Helmetlight, Inc., the manufacturer of the LEAD-DOG Helmet Light has teamed up with the Iron Dog Snowmobile Race to help get the 2011 Irondog Ambassador Team to Fairbanks by way of Nome.

The Ambassador Team left Big Lake, Alaska this morning in a blizzard snow storm along with the rest of the Trail Class rider’s of the Irondog Snowmobile Race.

The Pro Class Teams will leave Sunday morning on the LONGEST, TOUGHEST Snowmobile Race in the World. The Ambassador Team of Skip Boomershine, Mike Bedard, and Mark Ivy are traveling the 2,000 mile race course on a “Thanks and Appreciation” run to all the volunteer’s and communities along the way. Kevin Kastner, in his Rookie year as the new Executive Director, said ” this way, we can personally thank each and every volunteer that make this race possible”.

The Ambassador Team picked up a fourth rider Nick Higdem, and it is no coincidence Mike Bedard is on the ride. Polaris Industries stepped up first to supply machines for the ride, by sending 2012 Adventure’s to South Port Marina on Big Lake.

Mike Bedard is part of the engineering team at Polaris, and say’s “this gives us an opportunity to test continuous every day operation of an outdoor environment. Things like getting on a cold seat in the morning after it has been outside all night, not in a shop, and the daily Alaskan weather, temperature, and riding conditions.”

The Ambassador Team hopes to visit with everyone along the course that volunteers, and you can watch them, along with the Race, on Channel 2(ktuu.com) with streaming Start and coverage throughout the race.

The LEAD-DOG Helmet Light is a helmet-mounted halogen spot, tail and brake light. Because it’s mounted on the helmet, the light shines where you are looking, not just where your machine is pointing. That’s a marked improvement for riders searching for trail.

BRP reveals its 2012 Ski-Doo snowmobile line-up, raising the bar on product innovation and market-shaping technology introductions.

Launched to an audience composed of North American, Russian, Japanese and Chinese dealers, the new line-up promises to excite consumers with new models and a full array of state-of-the-art features, all designed to please a broad owner base and new entrants to the sport of snowmobiling.

“BRP’s focus on the consumer experience is at the core of the 2012 Ski-Doo line-up,” stated Yves Leduc, vice-president and general manager for the North America division. “The success of our more recent introductions has laid the foundation and provided the opportunity to refine a line-up that will continue to reshape the industry and attract newcomers to snowmobiling.”

rMotion Rear Suspension – unmatched technology

The leading news at this year’s annual dealer meeting is the introduction of the rMotion rear suspension, delivering new levels of comfort, capability, and exclusive means of customizing the ride.

The new system features a progressive motion ratio rear shock, the most travel in the industry, a wide performance window, easy adjustability and controlled transfer.

An optional Quick Adjust system puts the preload and compression damping controls on the running boards for even faster, more precise fine-tuning.

These benefits deliver an easy customization for the ultimate personal ride experience. The all-new rMotion suspension will be available on the Ski-Doo MX Z X-RS and MX Z X models for 2012.

“The 2012 line-up caps off a decade of innovative product introductions,” declared Chris Dawson, vice-president and general manager for the International division. “BRP is enhancing the consumer value proposition around the globe and this new line-up will unlock the potential for our selling networks to capitalize on the industry rebound.”

Summit Freeride Offering Expands

On the heels of the 2011 introduction of the Summit Freeride model, BRP adds to this emerging free style riding market by offering new models with three different track length packages: 154″, 146″ and 137″ (392, 371, and 348 cm); all featuring the proven REV-XP RS chassis, KYB Pro 40 shocks and plenty of trick features for extreme freeriders.

Super Wide Track lands on REV-XU Platform

In the utility segment, where BRP has the most complete offering in the industry, the Ski-Doo Skandic SWT sled moves to the REV-XU platform, making the 2012 Ski-Doo snowmobiles 100% built on the REV-X platform.

The new Skandic SWT model boasts a monster 156 x 24 inch track (391 x 61 cm), six percent more fuel capacity and 52 fewer pounds (24 kg) – not to mention all the benefits of the modern platform such as sleek styling and flexible riding position.

