Minto, ND (January 12, 2010) – The United States Cross-Country Snowmobile Racing Association has announced snowmobile ski maker C&A Pro as the Presenting Sponsor for the USCC Seven Clans Casino Red Lake I-500. The deal joins two organizations that are dedicated to the sport of cross-country snowmobile racing and marks C&A Pro’s first venture into Presenting Sponsorship with the USCC.

“C&A Pro was a big supporter of the 2009 I-500 so bringing them on board as a Presenting sponsor of the event only makes sense,” said USCC President Pat Mach. “With C&A Pro and Seven Clans Casino the I-500 has an excellent combination of sponsorship and we couldn’t be happier to be working with them.”

With the Presenting sponsorship deal, C&A Pro joins Seven Clans Casino as the main supporters for one of the most grueling and prestigious snowmobile races on the planet. First run in 1966, the 2010 I-500 marks the 39th running of the historic race.

“C&A Pro is proud to be the Presenting sponsor of the Red Lake I-500,” said Carrie Mages of C&A Pro. “We have a great association with USCC and this Presenting sponsorship just takes it one step further. C&A Pro is happy to be a part of the growing resurgence in cross-country snowmobile racing.”

C&A Pro Skis are produced by Pride Solutions, LLC, and is located in Hutchinson, Minn. They have been producing snowmobile skis for more than eight years and currently produce seven different models of skis that are available in nine different colors. C&A patented ski designs feature a 90-degree keel and unique ball and cup ski tip. For more info visit www.caproskis.com.

The 2010 Seven Clans Casino Red Lake I-500 Presented by C&A Pro Skis is scheduled to take place January 15-17 and will be run out of Seven Clans Casino in Thief River Falls, Minn. Fans can listen for free online by logging on to the free broadcast on www.usccracing.com. Fans can also sign up to receive USCC news by signing up online via usccracing.com for the USCC e-mail newsletter, The Course Marker, and by joining the USCC page on Facebook. For more information on USCC visit www.usccracing.com.

Semi-Pros in flight at Malone, NY. Photo: Alex Keriazes

MALONE, N.Y. (Jan. 11, 2010) — In almost every form of motorsports, when a talented rider, driver or team gets on a roll, they can be difficult to stop. Just ask anybody in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series garage, as they try to figure out how to stop four-time champion Jimmie Johnson from dominating their sport. Momentum plays a huge role in week-to-week results, and snocross racing is no different. Veteran riders Mathieu Morin and Bobby ‘The Rage’ LePage carried the momentum from last month’s season opener into Malone, splitting the Pro finals as Rock Maple Racing (RMR) completed Round 2 of its 2009-10 season Sunday at the Franklin County Fairgrounds.
Morin (Ingles Performance/Ski-doo), of Val-D’ Or, Quebec, chased down early leader Danny Poirier and checked out to win Pro Stock. Poirier crossed the line four seconds later as the runner-up, while LePage settled for third. LePage (Hulten Speed Sports/Polaris) used lapped traffic to his advantage in Pro Open to take top honors. Morin settled for second in this one, giving Ski-doo and Polaris a true split in the manufacturers battle for supremacy. Only three riders completed all 20 laps in the Open final, while seven completed all 20 laps in Pro Stock.  Perhaps the best show all weekend in the Pro division was the inspiring performance Poirier gave in the Open final. The defending champion got upside down in a major off-sled venture early on, then steadily powered all the way up to third at the finish. Poirier redefines determination when it comes to battling back from adversity.

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Looks like a regular old ZR.

Owner and Job Title: John Anderson, Arctic Cat Senior ATV Technician

 What is it? A very cool, very deceiving ZR1060?

 Chassis: ‘96 ZRT tunnel and bulkhead with ‘96 ZR580 bodywork

 Motor and Crank: Hand built Arctic Cat 4 cylinder 530 (1060cc) Took 3 cases and 3 cranks to build entire motor that fires every 90 degrees and runs on 110 octane premix.

 Motor and Crank built by: Kevin Hanson and John Anderson

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Some guy keepin' 'er pinned at last year's I-500

Racers and spectators should take note of the latest course information for this weeks Red Lake I-500. First, racers should be prepared for a route that will include at least one leg that may reach 60-63 miles. Although it is not finalized, the initial route run showed mileage varying by sled odometer, one of which registered 63 miles.

Spectators should check the U.S.C.C. website after 5 pm on Thursday, January 14th for the route map. That will allow spectators to find the optimum viewing areas to see the world’s top cross-country racers in action.

The current route plan is to begin and end all three race days at the Seven Clans Hotel and Casino south of Thief River Falls, MN. Day one will have the racers head north through T.R.F., and then head east to Goodridge, MN for the first fuel stop of the day. Freshly fueled, the racers will head north of Goodridge up through the Grygla area before returning to Goodridge for fuel once again. After fuelling, the racers will head south back to the Seven Clans and the finish of day 1.

Day two will have the racers take a westerly route to the western Minnesota community of Warren where they will fuel for the first time. From there they will take a route that will see them run near many of the surrounding communities before returning to Warren for their final fuel stop of the day and the roughly 60 mile route back to the Seven Clans.

The final day is expected to be a duplication of the first day route which will see the racers again run the Casino to Goodridge route that will determine the winner of the 38th International 500 race, and the $10,000 cash prize that goes with the victory.

Race fans are encouraged to attend all the events associated with the race, including the award ceremony following the completion of the event on Sunday afternoon.

For more info check out www.usccracing.com

Mountain West racers like to incorporate a little rodeo into their snocross

Leading up to Saturday night’s Western National in Sandy, Utah there were mixed feelings among racers, teams and manufacturers as to ISOC’s plan to move the Amsoil Championship Snocross Series so far beyond traditional stomping grounds for a single day event. Well, as we’re posting this from the Salt Lake City airport just hours after, I can tell you that the feelings are now unanimous and ISOC has delivered the new gold standard.
The race, which was held at the beautiful new Rio Tinto stadium, had a completely different feel from the start. Friday morning, just about every Pro rider was dispatched to a media outlet in some corner of the greater Salt Lake area. Later that day, a press conference with no less than the Governor of Utah made for a surreal picture that mixed a lot of black suits with the finest in Arctiva outer wear. To his credit, the governor spewed out the names of several action sports athletes and even joked about the energy drink wars, all without glancing at his notes.

Photo: isocracing.com

From isocracing.com: SANDY, UTAH – Jan. 9, 2010 – It was mayhem and madness as the best snocross racers in the world battled it out bringing a surprising ending to the AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series Western Nationals in front of a crowd of nearly 9,300 screaming fans at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. It was hard tight racing on the new track that proved to be the Talladega Superspeedway of snocross.

In an amazing race for the podium during the AMSOIL Pro Open final Tim Tremblay tore up the track and tipped Tucker Hibbert off the top spot taking the podium to finish first place. Riding Ski-Doo number 11 Tremblay of Ste Jeanne D’Arc, Quebec had a kicking night with two podium finishes in his first season as a pro rider. He will be taking home the second place trophy from the Caterpillar Pro Super Stock as well as the first place trophy for the Pro Open.

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