Angry ginger Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 Looks like the second team from Maine DOw/Grindle is scratching due to accident damage from last night. Sucks to be taken out by another team not the elements. Hopefully Lessards will keep doing what they do which is ride a steady pace and don't break stuff to have a good finish, it's how they beat the Team Maine racing guys at the Caines quest. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKIQPilot Posted February 21, 2017 Author Share Posted February 21, 2017 A few updates this morning. Team 22 has scratched in Galena. Extreme cold has caused frostbite that race officials will not allow them to continue with and risk permanent damage. I couldnt be prouder of their effort under these terrible conditions, the attrition will be high today as the drivers and machines deal with this. I will post more when I talk to Kurt and Dieter. Team 13 is on the trail to Kaltag and the machines are in good shape From Chad Dow Team 39 Iron Dog update for day 2.....Shane and i got in the clock at McGrath at 11:33 and it was - 38. We had to flip our sleds on thier side and physically spin the track by hand as everything was frozen solid and wouldn't move. We lost some time doing that but a lot of teams had the same problem. We had a clean run to Ophir and gained ground on a lot of teams in front of us. We had the wrong skis for the conditions so it was hard for us to steer in some roads. left Ophir full of fuel and filled our side tanks to head for the long rough 100 mile stretch to Poorman, the most remote Irondog checkpoint. On the way there Shane and I experienced some suspension issues maybe due to everything being so frozen. We had to slow the pace tremendously to keep our sleds together. About 10 miles before we reached poorman we let teams 5 and 17 pass so we didn't hold then up. Getting into Poorman is a one way in one way out for about a mile. The only section of trail that you could possibly meet another team coming the other way. We were creeping along hugging the right when another team was coming out from the check point and rounded the corner and locked his brakes up and slid sideways causing us to hit left front to left front. We were 500' from the check point running clean. Shane and I gathered some of the yard sale items up and was fortunate enough some how to keep rolling. Checked into Poorman caught our breath and decided to limp to Ruby and evaluate there. Got to Ruby did a quick look over, put a jacket on and headed down the Yukon for Galena at - 50+degrees. Made the 52 mile trip in a hour after stopping to change a belt and stopping 2 other times for adjustments. I could go fine on the flat but couldn't turn left easily as the entire left front suspension was crunched from the crash. Got to Galena and declared our layover and went on the hunt for parts. Our biggest obsticle was we both needed suspension parts to keep going through the rough. The crash damage was fixable. We unfortunately couldn't find enough parts for both sleds. We knew we could get to Kaltag but not Unalakleet without them being fixed. With that said we unfortunately will not be able to continue on. We are booth really bummed as the 2 hardest days of the race were done. I will get some photos at some point today of my sled as it is in Impound at the Galena check point. We are both fine and in good shape. I luckily escaped with a bruised hand from the wreck. We will keep everyone posted with what happens next. The Polaris of Team 5. My poor shock.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKIQPilot Posted February 21, 2017 Author Share Posted February 21, 2017 So to catch up on what happened last night. Many of the teams ran all the way to Kaltag once they got on the Yukon River. Some teams stopped in Galena but most of the front runners pushed another hour and laid over in Kaltag to take an 8 hr break. There isn't much in Kaltag but it has become a popular layover spot in recent years so I'm sure they can handle up to 10 teams staying the night there. I'm guessing most teams will stay in the homes of local villagers that they have met in years past. The time correction, due to the frozen fueling pumps in McGrath, was applied in Kaltag. Team 16 got to leave 19 minutes early from their LO and Team 41 got to leave 2 minutes early. This put Team 16 out of Kaltag about 6 minutes ahead of Team 8 and Team 41 about 25 minutes behind Team 8. The other teams in the Top 10 are 1 to 4 hrs behind the leaders. The first team to leave Kaltag (Team 16) got on the clock just before 1am this morning. Typical strategy is to race to Unalakleet and take another 8hrs of LO then run up the coast and on to Nome in the daylight. Kaltag to Unalakleet is 98 miles of very rough overland trail. Large clumps of frozen tundra with typically just moderate to little snow. The Top 3 teams made the run to Unalakleet in just about 2 hrs. The top 3 teams made it to Unalakleet by about 3am this morning. Team 16 made the run in 2:02, Team 8 made the run in 1:59 and Team 41 on the Cats made the run in 1:53. So second and third place made up some ground on the leaders. As we type this there are a dozen other teams either in Unalakleet already or they are headed there. I think many more teams will take their last 8 hrs of LO in Unalakleet. Some of the teams that are 8-10 hours behind may decide to push up the coast during the daylight and take their last 8 hours of LO in White Mountain about 90 miles from Nome. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Contributing Member Jimmy Snacks Posted February 21, 2017 Platinum Contributing Member Share Posted February 21, 2017 Damn they are some tough son of a guns to be racing in these conditions! