Arctic Cat Roars to Podiums at Duluth

Thief River Falls, MN – The World PowerSports Association (WPSA) opened the 2006-07 snocross campaign in traditional fashion with the Duluth National, held Nov. 24-26 at Spirit Mountain. When the snow dust settled, Team Arctic racers had collected double digit podiums in the top classes and a pair of Arctic Cat drivers earned hard-fought invitations to Winter X Games ‘07. It looks to be a banner season for Team Green.

In one of the most eagerly-anticipated snowmobile racing events in recent memory, Tucker Hibbert returned to a WPSA National for the first time since the 2002-03 season. As always, Hibbert was fast; he scored the No. 2 seed through qualifying in both Pro Open and Pro Stock and took a strong 5th in the Open main. In the Stock final, Tucker – who has the second-most National victories in WPSA history – got a great start but was caught up in another driver’s accident.

While the crash kept Hibbert from the podium, nothing could stop Garth Kaufman. The 22-year-old got nailed in a corner by Blair Morgan but still found a way to pass Morgan. In the process, Kaufman earned his first career Pro-class top-three. And he wasn’t done, either: Kaufman got another third in Pro Open. “ It’s certainly a great way to start the year, especially for the team” said the Star Performance/Arctic Cat rider. “The crew has all worked so hard. I don’t know if we were expected to be a threat, but this should show people we’re for real.”

“Garth has a lot of skill; I wasn’t surprised at all that he performed like that,” said Arctic Cat Race Manager Russ Ebert. “ He and Star Performance are going to be very good.”

Speaking of very good, Dan Ebert and Ryan Simons both earned Winter X Games ‘07 invites by finishing second and third, respectively, in their Winter X races. Simons – who placed 6th and 7th in the Pro finals at Duluth – will certainly be a medal threat in Aspen: He was 5th in the snocross showcase in both ‘05 and ‘06.

Competing against Pro drivers for the first time, Ebert impressed everyone with his great showing. It was part of an excellent weekend for him; Ebert sandwiched a pair of Semi-Pro podiums around his Winter X-worthy ride. “ Danny is so dedicated and still improving as a racer,” said Cat’s Mike Kloety. “ His work ethic and how he studies the track and communicates with his team sets him apart from most his age.”

In the 35 Pro Plus division, Cat’s Kirk Hibbert and Tuffy McDonald both landed on the box, as did Angela Vacchino in the Women’s class and Bill Smith in Sport Stock. Johan Lidman drove to victory in Junior 16-17, with Kyle Pallin second.

“We got our share of podiums and we’re pleased with that,” said Ebert. “Our equipment is very competitive and the machine’s durability seems to be excellent, which is a tribute to engineering. I think additional seat time for our riders will make a tremendous difference.”

In one injury update, Carl Schubitzke was landed on while leading a Winter X Invitational heat race. He eventually left the track under his own power, and Ebert reports that Schubitzke should be fine and is expected to compete again this coming weekend.

Green goes Gold
Tucker and Burandt take Gold at Winter X Games.

Tucker Hibbert proved again he’s a “force to be reckoned with” on snow, as he won his second Winter X Games Gold Medal, and sixth overall medal, at Buttermilk Mountain Saturday night. The Snocross event was part of Winter X Games 11.

In addition, Chris Burandt did something no one had done before. Burandt launched a 100-foot backflip on a snowmobile to take gold Sunday night at the Winter X Games.

Hibbert (No. 68 Arctic Cat) took the lead on the fifth circuit of the grueling 18-lap final, and high fived his way to victory. Ryan Simons (No. 67 Speedwerx/Arctic Cat), who led the first five laps of the final, finished second, earning his first Winter X Games medal.

Hibbert, a regular in AMA Supercross competition, returned to his Snocross roots this season, competing part time on the WPSA PowerSports Snowmobile Tour. Though he had a slow start, the Goodridge, Minn. native, swept the most recent two rounds of the Tour's Pro Stock class, held at Brainerd International Raceway earlier this month.

Hibbert failed to qualify for last year's Winter X Games Snocross final and he credited his experience on the Tour this season for the victory.

"I think that made a huge difference," said Hibbert. "We have some good races under our belts and really got things dialed in. The team just built me an awesome sled. I just put that confidence in the back of my head and rode like I needed to for 18 laps."

