Photo: www.race-pix.com
Fertile, Minn. (February 6, 2012) – The Soo I-500 enduro race is a 500-mile race held on a 1-mile ice oval in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., and is one of the most prestigious and grueling races in snowmobiling. The 44th annual event took place this past Saturday, February 4, and Christian Brothers Racing riders D.J. Ekre and Ryan Simons were on hand to pilot the No. 52 sled as well Brian Dick, who teamed up with fellow Arctic Cat racers Chad Lian and Gary Moyle to ride the No. 66 sled.
Ekre and Dick are Soo veterans but hadn’t raced at the storied track for years. They proved they had lost none of their speed, qualifying 20th and 21st in the 38-sled field and both sleds moved quickly to the front of the pack once the race began. With warm temperatures and four days of racing, qualifying and practice on the track leading up to race day, the track had deteriorated and within 100 laps of the race there was dirt coming through in more than a few spots. As the race wore on the track got worse and riders fought dirt and rough conditions, which proved perfect for cross-country veterans like Dick, Simons, Ekre and Lian.
As the race headed into the closing laps the No. 52 sled of Ekre and Simons was one of only two sleds still on the lead lap. They gave chase to the lead sled but ran out of laps, settling for second place just 16.475-seconds behind after completing 500-laps. The No. 66 sled with Dick aboard finished in 4th place, just two laps behind the leaders.
“It’s been a few years since I raced at the Soo and we didn’t have much prep or test time,” said Ekre. “I couldn’t believe how well things went for us. It’s a testament to the build and design of the Arctic Cat Sno Pro 600 race sled and the hard work of our crew.”
Ryan Simons and D.J. Ekre
Soo machines typically have a number of modifications to handle the rigors of racing 500-miles on the ice oval, but the No. 52 machine of Ekre and Simons featured surprisingly few upgrades. Other than a track, re-valved shocks, a Speedwerx engine and various mods required for enduro racing such as a tunnel enclosure and special handlebars, the team’s Arctic Cat Sno Pro 600 was a stock machine.
“It was It was a great weekend for Christian Brothers Racing as well as Arctic Cat, Drift Racing, Troy Lee Designs, Stud Boy, and all our other sponsors,” said team co-owner Dwight Christian. “Watching D.J. and Ryan do so well their first time together at the Soo along with Corey, Hector, and Brian as their mechanics was a lot of fun. Nine-and-a-half hours is a long time to keep a sled running!”
Next up the Christian Brothers Racing team will travel to Pontiac, Michigan, to compete in the ISOC Michigan National snocross race. Then they travel to Grafton, ND, to compete in the USCC Grafton 100 cross-country race on February 12. For more info on Christian Brothers Racing visit www.christianbrosracing.com.
