Yamaha Snowmobile Racing’s Ben Lindbom raced to a spectacular third win of the year in the Semi Pro Improved class at the USXC cross-country event in Hoyt Lakes, Minn. on Saturday, Feb. 16. Aboard his Nytro RTX, Lindbom took control on the first of four laps, and then stretched out a 45-second lead after 40 miles of racing on a savage course in subfreezing conditions. Teammate Jake Muller finished seventh in the same race, while Re Wadena scored a top-10 finish in Pro Open aboard another Nytro RTX. Then in east-coast cross-country racing in Madawaska, Maine, Raymond Petrin grabbed a pair of second-place finishes in Pro Open and Pro Stock 600 aboard his own Nytro RTX, with teammate Erik Frignon finishing third in Pro Open.
On race morning at Minnesota’s USXC event, the mercury stood at a mind-numbing 26 degrees below zero. The 10-mile course used snow-covered Hoyt Lakes, as well as a daunting woods section featuring miles of tightly nestled trees. The Pro Open race was first up on Saturday morning, and drivers found course conditions even tougher than during Friday practice. Nevertheless, Yamaha’s Wadena, Lindbom and Ross Erdman charged into the Pro Open race loaded with confidence. After 50 miles Wadena had his top-10 finish with Lindbom one spot back in 11th, while Erdman withdrew with a minor electrical issue. Lindbom and Muller then attacked the afternoon Semi Pro Improved race, reduced to 40 miles due to extremely rough woods conditions. Lindbom was as hot as the weather was cold, passing six drivers on the first lap to take the lead – and then putting his four-stroke Nytro on top of the box against a field of two-strokes, while teammate Muller wrapped up seventh.
“The Nytros really excelled in the high-speed lake sections,” said racing technical coordinator Brian Strawsell. “The chassis handled the braking bumps really well, and the four-stroke power was a huge advantage – especially in the deep snow on the lake, where the two-strokes would slow down and the Yamahas pulled right through it.”
Over in Maine on Saturday, the cross-country course was significantly shorter at 4.2 miles, but it was equally demanding with the earth frozen into wicked humps plastered with snow and ice. In the five-lap morning Pro Open race, Yamaha’s Petrin and Frignon, along with the other drivers, started at 15-second intervals in a time-trial format. While Petrin charged ahead at a strong pace, Frignon set the fastest race lap early and appeared headed for a win before encountering arm pump on the fourth lap. This relegated him to third place, just three seconds behind his teammate, and he is now second in Pro Open points. Then Petrin flew the flag alone for Yamaha in the 15-lap afternoon Pro Stock 600 event, which featured an exciting Le Mans start that had drivers running 40 yards to their sleds, firing the engines, and then racing. The 19-year old sprinted to his sled and took the holeshot, leading early before eventually finishing second.
“The sleds were awesome today,” Frignon said afterwards. “They handled the bumps well and the suspension was great. The motors have plenty of power and our outright speed is second to none. Plus all that power and torque means we are noticeably faster on acceleration – coming out of the corners we just take off!” Yamaha Snowmobile Racing’s Eric Josephsen added, “I am proud of how everyone did this weekend. Both crews worked wonders, especially the USXC guys who came off two 500-mile races and put in 16-hour days to get the sleds ready for this weekend. And the Nytro RTX is equally impressive. While other sleds we race against are purebred racers, ours are regular production machines that we build up for racing. Thanks to everyone for a great job!”
| Semi-Pro Improved |
| 1 |
Ben Lindbom - YAM |
|
| 2 |
Nathan Moritz |
|
| 3 |
Alex Hetteen |
|
| 4 |
Travis Faust |
|
| 5 |
Adam Mach |
|
| 6 |
Dillan Dohrn |
|
| 7 |
Jacob Muller - YAM |
|
| 8 |
Dustin Dohrn |
|
| 9 |
Craig Ritzinger |
|
| 10 |
Dave Dirkman |
|
|
 |
| Standings after Round 6 of 8 |
| 1 |
Ben Lindbom - YAM |
302 |
| 2 |
Travis Faust |
276 |
| 3 |
Nathan Moritz |
233 |
| 4 |
Alex Hetteen |
208 |
| 5 |
Adam Mach |
194 |
| 6 |
Jacob Muller - YAM |
183 |
| 7 |
Dillan Dohrn |
178 |
| 8 |
Craig Ritzinger |
170 |
| 9 |
Cale Anseeuw |
150 |
| 10 |
Quintin Rettler |
142 |
|
| Pro Open |
| 1 |
Bobby Menne IV |
|
| 2 |
Aaron Christensen |
|
| 3 |
Zach Herfindahl |
|
| 4 |
Ryan Simons |
|
| 5 |
Gabe Bunke |
|
| 6 |
Chad Lian |
|
| 7 |
Ryan Faust |
|
| 8 |
Wesley Selby |
|
| 9 |
Cody Kallock |
|
| 10 |
Re Wadena - YAM |
|
|
|
| Standings after Round 6 of 8 |
| 1 |
Ryan Simons |
322 |
| 2 |
Zach Herfindahl |
252 |
| 3 |
Bobby Menne IV |
236 |
| 4 |
Wesley Selby |
217 |
| 5 |
Brian Dick |
217 |
| 6 |
Re Wadena - YAM |
192 |
| 7 |
Aaron Christensen |
183 |
| 8 |
Ross Erdman - YAM |
181 |
| 9 |
Chad Lian |
180 |
| 10 |
Ben Lindbom - YAM |
154 |
|
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