November 21, 2008

On Your Mark, Get Set…

 Yamaha Factory Snocross Race Team, update

I spoke with Greg Marier this morning, who is at Planet X with the Factory Snocross race team. I haven’t spoken with Greg since last spring when they were shaking out some new ideas after the CSRA final at Horseshoe Valley Resort. I have been hearing some interesting comments on the new FX Nytro racers and thought with round one of the new ISOC series being held at Spirit Mountain, Duluth set to go off next week, it would be a good time to do some digging.

I could tell immediately, Greg is excited about the potential the team is showing and the advancements they have achieved since last spring. He is being typically guarded about the mechanical workings of the stock-based chassis. As most of you know, the race engines are supplied direct from our factory, built up from the 1050 triple with a smattering of exotic parts. They are configured to shape the power to meet the demands of pro-level snocross racing which translates into mega throttle response. And Greg says YMC has delivered in spades. The biggest advantage of the 4-stroke over the competition is realized in the quick response available at any throttle setting. This is where our engineers have focused. That said, as a bonus they have also delivered a bit more peek horsepower over last years mill.

The chassis set-ups have undergone some major revisions over last year (reading between the lines) but I am going to have to buy Greg a couple of stiff ones before I attempt to pry any details from him. The good news is during testing they have not had any serious durability issues and no gremlins have yet to surface.

Steve Taylor is joined this year by another Canadian rider Iain Hayden. They have both been working hard in the off-season to get into top physical condition. Calgary native, Drew Robertson was hired by the team as their personal trainer and motivational guru. According Andre Laurin, the team manager, Drew’s program and discipline has clearly shown some significant results.

Greg mentioned they are now dealing with the first real saddle-time of the season, firing up the muscles  in a real track environment and dealing with the adrenaline charged, mental preparation a week out from the first major race. Steve rode two  fifteen minute motos followed by two twenty minute motos yesterday which may not sound like a lot but is quite a haul at a pro-level pace. This bodes very well for his physical conditioning this early in the year. Iain, I am told, is also looking very comfortable and in control on board his Nytro.

The plan now is to tear down and carefully inspect the sleds then re-assemble for another practice session Monday, after which the riders will hit the gym in final preparation for the Duluth start line. Practice for the team will commence next Friday Nov 28 and carry through Saturday with the race going off Sunday the 30th. If all goes well, the team plans to travel north to Canada and enter the first round of CSRA racing at Searchmont Resort, outside of Sault Ste Marie, Ontario.

I  received a copy of some media material released by Yamaha USA which some of you may find of interest. It comes in the form of an article describing the basis of the team structure and equipment: yamaha-sled.doc  as well as the full media kit in PDF form: 09-full-snocross-kit.pdf

I sense the guys are outwardly being ‘cautiously optimistic’ but once prodded it is apparent they are really stoked with the potential of both sleds and riders, as Andre put it, they are ‘incredibly impressive’. Lets hope that we see another ‘David and Goliath’ return this year, with little Team Blue making some regular appearances on the ‘box’.

Good luck guys… all of us here at YMCA are rooting for you.

Cheers

cr

November 12, 2008

Bar-B-Que Sled

No…  it’s not what you think!

As mentioned in ‘Belly Mon, Going Up’, my old friend Randy Swenson is up to his old tricks again.
I learned a long time ago to take his madness seriously, like when he announced he was going to build up his ‘Project 101′ RX-1 Turbo based on an early pre-pro unit, kicking off the whole Yamaha 4-stroke turbo thing in the process.

This summers project may not be quite as ‘impactful’ but it certainly is a head turner. The latest creation features a turbo-charged, propane power system bolted up to his Nytro MTX, offering him two major advantages. The first addresses the octane requirements of any +15lb boost engine. To make the big power, reliably, either a heavy blend of, or 100% race fuel is required. At $4.50 a litre it doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out the sting to giggle factor. Propane on the other hand is cheaper than regular gas and has an effective octane rating equivalent to a 120 RO.

The system Randy used is engineered specifically for 4-stroke snowmobiles (Yamaha) and has been three years plus in development. Val Simmons (of Simmons Flexi-Ski) and Brad Story (Team Thunderstruck) have both been very instrumental in the design and manufacturing of the Simmons Propane Systems turbo kit. Strangely enough one of the biggest hurdles in getting the kit to market has been found in the fuel cells which have been a long time in the government approval and certification process. The cells run in pairs and come in 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 gal options. Randy is using two 7 gallon tanks which will yield about 160 km (100 miles) per fuel load in mountain condition. ed: This could be significantly more on our eastern trails.

