A new and “radical” rear suspension. Better ergonomics. Improved durability. What’s not to like about the 2024 Lynx snocross-focused racing snowmobile?

Well, how about the fact that you can’t get one over here!

BRP announced intriguing details on the 2024 Lynx Rave RS 600RS E-TEC today, including a new rCTRL rear suspension with a unique coupling system. The rear suspension partially couples the suspension arms, but only front-to-rear for hits taken to the front arm (also known as the sled’s center shock) and not rear-to-front for tail landings.

Aside from the racing aspect, it’ll be interesting to see long-term if any of this new design comes to Lynx Rave or Xterrain trail and crossover sleds, which feature a completely uncoupled rear suspension.

To match the new skid frame to the ski suspension, taller spindles are new used in the LFS Racing dual A-arm front suspenion.

Some chassis-related changes sound similar to what Ski-Doo is doing with its MX Zx 600RS snowmobile in its move to a version of the REV Gen5 chassis platform. They include a fourth engine mount and stronger S module. New to Lynx, though, are running boards that are 30 mm lower, which lowers the center of gravity while also altering the ergonomics.

But, at this point, this will be a Europe-only race machine that will not be legal to race, per International Snowmobile Racing (ISR) rules.

Read the full press release below from BRP and Lynx:

Lynx Rave RS 600RS E-TEC 2024: COMPLETELY RENEWED SNOWCROSS BEAST

New radical rear suspension. Improved ergonomics. Built even tougher. The new Lynx Rave RS racing snowmobile is poised to extend its championship streak, setting the standard for its competitors on European racetracks. The Rave RS has recorded the fastest lap times on each test track, when a comparison has been made with previous model years and competing brands.

The Lynx Rave RS gets a new rCTRL rear suspension

The design of the rCTRL (center-to-rear-linked) rear suspension focused on enhancing rollability and increasing damping capacity, enabling the Lynx Rave RS snowmobile to achieve faster laps on snocross tracks. Durability has been improved, and maintenance has been simplified.

The revolutionary rCTRL rear suspension is based on a unique coupling system. In this mechanism, the center arm borrows damping force from the rear arm through the shock absorber to the center arm area. This unique solution provides the center arm with increased damping power without an excessively stiff center shock. The center arm plays a pivotal role in modern snowcross racing, as the rider’s and sled’s mass is centralized in a smaller area on the middle of the sled, subjecting the center arm to substantial forces. The rear arm of the rCTRL suspension operates independently at all times, with force applied solely to the rear arm. For instance, when the sled lands with rear weight after a jump, the rear arm smoothly follows the landing, without slamming down the front end of the sled.

The carrying capacity of the rear arm is guaranteed by using a long shock absorber with a total dimension of 590 mm and a stroke length of 175 mm. The long stroke allows the suspension open more, giving more damping force on the landing of jumps. In addition to high damping capacity and carrying capacity, the advantages of a long damper are also easy adjustability.

Thanks to the new geometry of the rCTRL rear suspension, the Rave RS rolls significantly better than its predecessor, especially when riding on bumps. Due to the small variation in the track tension, the pre-adjustment of the track tension can be left looser than before without the track ratcheting.

The slide rails of the rear suspension are machined to their shape from aluminum profile. The center arm is attached to the frame with a fork, which means that to remove the rear suspension, it is enough to simply loosen the bolts of the rear arm and pull the rear suspension out. Parts have been reduced in the name of maintainability and weight saving: the number of parts is reduced by a third which means a weight saving of 5 kg compared to its predecessor. The rCTRL rear suspension is now more service-friendly and faster to maintain, much to the relief of racing team mechanics.

The limiter strap is located outside the suspension, and adjusting the strap does not require opening the strap loop. The bolts of rear suspension are standardized and fewer different tools are needed for maintenance than before. The bolts are placed in such a way that they are easily accessible from the outside of the suspension. The attachment of the rear arm to the slide rails is done by slide sleeve.

The LFS Racing front suspension of the Rave RS racing sled uses new, taller spindles. The change goes hand in hand with the new rCTRL rear suspension, bringing 27 mm more ground clearance under the lower A-arm. As part of the reform of the sled’s suspension, the swaybar has been removed, which contributes to the sled’s weight savings.

Renewed Radien-RS chassis

The Rave RS 600RS E-TEC has also experienced significant reforms in terms of the structure of the chassis. Four-point engine mounting, lower located running boards and further strengthened structure mean increased performance, better handling and enhanced reliability.

The fierce powerhouse of snowcross tracks, the Rotax 600RS E-TEC engine, is now mounted to the chassis via four attachment points. The alignment of the powertrain is now more constant due to the stiffer engine mounting, which improves the efficiency of the transmission and thus increases the performance even more.

The S-module of the front frame has been strengthened with a new, straight crossbar and new reinforcements. The running boards are 30 mm lower than before, which brings the center of gravity lower, making cornering easier and helping the rider to get support from the sled when jumping. At the same time, the rider’s foot holders have been brought back 5 cm.

The disc brake cover features additional perforation to improve the cooling of the brake.

The new calibration of the engine optimizes the performance in line with other innovations of the Rave RS factory racer: more power, more speed on the track. The ignition coil and the Rave motor have been repositioned lower on the chassis than before, which lowers the center of gravity and keeps the important components better protected.

Thanks to the new bearings in the chain case, removing the drive shaft is much faster and easier than before. In the future, the track can be replaced without disassembling the chain case, which makes the maintenance staff’s race weekends significantly easier.

Thanks to the more evenly shaped chassis and larger ground clearance, the bottom of the sled hits the snow less often than before, improving the progress of the sled on soft tracks. The rCTRL rear suspension is attached to the rear chassis with a fork-type lug, which distributes the force more evenly to the bearings.

The redesigned RS seat has been brought 30 mm lower along with the running boards, which, together with the chassis changes, lowers the center of gravity.

Lynx Rave RS 600RS is built on Radien-RS chassis and its uniqueness is the short rear chassis and the flexible rear part made of polyethylene. The flexible rear part, unlike the aluminum tunnel, is easy, quick and inexpensive to change in case of damage.

Aiming to continue the championship streak

Lynx Rave RS has been number one on European snowcross tracks for years. In the spring 2023, the Finnish Aki Pihlaja achieved the coveted world championship title with the Rave RS in Kirkenes, Norway, and is eager to renew the title in the 2024 season. Lynx was by far the most successful racing sled also in the Scandinavian national series: Rave RS riders achieved a total of 12 championships in the 2023 season, complemented by more than 20 podium places.

The completely renewed Lynx Rave RS 600RS E-TEC race sled has gone through a tough test program by front row drivers. The project and test group has included riders who have achieved a total of nearly one hundred prestigious race medals.

 

2024 RAVE RS 600RS E-TEC HIGHLIGHTS:

• Renewed Radien-RS chassis
• Re-calibrated Rotax 600RS E-TEC engine
• New rCTRL rear suspension
• Renewed LFS Racing front suspension
• KYB PRO RS 46 HLCR Kashima shock absorbers
• 381 x 3487 x 44 mm track
• 1092 mm ski stance
• Racing pDrive -primary clutch ja Team TTS-04 driven clutch
• 4-piston Brembo Racing brake with improved cooling
• Pilot Racing skis
• Renewed RS seat
• New coloration