Arctic Cat rider Ryan Simons bested the field in the grueling three-day, 500-mile I-500 cross-country race.

The I-500 was hosted by Seven Clans Casino and USXC (United States X-Country Snowmobile Racing) in Thief River Falls, Minn., February 7-9. Riders left Seven Clans Casino each day on three different courses, each approximately 160-miles and each eventually bringing them back to the casino.

The Day 1 course brought riders to the fuel stop in Plummer, Minn., just south of Thief River Falls. After a race delay due to fog, riders enjoyed clear skies and excellent visibility. Simons set the pace with a time of 2:15:43.844, almost three minutes ahead of Arctic Cat rider Cody Kallock (2:18:25.460) and nearly four minutes ahead of Arctic Cat rider Wes Selby (2:19:28.806). After Selby came Aaron Christensen (2:20:30.707), Justin Tate (2:20:35.194) and Corey Davidson (2:22:15.360). Perennial favorite Gabe Bunke was mired in 10th position after leading out and breaking trail most of the day. Notable scratches were 2011 winner Brian Dick (engine) and Chad Lian (engine).

The USCC East has cancelled the race tentatively scheduled for February 2, 2013. According to the series organizers, the original promoter has decided to back out of the race for this season. Given the short notice, organizers were unable to find a location that was willing and able to fill the spot.

“New York has proven to be a tough place in which to get an event secured,” says Erik Frigon, the head of the USCC East. “From what we have seen, the economy seems to be the greatest hurdle in securing a race there.

“We are disappointed that we aren’t able to get a solid site for a race in New York. We have a lot of good racers there and we would like to give them a ‘home race.’ We know New York has a lot of great places to hold a race, we just need to find one that is willing to pull it off and that will happen, it’s just going to take more work on our part.”

Team Arctic will tackle the upcoming snowmobile racing season on a fine-tuned 2013 Arctic Cat Sno Pro 600. According to Arctic Cat, the updated sled features improvements to durability, precision cornering and suspension control.

At the heart of the 2013 Sno Pro 600 is the 600R race engine with heated 40mm Mikuni rack style TM carburetors. Other key features include: Front Arctic Race Suspension (ARS) with Fox Float X Evol Shox, Race Slide Action rear suspension equipped with Fox Racing Shox, 1.7 in. Snocros track or 1.25 in. Cobra 2-ply Cross Country track, Arctic Drive System (ADS) with magnesium chaincase and Torque Overload Sensing (TOS) bottom sprocket, Torque Control Link (TCL), Radial Master Cylinder brake system, and five-gallon Snocross or 13-gallon Cross Country fuel tank.

2013 Sno Pro 600 Updates

For 2013 Arctic Cat has made several key changes to the Sno Pro 600. First is a new chassis geometry, which is designed to offer added ground clearance to improve predictability and allow the rider to attack the track with confidence while scrubbing less speed. A total of 1.35 inches of ground clearance has been added at foot pockets, along with flatter running board angles. As well, a single layer 0.8-inch thick tunnel offers increased strength, while new rear suspension mounting positions give the track drive more ground clearance.

Former racing champion Brian Nelson has announced the formation of USXC, a new snowmobile cross-country racing circuit that will provide a series of terrain races in the Midwest during the 2012-2013 season. The USXC (United States X-Country) series will consist of six to eight events including a premier three-day, 500-mile cross-country race held in Northwestern Minnesota.

The goal of USXC is to continue the tradition racer-friendly events at many of the classic cross-country venues, giving drivers, crews and fans the best possible experience.

“There have been many great cross-country racing organizations over the years, most recently with the USCC,” says Nelson. “USCC was an excellent circuit that rescued and grew the sport. When they communicated that they would cease operations after last season, I wanted to keep cross-country racing strong and growing. I pursued the idea of purchasing USCC, but for many reasons that proved unworkable. The best solution was to form USXC.”