He can add fuel at any service station that sells auto propane but for convenience, Randy has installed a 270 litre tank in his truck.

So what’s the big deal beyond the fuel cost savings? I believe what really hooked Randy, after riding Brad’s propane sled (in his words) was the ‘incredible throttle response‘ and ‘crispness’ of the engine. Our current FI system requires elaborate e-prom mapping to cover every conceivable fuel requirement with complex logarithms to meter the demands. With the addition of a turbo, this mapping has to be altered and its not unusual to experience some burble or hesitation at times.

The propane system removes the stock injectors and all the electronics that control them. The propane is delivered by a new ‘load based’ injection system that reacts directly to manifold pressure and according to Randy, he has never ridden a ‘cleaner’ responding sled… ever. Speaking of clean, he mentioned that the oil comes out of the engine looking almost as clear as the day it was installed, perhaps another benefit in the long term.

I asked him what kind of power he expected to make and at what level of durability. How about 300++ reliable horsepower at upwards to 26 lbs of boost. The engine internals are all stock except for a head shim to reduce the compression and some beefier studs to hold it all together, limiting deck distortion under full steam. As incredible as it seems, our engines have proven able to build this kind of power reliably over the long run, during several seasons of high boost and high mileage. Our engineers still smile when I bring the point to bare even though they won’t agree to the engine duty cycle probabilities as defined by our own internal standards. Randy is more than doubling the output of his Nytro MTX using the stock parts, so how long do you figure your new Nytro or Venture GT is going to hang together?

Well that really only leaves one question in my mind: how much will all this cost for parts and time? How about 11,000 USD! Yeah I know… but consider this, the kit contains the turbo and all its components, the propane system complete, assorted body parts and professional installation. The latter is not an option at this time, you must have the work performed by Simmons Propane Systems. Considering the current cost of a gasoline turbo system (installed) and some of the additional magic like nitrous, to ensure crisp response plotted against the cost of race fuel, propane systems may well prove to be a bargain for the high-mark riders.

With around fifty of these monsters on the snow and more in the wings, I am considering the feasibility of having our accessory guys develop an optional ‘GYPA’ titanium grill for the tunnel deck. Can you imagine the ‘kabobs’ Randy could cook-up with 14 gallons of propane at 7000 feet! This would kick the crap out of buddies ‘Hotdogger’ nestled around the expansion chambers of his beloved, pine-cone-challenged, 2-smoke. And yet another good reason to go 4-stroke!

cheers cr

February 1, 2008

It Took You Long Enough!

 Never a dull moment..

Well there’s lots of things going on this week, I barely know where to start. I guess the first thing I should doo is welcome our friends at Skidoo to the world of 4-strokes. Their new Vector level 1200 triple should cover the bases for them much better than their previous attempt with the V-twin which never went mainstream. It will be interesting to see how they market 4-strokes against their own 2-stroke message from the past few seasons. Timing is everything I guess.

A new battle has reared its head in Quebec with some special interest groups lobbying to ban snowmobiles from all provincial parks. It appears the science they used to present their argument to government is based on a very old and poorly researched study (from the seventies) with no consideration for the advances made in technology and changes in snowmobile operation. It’s hard enough when we have issues based on real problems to deal with but it gets extremely aggravating when we have to defend ourselves against conjecture and untruths. We will be supporting the Quebec snowmobile federation in engaging this new attack head on.

I had a chance to get caught up with Greg Marier yesterday after he returned with the race team from X-Games:

So Greg, great run at X games. What do you think about the results? “Well, a fourth place finish against the top racers in the world was great, but the way the sled was running and how strong Steve looked, I was hoping the race would run a little longer. Steve was on the top of his game and looked to need just a few more laps to make it to a podium finish. We did show that Yamaha is a contender in sno-cross.”

I have had a question from ‘welterracer ‘ wondering about the power of the race sleds, what can you tell us?
“Depending on our race engine spec and the dyno, I estimate we can make 10-15 more hp than the stock FXNytro. That should put the engine power at around 145hp – But we don’t race dynos – Real power is what you can find in the field, what you can clutch for and get that power put down on the snow. It is different game where the 2-strokes are dealing with a narrow powerband and have to tune for the ‘correct’ pipe temperature; with our 4-stroke, the racer hits the throttle and lays down the torque.

