Now that all the new sleds for 2011 have been announced and the excitement is melting away at the same rate as the snow on our local trails–it’s time to make one last announcement from Yamaha.
After the new Apex hit the trail and the on-line discussion took off, a few guys were quoted as saying there must be more. Another rocket that will roost the competition…
Well once again, you will see it here first. We have a high performance twin track snow machine coming to Canada in very limited numbers next fall. Much of the technology is focused on getting the most from the new 4-stroke engine using a hydrostatic drive and yes… power steering. Because of the limited production we are targeting only regions that get lots of snow. I am willing to go on record to say we are absolutely going to blow away our competition with this announcement… here’s a video clip that Bryan and Danny put together to give you the first scoop.
NOTE: you must go to Sled Talk to see video content if you are reading this from an email. cheers cr
I arrived home last night after a whirlwind tour of Ontario. Our management team drew straws and set out to support our field staff by attending multiple dealer meetings, held across the country this week. The main reason we chose to do this is so we could ride the new sleds with our dealers. I guess going to some exotic place like Vegas or Hawaii for a business meeting has its advantages but there is nothing better than pulling on a helmet after a four hour presentation and seeing for yourself what we’re talking about. Then again, you had better be pretty confident in your product. And we are.
Dane started a thread on TY with some questions for me which I foolishly agreed to so here goes…
Are the Float 2’s up front able to adjust ride height without effecting stiffness? No, there are negative springs which push against the main air spring when fully extended helping small bump compliance but once the shaft moves into the main spring it falls out of play. If you reduce main air spring pressure for more sag (lower height) it will get softer.
Will the Mega Float fit older mono skids? YES and due to the response on TY I have asked Richard and Tom to look into the pricing and availability, hopefully we can get it into the catalog asap
Lots of talking on the horsepower. We have decided not to publish horsepower figures in our marketing specs any longer this will be seen in all Yamaha products outside of outboards. This was requested by factory for several good reasons. Will the actual power figures show up on dyno reports outside of our control? most certainly. The big story on the engine is torque and the EXUP system- how it is used to control the exhaust pulse that puts a real dent on the torque curve. We have had to compromise some of the engine tuning in the past to limit the mid-range torque drop which sacrificed some peak HP. With EXUP there is more torque right across the board with no dips and a slight increase in peak power in the neighborhood of 5%. The objective was to increase acceleration and throttle response corner to corner. Mission accomplished.
Sales programs have been released in Canada, not sure about the USA but you need to get the real scoop from a dealer. Simple math on the Canadian program shows some significant retail value but I am not going to interpret it here and I am not going to address the economics of Canada versus the USA. It is what it is and I am not in the position to comment. How about our new grip warmers?
Apex mountain was dropped primarily based on poor sales volumes. Its my understanding that most Apex mountain riders were doing extensive mods to their sleds to the point that a short track will suffice as a base model to which custom tunnels, skids and turbos put them over the top. It is widely accepted that the new Nytro MTX is a better machine ‘out of the box’ for altitude. I spoke with Randy S last week who told me this is a well kept secret in the Rockies but the reports coming in for the 2010 MTX SE are surprising many customers (and dealers) with how well it does work compared to the 09.
Why no Nytro XTX SE? Short answer, no manpower. We want to offer something more than just BNG (color and graphics) in an SE and under the current economics and workload we had no room on the plate. Stay tuned, as we are listening to you.
There was a typo in our specs re: Apex XTX ski stance C-C is 42.5 and has been corrected, all three models share the same stance.
Why no new Nytro sub-frame and EPS, again short answer is manpower. To redesign the sled to accept EPS is a big undertaking.
Ergos- The new seat height is approximately 2 inches taller, the bars are raised as well. I have heard plenty of shorter riders get of the sled and praise the seating position. Taller riders really like the ergos as their knees are more relaxed and those with the beer keg bellies (as opposed to six pack abs) will likely agree with Mark Lester who felt he wasn’t folded in half on the new sled.
Question on engine cooling. YES it has a larger rear exchanger with 30% more interface with the tunnel for additional heat sync, plus it maintains the rad and fan.
Fox Float maintenance is marginal compared to some other systems, we have had very few issues with the front floats and the new Mega Float shares the same design. It is sensitive to air pressure and calibrated to offer our best ride comfort settings, note it is not an RTX calibration, it offers excellent small bump compliance with very progressive rate to resist bottoming (IMHO it works awesome!)
Apex demo rides are VIP, we have sleds running all across North America (including east of Quebec) but your dealer will be deciding who gets the invite (hint hint).
