Press Release –
The Tesoro Iron Dog is the most daunting cross-country snowmobile race in the world. Covering 2,000 rugged miles through some of Alaska’s most trying territory, the Iron Dog might just be the biggest test a snowmobile can face. Little wonder that Arctic Cat-mounted competitors have captured eight of the last 10 Iron Dog titles.
In 2007, the Arctic Cat duo of Scott Davis and Todd Palin earned the win. Riding a new F6, the pair finished the grueling seven day race in 38 hours, 7 minutes and 7 seconds, nearly 50 minutes better than the second place squad. It was Palin’s fourth Iron Dog victory, with the most recent three all coming on Cat.
Davis collected his seventh Iron Dog title and fifth on Cat. At 47 years old, Davis is the oldest person to win the event, and he and Palin avenge last year’s bitter defeat, when the team lost by a single second in the closest Iron Dog finish ever.
“This win is the most satisfying that I’ve had, especially at my age and after what happened last year,” Davis said. “There are so many things that go in to winning this race: You have to have a great partner, a good team and a snowmobile you trust, and then all you have to do is go 2,000 miles without screwing up.”
Palin and Davis certainly found a trustworthy sled – they chose the all-new F6. “We were a little nervous about it at first because it’s a new chassis,” Davis explained. “But once we began testing we knew we wanted to use it. The ride is superior and takes so little effort. You can ride for 300 miles and not even feel it; there’s much less fatigue. I’m 47, and I was able to go hard because the ride’s so comfortable.”
“You’re riding further forward on the machine [6 inches further forward compared to a Firecat] and it’s so smooth; we felt like we had the best-riding sleds in the race,” he continued. “In terms of terrain, this was the toughest Iron Dog in years: We had rock hard snow, frozen tundra and exposed obstacles. It was a real test for snowmobiles, and the F6 passed with flying colors. The durability was great, the front end works fantastic and the chassis didn’t flex. In those conditions, you learn a lot about your sled in a hurry, and I was very impressed.”
The Iron Dog has long been a proving ground for new Arctic Cat platforms; Team Green’s first victory in the contest came in 1993 – the debut year for the legendary ZR chassis. Cat has dominated the event ever since.
“I think the Iron Dog is an excellent example of our engineering division’s commitment to quality and durability,” Arctic Cat Race Team Manager Russ Ebert said. “We take great pride in building bulletproof snowmobiles, and the results of our work are obvious in that race.”
