Flashback. Feb. 22, 2012. Island Park, Idaho. Near Arctic Cat’s mountain test facility.
(L-to-R): Todd Tupper, Rob Kincaid, Al Shimpa and David McClure. Each is a key member of Team Arctic’s hillclimb race program. Tupper is the racer/engineer. Kincaid and McClure are pure racers. Shimpa is the hillclimb race coordinator.
It’s the middle of the racing season, with the biggest event fast approaching: Jackson Hole World Championships.
It’s the first year on the new ProClimb chassis, and like any first-year machine, there are teething problems to sort through. The machine will eventually evolve to match and even surpass the competition, and these four will play key roles in that process.
On this day, they take a moment from the chaos to oblige the photographer’s request for a group photo. For five minutes, the crew laughs, poses and tease one another. For a few moments, it’s just four guys who are happy for a respite from the pressure. And grateful for their lot in life.
