By Steph Anderson, Photos: Lynette Ross
Saturday the Pro Open Final had brutal track conditions and only four of the 10 starters finished the race. The top three finishers were all riding Polaris. In first place was Marshall Busse earning his first Pro win, completing the 100 mile course in 1 hour and 39 minutes. Marshall said “It was definitely a dream come true!” Second place went to Aaron Christensen, followed by Justin Tate in third place. Fourth place went to Wes Selby on a Ski Doo.
On Sunday the Pro Factory Stock had Zach Herfendahl back on the top podium spot. After the race Zach said, “the team had a hard fought weekend from the start. Working late into Friday night to be prepared for Saturday all to DNF both our sleds. Hoping for a better day two we started out in the heat race burning a motor down and went into work mode to get that fixed for the pro stock final. Not having many laps on the track I had to learn quickly and ended up getting faster each lap of the final. I charged hard late in the race to get ahead of the guys and we came out with a win. The amount of work that happened this weekend was incredible and if it wasn’t for the team giving it our all on and off the track we never would have pulled this win off.” Second place went to Justin Tate, and third place was David Brown.
Gabby Hallstrom fought her way to her first Pro Women’s Class this weekend. She said “It was a great weekend! The venue was perfect, the course was challenging but that is what made it fun and exciting. It was fun battling with fellow competitors.” The women’s class had a two day combined time to determine the podium spots. Second place was Savannah Landrus and third place went to Mckenna Cloose.
COR Powpersports competitor, Eric Christensen has a son Jared Christensen who races Vet 30+ and Grandson Oliver Olson who races the Sport Classes. Saturday as Jared and Oliver were finishing their races Eric was starting his last leg of the Iron Dog Race in Alaska. Eric has been racing the 2500 mile Iron Dog Race since Friday February 17th, and finished Saturday earning the coveted “Veteran” title. Oliver is very proud of his Grandpa. He said “Our family has three generations of racers, and we all support each other. My Grandpa has been a big influence on me and my racing.” When asked if Oliver wants to race the Iron Dog he said he wants to talk to his Grandpa first and see what he advises.
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Other first place finishes at the Walker 200 were Boe Bunke in Semi Pro Classes, Jon Arneson in Pro Vet 35+, Oliver Olson in Sports Classes, Adam Brandt in Trail, Adam Brandt in Vet 30+, Jon Arneson in Masters 40+, Jon Arneson in Masters 50+, Aaden Olson in Expert 600 Limited, Bennett Iverson in Jr 10 -13, Reese Novacek in Jr Girls 10 – 13, Elliot Clark in Jr 14 – 17, Katie Clark in Jr Girls 14 – 17, and Kyle Kozel in Classic.
