08-09 Race Season
April 21st, 2009
End of the Ice Oval Season: 2009
Gunnar finished the USSA race series with High Points in two classes.
The year end banquet that was held in March for USSA was in Green Bay and the venue was very nice.
Gunnar received High Points in Jr1 Sprint and Jr3 Sprint, and was 3rd in points in the Semi-pro 600 Sprint class which showed he raced very hard in that class since he was using his stock 440 chassis in a modified class.
The team has been enjoying some down time and plans for next race season should be coming together soon.
Since the end of the Ice Oval season Gunnar has also finished up Indoor Track and was Conference Champion at the Sophomore level for the One mile run, on to Outdoor track. His Varsity Hockey team finished in the Final Four of their league championship playoffs, on to spring hockey.
And Gunnar passed all requirements and has an Illinois Drivers license. And hoping for his own vehicle.
Check out our classified section, the team is going to be doing some updating during the off season and we currently have a chassis for sale.
February 16th, 2009
Fire and Ice Race, Weyauwega WI
Gunnar Wins Junior 1 380 sprint
After losing both heat races, the crew made some adjustments . With a good hole shot, Gun lead the feature race from start to finish.
Semi Pro 600 sprint
Gunnar placed 2nd in a mod class with a stock motor.
Junior III
Gunnar finished 2nd however we believe he would of had a better finish but USSA Racing for some stupid reason shortened the feature race to 3 laps. Who would run a 3 lap feature race? When we asked the race director he said he had no idea why and said he would find out but never did get back to us
The USSA board wonders why a lot of racers won't race their races, its stuff like this that pisses you off. USSA needs a race director that will run competitive races and not shorten the races without reason.
Mechanics Race
Since this was the last USSA race of the year, the local promoter offered up a mechanic race with all money going to the injured drivers fund.
So we talked our crew member David into entering the race. He did well but failed to make the cut for the feature race. We think he thought it was going to be little easier. David said he now knows how hard it really is for Gunnar to drive around the oval and doesn't know how gun stays on the seat.
January 26th, 2009
Wausau 525 Race
Another very cold weekend, however, Gunnar had better racing at this track. Gunnar finished in first in two races and third in another.
Junior 1 380 sprint
Finally, USSA gave us two heat races and a feature race so we could work on our race setup with a 7 lap final. Gunnar lead from the start and finished in front.
Junior 3 600 sprint
The heat race had some very competive racing. Gunnar's holeshot at the start was bad and he had to drive from behind in the heat races. However, he started the feature race well and then he cruised to a commanding win.
Semi pro sprint 600
In this race, Gunnar finished 3rd. All the other sleds were modified while Gunnar was racing on a stock motor. Overall, it was not that bad.
There is not race next week, so we are going to hit the trails at the cabin for some fun.
January 20th, 2009
Eagle River Derby Recap
Finally, its over. This year's derby race was frigid cold and the racing was rough.
Tim & Dave made some excellent adjustments for Sundays Feature races. Our machines were fast. Gunnar drove his butt off. We just needed a little luck.
Junior 1 380 sprint
Finished in 2nd place . The race officials shortend the feature race to 5 laps right before the start, if Gunnar would of had the 6th and 7th lap to work with, I think he would have won as he only lost by 1/2 sled length .
Junior III, 600 sprint
2nd place finish. Gunnar was leading this race for 3 laps then got slammed up to bails by another racer, Gunnar lost position and had to battle back to 2nd place
Semi pro sprint 500
Finish 3rd, Gunnar got the hole shot and lead the first two laps, then he lost postion after a side collision, causing Gunnar to move back to 4th place. He ended up with a 3rd place finish.
Next up is the Wausau 525 Race. We have high hopes that racing should be a lot better this weekend as this group really builds a nice track Which usually provides for clean racing.
January 17th, 2009
Friday morning was a crisp -30 degrees at the track. Gunnar is in the first class running and we didn't get any hot laps. Just race what you brung. Needless to say it would have been nice to have the hotlaps.
The guys spent the whole afternoon re-thinking our set ups to get ready for our Jr 3 Final at under the lights. Gunnar had a great race leading half of the 7 lap final....another competitor slid into him on lap four and he lost his line and the lead. Scrubbed a lot of speed fighting to get back into position and ended up finishing 3rd. Gunnar has 3 finals on Sunday and it's suppose to be warmer
January 12th, 2009
Plymouth Struggles
Plymouth was a struggle and it again turned out to be the "Bristol" track from when we raced there with the Wisconsin snowmobile kids racing groups. This is not because its one of the smaller tracks that we race on, but because we either do very well, or very bad and just hope to go home intact.
Overall, entries were down for the weekend so we only had races on Saturday. Gunnar placed 2nd in Jr1 380 Sprint due to equipment performance and DNF in the final of Semi-pro 600 due to equipment failure.
