Corey Davidson and his Yamaha Apex made history by becoming the first four-stroke to win the nation’s oldest and fastest snowmobile race, the grueling International 500 held in Sault St. Marie, Mich. on Feb. 4.

Davidson, sharing the driving duties with teammate Travis Hjelle, took command about 451 laps into the 500-lap event on the famous one-mile oval, then stretched out a lead over the Pierce Racing team of Todd Krikke and Chad Gueco, who placed second on another Apex.

Yamaha’s domination at this storied event was made even more impressive by the fact that Yamaha four-strokes captured five of the top 10 positions.

A combination of speed and durability was the secret on race day as warm weather caused soft ice conditions, with the course eventually becoming so ragged that the clay base showed through.

With fuel stops every 85 or 90 laps and the occasional driver change, Pierce Racing’s Krikke and Gueco rode hard and stayed in front for most of the race. However, Davidson’s strategy was to set up his Apex to handle best when the track got rough, save his equipment during the early part of the race, and be ready to make his move during the last 100 miles.

With less than 50 miles to go things got interesting as Davidson caught and passed Krikke, then pulled out a lead of almost 30 seconds.

All of the racers competing on the new Apex seemed blown away by its responsive engine, speed and handling. “It worked awesome all day,” Davidson said. “I love it. That thing is so smooth and fast, it’s the best sled I’ve ever had!”

Press Release –

Joy turned into heartbreak and gold became silver in the blink of an eye in the snocross final at the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado, on January 31.

Polaris snocross racer Levi LaVallee – who had led by a wide margin most of the race – landed awkwardly off a jump and bounced off his sled on the final lap of the race, costing the 24-year-old racer the lead and forcing him to settle for second place.

Fellow Polaris racer Ross Martin, 21, finished third, putting two Polaris IQ race sled pilots on the podium with winner Blair Morgan.

At the start, LaVallee battled with Arctic Cat racer Robbie Malinoski for the holeshot. They made contact coming off a jump on an early lap and Malinoski’s sled was knocked sideways while LaVallee maintained his balance and sped off in the lead.

The Polaris IQ® race sled with its Liberty™ engine carried LaVallee to a lead of as much as 13 seconds, and he lapped several racers while maintaining a solid 12-second lead.

Heading into the final lap, LaVallee still had a lead of about 7 seconds over Morgan. LaVallee landed roughly off a jump just past the start-finish line and was pitched off the right side of the seat. He was reconnecting his safety tether cord when Morgan went past.

LaVallee won his quarter-final and semi-final heats leading up to the X Games final. Martin finished fourth in his semi-final and Gulla took second in the last chance qualifier to reach the final. This year’s final lasted 15 laps, up from six laps in previous years, and 12 racers were on the starting line, rather than the 10-man fields of the past.

LaVallee and Martin represent the talented, aggressive and fit younger generation of snocross racers. While they’re not nearly as experienced as a veteran like Morgan, LaVallee was competing in his fourth Winter X Games and he won the gold in HillCross in 2004. Fellow Polaris racer T.J. Gulla, 24, finished eighth in Wednesday night’s final.

Martin is the current point leader in leads the WPSA Pro Open class and Polaris racer Dennis Eckstrom is second. Gulla is eighth in Pro Open points and LaVallee and Carl Schubitzke fill slots 13-14, respectively.

The X Games snocross was run on sleds used in Pro Open competition. For the Polaris racers, that meant riding on the smooth-handling, super-durable IQ® Chassis powered by modified versions of the class-leading Liberty™ 600 HO engine.

In WPSA Pro Stock points, Eckstrom is currently in fifth, Martin is sixth, LaVallee is ninth and Gulla is 10th. The next WSPA racing is the Park X National, February 11-12 in Hill City, Minnesota.

Press Release –

The Ski-Doo/Dodge Trucks/Supertrax Super Team began the CSRA National Season in fine style this past weekend in Peterborough, Ontario. The Kawartha Cup returned to its ancestral home – the legendary Morrow Park – deep in the heart of the city where oval racing legends were born more than three decades ago.

Matt Turner is settling into his second year as a Pro racer showing more ability in gaining consistent good starts than any other Pro racer in the CSRA. Matt and tuner Sean Tilley have an almost telepathic line of communication and it paid off big time in Peterborough.