Regarding engine RPM, the engine still peaks around 10,200 rpm and the gear reduction is still the same to lower clutch speed for greater durability, no belt issues with a Yamaha!
Still waiting for data on top speed difference between 144 and 128 / weight difference bewteen the two skids and tracks and A-arm compatibility with current.
The trail is increased by 15mm which does a lot to reduce ski lift. Prior, it was a compromise to keep the steering effort reasonable and no the lift was not due to engine location so much as geometry and yes I have ridden the lightweight 4-stroke of our competition which stays very flat as well. Problem is it feels like it has a ‘cinder block on each spindle’ and that is to quote a journalist who will remain unnamed to protect his livelihood (doubt you will be reading it anytime soon in his rag)
There are quite a few new things that haven’t been disclosed: New 83gram clutch weights, 38mm header diameter, new lightweight, rare earth mag with significantly higher output, knock sensor, 39mm intake, new forged pistons, new intake cam, new hydraulic tensioner, just to name a few
I would like to thank those of you who have taken the time to complete my survey on this blog. If you havn’t I would sure appreciate your feedback just click this link.
In closing, I did the following interview on the positioning of the new Apex which is on our new microsite yournextsled.com my first attempt at a ‘video blog’, if you are interested here it is…
It has been ten days since I took a group of great guys for a ride on the new ‘mystery sled’ which by the way is not so much of a mystery any more . I have spent a ton of time on the forums reading what the men who actually rode it had to say and all the comments and conjecture from the folks who haven’t. I notice something on Sled Talk that I see on the forums as well. Each post is read by approximately 100x the number of people than actually write a comment. It really makes me wonder what the silent majority thinks of it all and more importantly how powerful is all the word of mouth being generated outside of the internet?
Sledfreak made a good comment here last week comparing magazine articles to social media “I find way more valuable information on the internet forums. There is also a lot of misguided information, but you have to read through the dirt to get to the good stuff.” I have observed the well moderated forums like Totallyamaha and Dootalk (hats off to the owners and mods) maturing over the last few seasons . There is a lot less ‘bashing’ than in the old days. That said, there is such a wide range of users participating that there will always be a contrary view point (or 10).
I am preparing to address our field staff at a meeting next week in Quebec and plan to hit some topics using examples I have learned right here on Sled Talk and over on TY. Some of you might remember a survey I posted on-line for Apex owners a couple of years ago. Several questions referred to your satisfaction levels of various components and functions. I was able to filter different model year data (06 to 07 to 08) and found some significant trends all relative to the ongoing changes that were made in production to each model year. The mono rear suspension is a good example with far fewer issues (much higher satisfaction) in 08 than 06. The point is; when I read comments on the forums comparing an 06 with what is perceived as the same thing coming in 2011, suggesting it is not changed enough to be worthy of a trade up, I have to shake my head.
There is another whole cross section of guys who are looking for the next generation of 4-stroke off-trail machines, basically a revamped Nytro on steroids. Clearly the ‘mystery sled’ is not a mountain machine or a snow crossing boon-docker. No – its a dedicated trail sled and clearly, a disappointment for those that are looking for something else. I have been checking out the avatar, location or signature after reading a negative rant on the OMG often to discover the author is riding a Nytro or competitors equivalent machine. It’s good to vent and its helpful for us to see where your interests lay, just remember that we all have different needs and expectations regarding our sleds. Interesting fact: over 60% of the machines sold up here are used on the trail.
Anyway the coolest thing about all of this is that you can participate in the forums if you choose. When someone who has experience with a machine posts, you can challenge him or ask a question. You won’t find that little feature on any of the corporate web-sites (with the exception of Sled Talk ). You will also find plenty of ‘dirt’, the negative and sometimes off-colour comments, but give it some time and the ’self policing’ attribute of the on-line community will generally put things in proper perspective, either confirming or denouncing the source and their agenda.
Many of the 2011 model comments have addressed the issue of lightweight and EPS (power steering) often in the same reference. Did I just confirm that Yamaha will be the first manufacturer to offer EPS on a snowmobile? Of course I didn’t. But if we did… could EPS possibly offer the same benefits of having light weight? Could it offer some new benefits, even greater than light weight alone? What is the real benefit of having light weight in a trail machine when you are seldom if ever stuck or faced with carving a turn in deep powder? Is it possible that there are still some features yet unknown and the sum total of all could far outweigh the spec sheet? Naw it’s just warmed-up left-overs, right?
