Cat wins the Baja 1000, again!

[last5oh_302]

Damn, Cat seems to dominate this race in every way, whether it be the Baja 250, 500 or 1000.

The winner posted this here:
http://www.arcticchat.com/forum/general-atv-discussion/283151-arctic-wins-baja-1000-again.html


http://vimeo.com/17144150
The FDR team rides an Arctic Cat Thundercat 1000 H2, a 700 plus-pound, mammoth-sized, 4x4 ATV that comes stock with a 950cc V-twin engine. The FDR Thundercat is slightly modified for high-speed desert racing. Arctic Cat utilizes a lot of the information it gathers from the FDR Baja effort, which translates into its development of better stock production machines, especially in the areas of performance handling and all-around durability.

[racer37l]

Well, I guess that congrats would be in order! One query as to why arctic cat uses Suzuki or Kawasaki engines on some models?

[last5oh_302]

Cat went completely inhouse with their own H series engines back in 08. In 08 Cat still used Suzuki engines in some models, but by 09 it was 100% Cat. Cat hasn't used a Kawi engine since 06.

[racer37l]

Thanks, I learned something today. Con

[last5oh_302]

Thanks, I learned something today. Con

No problem. That being said, my 08 700efi is a Suki engine. My buddy has a 2006 Suzuki Twin Peaks. It has a 700 VTwin Kawi Prairie motor. Go figure eh?

[last5oh_302]

FINES DOUBLE RACING WINS THE BAJA 1000... AGAIN!
Arctic Cat Riders Dominate the “Longest Off-road Race in North America”
Story by Jeff Henson

Finish line parties are the norm for the Fines Double Racing Team, which just finished its seventeenth long distance race in a row without a single DNF – a very rare accomplishment in off-road racing. The list includes three Vegas to Reno races (including “The Long Way” 1000-mile race), several San Felipe Baja 250 events and a number of Baja 500s. This would be the fourth Baja 1000 finish for the team, and the defending class 26 champions would once again show the competition that Fines Double Racing and Arctic Cat have what it takes to win in the most adverse conditions. Silt, whoops, cliffs, water crossings, heat, snow, outrageous elevation changes, jagged rocks, sand, pavement, jumps and those infamous “booby traps” that are playfully created by the locals – No matter how much one pre-runs the racecourse, no team can ever be fully prepared for the adventure and surprises that lay ahead.

The 2010 SCORE Baja 1000 started in Ensenada, crossed the Peninsula twice and ended in the southern city of La Paz, racking up a total of 1,067 race miles. The terrain can be best described as primitive and ever-changing. The team captain, Reid Rutherford, would pilot the first 185-miles of the race and then hop in the team’s Class 7-2 race truck entry for the remainder of the race. “We knew our fiercest competitor would be Mike Penland’s Can-Am Outlander team. He gave us a run for the money at the 2009 Baja 1000 so we knew we’d have to really stay focused and on the gas. We were the first quad off the starting line and I held mike off until he passed me at about race-mile forty-five. The dust is always the worst off the start as we were already reeling in the sport quads and a few dirt bike racers. I passed Mike back at about race-mile one hundred and five. By the time I reached San Felipe we had a twenty minute lead on second place.”

The team picked up a new racer, Agustin Maduena, to complete the next one hundred and sixty five miles of the race. Agustin is not only a Mexican National, but also hails from the fishing village of San Felipe, so his section virtually ran right through his back yard. It’s a rough section too, laden with rocks and knee-deep whoop-de-doos. Agustin’s experience (and interpreter skills) proved as a valuable asset to the team.

Veteran team racers Tony Valerio and Benn Vernadakis took turns completing the final four legs of the race, dividing up over seven hundred miles between them. “It’s a rough ride down south,” claimed Valerio. “The further south we went, the more extreme the terrain became. But our independent suspension really tackled the rocks. We just picked up FOX Racing Shocks as a new sponsor this year and we just can’t say enough good things about them. FOX helped us dial in the shocks specifically for this race. We run them a lot stiffer for the speeds we run at. If I wanted a plush ride, I’d just twist the throttle a little harder.”

Benn Vernadakis blasted across the finish line with a total time of thirty-nine hours and twenty-five minutes. The Arctic Cat performed almost flawlessly for nearly two days of constant punishment, but Vernadakis claims it takes more than just a good machine and team of riders to finish a race of this magnitude. “We have the best pit crew in the world! There is no way we could have finished this race, or any of the last seventeen races, without them,” claimed Vernadakis. “They know Baja as well as we do and the machine, well, probably even better! This win is just as much theirs as it is ours.”

The Fines Double Racing Team makes it happen with these fine sponsors –

FOX Racing Shox, Arctic Cat, Planet Motorsports, Green Ball tires, Lizard Head Log Homes, RTT Stabilizers, Fluidyne Radiators, Vision X, Motion Pro, TNT Painting, Reid Rutherford Plumbing, Palapa Boy Racing, Saf-T-Co, Kustom K Fab, Rox Risers, Fines Double Racing, Spider Grips, BF Goodrich, Klim Gear, Power Shop Central, Speedwerx

[Bad Kitty]

Now if they would only sell me some parts.lol
Excellent Rick, Thanks man.

[last5oh_302]

Now if they would only sell me some parts.lol
Excellent Rick, Thanks man.

:thumb: