Polaris Racers Win Grueling 1,900-Mile Alaska Iron Dog Snowmobile Race in New Record Time
MEDINA, MN (Feb. 16, 2009) – Polaris snowmobiles demonstrated their Terrain Dominating Control as Polaris cross-country racers Todd Minnick and Nick Olstad won the 1,971-mile Tesoro Iron Dog race across Alaska in a new record time. The pair of Wasilla, Alaska, racers finished the race on Saturday, February 14, in Fairbanks in a record time of 37 hours, 19 minutes and 8 seconds on their 2009 Polaris Dragon SP 600 snowmobiles.
With Minnick and Olstad leading the way, four Polaris race teams finished in the top 10 in the Iron Dog Pro class, the most of any manufacturer. The victory gave Polaris its 11th win in 25 Iron Dog races, also the most of any brand.
“This Iron Dog victory is a testament to the quality, reliability and Terrain Dominating Control of our Polaris snowmobiles,” said Snowmobile Division General Manager Scott Swenson. “Todd and Nick really proved their mettle in winning this demanding race, and we’re proud of them for putting Polaris back in the winner’s circle.”
Minnick and Olstad completed the race across punishing Alaskan terrain well ahead of the previous record time of 38:07:57, set in 2007. The winners gave Polaris its first Iron Dog victory since 2001, when Tracey Brassard and Ken Lee teamed up to win.
Minnick and Olstad won a $25,000 purse as well as Polaris contingency rewards with the victory in their second year as Iron Dog teammates. Pro-class racers must run in teams of two on the challenging race course that takes racers across isolated stretches of Alaska backcountry. The 2009 race started on Sunday, February 8, and racers were required to take rest breaks at checkpoints during the week of racing.
World’s Toughest Race Was a Tight Race
The Iron Dog easily lives up to its nickname of “World’s Toughest Snowmobile Race.” Racers run primarily across rough, unpredictable terrain – often in the dark – rather than on a groomed, marked race course. They encounter temperatures of as low as -40 and generate fierce wind chills because they’re racing as fast as possible, sometimes over 100 miles per hour if conditions permit. They deal with everything from deep snow and hard-pack to windblown tundra, from frozen rivers to slush and open water.
In this year’s race, a major storm that blew inland off the Bering Sea knocked four teams out of the race. These racers did not get leave Nome soon enough to get ahead of the storm, which engulfed them in heavy, blowing snow. At least three racers were injured in storm-related crashes, and fellow competitors abandoned the race to offer assistance and ride back to Nome for help.
Iron Dog teams passed through 23 checkpoints along the route and were required to carry survival gear in case they were stranded between checkpoints. To ensure racers get some rest during the weeklong event, they must lay over at least 28 hours during their run from the starting point (Big Lake) to the mid-point in Nome, and they must lay over 18 hours during the second half of the race, from Nome to Fairbanks.
In this year’s Iron Dog, Minnick and Olstad held a lead of more than 30 minutes at the Nome mid-point, but saw that lead dwindle en route to Fairbanks despite running as hard as possible. After leaving Nome on February 10, Minnick and Olstad rode to the village of Galena – 450 miles away – in less than 8 hours, stopping only for fuel. That run is especially impressive considering they did most of it in the dark and had to break trail much of the way.
At one point between Galena and the third-to-last checkpoint in Tanana, Minnick and Olstad were passed and were running in second, but they retook the lead and built a 12-minute margin by the time they reached Tanana. The final sprint to the finish in Fairbanks was run primarily on broken trail, so the eventual winners maintained an impressive average speed and earned a well-deserved victory.
Four Polaris Race Teams Finish in Top 10
Along with the winners, three other Polaris teams finished in the top 10 of the 2009 Iron Dog:
• Mike Morgan, 23, of Anchorage, Alaska, and Tyler Huntington, 23, of Galena, Alaska, finished fifth on a pair of Polaris Dragon SP 600 sleds in 39:57:47.
• Shane Barber, 34, of Anchorage, and Stevan White, 31, of Willow, Alaska, finished seventh on a pair of Polaris sleds in 42:29:07.
• Chris Olds, 37, of Eagle River, Alaska, and Matthew Spernak, 24, of Anchorage, finished 10th on a pair of Polaris Dragon SP 600 sleds in 46:56:29.
In 15th place were Polaris racers Ralph Wright, 61 years young, and teammate James Wilbur, age 42. These Wasilla racers finished in 61:25:28.
Winners Are Long-Time Alaskans
According to the race website (www.irondog.org), Minnick was born and raised in Alaska and has raced in the Iron Dog nine times. He is an equipment operator for Big Dipper Construction. He enjoys spending time with his wife Sharilyn at their cabin. Olstad has lived in Alaska since 1987 and has run the Iron Dog five times. He is a superintendent for Udelhoven Oilfield System Services. His wife Brianne waved the checkered flag as he and Minnick crossed the finish line to claim the victory in Fairbanks.
Minnick’s previous best finish was sixth place in 2005, after which he had three straight DNFs (did not finish). Before teaming up with Olstad last year, Minnick, 29, had raced with now-retired legend John Faeo. Olstad, 26, was on the winning team in 2005, but the 2009 victory is his first Iron Dog win on a Polaris sled. Faeo is an Iron Dog legend who won the event six times on Polaris sleds.
Sponsors for the winning team included: Polaris, A-1 Pawn, All State-Cindi Heal Agency, Big Dipper Construction, Canyon Lake Lodge, Carver Performance, Chris and Cindi Harsh, CMI, Daniel Thibault, Eagle River Polaris, High Performance Engineering, House of Bread, Interstate Battery, John and Vicki Faeo, Ken Lees Iron Dog Café, Mass X, Perkup Espresso, Prime Mechanical, StudBoy, Udelhoven Oilfield System Services, Inc., VFW Post 9365, Walker Evans Racing, Weldin Construction and Woody's.
About Polaris
With annual 2008 sales of $1.9 billion, Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets off-road vehicles (ORVs), including all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and the Polaris RANGER™, snowmobiles and Victory Motorcycles for recreational and utility use. Polaris is a recognized leader in the snowmobile industry, and one of the largest manufacturers of ORVs in the world. Victory Motorcycles, established in 1998 and representing the first all-new American-made motorcycle from a major company in nearly 60 years, are rapidly making impressive in-roads into the cruiser and touring motorcycle marketplace. Polaris also enhances the riding experience with a complete line of Pure Polaris apparel, accessories and parts, available at Polaris dealerships.
Polaris Industries Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PII,” and the Company is included in the S&P Small-Cap 600 stock price index. Information about the complete line of Polaris products, apparel and vehicle accessories, is available from authorized Polaris dealers or anytime from the Polaris homepage at www.polarisindustries.com.
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