Based on watching at the races, I feel we have enough power to cover the 2-stroke competition, and our power advantage shows up in the holeshot and the drive out of the corners. And to get our power to the snow, we have a lot of data acquisition on board the sleds that has helped us to use our 4-stroke power for greater acceleration.”

Can we talk about the data acquisition you mentioned or is that hush-hush? “No, not at all. We can monitor engine RPM, throttle position, driven clutch RPM, GPS actual speed and sled position, track speed, shock stroke, air, water and drive belt temperature. But when we are racing the main focus is on throttle position, engine RPM and track speed.”

So what is the biggest challenge for the team looking forward? “Hey – Sno-cross racing at the National level will always deliver tough challenges, every race weekend is full of them. Considering that Yamaha also choose to race a 4-stroke meant that many people counted us as ‘non-competitive’ right off the bat. However, thanks to our 4-stroke power and the Camoplast-designed tracks, we’re getting great hole-shot performance. This season, the sled is also working very good in the technical ‘rhythm’ sections, which is a direct result of working closely with the guys from FOX, who have been great to have on board as a new sponsor. What we are really honing in now is on the cornering speed and handling. That’s where I feel we have the most left to gain. One thing that has really come together is how well the team is functioning as a unit. All the guys are really working well together.”

What about the weight of the 4-stroke – is that a major challenge? “Everyone may think ‘lighter is better’ but the first thing a race sled needs is durability, then power, then handling. While we will always be working to get the sled lighter, we cannot sacrifice function or durability just to make a minimum weight. Watching the season so far, the brand that claims to be the ‘lightest’ does not look to be the best overall on the track.”

How about Cory, Jimmy and the new Speed & Style event? “Cory had very little time (having just recovered from injuries), but he hit the ramps to learn some new tricks. He has had some experience with the extreme stuff and really rose to the occasion, He looked especially good through the whoops where some of the guys were having a lot of difficulty. It really is unfortunate he drew LaVallee to compete against in the first round. I give him huge cudos for his efforts. Jimmy is also coming back after some very painful injuries and missed the finals in Freestyle by one spot. It does appear ESPN is putting increased emphasis on the Style events than the snocross race but I guess that’s showbiz.”

Well its snowing like crazy here and we’re shutting down early, dang-it, I guess I’ll have to go home for a ride!!  cheers  cr

January 28, 2008

More, Yamaha Race Updates

A Quick Recap of the Weekends Events: X-Games, Japan, Europe.

Well most of you are well aware of the Winter X Games, after all they represent the number one, most watched television venue for any snowmobile event. Team Yamaha was seeded with Pro Open driven Steve Taylor in the Snocross, Semi-Pro Corey Davis taking on the new event of Speed & Style and Jimmy Blaze in the Freestyle competition. In a nutshell, Steve had a great main event after shutting out Blair Morgan’s Skidoo in his qualifier. He rode to a strong 4th overall finish in the 25 lap main. I have received a few pictures and official reports today and I hope to get caught up with Greg shortly.

The Speed & Style as I understand it, combines freestyle ramps within a closed course where riders are timed for their lap and judged on the air and tricks off the ramps. Corey, was new to the ramps having only one day to practice his chops…

Corey ran against eventual winner Levi LaVallee in the quarter finals and was eliminated. But hats off to the man for a valiant attempt, that is scary stuff made more-so when you haven’t been practicing for it!

Heres some pics of Steve on the snocross track…

Jimmy finished 5th in the Freestyle semis but only the top four went on to the final eliminations… And now for some unabashed marketing hype (hey we can play two!).

