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1999 The Ski-Doo squadron adds pilotsTerrain racing's landscape was quickly changing. Ski-Doo made a technology breakthrough with the release of an all-new MX ZX with a vastly improved ZX chassis. Ski-Doo had a machine that many regarded as equal to, if not better than, the competition.
"With the ZX chassis, the weight of the vehicle came down. It was the year we went to a parallel front end. It was much stronger. The single biggest thing was the SC-10 rear skid. When we got to the ZX, we felt like we were at least equal," Rager says.
Blair Morgan, the defending Pro Stock Champion, had established himself as the preeminent snocross racer. Ski-Doo and the other teams set their sights on Morgan.
Previously, Ski-Doo had relied on its official factory teams with Haikonen and others. But in 1999 a new factory-supported independent team joined the fray.
Team Amsoil Ski-Doo was headed by Steve Scheuring and applied the NASCAR team model to snocross racing. With a semi-trailer packed with a full workshop, professional uniforms and an impeccable presentation, the Scheuring team set the standard others would follow in coming years. His team fielded established snocross star Chris Vincent and former Semi-Pro Tim Maki.
In Pro 600 at the WSA Spirit Mountain National, Morgan demoralized the competition by lapping the field.
But the best of the rest were Ski-Doo mounted. Haikonen was second, Troy Schaden third and Kohanski fourth.
In his quest to stay with Morgan, Vincent rode at 110% all season, claiming podiums throughout the year. At the CSRA race in Thunder Bay, Ont., Vincent got a holeshot and a commanding lead to win over Morgan.
At the WSA Deadwood National, Vincent seized the Pro 600 win and also grabbed second in Pro 440. He also got a second in Pro 600 and won Pro Open at the WSA Canterbury race. Later, he grabbed first, second and third place at Valcourt.
In the second half of the season, he got a Pro 440 win and a second in Pro 600. In the final points race, Vincent's strong string of podiums gave him second in Pro 440 and Pro 600 and a third in Pro Open.
Without a doubt, Vincent's most important performance was his X Games triumph over Morgan. Vincent nailed the holeshot and built a huge lead, but a cracked pipe slowed him, leading to a nail-biter finish as Morgan closed in. But Vincent held on.
Team Amsoil's Scheuring said, "We won the X Games Gold, we win five Pro features, and top three points in all three classes. For a first-year team, it was a cool deal."
Vincent finished the year second in WSA national points for Pro 440 and Pro 600 and third in Pro Open. Vincent's teammate Tim Maki also racked up consistent finishes throughout the year, finishing third in Pro 440 and Pro 600 points.
Kohanski had impressive finishes and claimed a few wins throughout the season. At the WSA Hinckley, Minn., National, Kohanski won in Pro 600 and nabbed second in Pro Open. He also scored a second at the Crandon National.
Although Haikonen looked strong at the Duluth National, taking second in Pro 600 behind Morgan, he wasn't the same rider who revolutionized snocross a few years earlier.
Instead, he soldiered on as a shadow of his former self, taking a second in Pro 440 at the WSA Canterbury race and a fifth at the X Games. He picked up the pace at the Eagle River World Championship Derby, taking second in Pro 440 and third in Pro 500.
Todd Wolff entered the 1999 Warroad 500, confident of his prospects for victory. On Day 1, he finished sixth from a starting position deep in the field.
He swept into the lead on Day 2 with a blazingly fast run. On Day 3, he beat out the grand master of cross-country racing, Kirk Hibbert. For the 1999 season, Wolff won the I-500 again and clinched the FANS Pro 440 high points title.
At the WSA season finale in Lake Geneva, Wolff showed increasing competitiveness in snocross by winning the Pro 600 final, only to have the win stripped away by a rules dispute. At the USI Select Eagle River cross-country in Eagle River, Wis., Wolff had a phenomenal weekend, winning the Pro Open, Pro Open Invitational, Pro 600 and Pro 440.