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKIQPilot Posted February 21, 2017 Author Share Posted February 21, 2017 Nome is the half way point of the race. In Nome the teams will get a 24-36 hr layover. Because of the fast trip north this year it could be even longer than 36 hrs. There is a big banquet for all the racers and their families and the town of Nome tomorrow evening. Lots of awards will be passed out and lots of incredible stories will be shared. These racers, while fierce competitors on the trail, are all one big family when they get to Nome. You will see all the top competitors laughing and talking and describing their experiences of their run north. In Nome all the sleds will be compounded in the Nome Public Works Garage. Teams will be able to do a 15 minute inspection of their sled but they will not be allowed to work on them in any way. Once their inspection is complete the teams will go back to their resting spots and develop their strategy for the maintenance and repairs their sleds will need. They will inform the Race Marshal when they plan to do their repairs/maintenance and then they will get everything all lined up and ready. All repairs and maintenance is done while the clock is running and while an Iron Dog official is watching. Once the repairs are complete the time it takes will be added to each teams departure time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKIQPilot Posted February 21, 2017 Author Share Posted February 21, 2017 Lets see if this will work. Trail from Opher to Poorman where the guys raced yesterday. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anler Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 21 minutes ago, Back Country Rebel said: Lets see if this will work. Trail from Opher to Poorman where the guys raced yesterday. Looks like some of the trails we rode in Quebec last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 25 minutes ago, Back Country Rebel said: Lets see if this will work. Trail from Opher to Poorman where the guys raced yesterday. Was it last yrs race that had no snow in areas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKIQPilot Posted February 21, 2017 Author Share Posted February 21, 2017 Just now, Dave said: Was it last yrs race that had no snow in areas? Most years have no snow across the Farewell Burn. This was the first year in at least 10 that there was snow across the burn. A typical year on the Burn. For almost 50 miles. I think this was 2015. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKIQPilot Posted February 21, 2017 Author Share Posted February 21, 2017 2015. Leaving Rohn headed toward the Farewell Burn. About 15 miles from Rohn at the beginning of the Farewell Burn. Also 2015 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 12 minutes ago, Back Country Rebel said: 2015. Leaving Rohn headed toward the Farewell Burn. About 15 miles from Rohn at the beginning of the Farewell Burn. Also 2015 Is it just too warm there or just doesnt snow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKIQPilot Posted February 21, 2017 Author Share Posted February 21, 2017 (edited) 9 minutes ago, Dave said: Is it just too warm there or just doesnt snow? The Farewell Burn is an area that does get some snow but there are geothermal issues with the ground that cause the snow to melt quickly after it snows. It can snow, be 20f and a few days later all the snow is gone. The first picture with the red Poo sitting in water is a part of the trail that normally is always frozen and has snow. That year there was a warm spell right before the race causing the river to back up and ice damns to form which backed up water into the trail. Edited February 21, 2017 by Back Country Rebel 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunt_ak Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 Brutal temps, brutal trail conditions, and a brutal race up the coast toward Nome! Day 3 updates are here. Stay tuned for more info as race develops throughout the afternoon. LINK:https://www.thealaskalife.com/blog/2017-iron-dog-race-coverage-day-3/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mowhawkcat Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 Awesome race . Tough on sleds and guys . Some blow hole on hcs said he clutched some Polaris sleds and sold them his kits and is bragging about it. Guys a real tool. Funny thing is, when your sponsored by Polaris, you get parts Sooooooo cheap. But Ya, they bought north star kits No north star in sponsors in team Polaris. But qsi pile drivers is mentioned. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKIQPilot Posted February 21, 2017 Author Share Posted February 21, 2017 Very good write-up Kyle A few updates from the trail. Several more teams have scratched today. I think we are up to 14 teams scratched and 21 still in the race. Team 5's Jerrod Vaughn is still doing good but still in Galena. According to his wife his hand is doing better and may not actually be broken. Still waiting on a plane out so he can get evaluated. Team 15 on Cats scratched today. They had a rough go on the way north. Shock problems, ECU problems , several crashes, etc. They decided they have had enough. The leaders are barreling down the coast headed toward White Mtn and then Nome. Team 16 had stretched their lead by a minute or two but it now looks like Team 8 is reeling them in. The race into Nome should be a good one. Davis and Simon on Cats are only about 29 minutes behind the leaders so they are still in the hunt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKIQPilot Posted February 21, 2017 Author Share Posted February 21, 2017 4 minutes ago, Mowhawkcat said: Awesome race . Tough on sleds and guys . Some blow hole on hcs said he clutched some Polaris sleds and sold them his kits and is bragging about it. Guys a real tool. Funny thing is, when your sponsored by Polaris, you get parts Sooooooo cheap. But Ya, they bought north star kits No north star in sponsors in team Polaris. But qsi pile drivers is mentioned. Team 16 does their own clutching. Just like most of the top teams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zambroski Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 12 minutes ago, Mowhawkcat said: Awesome race . Tough on sleds and guys . Some blow hole on hcs said he clutched some Polaris sleds and sold them his kits and is bragging about it. Guys a real tool. Funny thing is, when your sponsored by Polaris, you get parts Sooooooo cheap. But Ya, they bought north star kits No north star in sponsors in team Polaris. But qsi pile drivers is mentioned. Yeah, I saw that too. You should post that there. That's Rick for you. An endless self promoter......with or without realized success. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildboer Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 On 2/20/2017 at 0:08 AM, Ez ryder said: I see a lot of guys race sleds with single studs . I don't get it same bite with a double backer and 90% less chance of a pull out Are there rules against pre-studded tracks like the Camoplast ICE ones? Comparable traction to 96 studs, 0 chance of sending a stud through the cooler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmereddie Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 I can't imagine the wind chill at that speed and the temperature of the air on their bodies , shit. I thought 26 below doing 80 miles an hour on my sled in grand rapids was bad enough ...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mileage Psycho Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 On 2/20/2017 at 0:50 PM, Anler said: A few years ago we did a tour across northern wisconsin and minnesota. Everyday the temps were below zero F. One day the high was -17*f. And we were doing 200+ mile days. I think it was -28* one morning when we headed out. That shit was brutal. That is why i am the biggest endorser of Klim gear. That shit kept me warm for 1000+ miles. That trip was cold, when we did the Labrador trip in 02 our highs were -20F, one night when we were out making a run to bush camp it was -50F on the thermometer when we arrived at 10:00 pm. I don't know if I would any of that stuff again....then again I was out in -20F with the wife two years ago in the Gaspe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaddisFly Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 2 hours ago, Mowhawkcat said: Some blow hole on hcs said he clutched some Polaris sleds and sold them his kits and is bragging about it. Guys a real tool. After the race, you could always contact Olstad and Minnick and ask if they use Rick's clutching. You could then post their answer here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunt_ak Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 (edited) 3 hours ago, Wildboer said: Are there rules against pre-studded tracks like the Camoplast ICE ones? Comparable traction to 96 studs, 0 chance of sending a stud through the cooler. I can't imagine those would be as aggressive as these guys are needing. I certainly could be wrong. If they were legit, I guess I would assume they would be using them....? Edited February 22, 2017 by hunt_ak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildboer Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 (edited) 1 hour ago, hunt_ak said: I can't imagine those would be as aggressive as these guys are needing. I certainly could be wrong. If they were legit, I guess I would assume they would be using them....? I've been running either an Ice Ripper or Ice Attack since they came out in the mid 2000's, took a while to convince my dad to transition from traditional studs, but now we swear by them. Sure, in a drag race on a lake or serious hardpack traditional studs will win, but I genuinely believe the ICE tracks are better in any other situation. I ride hard and I'm never at a loss for traction, not in washed out corners, up icy ass hills, or on sketchy lakes. What size lugs do these guys run? Edited February 22, 2017 by Wildboer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKIQPilot Posted February 22, 2017 Author Share Posted February 22, 2017 (edited) 5 hours ago, Wildboer said: Are there rules against pre-studded tracks like the Camoplast ICE ones? Comparable traction to 96 studs, 0 chance of sending a stud through the cooler. There are no rules against prestudded ice ripper style tracks. Several teams have attempted to use the Ice Ripper and Ice Attack tracks in the past. While there is no doubt these types of tracks would eliminate the chance of a stud pull through they just don't offer the kind of traction these racers need on the terrain they race on. 49 minutes ago, Wildboer said: I've been running either an Ice Ripper or Ice Attack since they came out in the mid 2000's, took a while to convince my dad to transition from traditional studs, but now we swear by them. Sure, in a drag race on a lake or serious hardpack traditional studs will win, but I genuinely believe the ICE tracks are better in any other situation. I ride hard and I'm never at a loss for traction, not in washed out corners, up icy ass hills, or on sketchy lakes. What size lugs do these guys run? I have an Ice Ripper track on a 600 ProX and and an Ice Attack on an IQr I've used at Arctic Man for several years. These tracks definitely offer increased acceleration and breaking over a non studded track they are not even close to the traction of a properly studded track using conventional studs. The simple fact that a conventionally studded track allows up to .375" if stud above the lug of the track assures that a it will have significantly more traction than a prestudded track, especially under hard deceleration. These guys are racing on hard packed snow and ice for a large portion of the race. Most are using 1.25" lugged tracks. Less lug flick than the 1.5" tracks.......... Edited February 22, 2017 by Back Country Rebel 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev144 Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Agree. Rode the ice ripper track and is not for me. Maybe when I'm older. Most of my buddies on new blizzards that came with em took them off asap for a 2 ply track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.