Heres a report on the race, winterxf.doc and a link to the official YMUS web-site release

I received this article from Europe which is interesting in itself snocross_v2.pdf and finally, the first round of the Japanese snocross series went off this past weekend and I understand FX Nytro’s took first place in the mains. japan-opener.pdf

January 8, 2008

Good and Bad Statistics

Some stats hurt a lot more to report on than others…

I tried a little experiment this week which seems to have worked out fairly well. I had some input from one of our engineers regarding a few questions they were pondering on the FX Nytro. Being a new model and all, I suggested we post a survey on Totallyamaha requesting owners to provide the answers. The data I received looks good and with over 160 samples in a matter of hours, it should prove to be quite dependable. I asked the respondents at the very end, to indicate their overall level of satisfaction which you can see in this graph. I also asked the ones who were not satisfied to explain why not. I actually have some reservations about one very unsatisfied respondent even owning a Nytro (or Yamaha for that matter), I’ll leave it at that. But I am pleased with this result especially considering this is a first year sled and a fairly radical departure from our more conventional chassis. Once everyone gets the time to finish break-in, adjust to, and dial-in the suspensions, I expect the index to move up even higher. I’ll share some more details once I have the final results all compiled and reduced.

If you own an FX Nytro and completed the survey, my thanks to you… if you haven’t and would like to, here’s a link to take the FX Nytro Owners Survey Note: if you don’t own an FX Nytro please don’t click the link as you won’t find anything of interest there and you’ll skew the data.

This coming weekend is the second round of WSA world championship Snow Cross racing. It’s a double header being held at Canterbury MN . I’m already bugging Greg for an update which I’ll pass along next week. It’s been quite warm and melting in the mid-west so hopefully the track conditions will be OK.

The early snowfall seems to have boosted total industry sales with the USA currently up almost 10% over last year at this time and Canada closer to 20%. I’m still optimistic for a good riding season even in the face of the record warm temps and melt-down we’re having in the east right now. Many lakes and swamps did not have a chance to build ice and ‘tighten up’ before the big snow prior to Christmas and the grooming has been limited. Now all we need is another cold snap followed by some white lube, which is in the long range forecast. I spoke to Brendan, our west coast manager today and he informed me this is turning out to be a very bad avalanche season, the latest just slid on Big White in Kelowna. There have been several sled and back-country ski deaths already. Make sure to take extra precautions, I understand the slides are occurring in areas normally considered safe and stable. In Ontario the lake ice is rotten and should be avoided. I saw lots of sled tracks on the week-end near my cottage that left me shaking my head… please be careful folks, this is an odd-ball season for riding conditions… My heart goes out to the families of those lost… Okay, ‘nough said.

Ride Smart! Ride Safe! Ride Sober!!!

Cheers cr

January 2, 2008

The Right Yamaha

…Love the One You’re With!

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you a Happy and Prosperous New Year in this first post of 2008.

For those that don’t know, I choose to ride an Apex when on my own time. I truly enjoy the handling and all-around character of the sled given most of my riding is done in central Ontario and Quebec. I had the opportunity to ’store’ one of our Nytro RTX press sleds over the holidays and sadly my Apex sat, largely ignored for the past two weeks. The first outings on the Nytro were from my back yard, which entails some ditch banging and off-trail poking to get on the OFSC trails. When my pal JF (also on a Nytro) and I first set out, our local clubs groomer had not been in action yet and the trails were downright nasty. My opinion of the Nytro rose steadily with every whooped-out kilometer…

We were having a blast, standing up and ‘blipping’ the throttle at everything we came upon. This was really driven home when we came across a couple of Skidoo riders, having a smoke by the side of a rail-trail, who asked us for some directions. Lets just say they were not very impressed with the trail conditions with one fellow cussing and pleading with his buddy to turn around upon discovering their proximity to civilization. Did I mention we were having a blast? hmmmmm!

Fast forward, after several warm days, disheartening rainfalls and a whole lot of Christmas stuff, some fresh snow fell and I finally had a chance to head back out onto the same trails again with the Nytro. The groomer had made its presence known somewhere along the line and the trail was now wider and reduced to miles of rippled ’stutter bumps’. After a hundred mile ride which included a cross country side-trip in search of an open gas station I found myself wanting to be back on board my Apex…

I am thinking back to my post titled Twin Peaks and comments I received from John and Chris who essentially asked: ‘Whats wrong with one sled platform that does it all?’. Well, really nothing at all, except for the fact I don’t believe anyone has built it yet. I would love to have a snowmobile that could eat a big sharp edged crater or suck up a gee bump as well the Nytro and still maintain the ‘make the bumps go away’ ride comfort of the monoshock Apex. A sled that will instantly respond to the slightest throttle blip, loft the skis and dance through the moguls; then carve out a corner at speed, with telepathic predictability requiring minimal effort. A sled delivering ergonomics that make standing effortless while maintaining a low seated, stable CG with great wind protection…

So! I have left the Nytro parked directly behind my Apex with a large blanket covering the two. Hopefully in a few months I may have a little Nypex to nurture and call my own. Until then I will continue to enjoy my Apex and think fondly of the Nytro when the trails degrade.