Maybe the best all-around snowmobiler in the world, Burandt had never done a backflip - he crashed in an attempt two years ago. Two weeks before the X games, he tried it again, and needed about 20 attempts before getting up the nerve to do an inverted in competition on an Arctic Cat Firecat with a 128” track.

After watching another rider put together a near-flawless run in the semifinals, Burandt knew he'd have to do something special. He did, launching a backflip over the 100-foot final jump to take first place.

With one rider left, who matched Burandt’s backflip but came up short in points, Burandt had the cleaner run to go with another backflip and beat his competitor by three points.

"No, I wasn't planning on doing it," Burandt said. "I wasn't going to do it on the first run until this guy said something. That's the thing, you've got to step up when the time arises. I felt confident that I could do it and I went after it, and I did it."

The next race for the WPSA PowerSports Snowmobile Tour is the Eastern National, scheduled for Feb. 10-11 at Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, N.Y.

Hibbert Leads Cat Attack at Brainerd

Thief River Falls, MN - Well that sure didn’t take long. Tucker Hibbert needed exactly one event before returning to top form after a four-year hiatus from the National snocross series. Brainerd International Raceway (BIR) hosted four World PowerSports Association National Pro-class finals January 12-14 in Brainerd, MN, and Hibbert dominated the two Pro Stock features. But Hibbert was hardly the only Arctic Cat ace; Team Green riders combined to win six of the weekend’s 13 liquid classes and took 19 of 39 podium spots, easily the most of any manufacturer.

Hibbert and his stock Arctic Cat were wicked fast at BIR. Saturday’s Round 1 and Sunday’s Round 2 Pro Stock finals were near carbon-copies: Hibbert claimed the early lead in each before blazing away to commanding wins. On Sunday, Hibbert had plenty of Cat company on the podium. Star Performance/Arctic Cat’s Garth Kaufman was second - his third top-three in six finals this season - and Ryan Simons completed the Arctic Cat sweep.

Simons’ third-place performance in Stock was his second podium of the weekend. The HJ Racing team member was the top qualifier for Saturday’s Pro Open final after going an impressive 1-1-1 in his heats. In the main, Simons started near the front and stayed there, finishing a strong second. Hibbert — who was the No. 1 qualifier in Sunday’s Pro Open race - put in a furious charge, passed half the field and moved into third on the last lap. But a brief off left him sixth at the checkered, just behind the Arctic Cats of Jeff Snow — who notched the best Pro National finish of his short career — and Carl Schubitzke in fourth and fifth.

Local favorite Dan Ebert continued Cat’s Stock-class success by owning Semi-Pro Stock. The Lake Shore, MN, resident swept his three heats, holeshotted the final and cruised from there, garnering his first Semi-Pro National victory in the process. "I haven’t had an experience quite like this before, and it meant a little extra to do it here," he said. "It’s nice to prove to the hometown folks that I can do it."

Matt Piche and his Christian Brothers Arctic Cat placed second behind Ebert in Semi-Pro Stock, and Piche repeated the feat in Semi-Pro Open. "This has been so great; I couldn’t ask for anything better," Piche said. "I’d like to thank Dwight and Stuart Christian for picking me up last year because I’ve never had more fun in my life."

Piche’s only problem was that he rode the second half of the Semi-Pro Open final with a broken finger: Another sled landed on his right hand during the race and a stud pierced his bone, necessitating surgery. "I’ll be fine and I’m planning on riding at Winter X," the former champion bull rider said.

Kirk Hibbert landed on the box in Pro Plus 35, as did Angela Vacchino in the Women’s division and Josh Pallin and Seth Brede in Sport. Jill Rutledge won Women’s Stock and Arctic Cat ruled the Juniors: Kyle Pallin, Logan Christian and Cody Thomsen went 1-2-3 in both Junior 14-15 and Junior 16-17.

"I enjoyed seeing our young people ride so well," said Arctic Cat Race Manager Russ Ebert. "Their success on the equipment is really gratifying for us. I wasn’t surprised by how well we did in the Pro and Semi-Pro classes because the machine is getting through the corners very well and its durability continues to be tremendous."

Cat’s Davis and Palin Cruise to Iron Dog Title

Thief River Falls, MN - The Tesoro Iron Dog is the most daunting cross-country snowmobile race in the world. Covering 2,000 rugged miles through some of Alaska’s most trying territory, the Iron Dog might just be the biggest test a snowmobile can face. Little wonder, then, that Arctic Cat-mounted competitors have captured eight of the last 10 Iron Dog titles.