I can find just about every possible answer to the above, the good the bad and the ugly. What I’m really liking is what the guys that have actually rode the sleds have to say (okay at least 90%). That’s why we released it ahead of the official date. Real riders, their own words speaking on neutral ground. Sure we could post rider testimony on our own web-site but who would believe it? I sure wouldn’t! After-all we would edit, dip it in sugar and whitewash it with cream-cheese before showing anyone, its what most big companies doo right? These days even the magazines editorial credibility is suspect (I refer back the SledFreaks comment).
You might hate the lack of disclosure, you might enjoy the chatter and imaginative conjecture or you might appreciate the preview coming from real riders with no corporate censorship or financial influence. But no matter how you look at it, we have surly given you something to talk about!
We were out on Lake Simcoe yesterday to do some photography and run a few tests on our sleds. My old friend Gordo was nice enough to let us use his property on the shores of Cookes Bay where we knew the ice was good and safe. I have been evaluating the little Yamcharger from G-Force which is a low boost supercharger running directly off the crank that requires no engine modifications. I have been getting a lot of requests to post about my experience with it and what level of performance I’m getting.
First off I have to remind you, that Yamaha does not endorse any modifications or accessories which have not been tested and approved by us. That said, we are always looking for new ideas and technologies which would explain why I am running a sled that would not be considered stock.
The conditions on the lake were not ideal as the limited snow pack was allowing significant track spin even at speed. This was the first time I was able to hold enough throttle to check RPM and discovered I need some more weight in the primary, The Yamcharged engine was running up towards 11,000rpm and if I wasn’t on the rev limiter I was darn close. The next step is to do some clutching which I believe will yield a bit more when I pull the numbers back down.
The comparison sled we used is a current Apex LTX (136in) and my sled is a 121. We ran from a rolling start and were still accelerating past the camera. The clip here is the best out of three runs, it really depended on which sled was hooking up but the Yamcharger clearly had an advantage given enough lake.
Does it make the extra 20 ponies, I sure think so. Just remember it takes a lot of horsepower to go just a little faster on the top when you factor in all the forces involved. So is it worth the bucks? Only you can decide, there is nothing wrong with the performance of a stock Apex but alas, I can hear Tim Allen grunting in the background.
Thinking about playing ‘hooky’ next Wednesday and going for a ride somewhere north of town, anybody want to hook up to try the Yamcharged Apex and do some trail riding?? Muskoka / Haliburtons. lemme know
Every year about this time, our marketing guys get with the new sleds and accessories and produce all the photography required to build the brochures, ads, point of sale materials etc. This year was no different… that is until yesterday. Jon is down at a ranch in Wyoming assisting with the photo mission where they have been clicking away for several days. Wayne Davis, pro snowmobile photographer extraordinaire and his team were close to completion when tragedy happened.
The ranch features a large main lodge which is their base of operations. All the cameras, computers, riding gear new accessories and supplies are kept there. The lodge also is the home for the owners and provides the main galley for meals and living space for their guest relaxation.
A chimney fire last night blew out of control and the beautiful log structure was totally gutted by flames, including all the gear mentioned above. Thankfully no one was hurt. Most of the staff on site were housed in separate ‘bunkies’ or at another lodge 30 minutes away.
Here’s the report that came in from he field: I’m very sad to report that this morning at ~4:00am MST the east end of the lodge caught on fire here near Saratoga, WY at our 2011 photo shoot. THANKFULLY everyone at the other end of the lodge (owners Tim, Debbie and boys) smelled the smoke and got out safely. Yet, as you can see, the east end of the lodge is destroyed. Inside was all the lodge’s rec room, all YPAD riding gear and parts, along with all of the photographer’s computers, hard drives and most all of their high dollar camera equipment. It appears we have lost 4+ days of beautiful action photos. However, the computers and hard drives are currently in route to Denver to see if any data can be recovered. In the meantime, our “All-Star” team is out on the trails continuing with some photography work and all video work as planned for today!
Please say a prayer for Tim and Debbie and their family, as they have just lost their home here during the holidays. We will all continue to help them clean up, but it will obviously take a long time to rebuild. Our thoughts will definitely be with them during this time. The most important thing is that everyone is safe!
Clearly we have had a big set-back to our marketing plan but thankfully no one has been hurt. All of us here at YMCA echo the sympathy for the family who just lost their home.
