The incredibly scenic and rugged course, set in beautiful Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada challenges snowmobile racers for more than 3000km/1800 miles with high-energy, gruelling racing action.

Cain’s Quest is a true northern adventure giving racers the experience of a lifetime and it is the longest racing challenge of its kind in the world, promising to keep race fans on the edge of their seats.

Competitors push their bodies and machines to the edge in a methodical race to the finish for a shot at the lucrative prize purse and once-in-a-lifetime stories when they return home. Teams of two begin the race pumped with adrenaline and an eye on the prize.

Some racers arrive at the starting line, with the “take no prisoners” attitude, but can quickly learn when the going gets tough, strategies need to shift direction in order to successful. Oftentimes, sportsmanship, a more deliberate pace and even getting some assistance from competing teams is required to make it through to the end.

The race runs day and night, guided by GPS and pure gut instinct to get teams from checkpoint to checkpoint and requires a solid strategy, top-gun riding skills, a tough, dependable snowmobile, a little luck and most importantly, the determination to persevere!

A GLOBAL EXPERIENCE

Cain’s Quest brings the race into the homes of race fans and snowmobile enthusiasts across the world. Each team is equipped with a satellite tracking unit which enables visitors to log onto the Cain’s Quest website and watch the race in near real time.

Not only is this an added safety feature for the teams, but it allows race followers to watch the race changing from moment to moment.

Teams will travel through a variety of topography, including deep snow, thick wooded areas, and wide-open frozen lakes. Teams must make it through each checkpoint and stop at mandatory layover points in various communities along the way.

Not everyone who starts the race will cross the finish line. Do you think you have what it takes?

CAIN’S QUEST 2026 registration opens soon!

For more information on this incredible race, visit CAINSQUEST.com

Christian Brothers Racing ace cross-country rider Zach Herfindahl is one of the most decorated and most experienced Pro riders in the sport. He is entering 2018-2019 looking to recapture his all-dominant championship-winning form of two seasons ago. A win in Pro Open at Pine Lake marked a good start to the season, but belt problems and a 12th place finishing spot was not what the talented rider had in mind in the hotly-contested Pro Stock class.

“Our mod sled was working good and I got an early lead in the final,” Herfindahl said. “With a win in Pro Open we had a great start to the weekend. We qualified on the front row for the Pro Stock final and I had worked into the Top 3 before blowing a belt. After that we salvaged a 12th place. Overall it was positive, and it was a fun weekend with such great weather and so many riders.”

New to the Christian Brothers Racing cross-country team for 2018-2019, David Brown brings youth, speed and talent to the team in the Semi-Pro class. Brown went up against a deep field of more than 30 riders in that class, posting a 7th place finish in the final despite having brake problems. Brown also lined up in the Pro Open race where he took the 6th spot.

“I qualified 4th in Semi-Pro then in the final my brake got wet and froze,” Brown said. “With my brake not working I blew a few corners and lost a bunch of time, which dropped me down to 7th. Pro Open was fun, it was my first time on a mod sled, so I was pretty happy to get 6th place. It was a great first weekend with the team and I’m looking forward to the rest of the season!”

Next up for the Christian Brothers Racing cross-country team is the Turtle River Rough Rider 100, January 5, 2019, in Manvel, North Dakota. For more information on Christian Brothers Racing visit www.christianbrosracing.com. Follow Christian Brothers Racing on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram.

I’m not talking about the viability of Cat as a brand or its survival as a company. Rather, I’m speaking to its strategy and ability to grow, and even more, about whether it’ll continue to be identifiable as the snowmobile maker we’ve known and loved for over 60 years, now that it’s governed by a multi-national.

Arctic Cat has always been known as an innovator and the genius of its success has been faithfully rooted in the individual creativity and brilliance of it engineers and designers.

These unique artists have had considerable free rein in the past to dream and develop snowmobiles that nail the desires of hardcore users focused on superior performance and rideabilty.

How does this happen? In all the years I’ve been witness to how Arctic cat builds snowmobiles, it has stood out boldly to me that this company perceives the wants of its market so well because its key people are avid, rabid enthusiasts who love snowmobiling and love snowmobiles.

