Seasoned veteran racers and up-and-comers used Polaris terrain domination to win six races at the United States Cross Country Snowmobile Racing Assn. (USCC) Grand Cities 100 in Grand Forks, North Dakota, on January 15.

Corey Davidson, who has been a winning Polaris racer in multiple race disciplines for over a decade, won the highly competitive Pro 600 race at Grand Forks, as well as the Vet 30+ and Masters 40+ classes. It was Davidson’s second-straight Pro 600 win this season, as he also won the non-points season opener at Grafton, N.D., in early January.

Bobby Menne IV (Bunke Racing), a Semi-Pro class rookie this season, won the Semi-Pro Improved race on a Polaris 600 RUSH Pro-R, and he finished fourth in Semi-Pro 600, a class he won in the season’s first race.

“The Polaris 600 RUSH Pro-R was really working well,” said Menne. “The bumps and angled drifts you see at the beginning of these races can be tough, but the sled stays straight and has a lot of speed, which is what you need.” Other Polaris racers who won their classes at Grand Forks were Torrey Erickson in the Trail class, and Rick Kerner, who won the Masters 50+ race.

Because Grand Forks was the first points race of the USCC season, each racer’s finishing spot represents his current place in the points standings for that class.

PRO Classes: Davidson Takes Early Points Lead

Corey Davidson’s early season performance makes him a top contender for the Pro 600 points title. He has won twice on a Polaris IQ Race Sled and has the points lead in a class where he finished 11th in points last season.

Polaris racer Aaron Christensen finished fourth in Pro 600 at Grand Forks and Gabe Bunke (Bunke Racing) finished seventh.

In Pro Open, Christensen finished second, just 10 seconds behind the winner, Justin Tate finished third to earn a podium spot, and Bunke was ninth.

SEMI-PRO Classes: Two Podiums for Polaris Racers

While Bobby Menne IV won the Semi-Pro Improved class to take the early class points lead, Polaris racer Travis Faust also earned a podium spot with a third-place finish, and Dillan Dohrn was fourth. Menne finished fourth in Semi-Pro 600 and Ken Christensen was fifth.

In the Vet 30+ race, defending points champion Davidson earned the victory, while fellow Polaris racer Jesse Thelen was third, Karl Jacobson was fifth and Jeff Klein was seventh. In Masters 40+, Davidson won the race and Ken Christensen was second.

The next USCC race is the three-day USCC Red Lake I-500, which will be run January 21-23 from Thief River Falls, Minnesota. Racers will run a loop each day, starting and finishing near Thief River Falls, with the overall winners determined by three-day cumulative times.

Lee Butler and Iain Hayden delivered a solid one-two punch for Team Rockstar Energy Polaris Racing at Round 2 of the CSRA Snowcross Championship in Rouyn-Noranda, QC this past weekend.

Despite a five-week lapse in the schedule, reigning Pro Open champ Butler and No.2 ranked Hayden were suffering from anything but a bout of the racing inactivity blues.

Their domination at the Rouyn-Noranda Coors Light International Grand Prix—on a very snowy and chilly -29C (-20F) race track—left no doubt in anyone’s mind that the two Rockstar Energy Polaris Racing teammates were focused on keeping their status as top dogs intact as the championship series resumed.

The northern Ontario boys-longtime friends off the track but archrivals when they have their race faces on—got plenty of saddle time on their Polaris backup sleds during the past month.

They were ready, able, and anxious to take up where they had left off in early December and that was to put their potent Polaris IQ sleds in the winner’s circle as they went head-to-head in the Pro Open points chase.

On a very tight supercross style track, which included a hair-raising 100-foot double, good starts were essential if a driver wanted to be in the front-runner mix. Butler and Hayden proved they were more than up to the task to finish in the top-five both days.

In the feature race on Saturday, Butler finished a barnstorming second while Hayden had to take satisfaction with fourth place at the checkered.

In Sunday’s feature race, a reborn Hayden pulled out all the stops to lead Butler to the finish line while the rest of the field battled some distance behind them for the remaining positions.

On the strength of 2-2 results, Butler claimed the overall for the weekend. Meanwhile, Hayden snared second overall, thanks to his 4-1 finishes.

After two rounds Butler holds down the lead position in the title hunt while Hayden sits comfortably in second place.

“Lee, Iain and the team staff worked hard to deliver top results this weekend. We wanted to come out of there with 1-2 and we did. They had a strategy on how to get their points and it paid off,” said team owner Andre Laurin.

Tucker Hibbert Sweeps Pro Classes, Thomsen Leads Semi Pro Points

Three races into the 2011 ISOC National Snocross Series, a defined pattern has emerged.