I am truly hoping that’s it for the bad news, as I say every year at this time. Don’t push the season. Take it easy on the first ride, there is no base under the early snowfall and what ever you do, respect the equipment. I don’t want to read about some over zealous sled head, nailing a parked car, sideways, ’cause they just couldn’t wait! As our friends at Honda say… Stupid hurts!
Well it does appear we are in for a soft La Nina winter. Odd things are already happening. Ontario has been mild with no snow in the GTA during the month of November (a record) but that is all about to change this weekend. The Environment Canada guy says this mild La Nina can cause above average snowfall east of the prairies but look what is happening out west at Whistler. They just smashed the record for the snowiest month ever and are already nearly half way to their season average of over 30 feet…
My sled is on its way back here today with the ‘prop heads’ who are just coming off one of our biggest outboard product launches in years. Most of my friends know I am a big fan of fast boats. In my mind nothing defines speed better than a performance hull ripping at the surface tension of the water, held aloft by negative air and propeller thrust in a delicate balancing act of trim and torsional counter steering. When it comes to lightweight outboard performance, we have had some beautiful engines in our older Vmax and V6 HPDI 2-strokes but the advent of large displacement 4-strokes has kind of put us out of the lightweight performance game. That is until now. I am truly excited about the fact that someone finally built a (4-stroke) outboard motor designed more like a sled or bike than a farm tractor. The new 4-stroke Vmax 250 SHO is actually lighter than our 2-strokes and offers up more torque than anything else in its class. The engineering execution is a work of art. I can only imagine- if somebody was to take one of these, add a supercharger, open up the intakes and exhaust and bolt it onto a 21 foot tunnel hull… ah yes, I can hear the sound of howling thunder in my dreams.
Sorry about that little aquatic digression… my Apex should be back today with the Yamcharger installed, not sure if the PDI is done but I’ll be staying back here a couple of evenings to finish the prep and install some additional goodies. I also need to spend some time on the Blue Blog Sled which we stripped down to check out the chassis and now needs to be reassembled. We had a great response to the idea of making the BBS available to the ‘needy’ and I’m pleased to say we have the internal support to move ahead with the project. I’ll be getting in touch with some of you in the near future.
I’m also trying to gain permission from the mother ship for the ‘YBTT’ and if all goes well, I may hook up with the BBS pilot for a little spin early in the new year. I was talking with Kent Lester from Supertrax this week who told me they are going to run a story on G-Force and the worlds fastest snowmobile, very cool. He also mentioned they have done some kind of real world evaluation and once the snow dust settled they selected as the best all-round trail sled based on performance, reliability, handling, comfort, resale value, efficiency etc…etc…short drum roll… winner- the Yamaha Apex. Funny comment he made, even though some of the ST staffers are pretty jazzed on our competitors sleds, when it comes time for a long epic, the Yamaha 4-strokes are never left back in lieu of a 2 smoke… sorry Kent but I had to say it
OK; Until next week when I’ll post some photos of the BBS, update the MT09 ski (which btw is almost ready for release pending final sign-off from engineering) and hopefully show you my boosted Apex with hot hands and remote start… think snow!!
I am writing this post at 36,000 feet, jetting home from California. Seems an odd place to go for snowmobile discussions but that was only part of the agenda for our pow-wow with YMUS. This was my first official meeting with the senior staff of YPAD (Yamaha US parts and accessories division) and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
These guys have been on quite a roll of late, introducing many new lines of accessories to their dealers. In a rather unique fashion, they have established themselves as a distributor for select brands offering multiple products outside of the genuine Yamaha label. The benefits are many as they can now offer dealers a much wider selection of products with superior service than they will get anywhere else which ultimately translates to better service (and value) for Yamaha customers.
The gentleman heading up the division is a rather unique individual himself. I assumed (falsely) that he was a normal Yamaha So Cal resident, (well as normal as anyone living on the fault line is). Stoked on motorcycles, ATV’s with wide axles, surf”n sand and no real concept of snowmobilng outside of the fact that they are really cold. Turns out I was right on one count, Mo Murray is stoked on motorcycles alright, the faster the better.
His current post at the head of YPAD affords him access to the ‘big show’ and he has penetrated the MotoGP circuit -on several continents- with his camera gear and pit pass. His personal website says it all, check out some of his photography of the worlds top riders in action, up close and intimate.
