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Brian Dick has an unfair advantage, well sort of. The cross country racer works for Arctic Cat, in fact he's Team Arctic's project engineer for its sled chassis group.
So surely he understands the dynamics of the Cat Sno Pro he races in the USCC and other cross country events each winter starting in 2003, just a couple years after joining Cat.
"Sure it helps. I know I've got an edge in tuning the sled," he says from his Thief River Falls shop. "But my downfall is I have a 40+ hour work week with little time to devote to staying in shape."
He won't see competitors shedding tears.
But that's OK with Dick who has won his share of 100-mile cross country races and posted several second place finishes in the I-500. Plus he has competed well in the Soo-500 with Justin Winter and says only mechanical failures kept them from a top finish.
Cross country is his passion, although he admits any competition gets him fired up.
"Competition drives the blood up a few degrees," he says with a sharp laugh, "but it's just fun to be involved."
Family pushHis competitive nature comes from his dad, Paul, who has been a cross country racer for years, and still competes.
"Our family is big into snowmobiling and racing and I've been everywhere with my dad and my uncles - Winnipeg, Warroad, all over," Dick says. He adds that it was on one of those outings while he was working on a mechanical engineering degree at the University of North Dakota, that he ran into Cat's Roger Skime (see story, p. 48). Dick asked about an internship and was soon working on ride calibration with Jeff Olson at Arctic Cat's Thief River facility.
That led to him working on race sled development, a 3-year process to develop a chassis to hold up to the demands of cross country racing, and snocross. He thinks Cat is there and sees further benefits for weekend warriors.
"Cross country really helps us develop a more trail friendly sled for consumers," Dick says.
But business benefits aside, Dick says he prefers cross country racing to ovals or the jump and bump of snocross.
"I like the thought of not being on a set course, where you don't know what's around the corner. It's a real mental game of picking your way through the trails as fast as you can."
He warns newcomers against over dressing for a cross country race, even if it's bitterly cold. "That's the biggest mistake, bundling up and then as soon as you take off you're hot and the layers start to come off," Dick says. He advises staying wrapped up prior to start-time and then shedding all but two layers. Have a friend or teammate take the extra gear. He suggests to always carry an extra pair of goggles and gloves with you, in case you have an off and need them.
The challenge of cross country though is that blend of physical challenge and mental acuity you must keep while on the course. Dick says that's what keeps driving him to race each season … and the I-500 is just a month away!