In 2007, the Arctic Cat duo of Scott Davis and Todd Palin earned the win. Riding a new F6, the pair finished the grueling seven day race in 38 hours, 7 minutes and 7 seconds, nearly 50 minutes better than the second place squad. It was Palin’s fourth Iron Dog victory, with the most recent three all coming on Cat. Davis collected his seventh Iron Dog title and fifth on Cat. At 47 years old, Davis is the oldest person to win the event, and he and Palin avenge last year’s bitter defeat, when the team lost by a single second in the closest Iron Dog finish ever.

"This win is the most satisfying that I’ve had, especially at my age and after what happened last year," Davis said. "There are so many things that go in to winning this race: You have to have a great partner, a good team and a snowmobile you trust, and then all you have to do is go 2,000 miles without screwing up."

Palin and Davis certainly found a trustworthy sled — they chose the all-new F6. "We were a little nervous about it at first because it’s a new chassis," Davis explained. "But once we began testing we knew we wanted to use it. The ride is superior and takes so little effort. You can ride for 300 miles and not even feel it; there’s much less fatigue. I’m 47, and I was able to go hard because the ride’s so comfortable.

"You’re riding further forward on the machine [6 inches further forward compared to a Firecat] and it’s so smooth; we felt like we had the best-riding sleds in the race," he continued. "In terms of terrain, this was the toughest Iron Dog in years: We had rock hard snow, frozen tundra and exposed obstacles. It was a real test for snowmobiles, and the F6 passed with flying colors. The durability was great, the front end works fantastic and the chassis didn’t flex. In those conditions, you learn a lot about your sled in a hurry, and I was very impressed."

The Iron Dog has long been a proving ground for new Arctic Cat platforms; Team Green’s first victory in the contest came in 1993 — the debut year for the legendary ZR chassis. Cat has dominated the event ever since.

"I think the Iron Dog is an excellent example of our engineering division’s commitment to quality and durability," Arctic Cat Race Team Manager Russ Ebert said. "We take great pride in building bulletproof snowmobiles, and the results of our work are obvious in that race."

Cat’s Simons Earns First Pro Victory

Thief River Falls, MN - In his first two seasons as a full Pro-class rider, Ryan Simons showed flashes of brilliance but sometimes struggled to put whole races together. It’s safe to say those troubles are long gone. Simons — already enjoying a breakout season on the World PowerSports Association (WPSA) National series — had the best weekend of his short career at the Eagle River, WI, double National February 23-25.

Simons scored his first-ever National victory in Saturday’s Pro Open race, and he came back to take third in Sunday’s Open contest. The 24-year-old now has five podiums on the season in addition to his Winter X silver medal and sits in second in Pro Open points. "I was pretty pumped up to get that win done," Simons said. "I just tried to stay calm and treat it like a heat race."

The win certainly didn’t surprise Arctic Cat Race Manager Russ Ebert. "Ryan’s been riding great all year and this was just a matter of time," Ebert said. "And I attribute at least part of that success to the chemistry on his HJ Racing team. Ryan is very hands on, understands his machine, knows what he wants from his suspension and provides excellent feedback. It helps that Hector [Olson] and Corey [Berberich] are two of the best; they’ve helped several riders get their first win."

"The whole team is great," Simons said. "Corey and Hector are good at what they do and our maintenance program is fantastic. Everything is so fresh each weekend and they do whatever it takes for us."

Simons wasn’t the only member of Team Green to perform well at Eagle River. Despite being plagued with a draining flu, Carl Schubitzke — fresh off his first National podium of the season the week prior at Valcourt, Quebec — notched three top seven finishes and made all four of the weekend’s finals.

Arctic Cat drivers dominated several of the support classes, just as they’ve done all year. Cat’s stable of young future stars combined to collect half the podiums in both the Semi-Pro and Sport divisions. Besides procuring a pair of podiums, Dan Ebert now leads both Semi-Pro points chases. Dusty Miller had two Sport-class top-threes, and Kyle Pallin chipped in with both a Sport Stock podium and a Junior 16-17 victory. Cody Thomsen added a win in Junior 14-15.

"Cody is a neighbor of ours from Nisswa and an excellent motocross racer," Ebert said. "We’ve got a great crop of talented Junior drivers and he’s one of them. It’s exciting for me because they’re the future of racing, and they’re all fun to watch."

Just like the rest of Team Green.