Snowmobile Encyclopedia

New novel about snocross racing released on Smashwords & Amazon

Linda Aksomitis — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 17:48:00 +0000

Linda Aksomitis, author of The Illustrated Guide to Snowmobile Racing, has released her latest book about snowmobile racing, a novel titled Snocross. The e-book is available on Amazon and Smashwords, and will be available shortly at Barnes & Noble and iBooks from Apple. Drawing from her own experience racing snowmobiles and writing about snowmobile racing, Linda set this novel at the Duluth season opener for the WPSA [World Power Sports Association] snocross 2005-2006 season. She has added photos taken at the track that weekend, including the book’s cover, which shows the semi-pro drivers, sled #233, driven by Phil Johnson (Two Harbors, Minnesota) and sled #101, driven by Katejun Coonishish (Ouje-Bougoumou, Quebec). The story is about high school student Shawn Riggs, who wants just two things in life–to be part of the popular crowd in high school and to become the next snocross national champion racer with his snowmobile. When he heads off to the season opener in Duluth, he finds himself stuck in a situation that could wipe the chances for both right off the map. First, the local football jock, Cole Ackerman, gets himself and his dad invited along. Then, they stop in Winnipeg to pick up Jacqui Deville, [...]

2011 Polaris 600 Rush Pro-R Snowmobile

Linda Aksomitis — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:18:30 +0000

The Polaris Rush line of snowmobiles introduced in 2010 were designed to dominate the whoops for snocross riders and hobby performance riders. Designed to absorb the harshest bumps and hard landings, RUSH’s bottomless suspension marked a significant change in Polaris’s performance sleds. With a 599 cc Liberty liquid cooled 2-stroke engine under the hood and Cleanfire injection, the 2011 Polaris Rush 600 Pro-R is the newest model for Polaris performance riders. It uses Rocker Evans’ Piggyback shocks all around the front and Walker Evans’ Comp. Adj. rear track shocks. The hacksaw track is 15 x 121 x 1 inch. The seat is the lightweight freestyle, and windshields can be ordered in three heights, low, mid or tall. Photos: Video For more information see: http://www.snowmobile.com/manufacturers/polaris/2011-polaris-800-rush-pror-preview-1168.html

2011 Polaris 800 Pro-R Snowmobile

Linda Aksomitis — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:00:09 +0000

The Pro-R from Polaris is a handful of machine for the rider who wants lots of performance. The 800 (795 cc) twin cylinder, 2-stroke engine powers a sled with even more refinements to the Rush’s unique and innovative Pro-Ride rear suspension. Leading the Polaris field of sleds, Polaris indicates they’ve put over a 100,000 test miles on this line for the perfect package of handling and performance. The Pro-R uses Rocker Evans’ Piggyback shocks on the front and Walker Evans’ Comp. Adj. rear track shocks. The hacksaw track is 15 x 121 x 1 inch. The seat is the lightweight freestyle. Photos: Video For more information see: http://www.snowmobile.com/manufacturers/polaris/2011-polaris-800-rush-pror-preview-1168.html

2011 Polaris Rush 800 Snowmobile

Linda Aksomitis — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 20:35:13 +0000

The 2011 Polaris Rush snowmobile is part of the Polaris performance line-up for 2011. Powered by a 795 cc Liberty liquid cooled engine, this 2-stroke has Cleanfire injection. It uses Fox shocks all around and has a 15 x 121 x 1 inch hacksaw track. The seat is the lightweight freestyle. Photos: Video For more information see: http://www.snowmobile.com/manufacturers/polaris/2011-polaris-800-rush-pror-preview-1168.html

X Games Adaptive Snocross – 2010

Linda Aksomitis — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:28:20 +0000

The first Adaptive Snocross event was added to the 14th annual X Games at Aspen, Colorado, running as a medal class on January 31, 2010, in its first year. It was the third X Games adaptive event for disabled sports athletes, with the first two being Mono Skier X (first medal in 2007) and Super X Adaptive Motocross (first medal July 2009). Mike Schultz came out first of the six participants, taking the gold medal in the first Adaptive Snocross. The 28-year-old had already competed in six winter snocross X games before becoming an amputee, with a 9th in 2008 his best finish. In December of 2008, Schultz crashed at Ironwood, MI in an ISOC sanctioned race, and his injuries resulted in amputation above the knee on his left leg. His time for the gold was 5:18.403. Wright & Filippis prosthetic technician, Jim Wazny, won the silver medal with a time of 5:32.852. Wasny said, of his victory, “What an amazing honor it is to win the silver medal at the first Adaptive SnoCross at X Games 14. For disabled athletes to be recognized by ESPN and the other organizers of the X Games is truly an awesome accomplishment. The [...]

2010 X Games Snowmobile Freestyle Medal Winners

Linda Aksomitis — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 21:16:01 +0000

The X Games snowmobile freestyle final event ran in Aspen, Colorado, on Thursday, January 28, 2010. Freestyle snowmobiling is one of the most daring snowmobile sports, and certainly an event that’s all about impressing both spectators and judges. In Freestyle, snowmobile riders take short runs at a ramp that launches them high in the air, where they do such tricks as backflips and somersaults. The freestyle snowmobile event was added to the Winter X Games in 2007 for X Games 11. The 2010 Winter X Games 14 snowmobile freestyle event was held on Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen, Colorado. Both the eliminations and finals ran on Thursday, January 28, 2010. Freestyle was the first of the snowmobile events. Only one snowmobiler, Levi LaVallee, competed in all four snowmobile events: Snowmobile Freestyle, Snowmobile Best Trick, Snowmobile Snocross and a new for 2010, Snowmobile Knock Out. Twelve riders participated in the Freestyle event. Riders not in the medals included: Heath Frisby, Daniel Bodin, Sam Rogers, Caleb Moore, Colten Moore, Jeff Mullin, Isaac Surebine, Paul Thacker, and Jimmy Fejes. Caleb Moore, new to the sport in December, 2009, just a couple of months before the X Games, finished with the bronze medal. Moore trained [...]

