50th Anniversary Arctic Cat Cup

Miika Lammi Captures Europe’s First Crown Jewel Of 2023

By: Bruce Gaspardi Jr.

Östersund Motorstadion in Östersund, Sweden holds the Arctic Cat Cup. It is one of the biggest races in Europe and the exhibition race always kicks off the race season, no points given, only bragging rights for a year. Östersund sits at around the same latitude as Iceland and Anchorage, 7 hours north of Capital Sweden’s capital of Stockholm. There the sun rose at 9:07am and set at 3:15pm over the course of the weekend. Practice would take place before the sun came up and the finals would take place as the sun set. 

With over 150 racers and divided up into eight classes. No rider is allowed to enter more than one class. The eight classes consisted of a 200cc class, 12-14 Juniors, 14-16 Juniors, 12-16 Womens, 600 Super Fan, Pro Womens, Pro Stock, and Pro Open. 

The race format included two rounds of qualifying on Saturday with the top 24 racers in each class moving onto the semi-finals Sunday. Those racers would be divided into two 12 rider semi-finals with the top 5 from each transferring directly to the final. The final two places in the final would be filled by the fastest two total times in the semi-finals. Finals would be 15 laps for the pro classes. 

In the states if you false start, sometimes they just push you back in line, other times you go to the back row. Here in Sweden if you jump the start, you must shut the snowmobile off, stand up and hold the tether in your hand until the light goes out. If there is a backrow in the race, you must move to the backrow and then do the same. Even with that severe penalty there were more than 30 false starts over the course of the weekend, the racers were excited to get the season going. 

The track was on the shorter side which was added an extra degree of difficulty for racers and resulted in added excitement for fans. Pro Open & Pro Stock racers were all turning sub 30 second laps, so it didn’t take long for the leaders to come up on lap traffic. The qualifiers and semi-finals were eight laps, the finals 15. 

The drivers meeting was held Saturday morning after everyone had practiced and the consensus among drivers is that the track needed to be changed. There was a chicane on the back stretch and one lane had a single which sent you directly into the other lane which would have been extremely dangerous. The officials took that constructive feedback and spent well over an hour changing the entire backstretch to make it safer for everyone. 

In the Pro Open class there were 24 entries with some familiar names to the folks back home. John Stenberg on his Lynx spent multiple seasons in the USA splitting time between the Warnert and Bauerly camps. Emil Hansson spent a season in the states for Team Southside Polaris and won a Pro Lite championship on the East Coast Snocross tour. Gustav Sahlsten, Tore Gustavson, and Magnus Reiten have some spent time stateside as well. 

It was Gustav Sahlsten who just competed for Green Mountain Racing at Canterbury, rushed back home to be here. He was the man to beat Saturday after he swept both of his qualifying rounds with Open class rookie Gustaf Lindgren in second place with a (1-3) in qualifying and Axel Johansson, Mille Andersson and Martin Johansson rounding out the top 5. The track was tight but the start line was twelve drivers wide. 

The first turn claimed many throughout Saturday including Hansson, Reiten, and Lunden among others. Then there was the backstretch. A deep rhythm section like you would see at an ISOC national where whole sleds and racers disappear and then reappear. The problem, at no fault of the Arctic Cat Cup was that the rhythm section was pointed due South. Being so far North, the sun never gets overly high in the sky over the course of the day. That said it was pointed directly into the racers faces all weekend as they tried to navigate the rhythm section, coupled with heavy doses of thick snow-dust that lingered in the air as there was no wind. It made that section of the track extremely tricky, and it claimed multiple racers all weekend long. 

While they didn’t have much time to groom Saturday, they did maintain the start area and first turn very well. The preparation before the race showed as well because even with frigid temps all weekend, the top layer of the track was soft and mealy all weekend which made for a safer landing when someone crashed. 

In the Pro Stock qualifying it was Albin Persson with a (2-1) that earned him top qualifier for the semi-finals. He was followed by Håkon Berge, Myrsky Rissanen, Linus Eriksson, and Oscar Nikula. 

The Pro Womens class saw Hilda Öhman (Elina Öhman’s sister who raced at ISOC) take the top honors in qualifying with a (1-2), clearly speed and talent run in the family. Then it was Thea Arnesson, Polaris Sweden’s Wilma Jonsson, Davina Backteman, and Ida Rosell. 

In Super Fan 600 I believe the newest sled on the line was a 2011 Polaris 550 fan. Some of these legends of the sport put on quite the show for everyone as they bashed their way around the track. The sights and sounds of the sleds definitely took you back in time. Mikael Yngvesson won both rounds of the qualifying, followed by Rickard Nilsson, Johan Svelander, Tomas Härgestam, and John-Erik Jonsson. 

Junior 14-16 was dominated by Topi Rinne who won both his qualifiers. Behind him was the 126 of Aleksi Poykko, Gustav Vesterlund, Vertti Kaihua, and Liam Larsson.

