EPIC WEEKEND OF WINNING FOR TEAM ARCTIC AT I-500 AND NEW YORK

 

Photo by Arcticinsider.com

 

Team Arctic terrain racers delivered a winning weekend of epic proportion, completely dominating both the USXC Seven Clans Casino I-500 cross-country with 14 class wins and the ISOC Seneca Allegany Air Force National Snocross with 10 wins.

Team Arctic’s Brian Dick delivered a dramatic victory at the I-500 in Thief River Falls, setting the fast time during the first two days and holding off his Christian Bros. Racing teammate Zach Herfindahl on the final day to notch his second career win in the legendary event. In addition, Team Arctic racers took seven of the top-10 places in Pro 600, with Cody Kallock (fourth), Ben Langaas (fifth), Timmy Kallock (seventh), Chad Lian (eighth) and Nick Fischer (ninth) scoring outstanding finishes.

Brian Dick also captured the Pro Open win at the I-500. Ben Langaas and Kevin Tinjum joined him as two-class winners at the event. Team Arctic won 14 of 17 classes at the I-500 and captured 32 of 51 possible podium positions, including a 1-2-3 sweep in five classes, underscoring racer talent and the performance of the ZR 6000R, ZR 6000RR and Sno Pro 500 machines.

“Our racers and crews delivered a phenomenal performance at the I-500,” said Race Manager Mike Kloety. “In a race infamous for its unpredictability, our racers and snowmobiles proved fast and consistent in the brutally rough conditions that challenged them over three days and 500 miles. We’re proud of all the Team Arctic racers who challenged themselves in this great race.”

At the ISOC double-header in Salamanca, NY, Team Arctic’s Tucker Hibbert once again delivered a crushing performance to win both Pro Open finals in convincing fashion. Trent Wittwer and Carson Alread joined Hibbert with two class victories apiece, while Marica Renheim continued her undefeated season in Women Pro AM. Team Arctic owned the Sport class in New York, with Montana Jess winning the first night and Travis Kern taking the second.

“Our snocross racers and teams have worked hard and the pros finished a marathon three-week road trip that began before the X Games and finished in New York,” said Kloety. “The New York results are fantastic and we’re proud of the effort given by our racers and teams. Their success in all the classes proves that Team Arctic is strong. “The only disappointment was that, after scoring his first National win on Friday, Montana Jess suffered a season-ending hand injury after a competitor’s sled landed on him. Our best wishes go to Montana.”

The next national events for Team Arctic are the USXC Park Rapids 100 on Feb. 22-23 in Park Rapids, Minn., and the ISOC National Snocross in Mt. Pleasant, Mich., Feb. 21-22.

Record-Breaking Results for Team Arctic Snocross and Cross-Country

Photo by Arcticinsider.com

Team Arctic snocross and cross-country racers steamrolled into the New Year, winning finals, breaking records and leaving the competition like they are last year’s news. 

Team Arctic Triumphant at USXC Cross-Country Opener on Pine Lake

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Questions were answered about which snowmobile brand would start the cross-country race season on top.

Gold Medal Wins for Team Arctic in Snocross and Cross-Country

Photo by John Hanson

It was a gold-medal weekend for Team Arctic Racing, with emphatic wins by Tucker Hibbert at the ESPN X Games and another dominating performance by the team in USXC cross-country.

Hibbert’s historic seventh gold was also his sixth in a row, the first X Games athlete to achieve this feat. When the then-15-year-old catapult himself into the world spotlight by winning his first X Games gold in the year 2000, it was clear that Hibbert was destined for further snocross greatness. Including his seven gold medals, Hibbert has won 11 medals in his X Games career.

Team Arctic racers Derek Ellis and Logan Christian earned eighth and 14th finishes in the Snocross final; Cory Davis took a silver medal in Speed & Style, a fourth in Best Trick and fifth in Freestyle; and Chris Heppding scored seventh in Snocross Adaptive.

Photo by ArcticInsider

For the first time this season in the USXC cross-country circuit, racers moved off of the lakes and onto ditch and river at the Oslo Merchants 100 in Oslo, Minn. The racers and their Arctic Cat Sno Pro 600 and Sno Pro 500 machines proved equally dominant in the rough conditions, scoring wins in 17 of 20 classes including eight podium sweeps.