To make matters more interesting it turns out that Mo and I know many of the same people within the snowmobile industry, a result of his former role running the Skidoo race team after Tom Rager left Doo for Polaris. He spent a lot of time in Quebec and even moved his family there for a period, prior a reassignment with the Seadoo racing division before moving to Yamaha (if you can’t beat ‘em…) . I was even wrong in assuming his roots were deeply American, he’s as Irish as Bono
I am always impressed with the quality of people who work for Yamaha. It seems most folks leading the charge for team blue have premium petrol in their veins. The passion for motorsports, be it racing or just riding runs deep in our corporate culture and is the fuel behind much of the companies accomplishments. Mo has surrounded himself with a talented, like minded team which is reflected in the advances being made south of the border.
I am bringing home with me a brief case full of ideas and a trunk full of new challenges for us here in the great white north.
I need to give you a quick update on the Blue Blog Sled. It’s in our shop getting ‘greased up’ and ready to roll. Okay so RJ’s idea of a tune-up is a little excessive but the motor is not being touched. We have had some excellent candidates stepping up or being recommended for the miserable task of riding it for us. I’ll be going through all the comments with the goal of breaking out a short list of test pilots and a schedule which I’ll post here and continue to update as we go.
On another note, our latest Redline e-magazine referenced Sled Talk in one article mentioning that I was dropping hints about a new model forthcoming in February… really! that was news to me. Well you know how rumors go. Totallyamaha was all over the topic with 9 pages at this count and I can tell you no one has nailed it entirely in any of the predictions, if in fact we are going to release something new at all. But if we did, I found pretty much everything on my wish list buried somewhere within that post. Having said that, I guess I just dropped a hint, giving the more skeptical guys another reason to denounce the excitement as ‘manufactured marketing hype’ most sure to disappoint…
Huggy Bear is our PR guy, often referred to as a creative guru or resident rodent (you decide). He came up with the following idea a few months ago. I had completely forgotten about his scatter-brained scheme (50 plus years of breathing exhaust fumes). After looking at it again, I’m thinking it could be kinda entertaining and even has a modicum of practicality.
Huggy controls our fleet of demo sleds which he signs out to magazine and TV types as well as other ‘expert’ evaluators. Some of those who grease him up with offers of ‘great product exposure’ get to ride the wheels off our sleds, (free of charge ) often returning them, dirty, abused and out of fuel. Trying to find a thumb-nail image of the sled somewhere in print or a few kind words, often proves futile. Trust me when I say, at times we really question why we do it.
Well one of those is sitting out in our barn with 18,000 hard km on it. It started life as a long term test sled for the well known Quebec online rag Sledmagazine after that it fell into our general loan pool where it’s life became miserable. The once sweet blue Vector LTX pre-pro is now dirty, lonely and in need of some good lovin’. Did I mentions this sled already has 18, count’em, 18 thousand clicks on it. We didn’t want to see it end there, so you’re going to see just how many we can get out of it!… here’s the deal:
Instead of writing it off, we’re going to run it through our service shop for a complete massage and spa treatment. ed. we will not be touching the engine except for an oil change and filter. After it’s revitalization we are going to rack up as many more miles as possible during the coming season.
I’m going to have some of our new accessories bolted on, like the TRIC scratchers, Snow Trackers, maybe an Ice Ripper track (you get the idea) the only problem is Mr Yamaha doesn’t think it would be a good idea to turn me, Jon (and certainly not Huggy) loose to ride all season in the quest of high mileage. Something about our productivity and ROI.
Instead, we are going to insure and permit the unit for operation on OFSC trails and offer it up to anyone to ride, provided they are responsible (explains why Huggy will be holding down his desk), take care of it and ride lots (oh yeah, you’ll have to sign the waiver). In essence it is a free loaner sled for the season.
Now having said that you are probably thinking OK whats the catch; I already have an Apex / Nytro… whatever. No problem, I figure you probably know someone who doesn’t! Perhaps someone who is still rockin’ the old school on a ticking stinker. Maybe your stubborn, brand blind bud who’s sled has a history of gripping pistons during you’re seasonal, week long epic tour up north, oops wait a minute, that would be my buddy, anyway… We’re open to any wimpy sob story as to who and why someone might wanna have a free sled for part of the season.
I’m still getting my head around how we can manage this deal and get some decent feedback from the test riders but here’s what I’m thinking: We don’t want to incur a lot of shipping costs so we’ll keep it in Ontario for starters. If someone is planning a trip to say, Quebec and wants to drag the blue blog sled along with them, cool, just bring it back in one piece with lots of miles on it. We can also enlist our dealers to help for example; you could drop it off in New Liskeard with the excellent folks at Ag’Nor where someone up there could grab it and keep the crank spinning.
