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The Yamaha Factory Snocross Team is ready to take on the competition
The Yamaha Factory Snocross team is fired up and ready to prove once again that Yamaha 4-stroke sleds have the performance, handling and durability to compete at the highest level: national-caliber snocross.
Professional racers Steve Taylor and Iain Hayden will pilot their race-modified FX Nytro sleds in the premier Pro Open class. “We have a pair of athletes who work amazingly well together and feed off of each other’s enthusiasm,” said Yamaha Snowmobile Racing Manager Greg Marier. “Both have been very involved in the development and setup of their FX Nytro race sleds and they’re anxious to get on the track to bring home wins for Yamaha.”
Taylor returns for his second season on the track for Team Yamaha. Last year’s highlights include 2 wins at the WPSA races in Cadillac and Gaylord, Michigan. Taylor also put the first 4-stroke sled into the main at ESPN’s Winter XGames. He finished in fourth place, making a hard charge on the third place position at the checkered flag.
At the national in West Yellowstone, Taylor overcame a tough start to work his way through the pack, again finishing in fourth.
“We had a good year last year,” said Taylor. “We learned a lot and had some good success. But I’m really excited about getting on this year’s sled and really ripping it up.”
Hayden is new to the Yamaha team this season, coming off a ride with the Blair Morgan Racing Team last year. “The difference between my 2-stroke sled from last year to the FX Nytro racer are just unreal,” he says. “With just the spring and summer testing and training season on the team, I already know the biggest thing is the 4-stroke power difference. There seems to be unlimited torque with the Yamaha FX Nytro engine.” In 2006 Hayden finished a perfect season on the Canadian National circuit, CSRA, going 16 for 16 and earning both the title and the Racer of the Year award that year. He was injured last year on the US national circuit, but won 6 Canadian races late in the season after he recovered.
Not only have the riders been testing and developing the sled with the race engineers, they’ve also taken on a rigorous physical training program. “Our riders this year are in the very best physical form of their lives,” said Marier. “They have been on an aggressive physical conditioning and diet regimen since the spring, surpassing their targets at each test. I have never seen two racers push each other so hard for so long in the preseason.”
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