When they conceptualize a new sled, I’m pretty sure those dreamers, even the ones at the very top, are thinking about sitting on the seat of it and putting it though its paces as their sled. I think the question is asked every day: “Would I want my snowmobile to work like this?” or, “Even if it costs more, it will be better if it’s built this way”.

Thus, Cat’s greatest strength has been its people. Over the years, I’ve met dozens of Arctic Cat product managers, engineers and designers and it always impresses me how many of these people are more than just bean counters and classroom trained engineering grads who look at charts and graphs and sit in front of computers all day.

There’s a hands-on attitude in play and a genuine concern the sleds the company builds have their fingerprints all over them. The snowmobiles are personal.

Call it a soul if you like, but when you talk to these folks, there’s so much concern the product be deemed satisfactory to their customers, instead of making excuses, they absorb criticism and move forward on improving or changing the things that come up short. This attitude has been a constant over the years, and I respect it.

Naturally, when a change as vast as the purchase of Arctic Cat by Textron comes up, there’s concern the “home town” attitude Cat has thrived on will be altered. Only time will tell and there’s no doubt there’s been a more complex corporate structure set in place, likely driven by maximizing profits and eventually building up a war chest of cash. This is business and it’s how things need to operate. The truth is, it’s extremely important Cat continues to be profitable.

In our recent conversations with the chiefs at Textron, it’s been very comforting to see they don’t intend to mess much with the internal structure or strategy of how Cat builds snowmobiles.

The first positive is that the Textron people have identified the “soul” of Arctic Cat and, unlike its off-road division, want to keep the snowmobile division separate and distinctive from other Textron identifiers. This is big and it clearly indicates Textron “gets it” about Arctic Cat.

The second thing encouraging to me is how Textron views its role as a provider of A) unique management potential drawn from its involvement with a dozen other large companies it has purchased and made more successful, and B) promises to utilize its corporate wealth to grow Arctic Cat into a bigger player in the industry.

That last item is particularly important because it appears the company does not intend to squeeze everything tighter, pare jobs and design budgets to eke out fatter margins. I honestly believe Textron wants to invest in Arctic Cat and grow it into a stronger, more influential force in the industry.

To me, this is the best news of all!

My first pull last weekend on a fresh-out-of-the-box XF 6000 Limited did nothing but verify how strong this amazing powerplant is.

Considering the DSI 600 has a break-in clock and we didn’t get enough time (about 130kms) to shut off the clock, the 6000 pulled just as hard as last year’s and delivered it’s thrust in the same seamless way we grew to love last season.

The XF platform (new for the 600 in 2015) was my fave AC chassis last year. Not coincidentally, the XF 137 platform became AC’s biggest selling chassis (with all engines) in its intro year.

Part of the reason it worked its way into our hearts was tied to Arctic Cat sending us a 2015 spec rear arm damper this past February. From the moment we bolted the shock into an XF 8000 Sno Pro, every rider – without exception – commented on how it improved ride quality on the sled.

The new 2015 XF 6000 comes with the identical spec shock we sampled. Could the Slide Action skid be better? Yes, the torsion springs need about a 30 percent drop in rate so the two higher preload settings can be used. As of right now I would love to see the individual requiring medium or high on the torsion spring snap block!

The XF with a 600 responds to a lightweight and powerful mill like the 129 El Tigre did last year. Turn-in is light, predictable and confidence inspiring while the on-center feel of the Pro Cross chassis is incomparable. This sled is so steady at speed you can literally one hand-it at 60 mph. It seems the traits desirable on last season’s 800 XF are even more so on the XF 6000 this year.

Arctic’s new-last-year gauge cluster is an exceptionally useful device reporting a plethora of information and allowing the rider to position info where he or she may want it.

Hat’s off to AC for the excellent ergos as well. The puffy seat and just-right bar riser along with a barely acceptable height windshield make all day rides super comfy and stand-up to sitting transitions are easy.

The XF’s 137 X 1.25 footprint is highly effective in loose snow – something we experienced last week on our first ride. The mogul bridging effect of the longer rails makes the XF the best riding sled in the AC stable. We have one gripe though – the Floats up front are either too stiff or too saggy.

If you can find an unsold XF 6000 you’ll probably pay dearly for it. This is a really good snowmobile that will prove itself to a ton of non-Arctic Cat owners this winter.