Turner was consistently first or second through the first turn in qualifying and had the needle threaded tightly when in Pro Open round two qualifying he nailed a wire-to-wire victory.

When the green flag fell in Pro 440 it was Turner and Parnell in the first turn. Using good judgment and superb team etiquette, both drivers kept out of each other’s way and settled into a race-long duel for second place. Turner was able to square under Parnell but Parnell eventually carried more speed off the front double and Matt settled for a strong and convincing third.

In Pro Open Matt absolutely nailed the start with a ji-normous holeshot netting more than a sled length lead as he cleared turn one. Riding like a man-on-a-mission, Matt pulled a huge lead through the first lap only to unload and remount dead last. Matt was disappointed and unable to move through the pack and recover.

Justin Parnell racing his first weekend as a CSRA Pro in his hometown proved he’s ready and more than able to run with Canada’s best Pro sno-cross racers. Taking over for the injured AJ Lester, Parnell adapted to Pro competition perfectly by consistently and convincingly gaining excellent starts and running up front through Friday and Saturday’s qualifying motos.

When it was time to log some pay dirt, Justin had sorted himself out and made his mark with the other Pro’s – throwing off intimidation moves and holding his line in the first turn after repeated assaults.

By the time the green flag fell in Pro 440 Justin had paid his dues. Rocketing down the start straight Justin pulled an amazing holeshot behind team mate Matt Turner. Parnell and turner ran two/three – trading positions until the checkers where Justin scored second in his first Pro National race.

In Pro Open Justin railed his Sean Tilley tuned 600 Open Mod down the front straight literally leaving everyone except Turner asleep. Within a lap Justin was in the lead and held there for three laps. Justin eventually settled for third at the checkers but clearly has the stuff to win in CSRA Pro competition.

Peter Marcelli has established himself as a powerful force in CSRA Sport class racing. Marcelli ran strong and up front in Sport 600 scoring an eventual 2nd at the checkers.

In a strange twist, Pete was forced to start from the back row in Sport 500 – even though he qualified up front. Unable to get justice before the green, Marcelli held it wide open scoring an impressive and hard fought fourth at the checkers.

Pete had an unfortunate get-off in Sport Open and ended up mid-pack. Marcelli has been convincing in his dominance of the Sport class – doubly impressive considering he is one of few racers campaigning all classes on a 440.

It was a roller coaster weekend for last year’s top ranked Pro Riders AJ Lester and Matt Turner at the CSRA’s Season Opener held January 21st & 22nd in Owen Sound, Ontario.

Turner struggled all weekend with set-ups but through the tenacious and skilled efforts of Team Wrench Sean Tiley, Turners all-new 600cc Open Mod catapulted him to a strong second place finish in Pro Open for the Georgian Cup.

Disappointment came in the form of injury when last year’s third ranked National Pro AJ Lester injured his knee in Saturday’s qualifying, sidelining him for an indeterminate time. CSRA Semi-Pro Justin Parnell from Parnell Motorsports has taken over AJ’s ride and will campaign the former 777’s sleds with #186 on the sides.

Parnell is among the very fastest CSRA Semi-Pro’s and will be a strong competitor in CSRA Pro racing. Parnell spent this week riding the new equipment and dialing in set-ups with Tiley twirling the wrenches. Sport Rider and team mate Pete Marcelli, last year’s Trail Sport Champ rode impressively, showing he’s got the right stuff for the competition this season.

Matt Turner launched hard out of the gate in the Pro-Open Final and rocketed down the front straight taking his 440 Rev from fourth in the first turn to a solid second.

Initially Turner was hounded from behind but gave no gate and consistently cranked up the wick, pulling away from the pack. His style was increasingly consistent and in control as he piloted strong laps throughout the final.

Turner’s conditioning this past summer has paid off and he’s more than able to dial up more boost late in the race as a result of his training.

Pete Marcelli, last year’s Trail Sport Champ scored impressive results in all three sport classes. Running his 440 Rev in Sport Open, Marcelli ran an impressive 3rd against 600cc Mod Sleds.

In Sport 600 Marcelli was strong from the gate to the checkers, winning handily over a packed field. In Sport 500 Pete ran to the checkers scoring fifth. It was a great start for the 30 year old racer.