Yamaha Snowmobile Racing’s Ben Lindbom wrapped up his championship 2013 USXC cross-country snowmobile racing season with a dominating win in the 100-mile Semi-Pro Improved event in Warroad, Minn. on Saturday, March 9. Altogether, the Nytro RTX racer won six Semi-Pro Improved events during the year – a personal record and also a record for the RTX. Then over in Wyoming, the Yamaha Snowmobile Racing hillclimb team set another new benchmark as all six riders qualified on Friday for the finals before Ty Free and Chad Jorgensen raced to four separate top-five finishes – and another five top-10s along with their teammates – in Saturday’s finals aboard their Nytro MTX sleds. These successes powerfully raise Yamaha’s status as the preeminent four-stroke performance snowmobile in the industry.
The toughest contest was definitely the afternoon 100-mile Semi-Pro Improved race. Here Lindbom simply annihilated the competition, building a massive lead on the rest of the field over 10 laps to score another convincing win. The victory also proved a great confidence builder for the likable Yamaha rider as he moves from Semi-Pro to the Pro ranks next season. “This was longest Semi-Pro Improved race of the year, twice as long as any other race this season,” remarked Brian Strawsell, the Yamaha racing technical coordinator. “Two hours at race speeds over terrain this bumpy was a great endurance test for the riders – and a fantastic one for the sleds.”
| Semi-Pro Improved |
| 1 |
Ben Lindbom - YAM |
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| 2 |
Cale Anseeuw |
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| 3 |
Tyler Johnsrud |
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| 4 |
Dillan Dohrn |
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| 5 |
Alex Hetteen |
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| 6 |
Travis Faust |
|
| 7 |
Dustin Dohrn |
|
| 8 |
Garth Reinking |
|
| 9 |
Craig Ritzinger |
|
| 10 |
Garret Johnson |
|
|
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| Standings |
| 1 |
Ben Lindbom - YAM |
452 |
| 2 |
Travis Faust |
342 |
| 3 |
Alex Hetteen |
316 |
| 4 |
Nathan Moritz |
302 |
| 5 |
Jacob Muller - YAM |
291 |
| 6 |
Cale Anseeuw |
270 |
| 7 |
Adam Mach |
268 |
| 8 |
Craig Ritzinger |
258 |
| 9 |
Quintin Rettler |
224 |
| 10 |
Dillan Dohrn |
220 |
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With some brutal-weather race weekends now behind them, the USXC competitors arriving at Minnesota’s big Lake of the Woods were happy to find relatively mild conditions there, although by the end of Friday’s testing the 10-mile lake-and-field course was sprouting enough bowls and ruts to resemble a snocross track. In Saturday morning’s four-lap Pro Open event, Yamaha’s Ross Erdman joined Lindbom, Re Wadena and Jake Muller in a wave start, which launched two sleds every 20 seconds. Though Wadena and Muller eventually withdrew due to the rough conditions, Lindbom and Erdman powered on, racing furiously for position. Hard charging by Lindbom and a quick spill for Erdman gave the teammates their well-earned 5-6 finishes at the checkers. As well, Kristy Schouviller added a top-five finished in the Pro Women’s class.
| Pro Open |
| 1 |
Aaron Christensen |
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| 2 |
Bobby Menne IV |
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| 3 |
Zach Herfindahl |
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| 4 |
Wesley Selby |
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| 5 |
Ben Lindbom - YAM |
|
| 6 |
Ross Erdman - YAM |
|
| 7 |
Ryan Faust |
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| 8 |
Gabe Bunke |
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| 9 |
Cody Kallock |
|
|
|
| Standings |
| 1 |
Ryan Simons |
412 |
| 2 |
Zach Herfindahl |
397 |
| 3 |
Bobby Menne IV |
332 |
| 4 |
Aaron Christensen |
312 |
| 5 |
Wesley Selby |
312 |
| 6 |
Ben Lindbom - YAM |
289 |
| 7 |
Ross Erdman - YAM |
269 |
| 8 |
Re Wadena - YAM |
261 |
| 9 |
Cody Kallock |
219 |
| 10 |
Brian Dick |
217 |
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