GSX Platform Adds Expanded Engine Offerings

Since both the Ski-Doo GSX SE and GSX LE models are built on the REV-X platform, they are easy to drive and even easier to secure a comfortable riding position.

New for 2012, BRP is offering a choice of three engine options with the Ski-Doo GSX SE model: the 4-TEC 1200, ETEC 600 H.O. and the E-TEC 800R engines. The REV-X platform, coupled with the premium Rotax engines, ensures a satisfying ride every time.

Engine Offerings Grow in 2012 Line-up

BRP’s Ski-Doo brand continues to lead the industry with the broadest selection of power options – all state-of-the-art technologies meeting and exceeding today’s environmentally friendly standards.

This new model year expands the offering of the successful Rotax E-TEC 800R, the lightweight E-TEC 600 H.O. and the wildly successful 600 ACE (Advanced Combustion Efficiency) engines; still the industry’s best fuel economy at *29 mpg (8 L/100 km) and range of 310 miles or 500 kilometers.

Many Ski-Doo snowmobile models now offer expanded use of these cleaner technologies and more fuel-efficient engines, including the Ski-Doo GSX SE, Tundra and Expedition models.

To see all the new 2012 sleds, engine technologies and new improvement packages for all the Ski-Doo snowmobile models, visit www.ski-doo.com.

20 Class Wins, 10 Podium Sweeps and Twice the Usual Beatings

Team Arctic cross-country racers took advantage of a two-race USCC weekend in Red Lake, Minn., notching 20 class victories and 10 podium sweeps while inflicting twice the usual beating upon the competition.

For the second weekend in a row, Team Arctic’s D.J. Ekre and Ryan Greening captained the corps, with Ekre winning Pro Stock and Pro Open while Greening snatched 3-of-4 Semi Pro wins.

Ekre’s Arctic/Christian Bros. Racing teammates Garth Kaufman, Ryan Simons and Zach Pattyn occupied plenty of Pro podium real estate, while Chad Kyllo and Spencer Kadlec did the same in the Semi Pro class.

Jon Arneson, Bryce Buchanan and Luke Perreault also scored double-wins during the weekend, adding to their hefty hardware haul this season.

“Ekre has definitely found his sweet spot for speed these past couple weeks,” said Mike Kloety, Team Arctic Race Manager. “After bad luck plagued the start of his race season, he’s hungry for more wins while Ryan Simons is riding to maintain his lead in the championship points race.”

“Plus Ryan Greening has been literally unbeatable in the Semi Pro 600 class so far this season, and we’ve seen a slew of Expert and Sport racers take turns winning the 85-hp classes. With two races remaining, Team Arctic racers appear ready to top most of the USCC class championships.”

The next race in the USCC circuit is March 12 in Warroad, Minn. Go to www.usccracing.com for more information.

Bunke Racing Semi-Pro Bobby Menne IV had one of his best weekends ever at the USCC double header in Red Lake, Minn. Menne took a podium finish on Saturday at the Red Lake 75 then backed it up with two podium finishes at Sunday’s Red Lake 100. Pro rider Gabe Bunke had a good weekend as well with a Top 5 and two Top 10 finishes.

The race was run out of the host Seven Clans Red Lake Casino in Red Lake, Minn., and featured a different course for Saturday’s Red Lake 75 and Sunday’s Red Lake 100. Both courses were 20-miles in length and consisted of woods, ditch, trail and minimum maintenance roads. Bunke opened the weekend with a 5th place finish in Pro Open, posting a one-lap time of 25:19.041. Menne placed 5th in Semi-Pro Improved to start the day, posting a one-lap time of 26:41.141.

Bunke had a great run in the highly-competitive Pro 600 class where riders raced three laps and were required to perform a mandatory fuel stop. Bunke finished the three laps with a time of 1:25:38.836, good enough to snag 8th place. Menne ran two laps in the Semi-Pro 600 race and posted a time of 56:05.180 which put him in second place in the 17-rider field.

Riders lined up outside Seven Clans Casino again on Sunday to race the second day of the double-header. The Red Lake 100 featured a different course but it was roughly the same length and the same type of terrain as the day before, so machine setup was similar. The team started the day with Bunke placing 11th in Pro Open and Menne taking the win in the Semi-Pro Improved race with a one-lap time of 29:10.788.

