Same!

He did for a number of years then he switched over to NHRA in the mid 2000's and that really threw me for a loop. Lmfao

Snowmobile racing was traditionally ice oval racing or cross-country racing and snowcross didn't really start until the 80s. They basically used the trail sleds or race sleds that were based heavily on the standard trail models at the time, which were designed to be ridden sitting down. By the late 90s, riders like Blair Morgan and others, started adopting motocross style techniques (standing up most of the time and using your legs and knees as additional suspension components) and the racing snowmobiles began to evolve as Snocross became the most popular racing discipline. This video is taken in a bit of a transitional period of Snocross racing snowmobiles. They were still very similar to the consumer trail sleds at the time but the suspensions and chassis were changed and beefed up to better suit the demands of harsh hits of snowcross racing. Higher handlebar risers, wider running boards, taller seats started becoming the norm. The big change was when the Ski Doo REV really radically changed the ergonomics of the snowmobile and placed the rider in the center of the machine and allowed for a much more natural position for stand-up riding which led to even more motocross like riding on the snocross courses. Arctic Cat and Polaris both followed suit and their racers evolved and adopted a similar "rider-forward" style like the machines of today

@@adamm2837 Wow dude, what an excellent answer, thank you for that! I was born in 1991 so I remember seeing the development and I remember the rev in 2003 that changed a lot. But I just can't fathom why it took so many years to make the Rev?! I mean, we probably had the technology to make that chassis earlier. I have been thinking about the same for mountain sleds, back in the 90s the tracks were much shorter, even for "mountain" models, took until 2005 before we had 155" tracks I remember. So I was just perplexed as to why motocross bikes were developed way before "modern" snowmobiles where you stand up more to ride. Snowmobiles today are close to perfection though, cant get much better now unless better EV technology is developed maybe. Today's snowmobiles have good chassis, suspension, tracks and light weight with good power. The early 00's didnt have that, not even CLOSE.

@@swedish_sadhguru3854 I agree 100% with what you are saying, I was born in 1986 so Im pretty much in the same age range as you, I remember a bit more of the 90s. I've always been an Arctic Cat rider, I started on a Kitty Cat then a 1991 Prowler, 1997 ZR 440, and currently a 2005 Firecat F6 Sno Pro, so I'm a bit behind when it comes to snowmobile chassis. The Firecat that I currently ride is sort of a "transition era" sled - it's not a rider forward/standup style chassis but it's the closest a conventional chassis could get and it is far easier to stand up and ride though the rough stuff then the older Cats I had from the 90s. But you're correct in regards to chassis, ergonomics, and suspension snowmobile technology definitely lagged behind motocross development. The only thing I can think of is the manufacturers figured the core of their market was the traditional sit down trail rider. Once the popularity of snowcross expoded in the late 90's, the manufacturers must have finally realized the advantages of better ergos, chassis, and suspension out on the track and they could be beneficial out on the trails and in the mountains as well. I am a strictly flat lander rider but just like the trail machines went through a revolution in the early 2000s, so did the mountain machines. The mountain sleds of today are nothing short of incredible. 20 years ago mountain sleds were little more then the regular trail models with a 136 or 144 inch track with a deeper lug. Now they are extremely specific machines with wild track length and mountain specific suspension and chassis designs. I think motocross/enduro bikes evolved sooner because they sort of had a specific focus from the word go. Motocross machines were developed to race motocross with very rough conditions with jumps, whoops, etc from their inception. Mind you they were pretty crude and rapidly reinventing themselves up until the early 80s when they took on their modern form (monoshock rear suspensions, long travel front and back, more rider centered ergos, etc). Plus motocross has a much larger market and audience then snowmobiling so that alone probably pushed development father much earlier on.

@@adamm2837 Wow I also started on a Kitty Cat in 1993, yes I was just a baby basically lol. I have read your answer and wow, I must say you really hit the nail on the head here. Extremely well thought out analysis and it makes 100% sense. I think if I was older in the 90s, I would have modded a Yamaha phazer with a long track and big lugs, I am surprised nobody seemed to think about that back then. Mods in the 90s or even early 00s was rare from what I remember. People just rode stock snowmobiles unless you were a pro. But im finally happy we have good snowmobiles today, there would be so many places we couldnt ride (deep snow) with old technology.

@@swedish_sadhguru3854 I dont recall too much about any mods people were doing to 90s machines either. I am from the Eastern US, so mountain machines and long, big lugged tracks aren't usually needed (though there are the occasional storms where they would be nice though, we've had storms of three feet where our short tracks were really struggling!) I do know triples were big in the 90s and there were a ton of Polaris Indys, which by the late 90s, looked absolutely archaic compared to the new sleek and colorful Cats, Doos, and Yamahas. When we got the two ZRs in the very late 90s, I remember them being just about the only two bright green ZRs in the area and man, they were striking that's for sure. I was looking at some old 90s mountain sleds just a few minutes ago, holy moly are you right. It's hard to imagine riding in the steep and deep with those sleds. Hell the current crop of 129" short track sleds look like they would be more capable in the deep then some of those "mountain sleds" . I did watch some Arctic Cat sales videos from the mid 90s though, and I was pretty impressed with some of the deep snow performance scenes they were showing. Its almost time to retire the Firecat, love the sled but I got to try one of the latest gen Cats (Yes, I'm a mega Cat fan if you cant tell, but I harbor no hatred towards the other brands. They ALL make amazing machines now for just about any kind of riding you'd want to do).