Author Archives: admin
Yamaha’s Matt Piche wins Pro Stock at Houghton Cross Country season opener
Piche_Houghton
Resch_Houghton
Wadena_Houghton
(Pleasant Prairie, WI)— Team Yamaha Rider Matt Piche scored the first Pro Stock win of the Cross Country racing season on his SR Viper race sled at Houghton, MI. “Everyone on the team wanted to come out strong at the first race of the year,” said Yamaha Cross Country Crew Chief Brian Strawsell. “We knew we had a sled that would be competitive and that Matt and Re were ready to race. Everything just worked well for us today.”
The Yamaha Pro squad opened the day with strong results in the Pro Factory 600 class—a second-place finish for Piche with teammate Re Wadena just missing the podium. That afforded the guys an opportunity to assess setups and scout the shortened, sloppy course. “The new Elka shocks worked killer,” Piche said. “I was happy with the way the Viper was set up from our preseason testing.”
With light and course conditions quickly fading, race officials opted to shorten the marquee Pro Stock race. “It was a rough course that was down to mud and rocks in some places,” Strawsell noted. The Viper racers put on a good show, with Piche in front of his next closest competitor by 20 seconds. Wadena used his years of race experience to smartly bring his Viper in fourth, with a developing driveline issue. “Re knew that it’s more important to score points by finishing a little farther back in the pack than it is to push the envelope and risk a mechanical failure and a DNF.”
Yamaha youth put in a great effort during the day’s middle rounds. New racer, Robby Resch claimed a 4th in Sport Factory Stock and Mitch Sebastian battled to a fourth in Sport Stock. The Team Blue duo finished 1-2 in the Schoolboy 16-24 class to button up a strong day for the up-and-comers. “It was great to see the younger guys step up and do so well,” said Seth Thorson, Sebastian’s head mechanic and race mentor.
No stranger to competition himself, Thorson pulled in a pair of top-10 finishes himself in Semi-Pro Factory 600 and Semi-Pro Stock classes.
Yamaha Factory Snowmobile Racing is sponsored by Elka Suspensions and Fly Racing with additional support from Camoplast, Woody’s, WPS and Yamalube. Follow the Yamaha Factory Racing season at facebook.com/YamahaSnowmobilesUSA.
Snowmobile Hall of Fame Announces 2015 Inductees
The board of directors of the Snowmobile Hall of Fame in St. Germain, WI is proud to announce the 2015 Inductees. They are BOB ENNS of Oak Bluff, Manitoba, HERB HOWE of Siren, WI, PAT MACH of Minto, North Dakota, and MARK ZELICH of Wausau, WI.
Bob Enns, of Oak Bluff, Manitoba, was a star racer for the famed Enduro Team Deere in the 1970s, and who captured key victories in multiple ICCSF cross-country races during the first golden era of terrain competition. Herb Howe of Siren, Wis., won the inaugural Winnipeg-to-St. Paul International 500 cross-country in 1966, and later served as its race director. Pat Mach of Minto, North Dakota, was a racer-turned-organizer who founded the United States Cross-Country circuit that launched a renaissance of cross-country competition beginning in mid-2000s. Mach will be inducted posthumously. Mark Zelich of Wausau, Wis., is a famed television personality famous for his in-depth coverage of the Eagle River World Championships and other snowmobile racing events.
Induction ceremonies will take place Saturday, February 7, 2015 at the Whitetail Inn in St. Germain as the evening event of the day long RIDE WITH THE CHAMPS sponsored by Modine, Hot Dawg Garage Heaters of Racine, WI. This is our 32nd annual RIDE WITH THE CHAMPS and our 28th annual induction ceremonies. The RWTC begins with breakfast and registration at 7 am. There will be three vintage trail groups and two late model trail groups to choose from. One of the vintage groups will be the VINTAGE CHALLENGE which runs to Lake Gogebic in the UP for lunch and the other is the SWAMP CHALLENGE which runs south to the Tomahawk area. One late model group will go to Lake Gogebic for lunch at Fish Tales. NEW this year is a bus trip to Three Lakes for those who want to still enjoy the day but not ride. Great for the significant others and wives!! Call for information or see our website for details. The $150 RWTC fee includes three meals, a souvenir bib, a cap and many great memories! Dinner tickets only are available for $50. The autograph session begins at 6 pm at the Whitetail Inn. All race and snowmobile fans are invited where they can meet and talk with many of the sport’s biggest stars.