Cheers cr

December 13, 2007

Yamaha Snowcross Update

I received some good pictures of Steve Taylor in action on his FX Nytro open class race sled and thought I would pass them along.

The guys raced a WPSA regional last weekend at Park X. There were a bunch of big names there and our guys made some more progress.

The way I heard it, Johan won a heat, ending up 6th in semi-pro (in a deep field). Steve had to start on the back row in the main but made an impressive run through the field to finish in 5th. I’ll be honest, one of my personal fears was that Robbie Malinoski, coming off Yamaha would hop on board the new Skidoo and rocket into first place. But I understand this so far, is not the case at all. They are struggling with their new sled. Steve finished in 5th place with Malinoski well back in 12th. So much for a marketing coup. I can only imagine how their agency would have spun that one…

heres a couple of Johan:

Obviously it’s a very competitive arena for both hardware and riders but if we get a chance to ’stretch our legs’ and use the four stokes power, there may just be another chance for an underdog podium.

And then there’s Yuji:

The factory development race team with Yuji in the pilots chair is running a painfully stock FX Nytro in the open class at this time. His rear suspension and track is basically the same as the YMUS team and they are playing around with some front end camber / caster, adjustments but aside from the ergo’s, what you’re seeing Yuji ride on the race track is pretty much what you see on the trail. This is truly a development effort targeted on testing and proving production designs. Yuji was even running the stock GYT clicker shocks off the base model Nytro in the Duluth nationals. Watch for him in select events. I do believe they plan on trying some new things but as the old adage goes; before you can find your destination, you have to know where you are.

The next points race is Canterbury Jan 11 – 13, Shakopee MN

November 26, 2007

Yamaha 07/08 Snocross Debut

…The Road to Duluth

I spoke with Greg Marier today as he was driving home from Duluth, his spirit was high after a tough weekend of WSA racing. Heres the ‘high hard ones’ from our conversation:

• The sleds were assembled only 2 weeks ago, YMC engine guys had taken a base FX Nytro engine and did a bunch of head work to it-intake, exhaust, cams and bumped up the compression a bit and first thing they needed to do was recalibrate (map) the FI system.
• They ended up in Thompson Manitoba where they had to truck in some snow to build a practice track of sorts, couple of jumps and bumps but nothing like the ‘real nasty’.
• This years sled has a little more power and a little less weight. The old ‘Malinoski spec’ needed to be re calibrated to reflect Steve Taylors lighter weight and ‘finesse’ riding style, the gurus from sponsor ‘Fox Shocks’ plugged into the test.
• Corey got pitched off his sled in an unfortunate mishap, leaving his collar-bone cracked and his morale in the toilet. He was looking really good up until that point.
• Greg contacted Ole Haga and invited Swedish rider Johan Eriksson to come to the USA for a few weeks to cover Corey. The big Swede is 6′5″ and the ergos of the sled could not be adjusted soon enough for him with only one practice session at the Planet X track before doing battle. He ended up with two 5ths and a 2nd in the heats.
• The MQTC team with Yuji are using some new suspension linkages and front geometry right off the CAD in an effort to prove the designs in the ultimate torture test. They are still working on calibrations and Yuji (in the best shape of his life) was getting faster every time out.
• Steve is showing excellent potential, taking everything the team comes up with and riding the wheels off the sled. They were also improving every time out and the calibration is now closer to where they need to be.
• The back straight was a mine field of hard edged craters that took its toll on many sleds. It was there the Steve spun the drivers and missed qualifying for the main.
• The Yamaha open machine is not the lightest sled but it is not the heaviest neither. This is not about weight and the one team that is making all the noise about light weight in the market is racing a machine significantly heavier than anything they have in production. Do you remember my post on“you can only have two”???
• The guys have some time before the next points race, a double header in Canterbury and Greg is planning to hit a couple of regionals, confident they will be more prepared next round (but then again so will everyone else).
• Jimmy Blaze was released from hospital and is okay after bailing from a back-flip attempt for the crowd.

