On Thurs., Aug. 26 in Thief River Falls, the 1 Millionth Arctic Cat snowmobile rolled off the assembly line since Arctco returned to business in 1983.

It was a great reason to celebrate.

For some reason, I've got I-500 on the brain today.

So, here are a few pix from last year's race.

It's the back-to-school time of year.

Q: When I fire up my 2010 F8 in the morning, it seems VERY rich and smokes heavily. It never fouls a plug. And once it is warmed up and "cleaned out,” it runs fine.

What’s up… is this is the way it’s supposed to be?

A: Click to read

For those of you planning to WOBLE, the swap meet season is about to commence in earnest.

Click for inspiration.

Chris Twomey: We will transition fully away from Suzuki in the 2014 model year and we will make some of our own engines in St. Cloud in that year.”

Stock Analyst: There will be other engines outsourced elsewhere?

Chris Twomey: (There) could be, yes.

While it may be bucking a larger trend, Arctic Cat's decision to in-source future snowmobile engine production appears to echo the decisions of some other big companies.

Here's an interesting story about it in the Star Tribune.

Arctic Cat just released a new batch of 2011 Prowlers and ATVs.

Here's the skinny.

How does "ZRX" sound as a new snowmobile model name?

Team Arctic's Dan Ebert had a stunning debut as a Pro racer last season, taking a handful of podium positions in ISOC snocross and his first  “career cornerstone”: a win at the coveted USCC I-500 cross-country.

I talked with the 22-year old from Lake Shore, Minnesota, about it. Click to read the interview.

Less loss than normal for 1st Qtr, which is good.

Ditto for reduced inventory (at Cat and dealers), increased ATV market share and no debt.

Click to read the financial release.

At the 2010 USCC I-500, a handful of top Team Arctic racers were “taken out” of the race due to track failure.

I talked with Rod Foss, Arctic Cat engineer who oversees track development, to learn what happened to these tracks.

Click to read about it.

Each year Arctic Cat offers a dealer-only, supplemental Arcticwear and Accessories catalog that contains loads of parts, accessories and clothing that are NOT featured fancy color CATalog.

In it you'll find all kinds of useful parts, accessories, information (like drive belt dimensions), reference charts and even close-out items.

HERE is a pdf of the 2011 B&W Snow Supplemental CATalog.

(Note: It may take a minute to load.)

Last year Johan Lidman won the Swedish National Championship and Super Stadium Snocross Championship, and finished second to Tucker Hibbert (and ahead of Cory Davis) at the FIM World Snocross Championship.

This year he's coming to America to contest the ISOC National Series for Team Sportech Racing.

Click to read the release.

Got a passion for snowmobiles, racing and powersports? Want a job that could help turn you into the next Steve Houle or Russ Ebert... or that could lead to a full-time product-development job at one of the most succesful powersports companies in the industry?

Then check out these two job postings from Sportech (and get your resume tuned-up). Opportunities like this don't come around very often.

For those of you with a 2010 Arctic Cat Sno Pro 500, it looks like a reflash is coming your way, free of charge, to improve its low-RPM drivability.

Click to read a copy of the letter Arctic Cat sent to its dealers.

Jeff Tweet built one of the coolest custom ATVs I've seen, utilizing a ZR 900 engine that he cut in half to create a 90-hp EFI single.

Click to check it out.

Of all the legendary race wins recorded by Arctic Cat competitors, Jon Edwards (left) and Mike McArdle recently captured one of the most prestigious: the Ragged Shirt Race. And in doing so, won a huge cash prize along with the adulation of their co-workers, friends and family.

Click to read.

During the 2009-10 USCC cross-country racing season, Team Arctic’s Brian Dick joined the elite ranks of legendary Arctic Cat racers to score multiple class wins and the overall high-point Championship title in a single season of competition.

We talked with Brian about his race season and his job at Arctic Cat. Click to read about it.

I wonder what's going on at Arctic Cat this summer?

After several conversation with people from Arctic Cat during the past couple days, more information has come to light about the company's the shift to build its own engines.

Click to read.

Are you sitting down?

Arctic Cat today announced that it has entered into an agreement to transition its snowmobile engine manufacturing from Suzuki Motor Corporation.