Team Arctic’s Tucker Hibbert will stamp his authority in the Pro class by handily winning both Stock and Open categories aboard his Arctic Cat Sno Pro 600, while Factory Team Arctic’s Cody Thomsen establishes himself atop the Semi Pro class.

Race three of the ISOC series was held at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, where a tight track produced heavy bumping and banging among the podium-hungry racers.

Like the previous two national events, Hibbert shrugged off mid-pack starts, dramatically working his Monster Arctic Cat into the lead and then cruising to comfortable wins. Hibbert now leads the points chase in both classes by comfortable margins.

Team Arctic pros Garth Kaufman, Dan Ebert, Ryan Simons, Logan Christian, Zach Pattyn and Wes Selby also mixed it up in the top-10 of each class.

The Utah round offered an abbreviated program of racing compared to other Nationals, with just one Semi Pro and Sport class each and two Junior events.

Cody Thomsen and his Factory Team Arctic teammate Kyle Pallin looked ready to dominate the Semi Pro Stock final until Pallin turned into a landing ramp for an overly-aggressive competitor, knocking him out of the top-3. He recovered to finish sixth, while Thomsen took a well-deserved second place to extend his championship points lead.

While Hibbert, Thomsen and company were dominating the West, a cadre of Team Arctic snocrossers made their mark at the SCM/Eastcoast race in Plattsburg, NY.

Led by Jason Boron who took third in Pro Stock and first in 30-Plus, and Chris Ackerman’s Semi Pro Stock win, the team more than proved their added Eastern presence.

“We’re competitive in all the eastcoast classes we enter, getting our share of podiums and wins,” said Mike Kloety, Team Arctic Race Manager. “We have more Arctic Cat racers running up front than in the past, and the results will continue to improve because of it. In ISOC, Tucker once again showed his talent and drive to sweep the Pro classes in Utah. Plus our National racers are mostly healthy and ready to attack the middle portion of the season. We’re in good shape to keep winning.”

The next event for Team Arctic’s snocross racers in the ESPN Winter X Games in Aspen, Colo., Jan. 27-30.

P.J. Wanderscheid Leads Team Arctics Dominance at Eagle River; Cross-Country Team Scores 11 Wins in Grand Forks

With the weight of history stacked against him, Team Arctic’s P.J. Wandershcheid reached deep into his bag of race savvy, pulling out a record-setting fourth Eagle River World’s Championship to become the winningest driver in the event’s 48 years.

The historic win capped what many longtime oval fans say was one of the greatest duels in Eagle River (Wis.) history, with Wanderscheid locked in a 15-lap battle with former Team Arctic two-time champion, Gary Moyle.

“In a race steeped in history, and competing against one of only three three-time winners (Jacques Villeneuve), Wanderscheid used his undeniable talent and preparation to overcome Eagle’s glass-ceiling,” said Team Arctic Race Manager, Mike Kloety. “It’s a monumental achievement for a great racer and team.”

Wanderscheid’s fourth win in a decade led one of Team Arctic’s strongest showings at Eagle River in recent memory.

While Team Arctic’s oval racers swept through Eagle River, the cross-country contingent delivered another dominant performance, this time at the USCC event in Grand Forks, ND. Battling on one of the roughest courses in USCC history, Team Arctic racers won 11 classes, including nine 1-2-3 podium sweeps.

For the second race this season, Ryan Simons was literally seconds off of the winning time in Pro 600, taking second place and leading a contingent of Christian Bros. Racing teammates that notched seven of the top-10.

Ryan Greening nailed an impressive win in the Semi Pro 600 class, leading a Team Arctic podium sweep, while Bryce Buchanen topped the Expert 85 class and Jolene Bute winning the Women’s.

More than 200 racers competed at Grand Forks, including nearly 50 racers aboard the Sno Pro 500.

The next race in the USCC circuit is the Red Lake 500, Jan. 21-23 in Thief River Falls. Go to for more information.

Dayco is proud to launch the 3rd Annual Dayco Pick-a-W promotion to kick off the spring preventative maintenance season.

Two years ago Dayco developed an on-line bracket contest for the NCAA March college basketball tournament that proved to be a great success.

This promotion is available to all professional technicians, Jobber and WD employees in the automotive aftermarket.

The promotion is simple and free. Those who register will have access to a website where they can monitor their progress throughout the tournament.

Once a customer registers, they will get a thank you email informing them that the bracket information will be emailed to them on March 14th.

This will then give them 3 days to make their picks before the tournament begins. Player even have the ability to build “buddy” lists for some additional regional competitiveness.

Dayco will be offering multiple gift card grand prizes of $1,000 as well as $250 winners of each round during the tournament. Gift card include Best Buy, Lowes, Cabellas and Bass Pro. Lastly, Dayco will add an additional $200 to the grand prize winners if they are a fan of the Dayco Facebook page.

