Christian Brothers Racing Report: Team Wins USCC Pro Titles

Christian Brothers Racing cross-country riders put a stamp on their 2012 USCC cross-country race season at the Warroad 100 and Warroad 75 this past March 10-11.

The team’s two Pro 600 victories on the weekend made it five of six for the season, proving the team’s dominance on the circuit. An even bigger stamp was CBR riders Ryan Simons winning his second consecutive Pro 600 points championship and D.J. Ekre locking down the Pro Open points championship after winning four of six Pro Open races on the season and his first Pro Open points championship since he won it in 2010.

In a winter that saw unseasonably warm temperatures and extremely low snowfall, CBR riders followed the USCC circuit onto frozen laketops for four of its seven events. Proving its adaptability in both setup and riding, the team nabbed all but one of the victories on the ice. When the circuit met the more familiar terrain-style racing of Northern Minnesota and Eastern North Dakota CBR riders proved unbeatable, winning all of the terrain-oriented Pro 600 and Pro Open races.

At Warroad the team once again took to the ice, racing on the frozen surface and snow-filled shorelines of Lake of the Woods, located on the border between Minnesota and Canada. Brian Dick, fresh off finishing his first ever Iron Dog cross-country race, claimed the Pro 600 win during Saturday’s Warroad 100 event. Dick’s Troy Lee Designs Arctic Cat finished nearly 11-seconds clear of the second place rider to take his second class win of the season. After sealing the Pro Open points championship in his favor earlier in the day on Sunday, Ekre claimed his second Pro 600 win of the season aboard his Stud Boy-backed Arctic Cat, posting a time just over half a minute faster than his teammate and second place finisher Simons. But it was Simons who took home the biggest prize of the weekend, his second consecutive Pro 600 points championship.

“This is unbelievable,” says Simons. “When I first came out cross-country racing I never thought I’d be winning points championships five years later, no less two of them! This just shows the support I have from Christian Brothers Racing, they are the reason I can go out and win.”

“We race to win, and we won our fair share of USCC races this season,” says team co-owner Dwight Christian. “I’m really proud of the team. It’s been a crazy season with the low snow conditions and having to go ice racing – they did such a great job adapting to the season. They all came together and made the season a huge success bringing home the points championships.”

Just north of Minneapolis, Minn., the other half of the CBR team was battling it out at the ISOC ERX National snocross race in Elk River, Minnesota. Logan Christian was forced to sit out the weekend as his bruised lungs needed more time to heal. Garth Kaufman, who has been fighting two bruised heels and a bruised spleen, suffered a dislocated elbow during Friday’s racing, ending his season. That left Cory Davis to battle it out alone and he represented the team well with a hard-fought seventh place finish during Saturday night’s Pro Open final.

Evan Christian won the 120 Champ final after he took the lead on the last lap of the race. Christian made an exciting pass for the lead in the last corner before the finish line after tailing the leader for most of the race. Christian also took a second place podium finish in the Transition Limited 8-12 class.

Next up for Christian Brothers Racing is the ISOC Nielsen Enterprises Grand Finale in Lake Geneva, Wis., March 16-18, 2012. For more information on Christian Brothers Racing visit www.christianbrosracing.com.