For the second time this season, Team Arctic Cat/Christian Brothers Racing champion Ryan Simons swept the Pro 600 and Pro Open classes at a single event, with his teammates Zach Herfindahl and Brian Dick taking second and third in the stock final. With help from pro teammates Wes Selby and Cody Kallock, Team Arctic took five of the top-10 places in both Pro events.

“It was another great weekend for Team Arctic,” commented Race Manager Mike Kloety. “Tucker’s dominant performance at the X Games highlights the effort he and his team put into that event. And our success at the Oslo cross-country proves that our ProCross sleds are every bit as dominant in the rough stuff as they are on the lakes.”

The next national events for Team Arctic are the ISOC snocross race      in Deadwood, S.D., Feb. 1-2, and the USXC I-500 in Thief River Falls   Feb. 7-9.

Team Arctic Crushes USXC Cross-Country Opener

Photos by Arcticinsider.com

At the first cross-country race of the 2012-2013 USXC season, aboard the all-new Sno Pro 600 ProCross and Sno Pro 500 race machines, Team Arctic racers delivered an overwhelmingly-dominant performance that rewrote the record books. When it was over, Team Green captured 16 of 20 classes via 14 individual winners at the Gerald Dyrdahl Memorial Pine Lake 200.

Leading the history-making assault was two-time cross-country Pro champion Ryan Simons of the Christian Bros. Racing (CBR) team, who won both the 100-mile Pro Stock and 100-mile Pro Open finals convincingly. Joining Simons on the podium of both finals were his Team Arctic/CBR teammates Brian Dick and newcomer Zach Herfindahl. Including the Pro classes, there were 13 podium sweeps by Team Arctic, making this one of the most successful racing weekends in modern history.

“We’ve enjoyed outstanding success in cross-country over the years but this reset the high mark for winning,” said Mike Kloety, Team Arctic Race Manager. “It shows what’s possible when you combine the outstanding efforts of our racers and crews with the speed and handling of our Sno Pro race sleds.”

Joining Simons as a two-time class winner at Pine Lake was Bryce Buchanan, who returned to his familiar place atop the Expert 85 classes aboard his Arctic Cat Sno Pro 500. Nearly nailing the big double, Erik Nymann went 1-2 in the two Sport 600 finals, while Jon Arneson raced a record number of laps en route to his first in Semi Pro Stock, third in Masters 40-plus and fourth in Expert 85.

“The improvements to the 2013 Sno Pro 600 in the ProCross chassis gave us an even greater handling and speed advantage on the fast lake course,” said Kloety. “Of the 14 individual class winners aboard Arctic Cat sleds, six of them were on the new Sno Pro 600.”

The next race on the USXC cross-country circuit is Jan. 5, 2013, in Detroit Lakes, Minn.

Team Arctic Conquers Cross-Country, Snocross and Hillclimb

Twenty-Nine Victories in Warroad XC; Pro Open Victory at ERX National Snocross; and Six Wins at the RMSHA Hillclimb in Afton, Wyo.

Leaving nothing but table scraps for the competition, Team Arctic marched through last weekend claiming 29 class victories in two days of USCC cross-country, a huge win in Pro Open at the ISOC snocross national in Elk River, Minn., and six victories at the RMSHA hillclimb in Afton, Wyo.

The all-conquering cross-country performance unfolded in Warroad, Minn., during the final weekend of USCC competition during the 2012 season. With two separate events during the weekend, Team Arctic had double the opportunity to dominate.

The Arctic Cat/Christian Bros. Racing juggernaut continued their claim in Pro class competition, with Brian Dick and D.J. Ekre claiming Pro 600 and Pro Open on Saturday, followed by Ekre winning Pro 600 on Sunday. Ryan Simons was on the podium in all four events during the weekend to claim his second consecutive USCC Pro 600 Championship, while Ekre took the Open Class Championship.

In addition to conquering the pro classes, Team Arctic unleashed an all-class beating of historic proportions. Eight Team Arctic racers scored multiple class wins, while there were 19 different winners. And of the 29 total class victories during the weekend, 14 were full podium sweeps by Team Arctic.

