Jim Musselman selected for Snowmobile Hall of Fame

Jim Musselman, founder and president of International Engineering Inc., Hope, Mich., was named to the Snowmobile Hall Of Fame Jan. 16.
Musselman was praised for his contributions to the snowmobile aftermarket and his contributions to snowmobile racing. Musselman, along with magazine publisher Joyce Scholwin and racers John Wicht III and Jim Herzig, were inducted into the St. Germain, Wis.-based Hall during the Eagle River Derby week in Eagle River, Wis.
Coldwave showed its new line of freestyle snowmobile wear at a large booth. Its gear will be distributed by Marshall. Parts Unlimited also unveiled its revived Arctiva line of snowmobile wear.
In racing action, Arctic Cat driver P.J. Wanderscheid repeated his 2002 Champ 440 victory; the Polaris driven by Greg Rugland won the Pro Stock oval classes; and Tucker Hibbert, also on an Arctic Cat, swept the Pro snocross classes.
$700,000 for Trails in Pennsylvania
The State of Pennsylvania recently set aside nearly $700,000 for six grants intended to develop and improve ATV and snowmobile riding opportunities on public and private land there.
The funds, formally earmarked for the trail program on Jan. 14, come from changes to the Snowmobile/ATV law passed by the State’s General Assembly in 2001. The law allows the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to award grants each year to organizations which intend to develop trails on county, municipal, non-profit and private lands. Previously, law restricted the funds to be used solely on state-controlled lands.
RX-1 Meets New Standards
The four-stroke RX-1 and RX-1 Mountain meet the 2006 Environmental Protection Agency’s requirement for emissions. Yamaha claims that the RX-1 gets 30% better fuel economy than other performance models while eliminating the need for 2-stroke oil.
“The fact the RX-1 models meet the proposed regulations underscores Yamaha’s commitment to advancing fresh technology so the sport of snowmobiling continues to thrive,” said Mike Doughty, snowmobile product manager.
Yamaha to consolidate facilities
Yamaha Motor Corp. will move its Cudahy, Wis., regional headquarters to a new building in nearby Pleasant Prairie, and fold its Minnesota snowmobile office into the new location.
The timeline of the Moundsview, Minn.-office move, as well as who will move, has not been determined, said Carolyn Case of Yamaha.
Occupancy of the new 163,970 sq. ft. building, though, is expected to begin in July with the move of the Cudahy offices. The dates for the Minnesota office move will be determined, in part, by the lease on its current location, Case said.
The Pleasant Prairie building is a state-of-the-art flexible distribution/warehouse/manufacturing facility. It will include a 20,000 square-foot mezzanine office and training room space.
One of the reasons for moving to Pleasant Prairie was an inability to expand at the Cudahy location, Case said.
The new offices will serve as the Midwest Regional Headquarters part warehouse for all Yamaha motorsports lines, including motorcycles, outboard motors, ATVs, personal watercraft, snowmobiles, boats, outdoor power equipment, race cart engines, parts, accessories and apparel. Sales support, service support and dealer training will take place there, as well.