Elk River, Minnesota (January 31, 2013) – It’s been a whirlwind road trip for the Carlson Motorsport (CM) Team as they raced at two of the sport’s most celebrated venues. It started at the legendary World Championship Derby in Eagle River, Wisconsin where Carlson Motorsports riders Johan Lidman and Ryan Springer scored a pair of World Championship podiums. Then this past weekend, Lidman competed at the 2013 Winter X Games where he qualified for the front row and finished in the top ten despite being shoved off the track in the opening lap.

The famed Derby Track must feel like home for Swedish native Johan Lidman, who captured his second World Championship podium in as many years during the 50th Anniversary weekend of the World Championship Snowmobile Derby. There are few stages more grand or more revered in snowmobile racing circles than the Derby Track, which makes a pro-open podium finish all the more sweeter for the Carlson Motorsports team.

With a strong qualifying effort against a field of national snocross regulars, Johan rode a tenacious final, battling not only the standout field, but high winds and bitter cold temperatures. Lidman edged fellow Swede, Petter Narsa at the line for a third place finish, behind Tremblay and winner Ross Martin. While he fell just short of the ultimate goal for the weekend, the third place podium finish rejuvenated the spirits of Johan and those of the entire team.

The podium finishes didn’t end there for Carlson Motorsports. In the Sport ranks, the rising star of Ryan Springer, who CM took under their wing this winter, clicked off another impressive performance with a second place finish in the final. The pair of podiums for the team was a dramatic turn-around after experiencing a string of bad breaks a few weeks prior.

Pro-Lite rider, Andrew Carlson battled tough starts throughout the weekend, and coupled with a narrow track positioned inside the banked ice oval, passing lanes were nearly impossible to find. Carlson finished the weekend with a pair of 7th place finishes.

It was then on to the Winter X-Games in Aspen, Colorado where Lidman was one of just 24 snocross athletes from around the globe invited to compete. Broadcast live on ESPN and ABC, the eyes of the snowmobile world saw Lidman run a very strong qualifying effort, finishing in fourth and securing himself a front row start for the main event.

At the start of the final, Johan had a great jump, but was pushed off the track with his sled landing upside down in the process. When he finally got back on the track he was dead-last, but the Swede battled back, working his way up to a very respectable 10th place finish.

“Getting ready for Aspen is a huge challenge,” said Carlson. The team did a great job…the sled (Johan’s) was one of the fastest on the hill and Johan’s lap times were reflective of the top 3 or 4 sleds. Unfortunately we ran into some bad racing luck.”

The team left Aspen and traveled directly to Deadwood, South Dakota to begin testing for the return of ISOC national competition this Friday and Saturday, February 1-2. For more information on the national tour visit snocross.com. Follow Carlson Motorsports at www.carlsonmotorsportsllc.com

About Carlson Motorsports
Carlson Motorsports is a family of racers, mechanics and sponsors who are proud of our accomplishments on the track and off, and are driven to excellence in everything we do. Our racing organization is driven by a deep-rooted passion for the sport and an operational philosophy grounded in integrity. To learn more about Carlson Motorsports LLC, and how you can partner and share in their success, visit their website at www.carlsonmotorsportsllc.com