I’m hoping we get a few experienced riders writing in and we’ll put it to a vote as to who should get the blue blog sled next. So what’s in it for us? We’ll require the pilots to submit an honest report of what they thought of the sled, the bolt-on accessories and let us know about the trail conditions with any local knowledge gained. Of course any amusing tales of what happens during the ride will be welcomed and shared amongst the crew, heck I might even post it here on Sled Talk if it doesn’t land me up in the dog house. We have several options open for sharing the adventure including our Twitter account, the Yamaha ‘in-your-facebook’ page and Sled Talk.
There you have it, time for all those who hang out here but never comment to weigh-in. Do you know somebody that wants to ride the blue blog sled? Spin us a good reason why we should give it up to them. Is it you? Remember, we want lots of miles on this sled. How about it? Got any thoughts or suggestions? Got any snow in Hornepayne yet? The blue blog sled beckons…
Jamming to write an overdue post this morning before heading down to the Toronto Int’l Snowmobile and Motorsports Show. I am curious to see how this years show is going to play out with the manufacturers and federation joining the circus.
Had a bad run last week starting with the discovery of a cracked frame on my full suspension mountain bike which forced me to ride my Ti hard-tail on the technical trails of Buckwallow. I took a nasty highside on a rather large rock structure and impaled myself on my handle bar taking the butt end in the chest. Finished the ride by blowing out a rear wheel, popping a bunch of spokes and packing my sorry butt back to the cottage and my old pal the Cap’n …
‘Nough about me. We’ve been working on an interesting accessory over the summer. Ice scratchers have been on the market for quite some time, evolving with the track applications found on mountain sleds. The combination of taller lugs, fewer idler wheels and spring conditions created a need to have more lube and cooling to the skid and exchangers. No one in Canada has taken this idea very seriously with the average trail rider in mind, that is until now. Our new Tric Ice Scratcher, is designed for trail use with a simple ‘plug and play’ installation.
I saw the first version in Europe a few years back and after a little investigation, discovered our factory has been building and supplying the Euro Yamaha distributor for a long time. The easy route would have been to import them to Canada but after getting the cost estimates from factory, we decided to pursue our own version. The factory scratcher mounts directly to the front sway bar link and is a plastic coated steel cable with a captive, non replacable, hardened steel pick. We have upgraded this system by using a flexible, stainless steel, braided cable with an adjustable stainless steel fitting, threaded to recieve a standard, replacable, carbide traction stud.
The Tric scratcher also comes with a universal mounting bracket which allows you to mount it anywhere on any sled given a maximum height (8 inches) from the ground. The cable can be rotated forward and aft to get the optimum angle and preload plus the stud can also be rotated to get the prefect 90 degree contact point… The benefit is a nice spray of ice and snow crystals to supply the hy-fax and heat exchangers in marginal snow conditions. Thus increasing slider life and insuring enough engine cooling. There is no worry about reverse gear or trailer loading with the flexible cable provided your mounting point is not too close to the track.
We haven’t released this yet to our dealers but the suggested retail is only 89 bucks for a pair including the universal brackets for retrofit to sleds without a sway bar link arm.
I have been watching this link on PassionYamaha where the journey from Quebec to Utah has been unfolding for the G-Force team and the planned assault on Bonneville. Between Coyote (Richard Hotte) and Gilles there are lots of cool pictures and updates however you’ll need to have a basic understanding of French or try the Google translation tool.
Today will be their first test session and they plan to limit the speed to 200mph while they dial everything in to the traction offered by the salt. Sounds like they have already encountered some of the unexpected. Personally I am finding this quite intriguing. I just hope the tracks hold together and the boys return home safely.
There was quite a send-off for the team in Coaticook and I understand the Discovery Channel has taken quite an interest in the project. On another note, I was privileged to speak at the OFSC AGM last week in Ottawa, opening their first convention session along with Mark Lester from Supertrax and Claude Aumont from Ontario Tourism. I was please to report that the snowmobile industry in Canada is coming into this fall stable and healthy. From the Federations point of view, permit sales last year were strong and there will not be any increase in the cost this season. They are making good use of the federal grant money available and this organization is still a shining example of how it should be done.
Mark challenged them with the topic of ‘free-ride’ / off trail riding and how it should be viewed by organized snowmobiling with infrastucture in the future. His point; that most young enthusiasts entering the recreation are coming from the X-games, vert-park mentallity and are not attaracted by seeing how many miles they can cover in a day, opposed to doing tricks and challenging themselves off-trail. Mark is a brave man!!
