Press Release –

Snowmobiling has quickly gone global and this winter has been an especially interesting one for me and those involved in snowmobiling around the world.

The market in the European Union has been growing dynamically over the last few years and this winter I’ve had the opportunity to meet with snowmobile enthusiasts from Poland, Slovenia, Germany, Sweden, Finland, and Norway.

Their enthusiasm towards snowmobiling mirrors the enthusiasm of North American snowmobilers and they marvel at the quality of the machines and the beautiful scenic spots the snowmobiles enable them to visit.

Snowmobilers throughout Europe and Russia are building trail systems, riding areas, and forming clubs based on the North American model. Travel writers and Visitor and Convention Bureaus from around the world are visiting the North American Trail Systems and learning from Club members how to build trails and promote snowmobiling.

The enthusiasm of these new snowmobilers is infectious and is being joined by favorable government and trade representatives who are helpful and interested in creating and nurturing a snowmobile-related tourism business in their own countries.

Snowfalls throughout most of North America and Europe this year have surpassed records set more than 100 years ago and it is common to find snow depths exceeding 5-6 feet.

It appears many of us will be snowmobiling into the spring, which often provides some of the greatest snowmobiling of the year. The relatively warm, sunny long days add to the enjoyment of snowmobiling.

In Northern Scandinavia, some of the best snowmobiling occurs in late March into April. I’m sure the folks getting sand in their shorts in April have no idea of the fun and beauty they are missing snowmobiling in Early April – glistening white snow accented by crystal clear blue sky and an amazing orange sunrise or sunset.

More folks throughout the world are enjoying snowmobiling and it’s just one more example showing how we are far more alike than some would believe. We are looking forward to many great years expanding snowmobiling worldwide and welcoming new friends to our growing chorus of outdoor winter enthusiasts.

Our last poll question asked which is the best big hammer trail sled. Out of 1,083 participants, the results were as follows:

Which is the best big hammer trail sled?

39.24% – Ski-Doo MX-Z 800XP (425 votes)
26.59% – Polaris IQ 800 (288 votes)
22.35% – Yamaha FX Nytro RTX (242 votes)
11.82% – Arctic Cat F-8 Sno-Pro (128 votes)

Scroll down to take part in our latest poll! We ask:

What feature is most important to you on a new sled?

1. Warm Windshield
2. Electric Start
3. Reverse
4. Hand/Thumb Warmers
5. 2- Up Versatility
6. Storage Capacity

Cast your vote now!

Press Release –

Polaris snocross racers left wintry West Yellowstone, Montana, hungry for more WPSA wins, but pleased to be standing strong in the season points races.

Polaris racers headed to the non-points Winter X Games with the points lead in three of four Pro and Semi-Pro classes as well as in Pro Women’s Super Stock.

Sunday’s weather at West Yellowstone was windy, snowy and freezing cold, reducing visibility to the point where the races were postponed for a day. Monday was less snowy but still cold, and the Polaris racers made the best of the conditions on their IQ® Race Sleds.

Andrew Johnstad (Avalanche Racing) won Semi-Pro Super Stock and Kylie Abrahamson (Avalanche Racing) won Pro Women Super Stock, victories that helped both of them strengthen their points leads. Abrahamson had led by just 1 point headed to “West” but left with an 11-point edge.

Pro Open: Gulla Leads in Points

With his second-place finish on Monday, TJ Gulla (Hentges Racing) departed West with the lead in Pro Open points, followed by Ross Martin (Judnick Motorsports), Dennis Eckstrom (Scheuring Speed Sports) and Levi LaVallee (Hentges Racing) standing 2-3-4, respectively. With Shaun Crapo (Scheuring Speed Sports) in ninth, Polaris has five of the top nine places in Pro Open points.

Pro Super Stock: Eckstrom is Tops in Standings

Rebounding strongly from what had been an off-year for him last winter, Eckstrom finished third in Pro Super Stock at West and is currently second in class points. Ross Martin is third in points and Mike Schultz (Avalanche Racing) is fourth. Gulla (sixth), Shaun Crapo (seventh) and LaVallee (eighth) give Polaris six of the top eight places in the points race.

