Polaris Hill Climbers Win Seven Class Titles at Jackson Hole

Polaris snowmobile hill climbers won seven class titles and Keith Curtis won Stock King of the Hill honors at the 2012 Jackson Hole World Championship Snowmobile Hill Climb. Curtis won three class titles in addition to his Stock King title in competition held March 22-25 on Snow King Mountain in the scenic Wyoming resort city.

Curtis won the 1000 Stock, 800 Stock and Open Modified class titles, and was joined as a class champion by these Polaris hill climbers: Les Keller won the 700 Stock title, Erin Beukelman won in 1000 Improved Stock, Cole Willford won the 600 Modified crown and Charles Lopeman won the Pro Masters Modified title.

Polaris racers won seven class titles compared to a total of eight titles split among racers on two other brands of sleds. Curtis and Keller won their Stock titles on sleds that are nearly identical to what recreational riders can purchase.

“I raced a stock 2012 RMK Assault in Stock 800 and Stock 1000,” says Curtis. “For 800 Modified and Open Modified, I raced a modified 2012 RMK Assault 800.”

Curtis posted the weekend’s second-fastest time in a run to the summit, reaching the top in 59.723 seconds on his Mod sled in the Mod King of the Hill competition, just .47 seconds off the winning time.

Beukelman finished second in the Improved Stock King of the Hill runs, and Willford and Lopeman finished third and fourth, respectively, in the Mod King of the Hill competition. Keller finished fourth in Stock King of the Hill.

Along with the class winners, these Polaris racers earned podium positions with their top-three finishes:

• Dolan Phelps was second in Pro 700 Stock and third in Pro 1000 Improved Stock. • Erin Beukelman was third in Pro 800 Improved Stock and second in Pro 700 Mod • Aaron Sterck and Tyler Crockett were second and third, respectively, in Pro 600 Stock. • Keith Curtis was second in Pro 800 Mod.

The Jackson Hole event was the third of five scheduled events on the 2012 Rocky Mountain Snowmobile Hillclimb Association (RMSHA) schedule. The next event is the Beaver Mountain Hillclimb, April 6-7, near Logan, Utah.