Folks looking to race on or cheer for Arctic Cat snowmobiles in coming years received a dose of great news this week. The brand will be actively competing in and supporting racing again under its new ownership.

Applications for the fabled Team Arctic race program were distributed earlier this week, followed by the press release that is pasted far below.

Arctic Cat has a very, very long and historic background in actively competing in many forms of competition, going back to its very earliest days in the 1960s. Racing efforts have been used to develop and test new products as well as to market the brand.

Much of the race support, however, waned in recent years under ownership of the Textron corporation. While the race department was never completely eliminated (despite what the rumor mill was reporting), the size and scope of the race program, the level of support it gave to competitors and the development of new race machines was dramatically reduced.

The Arctic Cat brand went through a particularly trying time in the last year, including announcements of mass layoffs as Textron wound down the brand in anticipation of a sale. That sale and new ownership structure was announced on April 24. That’s when former Arctic Cat VP and current Argo/Ontario Drive & Gear President Brad Darling led a group of investors to buy the company from Textron.

Read about the Arctic Cat sale here; the brand’s corporate history here; details on its new sister brand Argo here; and Arctic Cat’s since-announced 2026 snowmobile lineup here.

Back to racing, the brand still had limited support for Jacob Yurk in snocross last year, and racers like Zach Herfindahl and Cat engineer Ben Langaas competed in cross country, but there was little if any support in most other areas and classes. That changes, apparently, for 2025-26, based on the announcement pasted below.

From here down in the story, every word is from the Arctic Cat press release.

Team Arctic Returns to Racing

(THIEF RIVER FALLS, May 23rd, 2025) – While everyone is busy making their upcoming weekend plans, Team Arctic is busy making their own plans for when the snow flies.

The need to test yourself against the best is what drives many of us, especially anyone who has ever donned the Team Arctic colors. When asked about the upcoming race season, CEO and President Brad Darling stated, “Team Arctic has a rich racing history spanning over 60 years and I am excited to announce that we are back with full support for the 2025-2026 season!”

On Thursday May 22nd, Team Arctic released their much-anticipated snowmobile race program application, answering the question, will Arctic Cat be participating in racing this year.

Commenting on the matter, long time Arctic Cat snowmobile racing manager Mike Kloety stated, “I am extremely excited that Team Arctic is back supporting riders on their quest for the checkered flag and will continue to utilize the race program to advance Arctic Cat snowmobiles for many years to come.”

Since taking possession of Arctic Cat back on April 24th, the new ownership group has ushered many visible advancements to the business and Team Arctic is an important part of Arctic Cat’s DNA. Due to the late release of the application process, there is a shortened deadline to get your race applications in by June 8th.

For more information on Team Arctic or to receive a Team Arctic snowmobile race application, contact Mike Kloety at mkloety@arc ccat.com.

We look forward to seeing everyone at the race track this season!