Team Blue is Back!

Last year Yamaha corporate did not field any true racing teams, but all that is changing for this upcoming season. Yamaha will have a half dozen racers and their teams spread across the USCC cross-country circuit and three more on the RMSHA hillclimb circuit.  That's a big step up from a year ago!

We spent two days this week at Yamaha's snow-division headquarters in Pleasant Prairie, Wis., getting to know the racers and some of their support crew. These guys are chomping at the bit and several will be blogging on our site to discuss their experiences once the season gets started. Also, we were not shown the exact sleds that these guys will be riding, but the Nytro will be the steed to carry these guys into battle. Some of the names will be familiar here, but there is some relatively new blood being groomed as well. 

AmSnow talked with Pro RMSHA racer Cody Malmborg and several other Yamaha racers this week at Yamaha’s tech center inside their Snowmobile Division headquarters.

Yamaha reps told us that they decided to stay out of snocross due to its declining fan base, support, and because cross country and hillclimb experience translates better to how a standard consumer may use their sled. From a product development standpoint, we feel this is a good move. There is no doubt that much of what ends up on production snowmobiles was derived and tested by race teams. Also, contrary to the beliefs of some, having all the OEMs participating in racing is good for everyone in the industry.

Here are the racers and what classes they will be racing in... Stay tuned to AmSnow for updates and check out more on the race circuits at www.usccracing.com and www.rmsha.com

Racer                          Hometown                Circuit            Classes

Ross Erdman               Rochester, MN           USCC             Pro Stock, Pro Open

Nathan Titus               Nampa, ID                  USCC             Pro Stock, Pro Open, Vet 30+

 Ben Lindbom              St. Cloud, MN            USCC            Semi-Pro Stock, Semi-Pro Open

Jake Jorgenson            Houlton, WI                USCC            Semi-Pro Stock, Semi-Pro Open

Seth Thorsen                                                   USCC           Sport 600

 Erik Frigon                  Pownal, ME                USCC-East     Semi-Pro Stock, Semi-Pro Open

 Cable Willford            Fruita, CO                   RMSHA          Pro 600 Mod, Pro 700 Mod, Pro 800 Mod, Pro Open

Kody Malmborg         Cheyenne, WY           RMSHA          Pro 600 Mod, Pro 700 Mod, Pro 800 Mod, Pro Open

Kolton Malmborg       Cheyenne, WY           RMSHA          Semi-Pro Stock, Semi-Pro Improved Stock, Semi-Pro Mod

By American Snowmobiler 's Senior Editor Mark Boncher