skidoo shows 440 rev racer

 
In what has become tradition, Ski-Doo pulled the wraps off its new 440 Rev racer at Hay Days. While we all knew it would come in the Rev chassis, we weren't sure about the rear's configuration. Would it be a hard tail like last season's debut open sleds or a soft tail like the consumer sleds? The answer: hard tail. "The enclosed tunnel would not work well for racing applications," explained Ski-Doo's Steve Cowing. "Racers have a habit of hitting each other- if you ran in to the enclosed tunnel you could bend the aluminum link or deflectors into the track and have some problems. The race set-up also saves a little weight"

Ski-Doo made some modest changes to the componentry, but maintained the general concept of last year's mod sled. Here's a quick recap and roundup:
 
Engine

The engine timing control switch is now conveniently located on the left handlebar. Throw the switch up and it's good for 100+ octane fuel. The down position brings the engine timing back into line for 91 octane.

A new tuner was designed to hit the chassis dimensions and give the engine a little more oomph.
 
Drivetrain

Ski-Doo went with a cool new wave rotor on its brake system. It is lighter in weight and said to stay cooler in heavy usage. In addition, the race shop poured a new fluid into the hydraulic system. The SRF brake juice has a higher boiling point, so it will maintain its usefulness longer under race pressures.

In other notes, a new drive axle features an aluminum sleeve and snap rings to keep it in position. A metal shaft incorporated into the rewind system keeps it out of trouble. Finally, the chaincase was elongated to give the sled a better track approach angle and better tunnel clearance. The track also has a new profile design for better traction in the mealy, greasy snow of the racetrack.
 
New shocks for everyone

Ski-Doo shifted to C36 shocks at all four posts this year. One of the main benefits of doing this is that tuners only need one set of tools and tuning pieces to do a full suspension setup.

The new shocks are aluminum-bodied with aluminum remote reservoirs. the compression adjusters are located on the remote and offer 18 high speed adjustments and 16 low speed adjustments.
 
RAS Front
The most interesting thing about the new front end is that the C36 shock reservoirs are mounted on a chassis cross member under the hood. "We won't lose any more reservoirs in the corners," said Cowing.

The extra oil cans stay cool thanks to the hood's slot vents throwing cold air directly on them.

The RAS also uses a lighter 1/2-inch sway bar, has tighter steering tolerances and reinforced A-arms.
 
SC-10 III Rear
The rear suspension has been strengthened and fine tuned for race-specific needs. For instance, the rail shape has been modified slightly to be in harmony with the Rev chassis. Also, the pieces have been beefed up to handle the abuse racers sometimes puttheir sleds through. The last chance on the skid itself is a larger coupling window. This allows racers to achieve more weight transfer for strong holeshots.
 
Chassis changes

Ski-Doo followed the Polaris program and installed a five-gallon fuel tank on the Rev. This saves weight, and is sculpted to stay out of the way.
The aforementioned hard tail tunnel uses a pair of heat exchangers, one in the front and one in the rear to keep weight low, but still offer the needed cooling.
A tiny windscreen protects the single-gauge pod at the center of the console from roosts and debris, while bar-mounted gaitors keep the driver's hands protected.

Designers made the new seat more aggressive to keep racers scooted forward and ready to shift positions quickly

Overall, the Ski-Doo 440 Rev racer tips the scales at 438 factory pounds, dry. That's 30 pounds lighter than last year's MX Zx 440 racer, for those keeping score at home.
 
Ski-Doo will have two separate two-day race schools this fall: October 18-19 in Bloomington, Minnesota and November 1-2 in Syracuse, New York. Registration is $25 per person and includes materials and lunch. Contact Tom Lawrence at 715/848-4971 for more information.