Matt Ritchie chases two time world Champion Malcolm
Chartier through turn 4 during the 2014 Ironwood Snowmobile Olympus. Brad Malmgren Photography

Ironwood, Michigan (December 30, 2014) – The 2015 Ironwood Snowmobile Olympus is here! After an eight week battle with Mother Nature, which included more than 120 inches of snow, rain, and temperatures below zero and well above freezing, Red’s Auto of Ironwood and Northern Clearing of Ashland and proud to announce the Ironwood Snowmobile Olympus is finally here.

Beginning with practice on the afternoon of Friday, Jan. 2, ice oval racers from four provinces in Canada, and more than 15 states will converge on the fast and historic ½ mile track at the Gogebic County Fairgrounds in Ironwood. The regular racing program begins both Saturday and Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. with more than 50 races scheduled for both days. Each day, the racing program culminates with the TLR Cup final and 12 of the nation’s premier drivers race 15 laps for their share of more than $120,000 in season long points money. Speeds in excess of 100 mph are common with these drivers.

In addition, 30 other classes of both vintage and late model sleds will be competing over the weekend. One of the special events includes the Jim Adema Memorial Cup race on Saturday. Heat races and semis in the Adema Memorial take place Saturday morning with the final being run in the afternoon. (Jim Adema was killed in a racing accident in December of 1975 while racing in Ironwood.) Jim’s former wife, Patty (Adema) Senneker will return to Ironwood for the first time since Jim’s death to present the winner of the race with a special trophy and $1,000 in cash.

The second special event race is the “Wizard Dash for Cash” to be held on Sunday. Racers in the vintage 340 IFS class will be racing for an additional $2,150 in prize money with $750 going to the winner and additional money paid all the way through fifth place. The “Wizard Dash for Cash” race honors local race supporter Keith “The Wizard” Ladwig who passed away in 2014. Keith and his family are longtime supporters of snowmobile racing. Through the generous support of the Ladwig family, 4 Seasons Forest Products, Ponsse North America, Hoeft Construction, South Shore Oil, Extreme Tool and Dale’s Automotive, the Dash for Cash became a reality.

There is a ton to see and do at the Ironwood Snowmobile Olympus in 2015. You can get out of the cold by stopping by the heated multi-purpose building where you will find hot food, a full bar, warm bathrooms, vendors, including FXR, Amsoil, and more.

Finally, we want everyone to have a chance at some free cash. So during the TLR Cup Final each day (roughly 3:00 or 3:15 p.m.) simply be in the grandstand during the final race for a chance at two round trip tickets from Ironwood to Chicago (courtesy of Air Choice One), one $50 bill, or one $100 bill. Just be in the grandstand for a chance to win.

More information is available on the race website and by following the race Facebook page. See you at the track; the fast and historic ½ mile – “Where Legends Race!”

Fertile, Minnesota (December 26, 2014) – The traditional season opener for Christian Brothers Racing cross-country riders takes place on a frozen lake located about four hours North of Minneapolis. While the location is remote, the drama and competition at the Gerald Dyrdahl Memorial Pine Lake is as intense as you’ll find in any form of racing anywhere. With little snow, the 11-mile course laid out on Pine Lake near Gonvick, Minnnesota, was pure ice lemans racing with twisty turns broken up with wide-open straight-aways.

Zach Herfindahl

Sled setup is key at Pine Lake, and Christian Brothers Racing’s Zach Herfindahl came prepared in the Pro Open class, taking the win in the five-lap, 55-mile race and setting a blistering fast lap of 8:30.145, over six seconds faster than second place. In fact, Herfindahl’s fast lap in Pro Open was the fastest lap of weekend.

In Pro 600, Herfindahl won one of the qualifying races and finished seventh in the other earning a spot on the front row for the heads-up start. A total of 23 riders divided into four starting rows took to the line to start the nine-lap, 100-mile race. On green, Herfindahl slotted his DRIFT Racing Arctic Cat into the top five and remained there for most of the race, even leading briefly after the mandatory fuel stop. After 100-miles of grueling ice racing he earned a fourth place finish, one spot off the podium.

“We had the speed in Pro Open, our Arctic Cat was really laying down some fast laps,” said Herfindahl. “It feels good to get a win right out of the gate. Our mechanics Hector Olson and Corey Berberich worked really hard to put me on a good sled. This is a great start to our season.”

Ryan Trout

New to the Christian Brothers Racing cross-country team this season, Ryan Trout is also in his rookie season as a Semi-Pro rider on the cross-country circuit. One of the most competitive classes in the sport, Trout faced 27 other riders in the 44-mile Semi-Pro 600 race and landed a seventh place finish. The Semi-Pro Improved class ran a 50-mile race and Trout scored a top five there, coming in fifth overall.

“Moving up to Semi-Pro is a big jump, but Christian Brothers Racing puts together a good Arctic Cat snowmobile so I know I have the equipment to win,” said Trout. “I’m happy with how the weekend went. It’s a long season and we can build off this.”