Go to www.DaycoPickaW.com and register and test your college basketball knowledge.

What was supposed to be a double-header weekend for the United States Cross-Country Snowmobile Racing Association January 1-2 turned into a single, non-points race weekend when blizzards forced road closures in the Eastern North Dakota area.

Though no points were earned at the Grafton 100, it set the stage for the USCC season with stiff competition and plenty of drama.

The USCC heads to Grand Forks, North Dakota, for the Simonson Station Stores Grand Cities 100 on January 15. Originally scheduled for January 2, the postponed event will be the first points race on the USCC schedule.

Among the riders carrying momentum into Grand Forks will be Ross Erdman who is on a new team, RVP/Dootalk.com/Ski-Doo. Erdman set the fastest lap at Grafton, almost a full five seconds faster than anyone else. Christian Brothers Racing/Arctic Cat teammates Brian Dick and D.J. Ekre return as defending FXR Pro 600 and Arctic Cat Pro Open points champions respectively. Veteran USCC racer Gabe Bunke set fast lap in the Arctic Cat Pro Open class at Grafton but bad luck kept him from getting a good result.

Last year’s Seven Clans 7-7-7 Challenge winner Aaron Christensen and Christian Brothers Racing/Arctic Cat fast guy Ryan Simons were both on the brink of winning the FXR Pro 600 race at Grafton before crashes dropped them back on the time sheets.

Throw the 2010 Red Lake I-500 winner Dan Ebert, Grafton winner Corey Davidson and former Pro National snocross winner and X Games gold medalist Justin Tate in the mix and Grand Forks is set to be an intense weekend of cross-country racing.

The Simonson Station Stores Grand Cities 100 will be run in and around the city of Grand Forks. The course will consist of a challenging mix of ditch, river and woods running and with the amount of snow on hand it should get plenty rough.

“The Grand Forks race is unique in that it is run basically right in the middle of town,” said USCC President Pat Mach. “It’s a great opportunity for cross-country fans to see some great racing without having to travel too far.”

Fans will also be able to follow the race via the USCC’s online streaming broadcast by logging on to www.usccracing.com. Racers are encouraged to get their race entries in to the USCC office early.

It was supposed to be a back-to-back weekend for Bunke Racing, but back-to-back blizzards in Eastern North Dakota forced the United States Cross-Country Snowmobile Racing Association to postpone the Grand Cities 100 scheduled for Sunday, January 2, to January 15 and push back Saturday’s Grafton 100 to Sunday.

The USCC also announced that the Grafton 100 would be a non-points race since there were some racers who weren’t able to make it to the event due to the weather.

Blizzards may have shut down all major roads in the area, but the Bunke Racing team made it to Grafton and they came ready to race.

The newest member of Bunke Racing, Bobby Menne IV, got his first Semi-Pro win, taking victory in Semi-Pro 600 and logging the third fastest lap of the race on a tough course that featured twisting river, tight woods, drifted tree lines and wide open fields and ditches.

Menne posted a three-lap time of 58:24.398 over the 14.5-mile course and was over a half minute ahead of second place. It is perhaps the biggest race to date won on a Polaris RUSH. Menne also took fifth in the two-lap Semi-Pro Improved race earlier in the day.

“This is my first win as a Semi-Pro and it feels really good,” said Menne. “Our test time with the Polaris 600 RUSH Pro-R really showed in the race, the sled was working great. I feel more comfortable on this sled than anything I’ve raced in the past.”

Pro rider and team co-owner Gabe Bunke didn’t post final race results as good as Menne’s, but his lap times on the Polaris 600 RUSH Pro-R showed much promise.

In the two-lap Pro Open race Bunke set fast lap time for the class before having his race cut short after getting stuck in deep snow.

In the Pro 600 race, Bunke set the seventh fastest lap time out of 24 Pro riders before once again having to drop out of the race.

“I was so happy with the sled,” Bunke said. “Bobby proved we can win on the Polaris 600 RUSH Pro-R and he proved himself as a contender in the Semi-Pro class. Unfortunately it wasn’t my weekend, but the sled was ripping and I’m happy with the fast laps I put in. Let’s hope all the bad luck is behind us for the season.”

“This weekend was definitely a positive one for the team,” said Team Coordinator Bob Menne. “Everyone put in a lot of work getting ready for this race and it showed in how well the sleds ran and in Bobby’s win. It’s a huge boost for the team to get a win and it’s a benchmark for the Polaris 600 RUSH Pro-R.”

Next up for Bunke Racing is the USCC Grand Cities 100 scheduled to take place January 15, 2011, in Grand Forks, ND. For more information on Bunke Racing please visit www.bunkeracing.com and www.onethirtyoneracing.com.