Semi-Pro Open: LePage Holds Points Lead

In a rare occurrence, a Polaris racer did not win the class on the weekend, but with a fifth-place finish, Bobby LePage (Hentges Racing) retained his lead in the points race, followed by Chris Kafka (Hentges Racing) and Andrew Johnstad (Avalanche Racing) in second and third, respectively. Dylan Martin (Judnick Motorsports) is fifth, giving Polaris four of the top five in points.

Semi-Pro Super Stock: Johnstad Wins, Leads

With his Semi-Pro Super Stock win at West, Andrew Johnstad solidified his points lead in the class. Brett Bender (Hentges Racing) is third and Chris Kafka is fourth in points. Mike Bauer in sixth, LePage (seventh) and Dylan Martin in ninth give Polaris six of the top nine spots in class points.

James Johnstad, Trevor Leighton Shine

James Johnstad (Avalanche Racing) and Trevor Leighton were busy and successful at West. Johnstad won the Sport Stock, Junior 16-17 and Junior 14-15 classes, while Leighton finished 3-2-2 in those classes, respectively. Derek Ellis won Sport Super Stock 1 and Braxton Call won both Junior 8-10 (300cc) and 120 Champ 6-12.

Many of the WPSA racers – including several of the Polaris Pro and Semi-Pro racers, will head to Aspen for the ESPN Winter X Games, which run January 24-27. Check local listings for the snowmobile competition broadcast schedule.

Press Release –

It was cold, really cold. Like spit and watch it freeze before it hits the ground cold.

Three days of sub-zero temperatures didn’t stop three Team Arctic racers from battling it out in the USCC Red Lake I500 January 18-20th.

These three racers set a goal to not only finish the grueling three day race, but donate any money raised or won to the Children’s Miracle Network and the Gillette Children’s Hospital.

Jim Urquhart of Somerset, WI and John Sandberg of Prior Lake, MN, both piloted new Arctic Cat F5s in the Sport 85 class, while Pro Jeff Gruhlke of Forest Lake, MN took command of the all-new Sno Pro 600.

After battling extremely cold temperatures mixed in with whooped out, drifted ditchlines, icy rivers, tight woods and rugged swampy terrain, Sandberg proved victorious by winning the Sport 85 class and donated his $1,300 winning check.

“It’s a privilege to be healthy enough to race Arctic Cat snowmobiles, and I was fortunate to win my class,” said Sandberg. “I’m personally honored to be able to donate the money I won to CMN/GCH, so that I might in some way help a child gain their own good health. I had a great experience in that race and a lot of people helped me along the way, but helping kids is just as rewarding as winning races.”

The donations didn’t stop there as Gruhlke followed suit. Racing Pro Open, Pro 600 and Vet 30 Plus classes, Jeff raised $1,300 by finishing 6th in Pro Open and 10th in Pro 600. He also finished 4th in Vet 30 Plus. Gruhlke, who was a consistent Top 5 finisher last season on the USCC circuit stepped in to race the Black Magic-prepped sled just a week before the I-500.

“It was extremely difficult to find a new Arctic Cat Sno Pro this late in the game, and after working with some leads through the Team Arctic race shop, I worked out a deal with Black Magic Racing the Saturday before the I-500,” said Gruhlke. “We had little prep time, but the crew at Black Magic worked hard to race-prep the sled for me. We got good results and with more time we could have been in the Top 5. We’ll get better results next year, but I’m just happy to help the cause.”

A strong fourth place finish in the Sport 85 class put Urquhart out of the money, but he raised over $1,500 outside the race by getting contributors to sponsor his race program; putting the total contribution to charity over $4,000.

“I came up with the idea of racing for charity last year and figured I could beat my previous total since so many people were willing to help out and be part of the program,” said Urquhart. “I really appreciate all the people who helped me along the way this year, namely Arctic Cat. Without them, the USCC and multitudes of contributors, this season would have never been a success.”