On the positive note: We saw a lot of old friends at the track since racing with WKSRA & WKCR, who were doing a combined race there. Also friends and relatives from home came to watch & support Gunnar & the team. The track was in great condition and the weather wasn't too bad.
On to The Derby.....lots of chassis and engine work this week, Gunnar has semester finals and as usual, it is expected to be COLD for Friday Night Thunder.
New Team Motto: Its called RACING, not Winning..
January 5th, 2009
Amherst WI Race
This was a new track made by the local fire dept. Turns 1 and 2 were tighter than a kitty Cat track. Gunnar definetly didn't like those corners as they were unsafe. We don't know if we will return here next year. In the Junior 3 final, he was hit in the rear causing some tunnel, stud, & snow flap damage due to no room in turns 1 & 2. Despite the bad track, Gunnar still won the race. We finished 2nd in the Junior 1 class and 4th in the semi pro 600 class. We have a lot of garage work this week repairing the machines from this rough track. We will be leaving for Plymouth WI this Friday and then on to Eagle River for the 2009 World Championship Race. Stay tuned.
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December 27, 2008
Off to a good start...
Gunnar starts off the 2009 season with a win in junior II Sprint in BEAUSEJOUR CANADA. Also he finished 2nd in junior 1 & Junior III sprint . In the Sprint 550 race, he again was 2nd and in the modified sprint 500 open class he finished 3rd.
Next race will be January 3rd in Amherst, WI So we hope to do some testing during the holiday weekend to work on our hole shot. We need to improve this in the junior I class.
December 1, 2008
2008 -09 racing season Preview
After a successful race season last year, Gunnar will be racing at a few races this season. Be sure to check back often to catch up on race recaps and fine out where you can see Gunnar race out on the track.
07' - 08' Race Season
March 29th, 2008
Gunnar finishes 2008 Racing Season with USSA Top Honors...Voted Junior Driver of the year for 2008 season!
Gunnar raced two junior classes in 2008 placing 1st place in the Junior 1 380 sprint class points
2nd place in the Junior III 600 class.
He also raced 500 Sprint semi pro class and was 2nd in points.
This 2nd place in points surprised us since we didn't enter this class at the start of the season.
Thanks to:
My family, especially my Mom and Dad . Our crew: Tim, John, and Dave. Also to their families for allowing them the time away from home to be at the races with us. Also, thanks to Big Al and his mechanic Tom for all their help. Oh, and also 'halfday' (Gerry)... maybe next year you will make all of Eagle River.
I had alot of help from friends and family this year. They had to take time off from their work to travel and be at the race each weekend. Living in Chicago and racing in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, and Canada, I sometimes wonder how I got to school on Monday mornings. At some races, my mom would also drive her car, (the E-Thing) just so we could leave right after the race so I can be home for school or a Sunday night hockey game.
A very special Thank You to our web master (and sister) Shannon. She did a great job on our website layout and our weekly updates.
Thanks to all for one of my best years in racing. I think everyone had a lot of fun this season.
Check back later as I will post the classes I am racing in 2009.
Thanks,
Gunnar
Feb. 22nd, 2008
Weyauwega, Wisconsin-Fire&Ice Race
Probably the best track we been to all year: A full stand of spectators, nightly fireworks, and great pits for which we didn't need the ranger to haul sleds around.
GUNNAR WINS JUNIOR 1 AND SEMI PRO 500
Junior 1 380 sprint:
Gunnar won both the heat race and the feature race. On the feature race, Gunnar had a descent hole shot and was beside #58 Cardell Potter, all the way until the end of corner two where he eventually pulled ahead down the backstretch. Any slip up, and Gunnar would loose his leading position to Potter.This was a very close race. Gunnar held on to for the win in his final race of the year.
Semi Pro Sprint 500:Gunnar won both the heat race and In In the first heat race Gunnar finished 4th and looked very slow. We looked at his machine in the pits and found that his exhaust had cracked and had a large hole in it. With little time until the second heat race, We borrowed a welding torch and with the help of Tom from T&N Racing, we were able to race round two for a win. On the feature race, Gunnar said he had to drive his sprinter full throttle for the first 2 laps in order to keep ahead of #58, Potter. On lap 4, racer #61 was coming on strong and we thought he was going to eventually catch Gunnar. But Gunnar held the lead for the remaining laps for a close finish..
Junior 3 600 sprint: USSA Race officials decided to cancel USSA Race officials decided to cancel all of Sundays Results due to the Blizzard. So, we never got a chance to Race this class.
Feb. 4th, 2008
Fountain City, Wisconsin: Gunnar gets 1 win, 2nd, and 4th
Junior 1 380 sprint:
Gunnar wins one heat race and places 2nd in the feature. Gunnar was neck & neck going into corner 1, and also into corner 2. He lost his lead at corner 3 and followed the remainder of the race in 2nd place.
