Aaron Christensen wrapped up the season finale of the inaugural United States X-Country (USXC) snowmobile racing series in grand style, winning both the Pro Open and Pro 600 classes at the Seven Clans Casino – Warroad 100 in Warroad, Minn.

The eighth race on the 2012-2013 schedule, the Warroad 100 featured a 10-mile course built along the shores of Lake of the Woods. The short course had ample snow and got extremely rough as the day wore on, challenging riders’ conditioning and suspension setups.

Christensen (Polaris) started the day off winning the four-lap Speedwerx Pro Open race, posting a time 30 seconds faster than second place Polaris rider Bobby Menne and 44 seconds faster than third place Arctic Cat rider Zach Herfindahl. Arctic Cat rider Wes Selby finished fourth and Yamaha rider Ben Lindbom came in fifth.

The 10-lap, 100-mile DRIFT Racing Pro 600 race proved to be brutally rough and tested the machines and the riders. Christensen finished atop the time charts again besting Herfindahl by 51 seconds and Menne by over five minutes. Polaris riders Spencer Kadlec and Ryan Faust rounded out the Top 5.

Yamaha snowmobile racers had perhaps their most successful racing weekend of the season as Ben Lindbom clinched a championship with a victory at the USXC finale, while Ty Free and Chad Jorgensen earned four top-five finishes at the RMSHA White Pine Hillclimb.

Lindbom rode his Yamaha Nytro RTX to victory in the 100-mile Semi-Pro Improved event at the USXC Warroad 100 in Warroad, Minn. This was Lindbom’s sixth win of the season in the class – a personal record and also a record for the RTX.

Lindbom built a massive lead on the rest of the field over 10 laps to score the 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,” says Brian Strawsell, Yamaha’s 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.”

Zach Herfindahl wrapped up his successful rookie Pro cross-country racing season with two more podium finishes at the USXC Warroad 100. A rough race course along the shores of Lake of the Woods in northern Minnesota challenged all riders, but Herfindahl fought to a second-place finish in the 100-mile Pro 600 race and a third place spot in the 40-mile Pro Open event.

“I had a good weekend,” says Herfindahl. “I wasn’t far behind the winner in both races so I feel good about the two podium finishes.”

While the cross-country team was busy in Warroad, Logan Christian, Evan Christian and Tyler Adams were hard at work chasing podium spots at the ISOC RAM Trucks Snocross going on at Buffalo River Race Park in Fargo, ND. During Friday’s racing Logan went 3-3 on his DRIFT Racing/Troy Lee Designs Arctic Cat and finished sixth in the final. On Saturday he went 3-1 and in the final was in second place after the first turn when he was run into by another rider resulting in his running board getting pushed into the tunnel, the pipes getting dislodged and a broken chain case.

“Getting run into was a big bummer,” says Christian. “I was having one of the best race days of the season. I had a great start, we were dialed in for the track and I felt like I could have won that race.”

Snowmobiling’s top cross country racers made their way to Park Rapids, Minn. March 2-3 for the Park Rapids 100. With ample snow and good weather on hand, Polaris rider Aaron Christensen earned a win in the DRIFT Racing Pro 600 on Day 1 and followed it up with a second-place finish on Day 2.

The Park Rapids 100 also crowned an overall winner on the weekend. Arctic Cat rider Zach Herfindahl won the Speedwerx Pro Open class both days and took the overall win in the class.

Nate Moritz (Cat) and Spencer Kadlec (Pol) both claimed wins in the Polaris Semi-Pro 600 class, but it was Lucas Kemper (Pol) who took the overall win on the weekend logging two third place finishes in the class. Ben Lindbom (Yam) took the overall win in the AMSOIL Semi-Pro Improved class.

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).