“We’ve been highly-successful in USCC cross-country racing for many years, but the team’s performance in Warroad reached a new level,” said Mike Kloety, Team Arctic Race Manager. “I believe the word “dominate” gets used a little too loosely sometimes, but it’s the only way to describe winning 30 out of 39 total races. Arctic Cat is immensely proud of all our racers, crew and the USCC staff for a truly outstanding season of competition.”

While the cross-country team was conquering Warroad, Team Arctic’s Tucker Hibbert returned to the top of the ISOC Pro snocross podium with a win in Elk River, Minn. Hibbert led the strongest performance of the season at Elk River, with Team Arctic Pro’s taking five of the top-8 positions. Other Team Arctic winners in Elk River included Tyler Adams, Trent Wittwer, Ryley Bester, Ethan Aune and Evan Christian.

Team Arctic’s hillclimb contingent captured six class victories at the RMSHA event in Afton, Wyo. Proving the ability of the M8 HCR in the ProClimb chassis with wins in the big-inch classes were Kyle Tapio (with two wins), Nels Tapio and Trace Tupper. They were joined on the top step of the podium by Sid Archibald and David McClure.

Team Arctic Matches World Snocross Championship with Cross-Country Supremacy

It was a weekend of worldwide domination for Team Arctic racers and the ProCross chassis-based Arctic Cat Sno Pro.

At the FIM Snocross World Championships in Semigorje, Russia, Tucker Hibbert once again proved he’s the best in the world. A three-final format pitted Hibbert against an international field of 33 racers from six different countries in front of 12,000 fans. A first-turn mishap in the first final prevented Hibbert from taking the win, however, he backed up that second-place finish with two convincing wins in the remaining finals to secure his second World Championship title in three years.

On this side of the Atlantic, Team Arctic cross-country racers delivered a supremely-dominant performance, taking 15 wins (out of 20 classes) at the USCC Oslo 100 cross-country in Oslo, Minn., where ample snow provided a rough, genuine cross-country that combined ditch and river.

Defending USCC Pro Champion Ryan Simons scored his first win of the season, while simultaneously underlining the depth of the Christian Bros. Racing team that has now scored three Pro 600 wins with three different racers. Simons’ greatest challenge of the weekend appeared to come from his CBR teammate D.J. Ekre, who claimed the Pro Open class early in the day and was on pace for a top finish in Pro 600 until an untimely crash took him out of contention.

Of the 15 class wins at Oslo, eight were full podium-sweeps by Team Arctic racers, underscoring the team’s depth as well as the strength of the Sno Pro 600 and Sno Pro 500 race machines.

“This was another exciting weekend for Arctic Cat,” said Mike Kloety, Team Arctic Race Manager. “Tucker Hibbert’s World Championship title is proof that he is the fastest snocross racer in the world. And the 15-victory performance at the USCC cross-country in Oslo confirms that it’s tough to beat great racers piloting great snowmobiles.”

The Head Start Is Over. Time For Team Green To Turn It Up.

Arctic Cat race fans can rest a little easier knowing Team Arctic/Monster Energy racer, Tucker Hibbert, put a serious beat down on the competitors in Sunday’s Pro Open snocross final in Bessemer, Michigan this past weekend.

Hibbert was well on his way to winning the Pro Open final during Saturday’s main event, only to break a spindle when putting a pass on Ross Martin for first place. With two laps remaining, Hibbert had to coast around the track settling on a fourth place finish.

“Once I passed Tremblay and Malinoski, I charged up to Ross (Martin) and put a pass on him for the lead. But our sleds contacted, which ended up breaking one of my lightweight spindles that we apparently lightened up too much,” said Hibbert.

Qualifying first for Sundays Pro Open Final, Hibbert was motivated to win more than ever. Feeling strong and fast, Tucker’s Sno Pro 600 captured the holeshot and he never looked back. When the checkered flag dropped, Hibbert sent a demoralizing message to the rest of the field with a commanding 15 second lead over second place.

Hibbert went on to say, “The whole situation (broken spindle) motivated me Sunday to try to win even harder. I wanted to prove to myself, my team and any other riders that Team Arctic was there to win.”

Team Arctic Race Manager, Mike Kloety said, “We are really happy with the quickly improving results of the new ProCross race chassis. We are very proud of Tucker’s near perfect weekend, as well as our great showing in the Vet and Junior classes with the new Sno Pro 600.”