Womens 12-16 was a brand-new class this year and had 10 ladies on the start line. Elise Jonsson swept qualifying, with Victoria Laine finishing 2^nd in both qualifiers, and then it was Elisabeth Kjellmann, Nelly Eriksson and Ronja Brännström. 

Both rounds of Junior 12-14 were won by Linus Staff. Leo Öhlin, Peetu Joutsen, Oliver Bröyt, and Isak Persen. The 200 stock class had 30 entries but due to the rules in Europe and or Sweden, racers of that age don’t have finishes recorded/scored. They got 3 rounds of racing both days and all 30 of them got medals after racing was finished. 

The race director Micke Björch and his great crew of volunteers spent much of the evening and early morning hours making adjustments to the track for Sunday. The amount of pride they had for their event was incredible and it showed the effort and great attitude everyone involved had! 

When we showed up in the morning darkness for practice, the ultra-bright LED lights illuminated the entire track and showed a reworked rhythm section which really allowed the racers to find a much better flow then what was possible on Saturday. That combined with being on schedule allowed them to groom more frequently and between every final in the afternoon. It was shaping up for a great day of racing. 

The first semi-final for Pro Open had multiple favorites in it including Tore Gustavson, Reiten, Stenberg, Sahlsten, and Lunden. Turn one collected Sahlsten and Lunden putting Sahlsten a lap down and Lunden out. It was Tore with the holeshot but he would soon be passed by Miika Lammi. Stenberg came around 9^th after lap one and had work to do. Only the top 5 were guaranteed a spot in the final. Miika would hold onto the lead and take the semi-final win. Martin Johansson would come home second, Reiten third, Tore Gustavson 4^th and John Stenberg made his way up to 5^th to punch his ticket to the final. Sahlsten set the fastest lap of 22.193 but it finishing a lap down sealed his fate and put an end to his Arctic Cat Cup. 

The next twelve were on the line for the second Pro Open semi-final. Emil Hansson who had tough luck in both qualifiers but that all changed in the semi. The #61 rocketed off the line and never looked back, leading from flag to flag. It wasn’t a total walk in the park as rookie sensation Gustaf Lindgren kept pace the whole race and finished 2^nd, just two seconds behind Hansson. The other three spots on the front row would be filled by Aki Pesonen, Mille Andersson, and Anton Lindström who rounded out the top five. The two spots on the backrow would be filled by Jonas Laakkonen and Axel Johansson from the first semi as they had the best total times. 

In Pro Stock It was Oscar Nikula grabbing the holeshot in the first semi final and leading flag to flag. Myrsky Rissanen stayed on his heels and finished 2^nd. Vidar Noreén Berg, Rasmus Andersson and Joni Komulainen all moved on to the final. In semi-final number two it was the Arctic Cat of Linus Pettersson with a great start and held on to win it. Jonathan Nilsson had a great race and finished second, with Simon Kjellmann, Riku Lauhaluoma, and Felix Andersson complete the top 5. Oliver Håkensen and Linus Eriksson would make it through to the backrow of the final on total race time. 

The Pro Womens semi-final saw Hilda Öhman continue her dominance as she grabbed the holeshot would win by over 7 seconds. Backteman and Arnesson would battle for 2^nd place with Thea Arnesson making the pass and making it stick. Backteman held on for 3^rd, Wilma Jonsson and Ida Rosell would finish 4^th and 5^th. 

The Superfan 600 class continued to put on a show in their semi-final with Rickard Nilsson edging out Mikael Yngvesson by 3 tenths of second for the win. Johan Svelander would finish 5 seconds back in 3^rd, Olle Segervald and Tomas Härgestam rounded out the to five. 

The 12-16 Womens semi-final saw Elise Jonsson earn yet another win in her strive to sweep the weekend winning by over 10 seconds. Elisabeth Kjellmann came home in second, Ronja Brännström in her vibrant Scott gear 3^rd by just a half second over 4^th place Pernille Andersen and Nelly Eriksson completed the top 5. 

Semi-final one of the Junior 14-16 saw top qualifier Topi Rinne disqualified along with Onni Niskala. Viggo Bogg would go on to take the win with a 4 second gap over Gustav Vesterlund. Niklas Vanhatalo, Odin Kjellmann Kristiansen, and Niklas Ollila all transferred to the final. Semi-final two saw Finnish racer Emil Hertén win by over 5 seconds to second place Vertti Kaihua. Emil Pettersson was 3rd, Atte Vanhatalo 4th, and Hampus Höglund who just competed at the ISOC nationals finished 5^th. Aleksi Pöykkö and Nicolai Wangensteen made it into the final on total time. 

The Junior 12-14 semis saw Linus Staff kept his perfect streak going with another win on the weekend. Oliver Åneskog finished in second place and Peetu Joutsen 3^rd. Isak Persen and Eeverti Liuska grabbed the last to guaranteed transfer spots. In the second semi-final Oliver Bröyt led flag to flag for the win. Leo Öhlin and Max Andersson battled right to the finish for the 2^nd and 3^rd. Alf Granberg and William Brannstrom would round out the top five. Martin Mediå and Ted Naarttijärvi would make it in on total time. 

