BRP shocked the ATV industry when it announced it would be moving all ATV production to its Mexican based watercraft facility over the next year. Will BRP move sled assembly to Mexico too?

While we think the question deserves asking, here’s what makes sense: First of all, manufacturing of snowmobile parts from all four manufacturers has been taking place offshore for years.

We do know from discussions with OEMs who build both ATVs and sleds that ATVs are more expensive to manufacture than snowmobiles.

Retail pricing in the ATV market is fiercely competitive and thus requires intense cost control to maintain profitability.

It doesn’t mean snowmobilers are less discriminate about sled pricing; it means ATV profit margins dictate strict attention to production costs. Don’t expect to see any sleds built in Mexico in the near future.

Apparently photos are again circulating of Honda sleds in prototype form. Our in depth investigative team suspects the motorsport giant was interested in building snowmobiles a few years ago, before Yamaha’s successful 4-stroke program hit the snow.

With Yamaha picking up the pace, increasing sales and clearly cementing itself as the number one 4-stroke snowmobile manufacturer, we think there’s little room for Honda to carve out an identity.

Building a snowmobile requires the development of multiple technologies. Any OEM scoping out this biz must develop and produce engines, CVT transmissions, suspensions and chassis platforms that are better than companies producing sleds for half a century.

Press Release –

The Ski-Doo/Dodge Trucks/Supertrax Super Team enjoyed great racing action at a new venue – the Bracebridge Fairgrounds – in the middle of snowmobile country in Central Ontario. Great crowds all weekend made this event exciting for the team as both Matt and Justin railed qualifying with enormous holeshots and impressive scores.

Matt Turner rode superbly on Saturday scoring wins in qualifying rounds for both 440 and Open. His Sean Tilley tuned Ski-Doo’s looked untouchable as Matt consistently ran out front, tripling and doubling on command with finesse and precision.

Matt has been protecting an injured shoulder all season but his on-track performance certainly belies the North Bay, Ontario rider’s injury. When it came time for final round racing on Sunday Matt had a less than satisfying run in Pro 440 holding fourth behind team mate Justin Parnell – scoring fourth at the checkers.

Matt currently sits in second place in National Pro 440 CSRA Championship Snowcross. In Pro Open Matt’s 600cc Mod produced a fluke ignition problem on the starting line – leaving Matt unable to wick up the power and deliver his trademark consistent start or strong finish in this class. Matt stayed on the track to collect as many points as possible.

Justin Parnell continues to mature in CSRA Pro class competition with more poise and confidence every week. This weekend saw Justin struggle somewhat late on Saturday with a scary off in qualifying and some less than strong finishes.

Parnell, quiet and determined, focused his attention on Sunday’s final rounds of qualifying and most importantly, on the Pro 440 and Pro Open Finals. Looking more comfortable on his Sean Tilley tuned Ski-Doo’s than any previous weekend thus far – Justin railed his way to a strong third place finish in Pro 440.

Parnell’s starts are becoming as consistent as team mate Matt Turner’s – an indication the two are establishing an impressive rider dynamic that’s sure to lead to wins as the season wears on.

In Pro Open competition Parnell put qualifying problems behind him, scoring a hard fought and hard earned third at the checkers. That’s a pair of thirds for the CSRA’s hottest new Pro rider.

Press Release –

Polaris snocross racer Ross Martin took a major step closer to two season points titles by winning both Pro classes on his Polaris IQ race sled in WSPA racing on February 11 at Hill City, Minnesota.

Martin, 21, won the Pro Open class and the Pro Stock class in a day of hard-fought racing at the Park X racing facility. Martin ran out in front of the pack in both finals, grabbing the holeshot with his quick-accelerating Liberty™ engines and cruising to victory.

With the wins at Hill City, Martin extended his lead in Pro Open points and took over the lead in Pro Stock points at the mid-point of the season.

“This is shaping up to be a break-out season for Ross and for the IQ race sled,” said Polaris Racing Manager Tom Rager, Sr. “Ross has quickly developed into a top Pro racer after moving quickly through the Semi-Pro ranks. His future looks very bright. Our IQ is proving to be the sled to beat. It has the performance to excel at every venue on the circuit.”

The Park X sweep was the second time this season that Martin won both classes at an event. He previously earned both Pro class titles in January at the Air Force Canterbury National Snocross in Shakopee, Minnesota.

IQ Performance Leads to Dominance in Prelims
Martin led the Polaris domination of Pro Open qualifying, winning two of his three heats before winning the final. Fellow Polaris racer Levi LaVallee won a quarter-final heat and Matt Judnick and Mike Schultz both finished second in two heats.

In Pro Stock qualifying, Polaris racers dominated the top three slots in nearly every heat. Martin’s winning roll included him winning his Pro Stock quarter- and semi-final heats before winning the main. LaVallee won two Pro Stock heats and TJ Gulla won one as the IQ race sleds set the pace.

LaVallee was sixth in Pro Open at Hill City and is currently 10th in points. He was fifth in Pro Stock at Park X, putting him seventh in the points race. In their most recent competition, a non-points event, LaVallee finished second and Martin ran third at the ESPN Winter X Games.

Polaris racer Dennis Eckstrom is currently fourth in Pro Open points and ninth in the Pro Stock standings. In Sport class racing at Park X, Polaris racer Robert Graeber won both the Sport Open and Sport Stock titles. The next event on the WSPA circuit is the Grand Prix de Valcourt, February 18-19 in Valcourt, Quebec.

Press Release –

Chassis get updated and engines get refined, but one constant in cross-country snowmobile racing for over 40 years is the Polaris heritage of performance and durability that adds up to victory.

The 2006 chapter of Polaris cross-country success has begun unfolding in the first three races on the USCC circuit as Josh Davis and Eric Slominski have scored major victories. The Polaris racers are competing on race-prepped 600 HO Fusions – with the smooth-handling IQ® chassis and powerful 600 HO engine – and the result was the same as it has been for nearly a half-century: Polaris coming out on top.

In USCC racing in Barnesville, Minnesota, on January 28, Slominski had a great day, winning the Pro Open class and taking second in Pro 600.

During the two-race opening weekend of USCC racing in Minto and Grafton, North Dakota, earlier in January, about the only thing Polaris racer Josh Davis didn’t win was a coin flip. He did, however, ride his 600 HO Fusion to two Pro Open victories and a Pro 600 class win.

In Pro Open racing on January 7 in Minto, Davis recorded the exact same time as former Polaris racer Corey Davidson, so USCC officials split the purse money for first and second places. The racers flipped a coin to see who won the first-place plaque, and Davis didn’t win, but he wasn’t disappointed. After all, the Bagley, Minnesota, star had more racing to focus on.

Gabe Bunke of Moorhead, Minnesota, showed his durability and versatility by winning the Pro 600 class and finishing third in Pro Open in Minto.

The following day in Grafton, N.D., Davis won the Pro Open class outright and also won the Pro 600 class.

Looking for Polaris racing heritage? Bunke’s father, the late Jerry Bunke, was a legendary Polaris racer in the 1970s. And John Bosek, a Hall of Fame Polaris cross-country and enduro star in the 1980s and ‘90s, raced at Minto and finished second in the Pro Vets 35+ class (which was won by the considerably younger Davidson).

“We’re thrilled to have captured this early momentum on the Cross Country circuit,” said Polaris Racing Manager Tom Rager, Sr. “The sleds have changed and the racers have changed over the years – but one constant for us has always been, and will always be, Cross Country. It’s a very important part of the Polaris heritage and we’re proud of what our racers have accomplished thus far on the 600 HO Fusion and IQ Chassis.”