800 single pipe official results

 Repetition. Can you say Polaris one more time? Yes, the 800 XC SP with power valves produced fewer ponies than Cat's macho 800 twin (137.5 vs. Cat's 141). But the Polaris was only 2 mph shy of cracking the century barrier. The Cat was less than a mile per hour under the 95 mph mark. Ski-Doo's big twin hit a 92-plus run.

At 1000 feet we could see the sandy area making an impact as the Polaris reached the first grand in 9.767 seconds at 95.54 mph. At the end of the quarter mile, during the same run, the big Polaris had gained only four-tenths of a mile per hour for a best time of 12.046 seconds.

At the 660-foot mark, the ZR 800 EFI showed that it could be a match for the Polaris twin this winter. The Cat had a best overall run of 81.52 mph and an ET of 7.426. Compare that to the Roseau runner's 82.87 mph and a best ET of 7.253.

While all dealers agreed on running with hyfax and extra wheels, the White Lake group appeared to have stayed up a little longer the night before the shoot-out and installed plenty of friction-reducing bogies and slim hyfax.

Were the conditions fair? Not for real world on-snow snowmobiling. But, yes, for all that gathered to present their sleds for this demonstration. The track conditions were the same for all. And that's how it went on December 7, 2001 at Woodgate, New York.