Ebert Sweeps Semi-Pro Classes

Thief River Falls, Minn. – With just one race to go in the USCC AMSOIL Triple Crown cross-country race series don’t look for Arctic Cat rider D.J. Ekre to be letting off any time soon. He’s two for two in the Pro 600 class and there’s a huge payout waiting for him if he wins it all. Good thing he’s on an Arctic Cat.

With no National snocross race scheduled and the AMSOIL Triple Crown event being held at the speedway in nearby Brainerd, Minnesota, Team Arctic snocross riders Dan Ebert and Ryan Simons signed up and became cross-country racers alongside Team Arctic’s cross-country regulars for the weekend. It turned out to be a good move because Ebert swept the Semi-Pro classes and Simons was the guy to beat all weekend. A mechanical problem while he was leading the Pro 600 final stopped him from winning, knocking him back to second behind Ekre to make it an Arctic Cat 1-2 in Pro 600 with Brian Dick finishing fifth and Jesse West coming in seventh.

“We worked with Fox a couple days before the race and came up with a sweet suspension setup,” said Ekre. “My 600 Sno Pro is working so good, it’s a blast to ride. It’s too bad Ryan blew a belt because he was definitely fast. I’m looking forward to racing in Hayward and bringing home the Triple Crown.”

Ebert, a Semi-Pro on the National snocross circuit, swept the Semi-Pro classes showing he’s got skills way beyond those required to race snocross. It was a great weekend and Team Arctic racers won 7 of 18 classes at Brainerd.

“The ability to compete in more than just a snocross arena was one of the goals of this year’s race sled,” said Assistant Team Arctic Race Manager Mike Kloety. “Bringing over some of our top snocross riders along with the knowledge and experience of their crews really helped get our sleds dialed in for the rough endurance track at BIR. The Arctic Cat engineering department, along with our race teams, have done a fantastic job making sure this sled finishes races.”

Next up for the Team Arctic cross-country racers is the final AMSOIL Triple Crown event, the Hayward 300 in Hayward, Wisconsin, March 1-2, 2008.