Sorry guys, I still don’t have any pics of the sleds but I’ll keep trying. ciao4now cr

Hot off the press… heres the official spin: official-duluth-yamaha-factory-snocross-press-release.doc

November 23, 2007

A Few Updates as the Season Begins

Let it snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

I am reading lots of 1st reports from guys fortunate enough to live in areas where winter starts in November. There is already lots of discussion on clutch specs and tuning on the new Nytro. I want to share a little insight from our guys who have been testing and riding the new Nytro for a while now. This actually plays into another active discussion on 4-stroke break-in procedure. What we have discovered with the new FX Nytro mill is it really comes to life after the first oil change at 800km (that’s 500 miles for the old school). The engines start to run noticeably cooler, stronger and the RPM may creep up into the sweet spot if it hadn’t already. Note: this is a general statement, elevation and conditions play a role and no two motors are identical.

What I am hearing from our experts is to be patient and not tinker with the clutch too much until you get some miles on. The reason I say this- you might spend a lot of time (and money) to dial it in only to have to re-calibrate once you get it broken in.

Now regarding the ‘ride it like you stole it‘ right out of the box… hey it’s your money! I prefer to take the first outing pretty easy avoiding constant throttle settings (especially the WFO type). I also like to let it cool down a bit periodically, a side benefit, you will also extend your hyfax life if you anneal them with several cycles of warm-up / cool down. When in doubt… read the owners manual (thats my CYB disclaimer)…

On the accessories front, the new flyer is ready fro print. I was able to ‘borrow’ a copy and post it here for you prior to printing, this time of year it all helps… supplement.pdf

If you have a question for me, unless it is of a very private nature, please post them as a comment on this blog. I am starting to get a lot of private e-mail from TY etc. which I much prefer to address here so everyone can benefit from the answers.

I still haven’t got any new pics or info from our race team (US Thanksgiving) but there are a few over on TY. All eyes will be on Duluth for the opener this week-end. I’m particularly curious as to how Johan is going to do coming from Sweden, I just hope the track lets the guys use their motors…

Testing is going well , check out these pics of our top secret test facility in Hokaido Japan. Karl Ishima informs me this is boding very well- a good season for engineering to ‘play’

In closing I don’t need to tell you this but most trails aren’t open, lakes are not frozen and you will be tempted to go for a little spin… we always have some terrible stats come in this time of year. People (generally younger) smoking a parked vehicle or a tree, sometimes no helmet, often a wobbly pop (or six) involved… please be extra careful. Also with no base your chances of breaking expensive hardware is very good… easy does it… cheers cr

cheers cr

November 20, 2007

Yamaha SX Race Team Update

Yamaha gets ready to race!

This ones hot off the press, I’ll get some pics asap…  cr 

The Yamaha Factory Snocross team is putting the last touches on its fleet of ferocious 4-stroke race sleds in preparation for the season-opening WPSA National in Duluth, Minnesota this weekend. “We’ve been up in extreme northern Manitoba for the past week and our crew is very pleased with the sled’s final pre-race workout,” said Yamaha Race Manager Greg Marier. “Pro racer Steve Taylor is in the best shape of his life and is determined to put himself on the podium early and often this season.”

 The original Factory Snocross plan called for Cory Davis to race in the Semi-Pro Open class this season. “But we had a hiccup to the plan,” said Marier. “Cory had a mishap on a practice lap and hairline fractured his collarbone. He will have to sit out the first national event, but he will be back on his modified FX Nytro race sled in time for the second stop at Canterbury in Minnesota.”

 During Cory’s expected 4-week recovery, Swedish National Snocross Champion Johan Eriksson will drive the #160 sled. “We’re excited to have Johan available to come to the US and compete in Cory’s stead,” Marier said. “He is a tough competitor who has been riding for 13 years.”

 When race fans come to any WPSA National event, they can stop by the new Yamaha Racing Communications Center (YRCC) to have their picture taken on an actual Factory FX Nytro Race sled with the fabulously beautiful Yamaha Snocross girls. Yamaha will turn those photos into high-resolution autograph stock images for download later in the week. Snowmobilers can also find out about the FX Nytro demo rides being held in conjunction with the weekend’s races at YRCC.

 Yamaha Factory Snocross is proudly sponsored by Yamaha, Yamalube, FXR, Camoplast, Fox Racing Shox, Studboy, Fly Racing and GYTR.