Story & Photos: Emily Wicklund, Cover Photo: Lynnette Ross
Cor Powersports hosted their first ever terrain race this weekend bringing teams to Park Rapids Minnesota for the Heartland 200. It has been almost two years since a national cross-country series has hosted a terrain race with the last being when USXC visited Warroad Minnesota in 2020. However, Park Rapids is a unique venue where the event can be raced on either the lake or on the wooded trails. The past two years has been ran on ice.
The race course was a 125 miles loop with all sleds from all classes starting one-by-one 10 seconds apart. All classes except younger junior and vintage sleds ran one full 125 mile lap each day. The younger junior and vintage sleds ran a modified half lap.
Shortly after 9 AM, the first sled of Dan Revering got the green flag with Paul Brown, Dustin Dorhn, David Brown, and Charlie Revering rounding out the top five to start. A few former Heartland 200 champs took the green flag further back in the pack. The 2021 winner, Justin Tate, started sixth, The 2020 winner and Aaron Christensen started 12th. The current Pro Stock season points leader, Taylor Bunke started eight and another Park Rapids fan favorite, Zach Herfindahl started tenth. After all the Pro sleds took the green flag, the rest of the classes started behind them.
Dan Revering kept the on track lead through the first wooded section with Paul Brown and now David Brown behind him. Somewhere on the icy logging road, the Ski doo sled of Dustin Dohrn lost handle of his sled, got ejected and was ran over by his sled. He ended up suffering a leg injury and was taken to the local hospital. Charlie Revering came out of the woods fourth and Justin Tate in fifth. Tenth place starting, Zach Herfindahl, worked his way up to seventh.
Sleds then took a ditch section to the small town of Nevis. Dan Revering was still holding the on track lead with David Brown in second, Charlie Revering in third, Justin Tate in fourth, and Zach Herfindahl already up into the top five. Sleds then re-entered the Paul Bunyan trail for a large section of the course.
After 125 miles of racing, Zach Herfindahl worked his way up to the front of the pack and was the first to cross the finish line on day one. David Brown came across second and Dan Revering in third. Since it was a timed event, the order they cross the line may not be the order they finish.
David Brown timed in second with a time of 1:53.48, Dan Revering in third (1:55.41), Justin Tate in fourth (1:56.14), and Aaron Christensen in fifth (1:56.15).
In the Semi Pro division, Cody Wolter was the top sled with his brother Brandon Wolter in second and Boe Bunke in the third spot on all Polaris machines.
On Sunday, sleds started out in their timed finishing order from Saturday with ten seconds between each sled. Herfindahl was the first off the line with D. Brown, D. Revering, Tate, and Christensen rounding out the top five starting sleds.
Herfindahl held a nice lead going into the first wooded section but behind him, the order was being shaken up. Unfortunately, third place running, Dan Revering, had a chain case issue and was forced to DNF just a few miles into day two. Fourth place starter, Justin Tate moved his way up into the second place spot which put David Brown into the third place position. Christensen was then in fourth and Charlie Revering was sitting in fifth.
Racers continued to navigate the wooded course and entered the fuel stop in the same order. Back in the Semi Pro class, Cody Wolter was still holding the lead with Brandon Wolter in second and Evan Peppel in third.
Coming into the last 15 miles, race leader Zach Herfindahl went out with a mechanical issue which resulted in a DNF. This put David Brown into the lead with Aaron Christensen in second and Justin Tate into third.
Christensen was able to make the pass on Brown which put him in the lead on track and was the first to cross the finish line. Tate also got around Brown and came through second with D. Brown coming in third. Sleds were sent to staging for tech and times were calculated to determine final overall winners.
Marshall Busse (Polaris) took the fourth place spot with Paul Brown (Arctic Cat) rounding out the top five. Second place running, Justin Tate, was given a time penalty for “road running” which put him back into the sixth place position overall.
Cor Powersports will take next weekend off as most of the Pro riders will be competing in the Soo I-500 in Sault Ste. Marie Michigan. On February 12th and 13th, Cor will be back in action hosting the cross country Goodridge-Grygla I500.
