Team Arctic race report: Mar. 12-13

Story by Snowmobile.com Mar. 18, 2011

Arctic Cat riders pick up 33 class wins in two days of racing

In three different racing disciplines, during two days of fierce competition, Team Arctic racers earned an astonishing 33 class victories, including the coveted USCC Pro Championship.

In the final two races of the USCC cross-country season, Team Arctic/Christian Bros. Racing teammates D.J. Ekre and Ryan Simons proved why they are among the fastest cross-country racers of a generation, with Ekre taking his third win of the season while Simons claimed the Pro High-Point Championship.

Their exploits were bolstered by the kind of dominance that has typified cross-country racing in recent years, with Team Arctic racers winning 21 separate classes during the two-race weekend in Warroad, Minn., including podium sweeps of the Pro 600, Semi Pro 600 and all 85-hp classes.

Ryan Simons won the coveted USCC Pro Championship.

A similar story unfolded at the penultimate round of the ISOC National Snocross Series in Elko, Minn., where Team Arctic/Monster Energy’s Tucker Hibbert delivered another double-win weekend, taking both the Pro Stock and Pro Open classes to bolster his championship points lead heading into the final races of the season.

Cody Thomsen and Kyle Pallin celebrate on the podium.

Factory Team Arctic’s dynamic-duo of Cody Thomsen and Kyle Pallin put on a veritable clinic in the Semi Pro classes at Elko. Thomsen took victory in the first final on Saturday, with Pallin taking second, then traded places with Pallin winning the Sunday final ahead of Thomsen. Like Hibbert, Thomsen appears locked-in to win his class championship next weekend in Lake Geneva, Wis.

At the David Sheppard Memorial Hillclimb in Lost Trail, Mont., Team Arctic’s high-mountain men and women notched eight class victories aboard their M Series machines, taking wins in the 600, 700, 800 and Open classes.

“Winning a total of 33 classes in the three premier race circuits during a single weekend of competition is a remarkable performance,” says Mike Kloety, Team Arctic race manager. “I’d go so far as calling it legendary.

“It was especially gratifying to see Ryan Simons claim his first season championship, taking the Pro 600 title in USCC. Winning a championship is the dream of all top racers, but it’s an accomplishment experienced by a select few. Ryan and his crew battled through injury to prove their strength and constancy, which is something we’re all proud of.”