Polaris dominated the WPSA Snocross opener last weekend in Duluth, but Yamaha grabbed a lot of attention as it raced its R&D Nytro race sled for the first time.
Ross Martin swept the Pro Open and Pro Stock National events for Polaris while Brett Bender notched Semi-Pro wins in both the Semi-Pro Open and Stock classes.
Riding his Polaris 440 IQ, Martin, who races for Judnick Motorsports, finished first in every round of the Pro Open events. Along with runner up Levi LaVallee, the other Polaris finalists in the Pro Open were: T.J. Gulla (Hentges Racing) 4th, Mike Schultz 6th and Shaun Crapo (Scheuring Speedsports) 11th. Polaris racers also won the weekend's Pro Women and Sport Open classes.
Kylie Abrahamson came back to win the Pro Women final. She beat out five-time Swedish National Champion Anna Henriksson for the win.
Brett Bender couldn't have asked for anything better this past weekend - winning both the Semi-Pro Stock final and the Semi Pro Open race. He also received an invitation to the Winter X Games 11.
The weekend saw 10 WPSA PowerSports Snowmobile Tour riders gaining invitations to Winter X Games 11. The event will be Jan. 25-28 at Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen/Snowmass, Colo.
The invitees are:
Dave Allard (Blair Morgan Racing/Ski-Doo)
Shaun Crapo (AMSOIL, U.S. Air Force/Polaris)
Ryan Simons (V-Force/Arctic Cat)
Ross Martin (Judnick Motorsports/Polaris)
T.J. Gulla (Pirtek/Polaris)
Iain Hayden (Blair Morgan Racing/Ski-Doo)
Dan Ebert (Speedwerx/Arctic Cat)
Mathieu Morin (Dodge/Ski-Doo)
Brett Bender (Pirtek/Polaris)
Zach Pattyn (Warnert Racing/Ski-Doo)
Though Yamaha didn't produce any flashy finishes at Duluth, the manufacturer believes there is plenty of potential with its new R&D Nytros. Robbie Malinoski suffered an unfortunate crash during a crowded practice session Saturday and his crew rallied to get the sled into racing shape. He narrowly missed the cut, but he'll get another chance on Dec. 16-17th in Gaylord, Mich. Despite riding a great race, his teammate Yuji Nakazawa managed just 17th place, but looks forward to Gaylord.
Rob Powers, Yamaha's snowmobile marketing manager, is pleased with the initial outing, "I would like to congratulate all of the team at Boss Racing and the Yamaha team. Duluth was a great weekend. Not from our final results, but from what we learned." Powers said Yamaha now better understands its strengths and what areas need improvement. Yamaha plans to improve on both by the Gaylord race.
What about the R&D Nytro itself?
Yamaha calls it a developmental sled. But according to Greg Marier, Yamaha's race manager, the chassis is built to allow the team to alter suspension mounting locations and geometry. Ergonomics are fully adjustable too, and the engine mount location has moved around as the team works to balance the sled.
The facts? The engine is a Nytro-based, 3-cylinder 973cc 4-stroke, according to the ISR racing rules. You can find traces of the Phazer design in the front suspension, bulkhead and side panels. The rear suspension uses a developmental torsion spring design. Weight, Marier says, is equal to, or less than, other mod sleds on the circuit.
Here are the results from the AMSOIL Duluth National:
Pro Open National1st - Ross Martin (Polaris)
2nd - Levi LaVallee (Polaris)
3rd - Garth Kaufman (Arctic Cat)
4th - T.J. Gulla (Polaris)
Pro Stock National1st - Ross Martin (Polaris)
2nd - Mike Schultz (Polaris)
3rd - Garth Kaufman (Arctic Cat)
4th - Iain Hayden - (Ski-Doo)
Semi-Pro Open1st - Brett Bender (Polaris)
2nd - Katejun Coonishish (Ski-Doo)
3rd - Dan Ebert (Arctic Cat)
4th - Andrew Johnstad (Polaris)
Semi-Pro Stock1st - Brett Bender (Polaris)
2nd - Andrew Johnstad (Polaris)
3rd - Dan Ebert (Arctic Cat)
4th - Mike Bauer (Arctic Cat)
Pro Women1st - Kylie Abrahamson (Polaris)
2nd - Anna Henriksson (Ski-Doo)
3rd - Angela Vacchino (Arctic Cat)
4th - Sarah McQuestion (Ski-Doo)
Pro Plus 351st - John Anetsberger (Ski-Doo)
2nd - Kirk Hibbert (Arctic Cat)
3rd - Tuffy McDonald (Arctic Cat)
4th - Earl Reimer (Ski-Doo)
More results are available
here.
Next Up: The WPSA's Polaris Michigan Snocross, Dec. 16-17th at the Otsego Club & Resort in Gaylord, Mich.