LaVallee Takes Gold in 2010 X Games Snowmobile Knock Out

Linda Aksomitis — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:06:40 +0000

Levi Lavallee took the gold medal in the ESPN X Games brand new 2010 snowmobile event — snowmobile knock out, on Sunday, January 31, 2010 in Aspen, Colorado. Knock out is a jump event where the snowmobile driver performing the shortest jump is knocked out in each round. Six of the top snocross drivers participated in this first-ever event. Drivers took turns launching from a steel take-off ramp over the 75 foot gap to land in the snow. Distance was measured to the landing point, with the longest distance winning each round, and the shortest being eliminated. Lavallee was middle of the pack in the first go-round, achieving a jump of 1402 inches. Paul Thacker, ramping 1145 inches was eliminated. Robbie Malinoski was eliminated in the second round and Tucker Hibbert in the third. Joe Parsons earned the bronze medal in the fourth round with a jump of 1773 inches. The final, fifth round featured Chris Burandt and Levi Lavallee fighting for the gold and silver medals. Burandt’s final jump was 1886 inches, while Lavallee beat that mark by more than 100 inches at 2001 inches or 50.8254 meters/55.583 yards. Levi Lavallee, nicknamed Launchin’ Levi, began competing in snowmobile snocross [...]

1972 Ski-Doo Blizzard Snowmobile

Linda Aksomitis — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 16:23:08 +0000

Ski-Doo Blizzard snowmobiles were first produced in limited numbers by Bombardier in 1970. Designed specifically for racing, the Blizzard series featured six different models, ranging from the 400s to the 775s. The 1972 Ski-Doo Blizzard snowmobiles were the first sleds to use Bombardier’s revolutionary rotary valve. Rotary valve engines can be used to deliver power over a wider speed range or higher power over a narrower speed range than either piston port or reed valve engines. The technology also made sled starting easier, along with improving both idling and fuel economy. For the only time in the history of the prestigious Winnipeg, Manitoba, to St. Paul, Minnesota, cross country race, Ski-Doo took the checkered flag — oval racer, Yvon DuHamel, won his first cross-country title on board the 1972 Ski-Doo Blizzard. Using both double and triple carburetors, the Blizzard line-up served as “big brother” to the T’NT line of Ski-Doo snowmobiles, also designed for the sport riders. The sled pictured below is a 340 triple. Photo credit: Linda Aksomitis. Photo take at the 6th Annual Vintage Round-Up in West Yellowstone in March, 2009. References: Bombardier Inc, & Fondation J. Armand Bombardier. (1999). Ski-Doo, as long as there’s winter–. [Valcourt, Quebec]: [...]

1970 Ski-Doo Nordic Snowmobile

Linda Aksomitis — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:30:45 +0000

The 1970 Ski-Doo Nordic snowmobile was advertised as the sled “for the man who wanted luxury.” With a starting price of $1045 for the 399 Nordic, the cost was still a little less than the 399 T’NT designed for the “man who loved to race.” One of the innovations Ski-Doo introduced on the 1970 Nordic was the polycarbonate hoods, instead of the traditional fiberglass. All of the Nordic line had 18 inch tracks, were 98 inches long and 35 inches wide. Already proven in popularity, the success of the Nordic series led to the 1970 introduction of the 35 horsepower Nordic 640E (shown below). The original 371E model was upgraded in 1970 to the 399E. Even with electric start, the Nordic sleds were relatively light, with the 399 weighing in at 360 pounds and the 640 ninety pounds heavier at 430. For the Bombardier company, 1970 marked the purchase of the Austrian plant that had supplied its engines since 1962 — Rotax-Werk AG, which was renamed Bombardier-Rotax GmbH. Photo credit: Photo taken by Linda Aksomitis at the 6th Annual Vintage Round-Up in West Yellowstone in March, 2009. References: Bombardier Inc, & Fondation J. Armand Bombardier. (1999). Ski-Doo, as long as [...]

1968 Ski-Doo Olympique Snowmobile

Linda Aksomitis — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:34:30 +0000

The 1968 line of Ski-Doo Olympique snowmobiles had five models: A brand new Super 370 Olympique model, with a 370 cc engine delivering 18.5 horsepower Olympique Super Olympique Super Olympique E (Electric Start) Super 370 E Lots of features were added in 1968 for customer convenience, such as more padding in the seats, a storage compartment under the rear seat, and for passengers, a plastic grab handle. Taillights were larger and brighter, to increase safety for riding at night and in inclement weather. Nineteen sixty-eight was a busy year for the Ski-Doo factory, with 70,276 snowmobiles rolling off the assembly line. The majority of these were the Olympique models with a suggested retail price of $695.00. The Super Olympique hit the news in 1968 with the Plaisted Polar Expedition, sponsored by Bombardier, becoming the first motorized vehicle to make it to the North Pole. Four men, including the organizer, Ralph Plaisted, and lead driver, Jean-Luc Bombardier (nephew of J. Armand Bombardier), riding Super Olympique 300 cc model snowmobiles for 43 days, two hours and 30 minutes, over 1330 km (800 miles) across Northern Canada. They arrived at the North Pole on April 19, 1968 — with the U.S. Airforce overhead [...]