On the eve of the first USCC cross-country race of the 2011-2012 season its time for sledracer.com to do its 2012 Cross-Country rider rankings. We picked ten riders and ranked them 1-10, but this list could easily have been longer. To do some of the rest of the talented field justice we have to name some of the riders who didn’t make the list including rookie Pro riders Bobby Menne and Ryan Greening, Cody Kallock and Garth Kaufman. OK, now, on to the rankings!
Ross Erdman will be back on Yamaha for the 2012 season.
10. Ross Erdman
The 2007 Red Lake I-500 winner, Ross Erdman has bounced back and forth between Ski-Doo and Yamaha for the past few seasons and is back with Yamaha for the 2012 season. A tall, strong rider, Erdman has proven he is one of the few riders that can handle the big 4-stroke in cross-country and was on his way to setting fast time of the day with the sled on Day 1 of the 2010 Red Lake I-500 before the primary clutch exploded on his Nytro. He also put in some fast rides in the Pro Open class aboard a modified Nytro that season. Erdman combines technical knowledge with a fearless riding style and when things fall into place he is one of the fastest cross-country riders out there.
Gabe Bunke is a veteran cross-country racer.
9. Gabe Bunke
Much of success in cross-country comes from experience, and Gabe Bunke probably has as much or more than any other rider in the Pro class with the exception of Corey Davidson. Son of famed Polaris racer Jerry Bunke, Gabe is also an accomplished enduro racer and has won the Soo I-500 twice. Bunke has been close to winning the USCC I-500 more a than a few times, finishing second as recently as 2010. While he does better in longer races and the best bet is for him to win the Red Lake I-500, he is a savvy racer and can win at any given event.
Alaskan Tyler Aklestad is Ski-Doo's top cross-country rider.
8. Tyler Aklestad
A seasoned Iron Dog racer, Tyler Aklestad proved his versatility when he traveled south for the USCC race in Grand Forks last season and won Pro Open his first time out. Aklestad fought an injured heel most of last season as well as handling the stress of pulling double duty bouncing between racing the Iron Dog in Alaska and USCC events. A fire at a fuel stop put him out of last year’s Iron Dog after he had a good initial run going. While Aklestad will see more support from Ski-Doo this season on the USCC circuit, he will miss the Red Lake I-500 because he is scheduled to race the Iron Dog. Wherever he is, he will be amongst the leaders on the time charts.
No one has more experience in the Pro class than Corey Davidson.
7. Corey Davidson
Headed into last season Corey Davidson seemed all but washed up. He hadn’t won a USCC race since 2006 and seemed to be struggling. But back-to-back wins at the first two races proved he was not done with cross-country just yet. A three-time cross-country I-500 winner (including a win in 1997 during what was arguably one of the most competitive eras in cross-country) and eight-time Soo I-500 winner, Davidson can safely be ranked among the greatest snowmobile racers of all time. With low snow and some ice races on the schedule this may be the year Davidson makes one last push at a Pro points championship.
Justin Tate should be a stronger threat to win this season.
6. Justin Tate
A former stand out Pro on the National snocross circuit, Justin Tate has a Winter X Games Hillcross medal and a handful of National wins on his resume including having won Pro Stock at the prestigious Duluth National Snocross in 2001. Tate has evolved into a sort of journeyman snowmobile racer and now races Pro snocross, cross-country and enduros. He chalked his first USCC season last year up as a learning experience but even as he learned he logged a USCC Pro 600 win at the Red Lake 75. Tate has yet to show that he can be a threat every weekend, but when the pieces fall into place for him he will be a definite threat to win.
Aaron Christensen is Polaris' best chance to win it all.
5. Aaron Christensen
Arguably Polaris’ top cross-country racer, Aaron Christensen was just 11-points behind the Pro 600 points winner at the end of the 2011 season. Technically savvy and super-talented, Christensen is also a conservative rider and will err on the side of caution before he risks his body or machine. While this may not add up as sure a winning formula as some other riders who accept more risk, it makes Christensen dangerous because you know he is going to finish and finish with a competitive time. He took one USCC Pro 600 win last year at the Warroad 75. With a proven machine and tons of experience, his chances of winning it all are better than ever.
Cory Davis is one of the fastest cross-country riders out there.
4. Cory Davis
While Cory Davis couldn’t be considered a cross-country regular, when he does show up to any given USCC event he’s typically a threat to win. And, as he proved last year, he is also a threat to win the Iron Dog. On the last day of the Iron Dog he and his partner (his dad Scott) got stuck in waist deep snow. They spent a good 10 minutes getting the sleds out and they finished third, 9 minutes back. They don’t get stuck, they win. Davis is fast, he’s smart and he has all the instincts of a great cross-country racer. Put your money on him when he shows up.
D.J. Ekre is overdue to win the Red Lake I-500 as well as the USCC Pro 600 points championship.
3. D.J. Ekre
A veteran cross-country rider who cut his teeth on “old school” style racing, D.J. Ekre has matured into a master of terrain racing. Ekre is often the rider who sets the pace at any given USCC event and last year he won three USCC Pro 600 races, more than any other racer. For the past few years he’s been on the cusp of winning the Pro points championships but history shows that bad luck at the Red Lake I-500 usually kills his championship chances. For example, last year his carburetors iced up and the year before his track came apart while leading (by a good margin) on Day 3. The key to Ekre winning the points is the I-500 – if he does well there, he wins.
Ryan Simons won the USCC Pro 600 points championship in just his fourth season on the circuit.
2. Ryan Simons
The 2011 Pro 600 points champion, Ryan Simons is a relative newcomer to cross-country. Having only raced since 2008, Simons has caught on fast and has adapted so well from snocross that he is now a cross-country only rider for Team Arctic. While Simons is better in the rough, he has proven a fast learner and has gotten on the pace on just about every aspect of terrain. His biggest weakness is his propensity to crash, but he has reduced that as well. If Simons continues down the path of progression he is on watch for him to stay at the top of the heap for years to come.
Brian Dick is the top cross-country rider in the world right now.
1. Brian Dick
While his season was cut short last year at the race in Walker after he crashed and hurt his shoulder, Brian Dick was on his way to one of his best race seasons ever. Even with the injury-shortened season, Dick made a statement at the Red Lake I-500, setting a blistering pace on Day 1 in flat light and continuing that pace on Day 2 despite bitter cold on his way to the win. The advantages on his side and weapons in his arsenal are many. Perhaps the biggest is he is riding a new Procross chassis Arctic Cat, a sled he helped design and engineer so no one is more familiar with it than him. He has no weaknesses and is equally fast no matter the terrain. Though Dick may miss this year’s I-500 because he is scheduled to be racing the Iron Dog in Alaska, there is no doubt he is at the top of his game right now and is hands down the rider to beat.