On a weekend off from racing snocross, DOC 360/DRIFT Racing/Arctic Cat rider Logan Christian came out to race the Pro class at Pine Lake. Christian finished 10^th in Pro Open and 18^th in Pro 600.

Logan Christian

“I’ve raced cross-country before, but every time I come out here I’m really impressed with how fast every one of these guys are,” said Christian. “I spend most of my time training and preparing for snocross, but it sure is fun to do some of this high-speed cross-country racing.”

The USXC would like to welcome you to our 3^rd Annual J&K Marine Beach Bar 200 on January 3, 2015, in Detroit Lakes, MN, at the beautiful Holiday Inn. With racing set to begin at 9:00 a.m., we are anticipating record number of entries with another exhilarating performance between the top manufacturers.

This will be a one day event, lemans style ice racing with the top 24 sleds in both Semi-Pro and Pro going heads up in the final heats. The course will be laid out 10 miles long with high speed straight-aways and tight corners. Live broadcast will be available on 88.1 FM in the Detroit Lakes area and viewing of the race can be seen at the Holiday Inn Beach Bar or on the lake.

An autograph session with some of the top USXC Pro drivers will be held at the Holiday Inn on Friday, January 2 starting at 6:00 p.m., with a drawing taking place for your chance to win race apparel, USXC gear and more.

Come out and support your local sponsors and watch some electrifying snowmobile racing by the top drivers in the country!

Santa didn’t bring you or your aspiring racer exactly what he or she wanted this Christmas? Well ERX is coming to the rescue with our annual Learn 2 Ride Clinic. We just had a few spaces open up and we will accept registrations until Monday at 4:00pm.

The ERX Learn 2 Ride Clinic provides young riders the tools to become a better rider on the track and build character off the track, as some of the best riders in the country mentor young riders by showing them how to improve their skills on the track, and sharpen their mind off it.

Join us this December 30th at ERX Motor Park for the return of our Learn 2 Ride Clinic and join top riders including Robbie Malinoski, Andrew Carlson, Jake Scott, Cody Thomsen and others for a full day of riding, drills, and tips designed to help improve your performance.

Designed for both 120 riders and up and coming young adult racers, the Learn 2 Ride Clinic is just $150 for ages 9 and up, and $125 for 120 riders. The fee includes a full day of lessons, open practice times, and lunch/autographs with the pros.

But you better hurry, space is limited and filling fast. Visit our website at http://www.erxmotorpark.com/ for details or simply email us to register online.

The Polaris AXYS^TM platform carried Polaris cross-country snowmobile racers to victory at the USXC season opener as Ryan Faust (Faust Racing) won the Pro Stock final and Justin Tate (2-Eight Motorsports) reached the podium twice in the Pro classes. Polaris racers also earned podium spots with top-three finishes in Semi-Pro and Women’s classes December 20-21 near Gonvick, Minnesota.

Top Polaris racers are running in USXC races this winter on the Polaris RUSH® AXYS^TM platform. The innovative, rider-balanced sled features the PRO-XC^TM progressive-rate rear suspension, and it delivers unrivaled acceleration the racers put to good use in racing on Pine Lake.

AXYSTM Platform Dominates Pro Classes

Polaris racers piloting RUSH models built on the AXYS^TM platform, totally dominated the Pro classes at Gonvick. In the Pro Stock class final that Ryan Faust won, all seven Polaris racers in the final scored top-10 finishes. Justin Tate (2-Eight Motorsports) finished third in Pro Stock, Gabe Bunke (Bunke Racing) was fifth, Travis Faust (Faust Racing) was sixth, Bobby Menne (131 Racing) – who missed most of last season with an injury – was seventh, Spencer Kadlec (Bunke Racing) was ninth, and Mike Morgan (Bunke Racing) finished 10th. Morgan is racing selected USXC events before returning to race in Alaska, where he teamed with Chris Olds to finish third in last winter’s Iron Dog race.

Tate earned a second podium finish when he finished third in Pro Open. He was one of five Polaris racers in the top eight, as he was followed by: Ryan Faust in fifth, Travis Faust in sixth, Gabe Bunke in seventh, and Nicholas Jahnke in eighth.

Hetteen & Bunke Reach Podium in Semi-Pro

Alex Hetteen (131 Racing) and Taylor Bunke (Bunke Racing) ran well in the weekend’s Semi-Pro races, and they earned two top-four finishes in both finals. In Semi-Pro Improved, Hetteen finished third and Bunke took fourth, while Grant Weber (Faust Racing) was eighth, and Nels Wicklund finished 13th. In the Semi-Pro 600 final, Bunke reached the podium with a third-place finish and Hetteen took fourth.

Polaris racer Jill Tangen won the Women’s class, and Kelsey Pladson (Bunke Racing) took third. Anne Pladson (Bunke Racing) finished fourth, Brittany Christensen (Christensen Racing) was sixth, and Kalley Bardson was seventh.

Polaris racer Robert Loire won the Sport 600 Stock race and finished second in Sport 600 Open, and Andrew Diekmann took second place in the Trail class.

The next race on the USXC schedule will be held January 3, 2015, in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.