Steven LaMunion

If you are serious about squeezing top performance out of your snowmobile, then one tool you should have is the RacePak Avenger system by Exhaust Gas Technologies, Inc.

I live in Syracuse, New York, the snowiest metropolitan city in the United States. It's also the home of the largest snowplow in the world (at the Syracuse airport!) Syracuse is at edge of the famous Tugg Hill plateau, a region of New York state that is notorious for its lake effect snowfall. The "hill", as it's known, has a 25 year average annual snowfall of over 200 inches. With all that snow you would think the season would last forever and the trails would be perfect. However, we are also prone to temperature swings well above freezing during the winter which can melt away the snow so fast you can watch it go down as you ride on it. This weather pattern, coupled with hundreds (thousands?) of sleds bashing the trails, can make for somewhat less than ideal trail conditions. On a weekend, riding "the hill" is not for the timid !!!

Do you own a Ski-doo ZX chassis snowmobile? Are you one of those types that likes to carry some extra tools and spare parts on your sled, but you don?t want to use a tank bag or saddle bag for the heavy stuff?

To evaluate these skis, I put them on for a weekend of riding on the Association Motoneigistes Vallee De La Nation club trails in Ripon, Quebec Canada. The riding in this region consists of a mix of fast rail beds, twisty forest trails and open field riding. Snow conditions were well groomed, smooth hard pack with an inch or two of fresh snow each day. Just the kind of trails you dream about if you?re a flatland rider.

If you're going to race your snowmobile during the warm weather seasons of grass or asphalt then you're going to need a way to keep your engine temperature in control.

I make the following disclaimer on this story: I am not a veteran snowmobile racer or mechanic. This is a story of my limited experience of half a summer of asphalt bracket racing. I?m sure that there are those of you reading this that have far more experience than I do. I welcome your constructive comments. I?m sure the rest of the people reading this story would welcome your input as well. I wrote this story because I talk to a lot of snowmobilers that have heard about this activity but don?t know how to get involved or where to turn for information on getting involved. For those people I hope this story enlightens them as to just how easy it is to get started in this exciting sport. It?s a shame to leave your snowmobile sit in the garage all summer long when you can be racing and learning.

On October 6-8, 2000 the "Big East Snowmobile Show" (BESS) slid into Syracuse, New York. While Minnesota has the Haydays grass drags to mark the official start of winter, in the northeast it's the BESS. This is the fifth year that the show has been held in Syracuse. The show consists of new sled displays from all the manufactures big and small, trailers, trailer accessories, performance products, traction products, videos, various snowmobile clubs and organizations from as far away as Yellowstone National Park and the Gaspe region of Quebec? and the clothing bargains, oh man!!!

I make the following disclaimer on this story: I am not a veteran snowmobile racer or mechanic. This is a story of my limited experience of half a summer of asphalt bracket racing. I?m sure that there are those of you reading this that have far more experience than I do. I welcome your constructive comments. I?m sure the rest of the people reading this story would welcome your input as well. I wrote this story because I talk to a lot of snowmobilers that have heard about this activity but don?t know how to get involved or where to turn for information on getting involved. For those people I hope this story enlightens them as to just how easy it is to get started in this exciting sport. It?s a shame to leave your snowmobile sit in the garage all summer long when you can be racing and learning.

Winter is over and with it, the riding season (except for you mountain riders) What's that you say? You still feel the need for some speed? You're not ready to put your sled away yet? Well, there is an answer and it is asphalt drag racing. Yes, I said, asphalt drag racing.