.

Red Bull’s annual New Year’s Eve celebration highlights extraordinary athletes pushing their physical, mental and technical limits to break boundaries and records.

Leading up to their big night, LaVallee and Maddison will work with Red Bull’s athlete performance experts, physicists and engineers, in addition to their core teams, in an effort to get the most out of their bodies and machines. Valuable information will also be attained and put into future technological development.

After last year’s unfortunate cancellation, this will be the fourth Red Bull: New Year. No Limits. event in the last five years. In 2008, the year Maddison went up and off the Arc de Triomphe, Rhys Millen backflipped an off-road truck and just missed sticking the landing.

In 2009, Travis Pastrana jumped his rally car a staggering 269 feet over water, landing on a barge in Long Beach’s Rainbow Harbor.

For Red Bull: New Year. No Limits. event details, visit www.redbullnewyearnolimits.com.

Two days ago, at the Holiday gas station in the town where I live I had a short conversation with a stranger (we were both filling spare gas cans and wearing Arctic Cat jackets…go figure!) about the sled I’m riding this year: a 2012 F1100 Sno Pro in 50th trim.

He was genuinely stumped about two things: Why I switched from my 2011 F8 to a similar weight (but much less hp) 4-stroke; and why I didn’t choose an F800 or F1100 Turbo.

If you’re that guy and happen to read this, here’s a more thoughtful answer than my short reply that day at the pumps.

Going from a 2011 F8 to a 2012 F1100

Despite being a lifetime rider of small-to-medium-hp sleds (500s and 600s baby!), I fell in love with the 800 H.O. last season. It was an incredible engine that amazed me as much for its low to mid-range manners as it did its searing top end.

The fact that both my son and wife loved this sled is testament to the fact that it can cruise at an easy pace just as easily as it can rip.

Stepping down 40 hp to an 1100 wasn’t so much a choice of hp, it was a choice of chassis and ergonomics.

More than anything else, those two areas are what distinguish the ProCross from the Twin Spar.

I think the 2012 F1100 is similar to weight as the 2011 F8, but the way these two sleds feel is completely different.

The ProCross platform reacts to rider input in a way that the Twin Spar couldn’t. I distinctly remember riding an F1100 through the town of West Yellowstone last winter.

I like berm-shotting off the snowplowed banks whenever riding along the side of a road. The first time I did the little maneuver to get up on the 3-ft. bank, it reacted so quickly that it put me on top of the bank! No way would the Twin Spar do that with an equal effort. The F1100 ProCross is truly nimble feeling.

Likewise, compared to the Twin Spar, the ProCross reacts far more quickly and positively in the following situations:

1. Brake drifting into a corner (tapping the brake to initiate a skid for cornering);
2. Leaning the sled over while in powder
3. Correcting any inside ski lift by leaning

Ergonomically, the new ProCross works way better for my 5’8″ frame. The seat is narrower and shaped so that I can easily hang off the side while cornering, something that was far more difficult on the Twin Spar.

There are other differences in favor of the ProCross that are less important, yet still meaningful:

First,better braking performance and secondly while purely subjective, I think the ProCross looks way cooler than the Twin Spar. Especially with the 50th trim, which makes me feel like Dimmerman or Elsner.

This is especially important at this time of year, when I spend a lot of time looking at the sleds in my shop. LOL.

The Twin Spar might be the best all-day cruising sled ever built. If I get to notch a 200-plus mile day this year on a ProCross, I’ll have a better opinion about which sled is better. But most of my rides are 100 miles or less.

Bottom line, the 1100 ProCross package brings out a fun-factor that I never experienced with the Twin Spar platform.

Why an 1100 4-Stroke instead of the 800 2-Stroke

I had a long, tough internal debate about which motor I was going to go with. As I mentioned above, the 800 H.O. is a sweetheart of an engine, with no trade-offs in terms of fun and civility.

Riding the 1100 for a few days in West Yellowstone, I came away thinking how much better that engine feels in a lighter, narrower and more responsive package (ProCross) compared to the Twin Spar.

Seriously, I believe that had the 1100 engine made its debut in ProCross, it would never have gotten the less-than-enthusiastic snub that some have given it.

Here’s what I like about the 1100:

– Smooth
– Quiet
– No need to add oil
– Makes possible the heated seat
– 120-horsepower range, which has long been my sweet spot

Here’s what I didn’t like about the 1100:

– Heavier than an equivalent 2-stroke
– During acceleration, the exhaust note doesn’t give the same perception of speed/power.
– The required break-in procedure will really test my attention span and my patience.

After spending a week debating the pros and cons in my mind I opted for the 1100. This will be my first 4-stroke sled and the curiosity of that helped push my decision.

I love the 4-stroke dirt bikes I own, and that transition (from 2-strokes) was seamless.

I will reserve final judgment until I’ve logged enough miles to have a more informed position.

I may regret my decision not to get the 800, but from a practical standpoint, I believe it will be easy to sell used F1100s for quite some time.

Likewise, used sled prices are (finally) in the range that it’s possible to buy/sell every year or so and not feel gutted. So if I absolutely must go back to an 800, it won’t be a financially wrenching process.

Bottom line, the 1100 engine blossomed when it slid into the ProCross chassis. It’s in my preferred hp range and it offers some new conveniences that I expect to enjoy.

Why the standard 1100 instead of the Turbo?

This one’s easy: I almost never feel the need to go 115 mph, or whatever top-speed the Turbo will hit.

Seriously, I predict that there are going to be some very surprised Turbo owners who, if they’re completely honest, will wonder why they bought a sled with so much speed/power on tap.

For me, this is too much engine/too much speed for the kind of riding I do. It’s also heavier than the non-Turbo, and more expensive.

If I wanted more than 120 hp, I would have chosen the 800 over the Turbo. I prefer the 800s more instant low and mid-range hit to the slightly lazier Turbo, as well as its lower weight.

When I lean on an engine’s power, it’s for the “hit” rather than terminal velocity. Like popping the front end in the air off a ditch approach, or those first 5-10 seconds of acceleration from a dead stop.

Bottom line, the Turbo is about insane top-speed and that’s just not my priority.

To read more great Arctic Cat editorial by John Sandberg, visit ArcticInsider.com and be sure to register here so you can post in the forum!

This past July in Montreal, Quebec, BRP – makers of Ski-Doo snowmobiles held an impressive party the size of which we’ve never seen before.

The company decided it would have a once-in-a-lifetime dealer and media spectacle that would allow over 4,000 dealers from around the globe to come to Valcourt and Montreal and visit the home of Ski-Doo, Sea-Doo, Can-Am and Evinrude.

The event included the largest corps of media we’ve ever been involved with in 23 years of publishing – over 70 media outlets from as far away as Japan, Europe and South America were invited and treated to a total immersion in all things BRP.

Included in the week-long event were factory tours witnessing Can-Am Roadster and Ski-Doo snowmobile production, visits to the J. Armand Bombardier Museum, tours of the incredible Laurent Beaudoin Design and Innovation Centre and access to ride everything the company makes (except snowmobiles) at the downtown Montreal St. Lawrence riverfront “Ultimate Playground” facility.

Clearly, BRP is positioning itself for a strong comeback and increased presence in the powersport industry. Supertrax and SnowTrax Television represented the snowmobile enthusiast media and you can count on seeing a feature about this event this season on SnowTrax!