Historic Podium for Willford and Yamaha in RMSHA Finale
PLEASANT PRAIRIE, WI— Aboard an FX Nytro MTX, Cable Willford became the first person in history to race a four-stroke snowmobile to a podium finish in RMSHA hillclimb competition at Schweitzer Mountain Resort in Sandpoint, Idaho on Saturday, April 14. With a blazing run of 1 min. 2.937 sec., Willford topped six other pro drivers for the position while also giving Yamaha its first RMSHA podium in recent years. Adding to the laurels, Willford and teammate Kody Malmborg both put their Yamahas into the finals in a total of seven different classes on Saturday, ultimately earning three additional top-five finishes along the way. Simply put, the season-ender in Idaho was Yamaha’s strongest and most dramatic hillclimb showing this year, serving notice that its four-stroke snowmobile technology can match the best competing two-strokes.
At about a quarter-mile long with 500 feet of vertical gain, the run at Schweitzer Mountain was shorter than some hillclimbs, but it made up for this with a series of technical challenges including tight hairpin turns through the trees and lift towers. Mastering these rapid-fire challenges required equal measures of power and handling, along with a boondocking-style technique that rewarded driver skill. Fortunately weather conditions were terrific, with sunny skies for much of the weekend and well-packed snow that held up well. Willford and Malmborg both rose to the challenge on Friday, each qualifying their FX Nytro MTXs in five classes, the maximum number allowable, for the first time this season.
RMSHA racing is perhaps the most concentrated form of snowmobile competition, in that drivers get only one chance to qualify and then a single final run – that’s it. When Willford lined his FX Nytro MTX up for the 600 Mod final, two racers had already run up the mountain and put good times on the clock. So he knew had to run hard and fast – with no mistakes – the entire way up. But Willford had a few tricks up his sleeve, starting with the 1049cc four-stroke Yamaha engine, which launched his sled out of the starting trench like a Top-Fuel dragster. He then jumped the course’s one downhill section, which many drivers simply rolled, picking up more time. From there on, Willford blasted through the corners and maintained as much speed as he could on his way up the mountain, setting the third-fastest time in class to earn the historic podium.
“After my run we had some tense moments waiting for the other racers to make their runs up the hill, and we had a giant celebration when my time held up,” Willford said. “It was a very rewarding moment and it put the competition on notice that we are here and getting better. This is definitely a building block to competing for overall wins.”
Yamaha’s Eric Josephsen added, “Our goal the whole year was to put both Cable and Kody in the finals. We knew that Yamaha’s four-stroke machines are capable, and we’re really happy with the way things turned out. Congratulations to the whole team, including Cable, Kody and our semi-pro rider Kolton Malmborg, our crew chief “Big Kody” and Troy Johnson, who maintained and tuned Cable’s machine.”
RMSHA Schweitzer Mountain Pro Results 4/14/12
Pos. Rider Class Snowmobile
10th Kody Malmborg 600 Stock FX Nytro MTX
8th Cable Willford 600 Improved FX Nytro MTX
3rd Cable Willford 600 Mod FX Nytro MTX
5th Cable Willford 700 Improved FX Nytro MTX
5th Kody Malmborg 700 Mod FX Nytro MTX
6th Cable Willford 700 Mod FX Nytro MTX
7th Kody Malmborg 800 Mod FX Nytro MTX
5th Kody Malmborg Open Mod FX Nytro MTX
Arctic Cat Roars To 52-Week High
Shares of Arctic Cat (NAS: ACAT) hit a 52-week high on Friday. Let’s take a look at how the company got there and whether clear skies are still in the forecast.
How it got here
You would think that a milder winter would be bad news for a company that generates most of its revenue from snowmobile sales, but it has been quite the opposite.
Read the rest here.
Polaris Lets You Build Your Own Soo I-500 Sled
Add stickers and go.
The Polaris Race Department is doing a limited build Soo 500 kit for the IQ 600R. The kit consists of the Polaris parts needed to convert a 2009 – 2012 IQ 600R. The cost of the kit is $3,500.00 (kit description below).
“Last summer we built four mod sleds for the 2012 Soo I 500,” said Ben Hayes from the Polaris Race Department. “One of these sleds was the No. 74 that won the race. Because off all the interest this year we have decide to sell a kit so that racers can build there own replica.”
Orders must be in by May 31st. Contact Ben Hayes at the Polaris Race Department (715) 355-5157 or ben.hayes@polarisind.com.
IQ 600R Soo 500 Polaris Kit
2-7043452 – Walker Evans IFS needle shocks
2-7041575-067 – Coil spring(IFS) 120lbs/in 11.5″
1-Walker Evans front track shock, custom
1-7043466-329 – LH torsion spring
1-7043467-329 – RH torsion spring
1-2203839 – Sway bar kit
1-2203984-067 – LH lower a-arm
1-2203985-067 – RH lower a-arm
1-2203982-067 – LH upper a-arm
1-2203983-067 – RH upper a-arm
2-Billet aluminum spindles, custom
4-5438460 – bushing, spindle
2-5136844 – tie rod
1-5020723 – Limiter strap bar, bigger O.D.
