Polaris Racing Report: Eagle River World Championships

Polaris snowmobile racers were out in force at the 50th running of the Eagle River World Championship Snowmobile Derby as they won all four major snocross features, packed the field for the World Championship on the Derby ice oval, and won the Factory 600 title on the oval.

Polaris racer Ross Martin (Judnick Motorsports) dominated the Derby’s snocross competition and won the Pro Open snocross features on Friday night and Sunday. Fellow Polaris racer Johan Lidman (Carlson Motorsports) finished third on Sunday.

In Pro-Lite snocross racing, Polaris racers Andrew Lieders (Lieders Racing/Leighton Motorsports), Jake Scott (Team LaVallee), and Zak Mason (Z.M.R.) finished 1-2-3, respectively, on Friday night. On Sunday, Scott won the Pro-Lite feature and Lieders finished second.

On the Derby’s famous banked ice oval on Friday night, Polaris racer Nick Van Strydonk (T&N Racing), the 2012 Eagle River World Champion, won the Factory 600 feature and finished second in the Champ 440 feature.

Five racers on Polaris-powered race sleds qualified for the 12-sled World Championship that was run on Sunday afternoon. Jordan Wahl (Jimmy John’s/Wahl Bros./Polaris Racing) battled for the lead throughout the event and held the lead for about a lap late in the race before fading brakes cost him the lead. In just his second season competing in the championship class (Champ 440), Jordan Wahl finished second in the World Championship, just .094 seconds behind the winner.

Dustin Wahl (Jimmy John’s/Wahl Bros./Polaris Racing) finished fourth in the World Championship, and teammate Brandon Johnson (Jimmy John’s/Wahl Bros./Polaris Racing) finished seventh. Van Strydonk was slowed by poor restarts during the race that had multiple interruptions, and he finished eighth. Matt Ritchie (Ritchie Motorsports) finished 12th.