Framgångar för Polaris i Soo I-500 och Eagle River WC.
Polaris Racers Gabe Bunke & Aaron Christensen Win Their Third Straight Soo I-500; Win is Fifth of Bunke’s Soo Career Brothers Ryan & Travis Faust Team Up to Finish Second for Second Year in a Row
MEDINA, Minn. (Feb. 5, 2014) – Polaris enduro racers Gabe Bunke and Aaron Christensen enhanced their place in snowmobile racing history on Saturday, Feb. 1, by winning their third straight Soo International 500 race on the famed Soo I-500 track in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The victory was the third Soo win of Christensen’s career, and the fifth of Bunke’s career.
For the second straight year, the second-place team was made up of brothers and co-drivers Ryan Faust and Travis Faust driving a sled owned by Bunke Racing. The Fausts were joined by co-driver Spencer Kadlec, a fellow Polaris cross-country racer who in the 2013 Soo race was a co-driver on the winning Bunke Racing team. Finishing third to complete a Polaris podium sweep in the 2014 Soo I-500 was the sled campaigned by Beard Motor Sports with Michael Haynes as the lead driver.
The 2014 Soo I-500 was dominated by Polaris race sleds, as the race has been in recent years. Polaris race teams clamed six of the top 10 finishing positions, and 13 of the top 20 finishing spots.
The two Bunke Racing sleds were the only sleds to run all 500 laps, and the third-place Beard Motor Sports team had completed 499 laps when the checkered flag flew. The winning Bunke Racing team had posted the sixth-best qualifying speed, and the Faust brothers qualified ninth.
Bunke and Christensen are elite cross-country racers who compete in the Pro classes on the USXC circuit, as do the Faust brothers. Bunke has also raced snocross and ice LeMans in his career, and has competed in the Soo I-500 several times. Later this month he will run for the first time in the Iron Dog cross-country race across Alaska, where he will be a Pro class teammate of Scott Faeo.
In recent years, Bunke has begun to position himself for the next stage of his career, his post-driver years. He owns Bunke Racing, which campaigns cross-country and enduro sleds, and his son Taylor is among the drivers racing cross-country for the team. Working with the Polaris Racing staff, Gabe Bunke has been instrumental in recent years in the development of Polaris cross-country and enduro race sleds.
Yet the elder Bunke remains at the peak of his game as a driver. Along with winning a third-straight Soo I-500 and preparing for the Iron Dog, he is the current points leader in USXC Pro Open points, and is second in Pro Stock points.
Gabe Bunke previously was on the winning team at the Soo in 2005 (with co-drivers Josh Davis and Corey Davidson) and 2002 (with Mike Gentz, Jr.).
Along with a trophy, winner’s purse and place in history, this year’s winning drivers also won the honor of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at a Detroit Tigers Major League Baseball game this spring. Bunke and Christensen are scheduled to throw out the first pitch on Saturday, April 5, when the Tigers host the Baltimore Orioles at Comerica Park in Detroit.
Listed here in order of finish are the Polaris race teams in the 2014 Soo I-500, with the primary driver listed.
1. Bunke Racing, Gabe Bunke
2. Bunke Racing, Ryan Faust
3. Beard Motor Sports, Michael Haynes
6. Yovich Racing, Brian Anderson
7. R&R Racing, Josh Ware
8. Kovar Racing, Dan Maki
11. Russell Racing, Shane Felegy
13. Team Applebees, Karl Schwartz
14. Hoos Racing, John Hoos
15. Team Blu Racing, Cardell Potter
16. Eckert Racing, Kyle Eckert
18. Team Diamond, Mitch Diamond
20. R&R Racing, Rich Spranger
22. Tommie Bauer Racing, Tyler Nickels
24. Team Traction, Greg May
25. Piche Racing, Larry Young
26. Gentz/Bouchard Racing, Chad Dyrdahl
30. Holeshot Motorsports, Billy Skea
32. Performance Dyno Racing, Jeramie Piippo
33. LMB Speed Shop, Eric Bouman
36. Felzke Farms, James Heiler
37. Mayer Racing, Anthony Mayer
Polaris Snowmobile Racers Dominate Snocross, Win Multiple Oval Titles at Eagle River World Championship Corin Todd, Ryan Springer Win 2 Snocross Titles Apiece; Blaine Stephenson Wins 4 Oval Finals
MEDINA, Minn. (Jan. 24, 2014) – Polaris snocross racers Corin Todd and Ryan Springer each won two finals and Blaine Stephenson won four finals on the legendary ice oval during the 51st Eagle River World Championship Snowmobile Derby, held Jan. 16-19 in Wisconsin’s Northwoods. Polaris snocross racers demonstrated total Terrain Domination® by winning both Pro-class finals, both Pro Lite finals, and two more class titles.
