Elias Ishoel (Boss Racing) put his championship ability on full display this past weekend as he showed just how talented he is and how far he’s willing to push the limits for a win in Rounds 3 and 4 in Dubuque, Iowa.
After a couple of rough qualifying rounds Friday night, Ishoel started from the back row. It didn’t matter. In one of the most impressive runs any rider has delivered in recent memory, Ishoel pushed his sled and the track to the absolute edge as he weaved his way through nearly the entire field to earn his second consecutive victory.
Lincoln Lemieux (Scheuring Speed Sports) used a strong start to power his way to a third-place finish. Fellow X-Team racer Francis Pelletier (Warnert Racing) finished in fourth to give Ski-Doo three of the top five Friday night finishers.
On Saturday Ishoel showed a willingness to try anything and everything to find the best lines, even on the roughest of tracks. That creativity paid dividends as he danced his way around a group of three riders ahead of him, and by halfway through the race, made his way to the lead. Once out front and distanced enough from the pack, Ishoel put it on cruise control over the final few laps to complete the weekend sweep.
Lemieux, who seems to have his starts really dialed in, turned another strong holeshot into a podium finish, claiming third. Daniel Benham (Warnert Racing) came across in fourth giving Ski-Doo Pro racers three riders in the top five for the second time in two nights.
Korbyn Anderson Claims Two Podiums
In what’s shaping up to be the most competitive class in the early going, Kobryn Anderson (Anderson Racing) showed strong with a third-place finish on Friday night. It was his second top-five finish in as many rounds.
Saturday’s action was a repeat performance from Anderson with another third-place finish. He showed amazing consistency through extremely rough conditions. Coming off a torn ACL just a season ago, three top-five finishes in the first four rounds of racing should have the rest of field taking notice.
Brodeur, Andersen Repeat Wins
The Pro Women’s class has a new overall points leader after Rounds 3 and 4 as Malene Andersen turned in a fantastic weekend of racing to leave Iowa with the red points leader’s plate.
First, it was defending champion Megan Brodeur putting in a trademark performance on Friday night as she powered from fourth place into a lead she wouldn’t relinquish. Andersen led early on, but by lap five, Brodeur had stalked her way to the lead and the pair would give the Ski-Doo team a 1-2 finish in Round 3. Makenna Kleiman finished a strong race for a top-five finish.
Andersen capped off her weekend with a dominant second win of the season. Right from the drop of the green flag it was all Andersen. Going wire-to-wire delivering her second win and fourth podium in the first four rounds for the overall points lead. She leads Brodeur by a mere three points as the series moves to Rounds 5 and 6 in Deadwood, S.D., January 29-30.
Kleiman continued to challenge the favorites and followed up her fifth-place finish on Friday with a second-place finish on Saturday for her first podium finish of the season.
Sport Racers Ignite Iowa
Ski-Doo Sport class racers continued to deliver round after round of strong performances. They put their skills on show Friday night with a podium sweep.
Drew Freeland showed he’s ready to contend in his second year of Sport racing by claiming the checkered flag. He was followed across the line by Emeric Legendre and Kyle Kunstman to complete the Ski-Doo trifecta.
Saturday’s action featured another trio of Ski-Doo racers turning in a top-five ride. Led by Kunstman in third – his fourth straight podium to start the season – Jake Boutwell and Adam Ashline finished fourth and fifth respectively to cap the strong weekend in the Sport Class.
Podiums Continue
Congratulations to the following Ski-Doo racers who reached the podium in their classes.
Steve Martin – Pro Am +30, 2nd
Kellen Chapuran – Sport Lite Round 3, 1st / Sport Lite Round 4, 1st
Josh Connolly – Sport Lite Round 3, 3rd / Jr 16-17, 1st / Jr 14-15, 2nd
Justin Sisti – Sport Lite Round 4, 3rd
Domenic Hegmen – Jr 16-17, 2nd / Jr 14-15, 1st
Jimmy Stanisich – Transition 8-10, 1st
Kenny Goike – Transition 9-13, 2nd / Jr 10-13, 2nd
Lainie King – Jr Girls 9-13, 3rd
Steven Max – Jr 14-15, 3rd
