Arctic Cat Announces new 50-in. wide Wildcat

Wow has Arctic Cat been busy with new product R&D!

Add to today's announcement the addition of a 50-in. wide Wildcat.

That's 14-in. narrower than the regular Wildcat, which makes it legal in most trail systems.

It will be shipped in the company's 2014 fiscal fourth quarter (essentially a year from now).

Click to read the short-on-details release (sorry, there's no photo yet either... photo at left is of a regular Wildcat).

It's Here: An all-new Arctic Cat-built 600 2-stroke engine with DSI

Arctic Cat has pulled the wraps off of the long-awaited 600 2-stroke snowmmobile engine.

There's SO MUCH to say about this engine, but for this very moment here are some critical facts:

Dual-Stage Injection = clean

123-horsepower

10 lbs. lighter than the previous 600 twin

Designed and built by Arctic Cat!

7000-Series 4-stroke Engine for 2014 Arctic Cat sleds

Arctic Cat is calling it the 7000-Series C-TEC4 engine. It's the 1049cc Yamaha triple with 135-class horsepower.

Inside (and Outside) Arctic Cat's Mountain R&D Test Facility

Thief River Falls is the epicenter for Arctic Cat snowmobiles, of course.

But Island Park is the company’s annex for mountain the testing and calibration and calibration of its mountain sleds.

Click to see what's inside (and outside) of the company's R&D Test Facility.

Arctic Cat-Yamaha: Speculation & Reading Between the Lines

If you've had a moment to digest the news that Arctic Cat and Yamaha are expanding their snowmobile business relationships, then check out my analysis of what we know and what can be speculated.

Click for more.

FACT: Arctic Cat & Yamaha Expand Snowmobile Relationship

The whispers and rumors are indeed true: Today Arctic Cat announced a snowmobile engine and co-branding agreement with Yamaha Motor Corp.

In short, expect Yamaha engines in Arctic Cat chassis, as well as Arctic Cat-built Yamaha snowmobiles beyond just the 120-youth model.

Click to read more details.

2013 Snowmobile Hall of Fame Weekend

This past weekend marked the 2013 Snowmobile Hall of Fame weekend in St. Germain, Wis.

There were rides, friends, laughter, a few tears and the induction of four great men.

Click to read some of what happened.

Team Arctic Sweeps Up in the I-500, Snocross & Hillclimb

Just how much did Team Arctic crush it last weekend?

They won 13 of 16 classes in the I-500, six classes at the first RMSHA hillclimb and five class wins at the ISOC snocross in Traverse City, Mich.

Click to read the Team Arctic press release.

Q&A with 2013 I-500 Winner Ryan Simons

Read about his wicked crash, how he hits ditch approaches so fast, his career and how he won the 2013 USXC I-500 cross-country in this interview with Ryan Simons of Team Arctic/Christian Brothers Racing.

Click for the jump.

Video Recap: Tucker Hibbert Sweeps Traverse City

Tucker Hibbert swept both Pro finals for the third time (so far) at the 2013 ISOC snocross national in Traverse City, Mich. Her'e's a short video of his weekend.

The FIRST Ditch Approach for Ryan Simons in the 2013 I-500

Want to know how Ryan Simons won the 2013 I-500?

Check out this photo sequence of him hitting the very FIRST ditch approach on day-one of this year's race.

Unreal!

Drama Unfolds: 2013 USXC I-500 Cross-Country

Team Arctic's Ryan Simons won the Pro 600 class at the 2013 USXC Seven Clans Casino I-500 in Thief River Falls.

Once again, the drama of long-distance cross-country racing unfolded in the ditches and on the rivers of Northwest Minnesota.

Dreams were realized, heartache was felt and some form of victory was experienced by all.

Click to read.

Logan Christian on the Podium at Deadwood Snocross

Logan Christian nabbed his first podium of the season at the Deadwood Snocross Shootout.

Click to read the Christian Brothers Racing press release.

Tucker Hibbert's 2013 Deadwood Video Recap

Here's a nice video recap of Tucker Hibbert's snocross race weekend in Deadwood, SD.

Real-World Weight Comparison: 2013 Mountain Sleds from Cat, Polaris and Ski-Doo

Here's a very interesting and informative video comparing the weights of 2013 Arctic Cat, Polaris and Ski-Doo mountain sleds both in the snow and out of it.

Freerider Rob Kincaid sums it up nicely: "Who cares what it weighs when it leaves the shop?!"

Click to see pix and results.

Worth the Risk?: Allowing My Son to Race a Snowmobile

I admit to having mixed feelings about my 11-year-old son racing snowmobiles.

Despite the nagging mental gymnastics, we raced the USXC cross-country in Oslo, Minn., last weekend. It was awesome!

Click to read about the experience.

The Ditch Doesn't Lie: Team Arctic Keeps Winning in XC at the Oslo 100

The first true ditch-and-river cross-country of the USXC cross-country season went down in Oslo, Minn., this past weekend.

Arctic Cat's domination of the lake races led many to speculate that, perhaps, the tide would turn when the sleds hit the rough world of real cross-country.

Nothing changed.

Click for the recap.

Gold Medal Weekend for Team Arctic at X Games and in Oslo (Minn.)

X Games Gold in Aspen...

17 of 20 class wins at the Oslo XC...

Another pretty awesome weekend for Team Arctic!

Press Release: Team Arctic Honors the World Championship

Here's Team Arctic's press release about its participation in last weekend's Eagle River World Championship Derby.

Click for the jump.

World Champions Jim Dimmerman and The Phantom Return to Eagle River

Watch this awesome video of the 1984 World Champion duo Jim Dimmerman and the Phantom Sno Pro during the Friday Night Thunder portion of the 50th Anniversary of the Eagle River Derby.

Look for another video soon that highlights the Sunday ceremony.

Congrats to Dimmerman and the Nielsen crew!