2-1541642 – Inner, front track bogie wheels
8-1590317 – Bogie wheels
1-1542049 – Left rail
1-1542050 – Right rail
2-1240127 – tunnel heat exchangers
1-2202373 – Rear tunnel cooler kit, extra
2-5521632 – Hifax
8-5631065 – Bogie wheel mount
10-7515317 – bolt
10-7515346 – bolt
20-7542324 – nut
10-7556179 – washer
1-1542428-329 – front torque arm, custom
2-5521498 – tall front arm bumper
2-5432946 – tall bumper insert
1-1590399 – drive axle, 4 driver involutes
1-2872910 – Polaris windshield
1-aero nose cone, custom
4-5433150 – hood strap
4-1015421 – retainer, hood strap
4-7555904 – rivet, hood strap
1-2203053 – brake lever, aluminum
1-handlebars, custom
1-5255566 – coolant bottle brace
1-5249693 – chassis pipe bracket
2-7052005 – vent line T’s
2-7052127 – air box fitting
2-3130826 – vent line, carb
1-5222769 – belt clip
3-1321685 – 10-54 weights
1-3221109 – 74 pitch chain
2-2411007 – handle bar heater
1-7041988 – primary spring Almond/Red
Kit price $3,500.00
600R IQ Soo 500 Aftermarket List*
Wahl Brothers
$135.00 1-13-260 – Footrest, RH
$17.90 2-02-465 – snow flap material
$8.50 6-07-790 – clutch guard material
$29.90 2-11-269 – aluminum handlebar plug
$484.95 1-BA006BOOX – Koso dual egt w/rpm & water temp
$60.00 1-02-468* – Rear tunnel close off panel, * make it 4″ longer towards ice
$835.00 1-02-637 – Camoplast track, *New track & part number will be available late summer
$16.30 2-16-127 – vent, side panel
$31.95 1-05-762 – 23T gear
$52.95 1-05-780 – 40T gear
$47.95 1-02-916 – 126lb/in spring 7.50″ long
Trail Tank
$329.00 1-Trail Tank 10.5 gal
Team Industries
$109.00 1-42/40 straight cut helix
$24.95 1-210186 – secondary spring 140-220 black/green
USI ski’s
$299.99 1-X2 triple threat stage 1 skis
$179.99 1-pol-hp – mount kit
TWP Inc
$78.00 TWP Part #: 050X050T0090W36T – Fine stainless T316
$75.00 TWP Part #: 010X010A0250W36T – Course Aluminum
Parts Unlimited
$22.95 1-PH-300 – handle bar heaters, round style. used when removing headlight
Larry Rugland Motorsports
$2,850.00 Pipes, head and motor work
$5,689.28 Total
* these are the items listed at there retail cost that were used on the Polaris Race Department’s 2012 Soo 500 race sleds. These items are listed so that the racer can see exactly what parts were used on the race sleds.
This Soo package is thoroughly tested and proven a winner by Gabe Bunke.
Ski-Doo X-Team Racers Sweep Challenging Arctic Man Competition
X-Team members left to right Korey Cronquist (team manager) Tyler Aklestad, Julie Thul and Tyson Johnson used their Ski-Doo MX Z XRS 600 snowmobiles to win the 2012 Arctic Man competition.
HooDoo Mountains, Alaska, April 19, 2012 – Ski-Doo X-Team rider Tyler Aklestad and skier Marco Sullivan won the Arctic Man Skiing competition for the second year in a row this past weekend with a blazing fast 4 minute, 4.8 second run and top speed of 80.6MPH.
Alaska’s HooDoo Mountains play host to the annual Arctic Man competition that consists of a skier or snowboarder teamed with a snowmobile rider. There are three parts to the run: a 1.75-mile downhill, a 2.25-mile snowmobile pull and another 1.75-mile downhill run to the finish line. The pairs must work as a team as the snowmobile rider hands off the tow rope to their partner for what can be a blazing fast pull if the team coordinates their run well.
Aklestad also won the (Snow) Board competition with partner Nate Holland clocking a winning time of 4-minutes, 47.92-seconds and logged a top speed of 75.7MPH. Ski-Doo rider Tyson Johnson backed up Aklestad in both events with his Ski partner Scott Montalbo and Board partner Jayson Hale. Julie Thul pulled Anna Goodman to the win in Women’s Ski division with a time of 4-minutes, 14.47-seconds and another impressive top speed of 80MPH.
Aklestad, who hails from Palmer, Alaska, is a veteran cross-country racer and normally competes in much longer events on his Ski-Doo MX Z X RS snowmobile than the Arctic Man including the grueling 2000-mile Iron Dog. Sullivan, who hails from Truckee, Calif., is a World Cup downhill skier. Combine Aklestad’s terrain racing ability with Sullivan’s World Cup skiing experience and you get an event-winning time of 4 minutes, 4.80-seconds and a top speed of 80.6MPH.
