Press Release –

The annual snowmobile grass drag season began where it left off last fall – with Yamaha drivers atop the podium in two different series on Aug. 26.

Yamaha captured three firsts at the NSRA Outlaw Grass Drags in Princeton, MN, with the highpoint set by Allen Ulmer when he won Stock 600 on an Apex four-stroke. In fact, Yamaha machines claimed three of the top four spots with Jerry Fix and Pat Hauck claiming third and fourth on their own Apex sleds.

Rocky Miller began the Yamaha wins in Greenville, Mich. by taking his Lustilla Racing Vector to the Stock 500 win over teenager Ashley Agdorny in her first race aboard a Nytro. Nice job Ashley!

Miller also claimed Stock 600 on a 2007 Apex – just a week old and with only 17 miles on the odometer – by beating Ashley’s dad, Steve Agdorny, on his new Apex.

In addition to the racing action, the crowd was blown away when Yamaha Free-style rider Jimmy “Blaze” Fejes pulled off an incredible back flip on a modified 2007 Phazer. Quite a power play for Yamaha’s new four-stroke Phazer!

T-Train is Back on Track with Arctic Cat

Press Release –

Tucker Hibbert, three-time national snocross champion, turned professional motocrosser, is returning for five select World Powersports Snowmobile Association (WPSA) snocross events with Team Arctic Racing. While racing snocross, Hibbert will continue to prepare for the 2007 Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series.

“I want to prove to everybody that I’m still capable of running up-front and winning races on a snowmobile,” Hibbert said. “I’ve been with Arctic Cat my entire career and am confidant that their Sno Pro is the best sled out there.”

Hibbert’s racing career and relationship with Arctic Cat began when he was only three years old on a Kitty Cat. Before his 18th birthday, he won three national World Snowmobile Association points championships and three medals at ESPN’s Winter X-Games. In 2003, he chose to pursue a full-time professional motocross career. Since then, he has competed yearly in the Winter X-Games, capturing snocross silver medals in 2004 and 2005.

“Team Arctic Cat is very excited to have Tucker back and involved in our snocross program,” said Russ Ebert, Team Arctic Cat’s Race Manager. “He is an excellent role model for young Team Arctic riders. Tucker has some very special skills. Few riders can read lines on a race course and execute as precisely as he does.”

Hibbert will compete in the first four WPSA snowmobile events and ESPN’s Winter X-Games. Backed by Arctic Cat, he will have the flexibility to bring in his own sponsors and crew.

“I’m excited about having my own program with Arctic Cat,” Hibbert said. “I want to take the sport to a new level. This is a great opportunity for me to bring in corporate sponsors and to continue my relationship with past sponsors.”

His father and racing legend, Kirk Hibbert, will lead the team’s mechanics and equipment.

“The last couple years at the Winter X-Games have been the highlight of my seasons,” Kirk Hibbert said. “I’ve really missed racing with Tucker and am looking forward to working with him again.”

Hibbert’s weekends will be spent on the snow but it’s back to the dirt during the week. He is the only athlete in the world to competitively race both snowmobiles and motorcycles at a premiere level.

“I’ll still be racing motorcycles full-time and am 100% driven towards achieving my goals in snocross, supercross and motocross,” Hibbert said. “Competing with the top riders in two sports will continue to make me a better athlete and competitor.”

Press Release –

Fenwick, Ontario Snowmobile Daredevil Henry Bieda is challenging the claim by Greg Nielson of Grand Prairie, Alberta that he set a world record by driving his snowmobile 98.6 kilometres over a body of water. The claim by Nielson appeared in the August 22nd edition of the Globe and Mail.

As many in the Niagara Region are aware, Henry Bieda’s exploits on the snowmobile have never been duplicated, and he remains the undisputed king of snowmobiling over open water.

On June 11, 1989, as part of Welland’s Rose Festival, and in front of several hundred of onlookers, Henry Bieda travelled in a circular route for 100.1 miles (162km), establishing a world record for snowmobiling on water that, despite claims by Greg Nielson, still stand to this day. Bieda has the witnesses, the videotape, and the media clippings from that day, to back up his rightful claim to the title.

Still, Bieda’s distance record pales in comparison to the feat he accomplished on a balmy Sundry afternoon in August, 1988, when Bieda traversed Lake Ontario from Port Dalhousie to Toronto Island.

It’s a feat that has never been duplicated, nor ever attempted, again. Bieda managed to traverse 32 miles across the Great Lake in 42 minutes, and was escorted by an OPP Patrol boat for the first 20 kilometres of the journey. The feat received considerable attention at the time from local media, and Henry Bieda was crowned “Pelham’s Own Daredevil”.

Bieda, who co-owns Bieda Powersports with his son Stephen in Fenwick, Ontario, remains fiercely proud of his accomplishments. “We spent years developing a snowmobile that would be light enough to travel across large bodies of water, while ensuring the machine was still able to achieve the speeds required to keep it from sinking” remarked Bieda.

The Bieda dealership showroom still displays the photos from both the Lake Ontario and Welland Canal feats, and it takes little prompting for Bieda to pull out the old videotapes for inquiring customers.

It is with great sadness we report the snuffing out of a life which had a profound impact on the sport of snowmobiling and ATVing in Ontario.

In the early afternoon hours of August 14th Ted Day, Ontario Tourism’s point man for promotion of the Province’s highly regarded trail-tourism products, was suddenly and tragically killed in a head-on car crash near Ignace, Ontario. Ted was on vacation.

Ted’s mark on the sport of snowmobiling has been indelible – spanning years of intensely dedicated work to ensure Ontario’s snowmobiling opportunities, fantastic trails, Clubs and Associations were given their due – going the extra mile to support the infrastructure of snowmobiling while telling snowmobilers across North America about his beloved Ontario.

Ted wasn’t just a government employee doing his job. Not a chance. Ted Day lived snowmobiling – enjoying big rides on the trails he so capably marketed. He was always up for another tour, another chance to see the beauty of Ontario’s snowmobiling opportunities. It was his passion and because it was his passion, it wasn’t work at all for Ted. Because it was his passion, we have all lost someone special, someone who made a profound difference.

From all of us here at Supertrax and All-Terrain Vehicle Magazine we extend our deepest and sincerest heartfelt condolences to Ted’s family. Our prayers are with you.

On this day we have lost a friend.

God Speed Ted

Note:

Private family Memorial to be held on Saturday, August 19th. Public Memorial Service to be announced.