Other notable performances came from Team Arctic Cross Country racer, DJ Ekre, who strapped on his snocross boots for the Plus 30 class with a third place finish. Leading the Junior 16-17 class was Ian Buchman and Tyler Adams placing first and third respectively while Austin St. Cyr led the Junior 14-15 class. The Sno Pro 500 swept the top five spots of the Junior Novice class with Trent Wittwer leading the way.

The next race in the ISOC National Snocross Series is Jan. 6-8 in Shakopee, MN. Go to www.isocracing for more information.

Team Arctic Rules Red Lake USCC Cross-Country

20 Class Wins, 10 Podium Sweeps and Twice the Usual Beatings

Team Arctic cross-country racers took advantage of a two-race USCC weekend in Red Lake, Minn., notching 20 class victories and 10 podium sweeps while inflicting twice the usual beating upon the competition.

For the second weekend in a row, Team Arctic’s D.J. Ekre and Ryan Greening captained the corps, with Ekre winning Pro Stock and Pro Open while Greening snatched 3-of-4 Semi Pro wins. Ekre’s Arctic/Christian Bros. Racing teammates Garth Kaufman, Ryan Simons and Zach Pattyn occupied plenty of Pro podium real estate, while Chad Kyllo and Spencer Kadlec did the same in the Semi Pro class

Jon Arneson, Bryce Buchanan and Luke Perreault also scored double-wins during the weekend, adding to their hefty hardware haul this season.

“Ekre has definitely found his sweet spot for speed these past couple weeks,” said Mike Kloety, Team Arctic Race Manager. “After bad luck plagued the start of his race season, he’s hungry for more wins while Ryan Simons is riding to maintain his lead in the championship points race.

“Plus Ryan Greening has been literally unbeatable in the Semi Pro 600 class so far this season, and we’ve seen a slew of Expert and Sport racers take turns winning the 85-hp classes. With two races remaining, Team Arctic racers appear ready to top most of the USCC class championships.”

The next race in the USCC circuit is March 12 in Warroad, Minn. Go to USCC for more information.

Mid-Season Momentum Continues for Team Arctic

The wins keep coming for Team Arctic cross-country and snocross racers, with another dominant performance at the USCC cross-country race in Walker, Minn., and Pro win at the ISOC National snocross at the Pontiac, Mich., Silverdome.

D.J. Ekre was the man-of-the-weekend, winning both the Pro 600 and Pro Open class at the USCC race in Walker to notch his first victories of the season. Racing for the dominant Arctic Cat/Christian Bros. Racing team, Ekre’s victories, along with teammate Chad Kyllo’s win Semi Pro Improved, set in motion an unstoppable wave of winning for Team Arctic racers who claimed 15 of 20 class wins during the day.

Ryan Greening scored another win in Semi Pro 600 – his third of the season – while Jon Arneson topped the highly-competitive Expert 85 class for the first time. Proving the depth of the Team Arctic program and the strength of the Sno Pro 600 and Sno Pro 500 race sleds, 12 different racers stood atop the podium in Walker, with six podium sweeps.

“When one team wins 15 of 20 class finals, I call it a phenomenal performance,” said Team Arctic Race Manager, Mike Kloety. “Yet it was a bittersweet weekend for us, as we’re still grieving the death of USCC President Pat Mach, who guided the circuit into a premier venue for cross-country racing. One week after his passing, USCC crew provided a first-class event to honor Pat and the entire Mach family. I’m as proud of that as I am Team Arctic’s domination.”

Meanwhile, Team Arctic’s Tucker Hibbert delivered another scorching win in the Pro Stock class in Pontiac, where ISOC ran an abbreviated class program for the indoor event. Garth Kaufman notched his second ISOC podium in a row, with teammate Logan Christian just missing the box in fourth. Hibbert was on his way to another double-win before an uncharacteristic get-off in the Pro Open final shuffled him back to fourth.

Although bad luck prevented the usual podium-sweeping performance, Team Arctic motored out of Pontiac with the championship points lead in four of six classes.

The next race in the USCC circuit is Feb. 19 in Red Lake, Minn., while the next ISOC National is March 5-6 in Hayward, Wis.