The 2016 National Snow Bike MX Series sailed into the fourth and final at the popular Bogus Basin Ski Resort, located high above Boise, Idaho. The event made history in a number of ways; not only was it the last round of the first ever National Snow Bike MX Series, it was also the first motorized event ever held in the 74 year history of Bogus Basin. It was sponsored by: Timbersled, Tarantula Tequila, Moto Trax, Fox Suspension, Rekluse, Raptor, HMK, Fly Racing, Western Power Sports, Rockwell Watches, Pro Moto Billet, Fastway Performance, CMX, Interstate Batteries and Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer.

The race course was radically different than other series tracks. It was 1.3 miles long with over 400 feet of elevation change per lap which meant big climbs and descents. Horsepower was important, and the 6,800 foot elevation probably made marginal engines work even harder. The weather was perfect, sunny calm and 50F, but a good winter at Bogus meant that there was enough snow to keep the course in good shape. Virtually every racer later said that this was their favorite snow bike race track ever.

As usual, there were few crashes and zero injuries and this venue provided a lot of onsite amenities such as condos, good spectator viewing and a big ski lodge with heated restrooms and a bar and restaurant, right next to the track.

Saturday’s competition consisted of a series of heats, semis and last chance qualifiers to determine who would race in the A, B, and C mains, (there weren’t quite enough racers to run a D main) later in the day.

Legendary Canadian speedster Brock Hoyer was in the house and he raced unchecked and untested all day, winning the A Main and running the fasted lap of the day, a 2:04 during the middle of the A Main. To date, Brock has NEVER been beaten in a snow bike race, ever. It will be interesting to see if someone can come along next year to push him or if the other guys can step up their game, (and there are half a dozen that are getting really close to his speed). For now though, Brock sets the gold standard for raw speed.

However, he missed too many races to win the series where titles are won with consistency and patience. The pressure was on as both the men’s and the women’s national titles were on the line. The always fast, always versatile off road legend Jimmy Jarrett needed to beat young and fast Minnesota racer Colton Davis and that’s exactly what he did, finishing second in the A Main behind Hoyer, with Davis taking fourth. There was a scare earlier as Jarrett’s fuel pump went out in his heat race, forcing him to win his semi later in the day, but in the end, he got the job done and was crowned the first ever men’s National Snow Bike MX Champion. Davis finished second in points and will be one to watch in the future as he showed speed and confidence all season at a very young age. North Dakota’s Harris Huizenger also had a great year, taking a solid third at Bogus and finishing the season third in points. He is young and talented and will be back stronger and faster than ever next year.

Snow Bike racing continues to pull racers from a variety of motorcycle and snowmobile disciplines and Bogus was no exception as legendary pro motorcycle hillclimber, Travis Whitlock showed up for his first ever snow bike race. At age 50, Whitlock looked good, winning his heat race and finishing 6th in the A Main. Like Jarrett he is a fast, smart and versatile racer, and may wind up extending his motorcycle career on a snow bike.

The women’s national title was also up for grabs, although South Dakota’s Shayna “No Fear” Lier showed up remained unbeaten and untested, winning the Women’s Main events handily at rounds two and three. But other women were training, learning and improving. Lier won her heat race easily enough and went into the main with both a points and a psychological advantage. But racing is full of surprises and a bad start, combined with a late race crash, relegated Lier to a third place finish in the women’s main which tied her in points with event winner AMA National Hare & Hound talent, Idaho’s Shayla Fulfer. Ties are always broken by the last round, which made Fulfer the first ever Women’s National Snow Bike MX Champion by the narrowest of margins. Lier was a good sport about it though and remains the only woman to ever qualify for an A Main. It is common for women to race with the men in addition to each other and Lier finished an impressive 11th in the season men’s points, and Fulfer won the men’s C main later in the day. Guys take note: there are some really fast ladies racing snow bikes.

Timbersled marketing guru Brett Blaser also showed up and made a rare starting line appearance, (he is usually behind the scenes, taking care of other racers). He showed that when called upon, he does have some serious speed, running some impressive lap times and winning the B Main easily. And, a shout out is also in order for Hamilton, Montana’s Jason Wies who took second in the C Main and was the only racer who made all four rounds of the 2016 series.

Special thanks are in order to the Bogus Basin Ski Resort for helping to make history happen. Planning is already well underway for the 2017 National Snow Bike MX Series which will expand to 8 to 10 rounds, travel farther east and north into Canada, and likely west into the Sierras and the Cascades. For more information visit: www.flashpointsnowbike.com