The SHOF operates a year round museum, gift shop and library on Hwy 70 W in St. Germain, WI. This year the museum is featuring an exhibit dedicating the Winnipeg to St. Paul I-500 race from 1966 to 1980. Snowmobiles and memorabilia are on display from Herb Howe, Brian Nelson, Gerard Karpik, Stan Hayes, Bruce Olsen, Jon Carlson, Jim Langley and more……Please visit our website to see our new event: The SHOF presents Winnipeg to St. Paul I-500 Legends. This event will take place in Alexandria, MN, February 13th and 14th. Enjoy an evening reliving the greatest moments and the following day ride the final leg of the Winnipeg to Willmar I-500.
Visit the SHOF website at www.snowmobilehalloffame.com for more information and details of the RWTC and the Winnipeg to St. Paul event. Tickets can also be purchased for our two raffles that are going this year. One is a beautiful restored 1976 Ski-Doo RV and the other is a brand new 2015 Ski-Doo Sport 600. Tickets are $10 each, 3 for $20, or 10 for $50. For additional information please contact the SHOF at 715-542-4463 or email: Jamie@snowmobilehalloffame.com.
TEAM ARCTIC SENDS A MESSAGE AT 2014-2015 ISOC NATIONAL SNOCROSS OPENER
TEAM ARCTIC SENDS A MESSAGE AT 2014-2015 ISOC NATIONAL SNOCROSS OPENER
Eight Class Victories and 20 Podium Finishes Proves that Team Green Wins More
Team Arctic’s Anson Scheele (M), Brayden Kernz (L) and Raycer Frank (R)- sweep Duluth. photo by ArcticInsider.com
Thief River Falls, Minn. (Dec. 2, 2014) – If there were any questions about which brand would reign supreme at the 2014-2015 ISOC National Snocross opener in Duluth, Minn., Team Arctic delivered a resounding answer:
Hillcross debut at Granite Gorge launches new era for East Coast Snocross, Presented by AMSOIL, Woody’s and FXR
Clarksburg, Mass. (Dec. 1, 2014) — Sanctioned snowmobile racing in New England resumes this Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 6-7, as East Coast Snocross (ECS) kicks off its fifth season with the debut of Hillcross competition at the beautiful Granite Gorge ski area on Rte. 9 in Roxbury Center, New Hampshire.
Spectator gates open at 9 a.m. each day. Admission is $15 per day for adults, with weekend passes available for $25. Children age 7 and under will be admitted free with a paying adult. Pit passes valid through the weekend are available for an extra $10.
Hillcross racing offers spectators a chance to witness riders in Pro, Trail, Ditch Banger and Junior classes as they launch up the slope. When it was recently brought back into the prestigious ESPN Winter X Games in Aspen, Hillcross returned to the spotlight in winter power sports. It’s fast, it’s colorful, and it’s exhilarating. It’s also a true test of man and machine under nature’s finest backdrop.
All four popular brands of today’s technologically-advanced snowmobiles will be competing, including Arctic Cat, Polaris, Ski-doo and Yamaha. Snowmobile enthusiasts are known for their loyalty to a specific brand, and they’ll all have riders to support at Granite Gorge. With today’s suspension and engine technology, even avid trail riders will be amazed at how quickly these sleds get up the slope.
This weekend’s season opener at Granite Gorge marks the first sanctioned Hillcross event in New England since 2004. ECS officials are planning to host three events in this exciting format. The second and third event dates and locations have not been confirmed and are subject to change, so please check the ECS Web site often for updated news.
In the late 1950s, a committee featuring former Olympians was formed to find an ideal “gateway” mountain in southern New Hampshire. The committee selected Pinnacle Mountain for its location, protection from the wind, its north face and ability to hold snow. Locals know that on Pinnacle Mountain at Granite Gorge, “the powder stays put.”
Today, Granite Gorge offers downhill skiing, cross country skiing, tubing and a terrain park. Skiers and riders can enjoy 17 trails serviced by four lifts, including a 1,500-foot base-to-summit double chair. With the mountain located only five miles from Keene, a variety of dining and lodging options are available. To learn more, visit them online at www.granitegorge.com.
East Coast Snocross, presented by AMSOIL, Woody’s Traction and FXR, is the eastern regional affiliate of ISOC. ECS strives to maintain a healthy level of competition in grassroots snocross, while also cultivating new talent for tomorrow’s factory-backed national teams.
For more information, please go to www.eastcoastsnocross.com, visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/East-Coast-Snocross, and follow us on Twitter @eastcoastsnox.
