We traveled to Jacksonville, Texas, the home
of the Mud Nationals where we were given an
overview of the Arctic Cat Mud Pro 700. Arctic
Cat had the consumer in mind when they designed
the Mud Pro, and they went the extra mile and
consulted with Professional Mud racers to see
what modifications they had done to their existing
ATV’s and what they would look for in
a true mud machine off the showroom floor.
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ATVriders.com
Arctic Cat Mud Pro was completely stock,
but it came with the Maxxis 'Zilla tires,
which were shipped on the original shipment
of Mud Pro ATVs, and later releases will
get the Highlifter MST tires |
Arctic Cat took the liberty of setting up a
“Media class” race at the final
round, dubbed “Mudstock”, of the
Championship Mud Racing Association (CMRA),
which would be the perfect way to test out the
Mud Pro’s capabilities. We arrived just
in time for the Shine and Show event where Arctic
Cat had eight 700 H1 EFI Mud Pros set up for
us. Arctic Cat went the extra mile for this
event and had each quad decorated with a custom
sticker kit representing each media outlet in
attendance.
There were many people in attendance at this
event, even more than what is usually seen at
motocross or GNCC races. There were also many
people who were anxious to see what the Mud
Pro could do, and there were many that had doubts
that a stock machine would be able to handle
a competition mud pit but by the end of the
race all doubts were cast aside.
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though the Arctic Cat Mud Pro is built
for the mud, it is still dwarfed by some
of the serious mud racers built up ATVs
with 8+" lift kits & huge hood
mounted radiators, but just like any ATV
purchased, it rarely raced completely
stock, but the Mud Pro will dramatically
reduce the expense of building a mud pit
specific ATV and it is more than capable
of competing even in stock trim |
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CMR
Mud Stock Mud Bog Pit |
The competition pit was about 100 yards long
and was filled with several feet of thick gooey
mud. We were broken into two groups of four,
racing two heat races, with the top two of each
heat advancing to the final round. Since this
was the first time for us to be in a competition
mud pit, we didn’t quite know what to
expect and we were in for a bit of a surprise.
Our first time through the mud pit we decided
to hit it in high gear. As we flew into the
mud, it was apparent that the Mud Pro was in
its element. The machine was well balanced and
the snorkel stayed well above the mud, even
in the deepest parts, while the fenders did
a fantastic job of keeping us somewhat clean.
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| For
many of us including me, it was my first
time ever racing in a mud bog, and I quickly
learned balance, throttle control, and
steering are important to make it to the
other side of the pit. Amazingly, I made
it to the other side, and I barely even
got muddy from the waist up, but others
weren't as lucky, but the Mud Pro kept
running even though it was flipped over
in the mud |
As we plowed through, it was hard to chose
a good line due to not knowing what was underneath
all the mud, and being inexperienced at mud
racing, it was a little tricky getting used
to the steering as you must steer in the opposite
direction you wish to turn, but we got the hang
of it and made it through the course fast enough
to claim second in our heat race and move on
to the main event.
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| ATVriders.com,
Harlen Foley, won the Media Class in his
1st ever Mud Bog Race |
In the final race, we decided to try the Mud Pro
in low gear instead of high, as we did in the
heat race, and we were very impressed with the
torque the Mud Pro produced. As we hit the pit,
the power was right there. The Mud Pro was able
to keep its strong momentum going and pulled us
through even the toughest sections to give ATVRiders.com
the Media Class win. We had a great time racing
this machine at Mudstock and next year, we will
definitely be bringing our waders because this
event has us hooked on mud racing!
