Team Arctic Earns 14 Wins at RMSHA Opener

The 2014 hillclimb race season kicked off with Team Arctic winning 10 classes at the Bear Lake event in Montpelier, Idaho. Team Arctic racers amassed the 14 wins – including four King titles – while competing aboard a full range of Arctic Cat M Series snowmobiles with the ProClimb chassis.

“There is always a question mark at the first race of the season,” says Al Shimpa, Team Arctic Hillclimb Coordinator. “We know our sleds and racers are ready to go and we’re hoping for some wins, but you never know how they’ll compare with the competition. With 10 class wins and four King titles at Bear Lake, we couldn’t be happier. And the team goes into the next six races with great confidence.”

There were eight different winners aboard Arctic Cat mountain machines, including three racers who each won two separate classes: Todd Tupper, Trace Tupper and Kaycee Balls. Balls won the Queen title at Bear Lake in addition to winning both Women’s Improved Stock and Mod finals, while Trace Tupper captured Semi Pro Improved Stock, Semi Pro Mod and Semi Pro King titles. Kyle Tapio was the fourth King title winner.

Highlighting its success at Bear Lake, Team Arctic captured wins in Stock, Improved Stock and Mod categories, as well as wins in two New Members classes.

“It was gratifying to see David McClure win the Improved Stock 700 class and take second in the Improved 600 class with the new Arctic Cat M 6000 Sno Pro with the C-TEC2 600 engine modified by Speedwerx,” says Shimpa. “We’re making great improvements on this modified engine package, with even better things to come at next events.”

The next national events for Team Arctic are the USXC Park Rapids 100 on Feb. 22-23 in Park Rapids, Minn., the ISOC National Snocross in Mt. Pleasant, Mich., Feb. 21-22 and the RMSHA hillclimb in Afton, Wyo. March 1-2.