Arctic Cat will begin manufacturing some of its own snowmobile engines in St. Cloud, Minn., after the 2014 model year.

Click to read the release.

I recently came across this photo that I shot at Waconia Vintage Hullabaloo in 2006. It strikes me now like it did then...how two Arctic Cats, separated by nearly 30 years, can look so similar.

And so good.

I drove through Wausau, Wis., yesterday. It was a beautiful summer afternoon.

And it reminded me of the time I passed through last winter...

Are you a Minnesotan who want to provide input on how your tax dollars are spent for trails, parks and the environment?

Learn how by clicking to read a letter from Terry Hutchinson, MN United Snowmobilers Assoc. Director at Large and Chairman of the MnUSA Trails Committee.

The news is as shocking to write now as it was when I first heard about it: On Thursday, May 20, 2010, Rocky Cutsforth (42) of Cohasset, Minn., died from injuries sustained in an ATV accident near Nemo, South Dakota.

I've been doing research for a project I'm working on, during which I came across this advertisement for a 1973 Arctic Cat Kitty Cat ad. And I can't stop thinking about it.

Click to see it larger.

Sign of the times? Smart leadership? Giving the people what they really want?

Or...

...does this represent everything that wrong with American manufacturing? And is this the beginning of the end?

Now that everything old is new again, I'd like to see a return to cool drawings like this one of a Z racer (piloted by Charlie Loften, I believe).

 Arctic Cat just released their first wave of 2011 Prowlers and ATVs. The big news here is the expansion of Electronic Power Steering (EPS), and a more work-oriented HDX Prowler with a bench seat and a flat-bed-capable rear box.

Click to read what's new on these models.

Wondering why the price of Arctic Cat Cross-Country Cats has reached the stratosphere in recent months.

Blame the guy in this photo.

Click to learn why.

This week’s interview is with Glen Martin, Emissions Manager at Arctic Cat. Martin has held this position for almost two years, prior to which he worked on engine emissions for companies like Indmar, Big Dog motorcycles and MerCruiser.

We asked Glen a few emissions-related questions, and he was kind enough to answer.

For the past two years, Mike Kloety has held the title of Team Arctic Race Manager... one very-high profile job with a strong, winning tradition.

We asked him some questions, he gave us the answers.

We're getting the word out about ArcticInsider by advertising at the places you might visit.

I'm guessing many here know where this place is.

Minnesota's metro-area ditches pose dozens of hazzards, none of which faze snocross racer and Speedwerx employee Justin Tate and the Arctic Cat CFR 800 he's riding. Here's two views of the same ditch. Fun.

Speedwerx has a way of coaxing 290 hp out of an Arctic Cat Z1 Turbo.

I rode the beast.

When you’re trying to describe 290 hp on a snowmobile, words and pictures are inadequate. Actually, pretty much everything is inadequate compared to 290 hp.

Make the jump to read about it.

Shown here at the recent USCC Red Lake 200 cross-country race is Team Arctic's D.J. Ekre, literally piloting an Arctic Cat Sno Pro 500 in the Expert 85 class (which he won). The short clip clearly illustrates why Ekre is one of the fastest cross-country racers in the world.

D.J. is the second of the two racers to come through.

Team Arctic's Dan Ebert...winning the 2010 I-500. Here's a couple clips of Ebert on the third and final day, in the 50 miles between the final fuel stop and the finish line.

Awesome race, Dan! Congratulations.

Team Arctic's D.J. Ekre had a heart-breaking 2010 I-500. He was leading by several minutes with roughly 70 miles to go...when his track tore, ending his race. Up to that point, D.J. was ON FIRE. Here's a short vid of him just prior to the first fuel stop on the third day.

Here's a short video of Roger Skime, 66-year-old VP of Engineering at Arctic Cat, racing to fourth place in the 2010 I-500 cross-country. This guy is amazing!

Among the 124 racers who will leave the starting line of the USCC I-500 cross-country race this morning in Thief River Falls, Minn., only one is a Vice President of Engineering for a snowmobile manufacturer.

Is Kirk Hibbert preparing to race cross-country once again, or is he test riding a sled to help a friend?