“It feels good to get the win,” said Menne “There are some really fast Semi-Pros and the top riders are getting times that put them up with the fastest Pros so I’m really happy with it. Also, the team worked really hard to get the Polaris IQ600R snowmobiles ready for this race and make sure they were dialed in for me, so I owe a lot to them.”

Later in the day Bunke ran three laps with a fuel stop again in the Pro 600 race and finished 7th with a time of 1:34:58.285. Menne finished on the podium in second place in the Semi-Pro 600 class with a two-lap time of 1:01:52.016.

“We had another good weekend with some solid results,” said Bunke. “Our hard work is paying off and we should be sitting good in the points going into the last two races.”

“Gabe and Bobby and the rest of the team have been working non-stop the past few weeks,” said Team Coordinator Bob Menne. “But that’s what it takes to be a top team and get the kind of results we posted this weekend. Its an example of the kind of program we’re running.”

Next up for Bunke Racing is the USCC Munising 300 February 25-26 in Munising, Mich. For more info on Bunke Racing visit www.bunkeracing.com.

This past weekend, the Supertrax Magazine/Byers Motorsports/Polaris team travelled to the home town of Ski-Doo for the 29th running of the Grand Prix de Valcourt.

The Valcourt crew did a great job preserving the Yvon Duhame Snowcross and Ice Oval tracks, despite the warm weather and the dreaded rain prior to the event. The event brought top Snowcross racers from the CSRA, SCM, ECS and ISOC circuits from Canada and the USA.

Saturdays Semi-Pro Open class racing brought temperatures that we are used to racing in at the Grand Prix with strong winds.

In moto 1, Jamie was running 3rd going down the long front stretch rhythm section before another rider landed on the back of the tunnel of his sled, launching the sled out from under him. Jamie was able to get back on the sled and catch up to the next racer but was unable to complete the pass before the checkered finishing 6th.

Moto 2 went much smoother finishing 4th. With a lot of entries in the class, Jamie had to go to the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) to make it into the final. Jamie nailed the hole-shot in the LCQ and led from start to finish for the win.

Disadvantaged in the back-row of the final, Jamie was stuck at the back of the pack coming out of the first corner. Being late in the day with overcast skies and perfectly white man-made snow, Jamie struggled with visibility and finding lines through the rhythm section, finishing 11th.

The sun came out for Sunday and the Semi-Pro stock racing. Frustrated with his results on Saturday, Jamie came out strong in Moto 1 nailing the hole-shot and ran a strong hard race leading from the green to checkered flag for the win.

Once again in Moto 2, Jamie was on the throttle and his Polaris IQ race sled launched off the line and grabbed the hole-shot. A hard charging 2nd place stuck his nose in a couple of the corners but Jamie was able to hold him off to grab his second win of the day.

Sweeping the qualifying races, Jamie was tied for the first going into the final. He lined up for the start on the far outside where he had been grabbing the hole-shots all day from.

He didn’t get the best of starts but was able to make up some time on the outside going down the front stretch rhythm section putting himself in 3rd at the second corner. Running 3rd Jamie hit a square edge which jarred his back and ejected him from the sled. Jamie was able to get back onto the sled and finish the race in 11th.

“It’s frustrating at times not being able to pull it through for the finals but we came out of the weekend with some Qualifying Wins and good points towards the CSRA National Championships,” said Jamie after the weekend. “We’re going to be on top of the Podium before this season is over.”

The Next race that the Supertrax Magazine/Byers Motorsports team will be attending is March 5-6 at Sudbury Downs Horse track in Sudbury, Ontario. We will also be welcoming Kyle for his first race back to try and take the top spot in the Sport class in Sudbury.

Thanks To Great Sponsors: Supertrax Magazine, Byers Motorsports – Polaris, Gamma Sales- Fly Racing, Coldwave, Dragon Optics, Amsoil, Dayco Belts, Creechers Design, Woody’s, CM Sports/Clean Media – Photography, Powermadd, Sled Pro, TekVest