Snowmobile - Cross Country January 5, 2013 | Detroit Lakes, MN Results

January 8, 2012— Four-stroke FX Nytro RTX snowmobiles raced to a strong pair of podium finishes at the USXC Beach Bar 200 at Detroit Lakes, Minn. on Saturday, Jan. 5. Here, Fuel Med RX Yamaha’s Ben Lindbom took a close second and Jake Muller finished third in the afternoon Semi-Pro Improved final, while Re Wadena and Muller added respective 7th- and 12th-place finishes in Pro Open. Longtime Yamaha racer Ross Erdman was poised to do even better, leading the Pro Open event until a minor electrical issue took him out of the running.

With 15-degree temperatures, calm winds and blue skies, the weather conditions proved ideal for snowmobile racing on ice. And the USXC lake course took full advantage of it, as the 10-mile layout featured dozens of groomed turns and straightaways up to a half-mile long – plenty of room for the Yamaha four-strokes to stretch their legs. Even veteran racer Erdman was impressed with the FX Nytro’s power. “It absolutely rips,” he said. “I can get five sled lengths on everybody out of corners, but it doesn’t hit so hard and rip your arms off like a two-stroke. Instead it’s smooth and easy to ride. But the most impressive thing was seeing 110 mph on my speedometer on the back straightaway!”

The afternoon Semi Pro Improved finale put the four top qualifiers – including Yamaha’s Lindbom and Muller – in the first flight. Rival John Arneson jumped off the line with the early lead, closely followed by Lindbom and Muller on their FX Nytros. Lindbom quickly took the advantage though, holding onto the lead until the final lap when Arneson slipped past. Lindbom hounded his rival for the remainder of the 20-mile race, and while the duo pulled steadily away from the pack, Ben had to settle for a close second, with Muller following up in third. “I’m happy with the team as they didn’t get down, worked hard and pulled together for some good results with two podium finishes,” said Yamaha’s Eric Josephsen. “That said, we also have some work to do and we’ll be ready for the next race in Willmar, Minn. on January 12.”

The Fuel MedRX/Factory Yamaha Snowmobile Racing Team would like to thank our Racing Partners for their valued support and commitment to our program! Fuel MedRx – FXR – Dynojet; Fly Racing, Woody’s, Camoplast, SpeedCell, YamaLube, & Yamaha Generators

Semi-Pro Improved  1 Jon Arneson     2 Ben Lindbom - YAM     3 Jacob Muller - YAM     4 Travis Faust     5 Cale Anseeuw     6 Quintin Rettler      7 Nathan  Moritz     8 Tyler Johnsrud      9 Adam Mach     10 John Pluss

Standings after Round 2 of 8  1  Ben Lindbom - YAM 110   2  Travis Faust 87   3  Tyler Johnsrud 84   4  Cale Anseeuw 82   5  Quintin Rettler 70   6  Adam Mach 70   7  Jacob Muller - YAM 67   8  Nathan  Moritz 66   9  Alex Hetteen 62   10  Jon Arneson 60

Morning Pro Open heat races saw Erdman, Lindbom, Muller and Wadena all qualifying for their afternoon finals. The 40-mile Pro Open event then started three riders per row, with Erdman jumping into the lead immediately over rival Brian Dick and Yamaha teammate Wadena. With a time-trial format rather than heads-up racing determining the winner, racers needed to charge hard right from the start – and by taking the early lead in his flight Erdman was well poised to compete for the win. But after he and Lindbom were both sidelined by minor electrical glitches, it was Wadena and Muller who swept in to claim the their 7th- and 12th-place finishes for Yamaha.

Pro Open  1 Brian Dick     2 Ryan Simons     3 Wesley Selby     4 Zach  Herfindahl     5 Ryan Faust     6 Chad Lian     7 Re Wadena - YAM     8 Bobby Menne IV     9 Ryan  Greening     10 Jordan Torgerson     11 Jacob Muller - YAM

Standings after Round 2 of 8  1  Brian Dick 110   2  Ryan Simons 110   3  Zach  Herfindahl 87   4  Wesley Selby 83   5  Re Wadena - YAM 78   6  Ben Lindbom - YAM 64   7  Bobby Menne IV 64   8  Jordan Torgerson 62   9  Ross Erdman - YAM 60   10  Ryan  Greening 60   11  Chad Lian 58