Yamaha Returns to Racing in National Cross Country Series

PLEASANT PRAIRIE, WI. - August 24, 2011 - Yamaha Motor Corporation is proud to announce its return to snowmobile competition on the United States Cross Country (USCC) circuits for the 2011-12 season. Yamaha-backed racers will compete on both of USCC's programs-the Midwest and USCC East.

Yamaha veterans Ross Erdman and Nathan Titus will ride the FX Nytro RTX in the Pro class, while the up-and-coming Ben Lindbom and Jake Jorgeson will saddle up for the Semi-Pro class in the USCC Midwest series. Rounding off the USCC team in the Sport class is Seth Thorsen and Steve Emerson on the Phazer RTX.

Longtime Yamaha snowmobile racer Erik Frigon will race Semi-Pro while mentoring Sport racer Michael Ewaschuk in the emerging USCC East division.

"We're really excited to get back into racing" said Wade West, Yamaha's snowmobile marketing manager. "The increased interest in grassroots racing over the past few years makes our entry into cross country racing all the more important. We've found that the market is moving away from the prepackaged spectacle of stadium snocross and gravitating more toward the relatable cross country events that compete on the same trails we ride. That's where our high performance 4-stroke power shines and what our FX Nytro models were engineered to do."

Veteran racer Nathan Titus will return to the USCC Cross Country circuit on an FX Nytro RTX race sled. (Professional rider shown on a closed course.)