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Hillclimb Debate! What to do with Turbos and 850?
This past May, the RMSHA board’s hot topic was deciding which classes the new Ski-Doo 850 and the Sidewinder Turbo 998cc would be in. RMSHA rules state that stock sleds come straight from the factory without any mods. But what about the Sidewinder with it’s factory turbo?
Troy Johnson, manager for the Yamaha hillclimb team, pushed for it to be placed in the 800 stock class, stating that because of its slightly bigger weight and need to muscle it more in the corners, it was still a competitive fit for the 800 Stock class, and that the turbo just leveled the playing field for the 4-strokes. Others argued it should be in the Mod class because of the turbo. In the end, the board decided to let the OEMs decide the fate of the 998cc turbo via conference call. Unfortunately, this never happened because shortly thereafter, Yamaha moved its North American operations to Canada.
We hope Yamaha will attempt to have sleds racing on the circuit, but as it sits at press time, anyone riding Yamaha will have to do so independently in RMSHA.
The topic of factory turbos is sure to be brought up in future meetings until either a new class is formed or a decision is made regarding where turbos belong. Rules are constantly changing, and everyone involved has to adapt.
As for the 850 from Ski-Doo, it will be racing in the 1000 Stock, 1000 Improved and Open Mod classes. Ski-Doo factory rider and RMSHA Racer of the Year Blaine “Spanky” Mathews (#230) had this to say: “I think the 850 will fit very well in the 1000 Stock, 1000 Improved and Open Mod classes. In the past, we have dealt with weight issues compared to other manufacturers, but yet we still competed. The 850 is much lighter and has more power, so I feel it’s going to be a huge advantage for myself and Team Ski-Doo.”
It may only be a matter of time before the western circuit sees sleds with factory-installed turbos from all of the manufacturers. Having a turbo in the mountains is becoming the new norm, not just on the hillclimb circuit, but also in the backcountry. Gone are the days of stock sleds trying to tame Snow King during the World Championship Hillclimbs. Mark Thompson did that 20 years ago on a Ski-Doo Summit 670! Elapsed times average right around one minute from start to finish on the circuit, so quickness is king now.
– Ryan Thompson, Western Editor
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RMSHA rules: www.isrracing.org/rules.cfm?aID=10049