Corin Todd, Ryan Spring Sweep in Snocross Finals
In snocross racing at Eagle River, Leighton Motorsports racers dominated the Pro classes as teammates Corin Todd, Zak Mason and Trevor Leighton all finished in the top five in both finals. Corin Todd was a two-time champ, winning both the Pro Open World Championship (W.C.) and the Friday Night Thunder Pro Open final. Trevor Leighton finished second in the W.C. and fifth on Friday night, while Zak Mason was second on Friday and fourth in the W.C. James Johnstad (Judnick Motorsports) took third in the W.C. and fourth on Friday night, and Bobby LePage (Cottew Motorsports) was fifth in the W.C.
Polaris racers filled the podium after the two Pro Lite finals, both of which were won by Ryan Springer (Carlson Motorsports). He was followed in the weekend Pro Lite final by Cole Cottew (Cottew Motorsports) in second, Luke Wollenberg (2 Three 7 Motorsports) in third, Nickolas Lorenz (Lorenz Racing) in fourth, and Jake Geeseman (Geeseman Racing). Springer won the Friday Night Thunder Pro Lite final and Wollenberg took second and Geeseman finished third.
David Blunt (Team Blunt) won the Plus 30 final, leading a 1-2-3-4 Polaris finished that included Scot Adams (JTA Racing) in second, Brian Staab (Twisted Throttle Racing) in third, and Bob Heizman (Twisted Throttle Racing) in fourth. Blunt was also third in Pro-Am Plus 30.
Nickolas Lorenz won the Sport final and Cole Cottew took second as Polaris racers took seven of the top 10 spots.
Michael Gagliano (Team G Motorsports) was second in Plus 40; Jakki Farmer (Farmer Racing/Fort Fremont Racing) was second in the Women’s class; and Jordan Carlson (Upperacing) won the Novice final, followed by Devin Katzman (Eagle Disposal Racing) in second and Steve Walter (Walter’s Racing) in third.
Five Sleds With Polaris Engines in Championship Field
Five Polaris-powered Pro Champ race sleds qualified for the 12-man World Championship. Joey Fjerstad (Joe Fjerstad 16x Racing) finished fifth, Brandon Johnson (Wahl Bros. Racing), Holt, MN, was sixth, Jordan Wahl (Wahl Bros. Racing), Greenbush, MN, was seventh, and Nick Van Strydonk (T&N Racing), Tomahawk, WI, finished eighth.
Van Strydonk etched his name deeper in Eagle River history at the end of the first segment of the championship when he picked up the tail of his sled and pushed the vehicle from turn three, through turn four and across the start-finish line. The sled had blown a belt, and rather than accept a tow and withdraw, he pushed it across the line to remain eligible to compete. The crowd cheered the 2012 Eagle River World Champion on as he struggled with the machine on the ice oval. He pushed it over the line and his crew changed belts so Nick could keep racing.
In TLR Cup points after Eagle River, Van Strydonk is in third, followed by Johnson, Jordan Wahl, Joey Fjerstad, and Dustin Wahl in fourth through seventh, respectively.
Blaine Stephenson Earns Four Eagle River Titles
Blaine Stephenson (Stephenson Racing) of Hutchinson, MN, won four finals on World Championship weekend, including two Formula 500 finals (one held during Friday Night Thunder), Limited 600, and Limited 500.
Polaris racers finished 1-6 in the Formula 500 final during Friday Night Thunder, as Stephenson won and was followed by Brian Healey in second and Troy Schmitz in third. Eight of the top nine finishers in the Sunday Formula 500 final were on Polaris sleds, with the same three racers – Stephenson, Healey, and Schmitz, respectively – finishing 1-2-3.
AJ Lange earned a spot on the podium with his second-place finish in Limited 600. All eight finishers in the F-500 Sport final won by Tanner Lyberg were on Polaris sleds. Lyberg was joined on the podium by Tyler Lyberg in second and Billy DeVault in third. Polaris racers who won Junior class titles were: Danick Lambert, Sorel, Quebec, Junior F-500, 14-15; Brennen Sather, Detroit Lakes, MN, Junior F-500, 11-13; and Jacob Ricci, Wausau, WI, Junior Novice, 10-14.