With the semi-finals over it was time for the track crew and volunteers to take their lunch break and warm up. While that was happening, they had some ice oval racing going on next door. Then it was time for the finals. The Superfan class was 6 laps, Juniors 8, and all Pro classes 15. 

12-14 Juniors was up first with Peetu Joutsen getting the holeshot. Top qualifier Linus Staff would come around the first lap in third position, making his way past Isak Persen for second place a couple laps into the final. That’s the way the top three would finish with Joutsen winning, Staff and Persen on the podium as well. Oliver Åneskog and Alf Granberg would round out the top 5.

The 14-16 Juniors were up next, and it was Vertti Kaihau followed by Höglund and Vanhatalo through the first turn. Kaihua would begin to stretch out his lead immediately with the rest jostling for position behind him. The race would turn sour for Höglund about halfway through the final when he came off the sled, ending his chances for podium. Kaihau would go onto win the final by a gap of over 10 seconds. Atte Vanhatalo would come home in second and Gustav Vesterlund after a mid-pack start would make his way onto the podium in 3^rd place. Emil Hertén and Niklas Vanhatalo would complete the top 5. 

Womens 12-16’s Elise Jonsson grabbed another holeshot and never looked back. She has great pace all weekend long and capped it off with a win the final. Pernille Andersen would hold onto her 2^nd place the entire final and Elisabeth Kjellmann would finish 3^rd. Nelly Eriksson would have a nice finish to her weekend coming home 4^th and Ronja Brännström would finish 5^th. 

Mikael Yngvesson was determined to win the Superfan 600 final after Rickard Nilsson grabbed the win in the semi-final. Yngvesson grabbed the holeshot and fought off multiple attacks from Nilsson throughout the 6 lap final. Yngvesson would get the win, Nilsson in 2^nd, and Johan Svelander in 3^rd. Tomas Hargestam and John-Erik Jonsson would be 4^th and 5^th respectfully. 

The stage was then set for the Pro Womens final with Hilda Öhman as the top qualifier. The line was set, when Elvira Lindh jumped the start on her Arctic Cat and was sent to the backrow. Then with everyone ready the light went out and it was Thea Arnesson edging out Öhman through turn one. Arnesson making use of the clean air slowly built up about a two second lead over Öhman during the first six laps. Then she began to encounter lap traffic which allowed Öhman to come right back to her rear bumper. The two of them kept slicing their way through the lap traffic one after another as they clicked off laps. Then around laps 12 and 13 Öhman was able to put a ski up beside her through the rhythm section, but Arnesson ignored the pressure and was able to pick up the win by just over 1 second. Öhman would finish a hard-fought 2^nd and Davina Backteman would finish 3^rd. Ida Rosell would finish in the 4^th position, Venla Kauvosaari 5^th. 

The Pro Stock final saw Vidar Noreén Berg lead the first lap with Joni Komulainen and Linus Eriksson in tow. Eriksson would make his way past Komulainen on lap 5 and set his sights on the lead Berg. Meanwhile, deep in the field Linus Pettersson had started making his way through the field at quite a pace. By lap 6 he had moved himself all the way into the 3^rd position with over half the race to go. Eriksson would grab the lead from Berg on lap 10 as they started coming into heavy lap traffic lap after lap. The following lap Pettersson would move past Berg into 2^nd place and the chase was on with less then five laps to go. You could hear the anticipation building in the crowd as the gap between them shrunk lap by the lap. Then on the last lap, they would exit turn one side by side and Pettersson found more speed to pass Eriksson through the rhythm section heading into turn three. The crowd erupted, but just then Eriksson pushes him wide and takes the lead back! Pettersson cuts back to the inside and tries to return the favor in turn four as they head for the finish, but just can’t get far enough along side him. Eriksson jets away one last time over the finish to take the win by less than a second over Pettersson. Berg would finish 3^rd over 8 seconds behind the front duo. Oscar Nikula and Joni Komulainen would finish 4^th and 5^th. 

Now it was time for the main event, Mille Andersson would be the first one to the corner but Miika Lammi would cut to the inside and pass him through the rhythm section before the end of the lap 1. Emil Hansson and John Stenberg were buried in the field after lap one coming around in 10^th and 11^th. On lap 2 Martin Johansson would make his way into second place, moving past Andersson. Magnus Reiten would move into third place on lap 12 while Lammi and Johansson were out of his reach. Lammi would lead flag to flag to win his first ever Pro Open final at Arctic Cat Cup. The Finnish rider was ecstatic after coming off the track. Johansson would come home 2^nd and Reiten 3^rd. Hansson would be the hard charger of the race, coming from way back in 10^th up to 4^th place, Andersson would be 5^th, and Stenberg recovered to 6^th. 

In less than two weeks with three days of great racing lined up in Boden, Sweden. With a dominator style race Friday night, followed by the Snowcross Super League Saturday and round 1 of the Swedish Championship Sunday. You can head over to https://www.snowcross.fi/ for information and live streaming!