Junior 3 600 sprint:
Gunnar was again neck & neck through corner 2 where he lost the lead. After coming down the back stretch on the first lap,he passed on the inside for the lead. He was on his way to a 2nd win for the weekend, until while going into corner 3, he was hit by a competitor sending him sideways. Gunnar quickly recovered and finished 4th. Looking at the machine after the race, we noticed his rear snow flap was jammed into the track tunnel, caused him to lose the positions on the last lap.
Gunnar got a decent hole shot and was side by side into corner 2. He checked out for a good lead and a win in this money class.
No racing this weekend...crew is going trail riding at the cabin. Gunnar has two High School hockey games.
Next up: Weyawega Wisconsin, Feb 16th & 17th.
Jan. 28th, 2008
Gunnar wins Junior 1 380 Sprint @ Wausau 525 Flip Merwin Race
Junior 1 380 sprint:
After placing 2nd and 3rd in both heat races, Gunnar had a good start which gave him the lead into corner 2. He continued to lead all the laps and by the last lap, he was pulling away from the field.
Junior 3 600 sprint:
Gunnar finished 2nd and 1st in his heat races. At the start of the final race, he was running 2nd until lap 5, where he went wide on turn 2 and lost 2 positions. Due to this, he finished in 4th place.
Semi pro sprint 500:
Gunnar had to race this race back to back with the 360 sprint. This caused him to be a bit tired going into this race. He was running in 2nd again until lap 3, when the field started to catch up and he ended up finishing 4th.
Next up is Fountain city Wisconsin Race... Wonder if there is a fountain in this town
Jan. 21st, 2008
River World Championships. Below zero temperatures all weekend. Gunnar gets 3 2nd's and 1 DNF
Junior 1 Sprint 380 Sprint Friday Night Thunder Race:
Due to cold weather on Friday night, turn #1 became rutted up and was sending a lot of races into the hay bails. Track repairs crew finally ran out of hay bails. USSA officials rescheduled our race to 1st up Saturday morning. The track crews repaired the track over night which gave us a better racing surface. Gunnar was 3rd into corner 1 and was running in 3rd. On lap 3, he passed for 2nd. By this time, the racer in the lead, Cardell Potter was had a strong lead, Gunnar finished second.
Junior 1 Sprint World Championship Race:
On the start Gunnar came out of turn 2 in 4th and was getting ready to take over third, when his motor shut down coming to a complete stop on the front stretch. We have some work to do on this machine this week.
Junior 3 Sprint World Championship Race:
After the start, Gunnar was 2nd and close behind was VanStrydonk. Gunnar finished 2nd again.
Semi Pro Sprint 500:
Again Gunnar was 2nd into turn 1. Gun was really driving deep into the corners to catch the mod machine up ahead. He almost lost it on turn 3. Another 2nd place finish.
This race was a high pressured weekend with the best competiton.
Gunnar wants to thank his crew and all his friends that came to support him this weekend He really drove some excellent races for us.
Again Thank you Tim, Dave, Johnny , Britney, Alison, Jaime, Jeff, Jerry.
Also to the Peterson and Morvick family's for stopping by to support us.
Next up is Wausau 525 Race Wausau Wisconsin.
Jan. 13th, 2008
Gunnar gets two wins and a 2nd at Plymouth, one win is in a new class for Gunnar
Warm weather caused the pits to turn to mud. The promoter, Plymouth Snow Rangers, had us pit in the rear of the grandstands, on the asphalt parking lot. We then had to haul the machines below the grand strands and out to the front stretch for the hot pits. It was a good thing that Dave, Brittany, and Allison were there to help us haul the sleds through the slope and out to the track. Tim, Johnny, and myself would never been able to handle it. I Hope we never race like this again.
Junior 1 380 Sprint:
Gunnar cruised to victory in all his heat races and in the final also.
Junior 3 600 sprint:
With only one other competitor showing up to race in this class, USSA officials bumped us up to an adult 500 stock class. They had us start in the back row. The class already had 8 sleds, adding 2 more made for some cramped racing around the track. Gunnar won the heat race, and was leading most of the final race until the last lap when he went wide on turn 3, passed for the lead, and finished 2nd to Beau VanStrydonk.
Sprint 500:
Gunnar won one heat race. When it came time for the final race, Gunnar had a good hole shot and lead all the laps with 2 machines right behind him, if he made the slightest mistake he would have lost it. His smooth driving really paid off here.
Next up: the big one, Eagle River WI Derby. Wish us luck as we never seem to do good at this track. If Gunnar wins here his reward is skiing in Colorado, should be enough to put him at his best driving game...
Jan. 7th, 2008
IRONWOOD, MICH: WARM & SLOPPY, GUNNAR WINS 380 SPRINT AND 2ND IN 600 SPRINT
Junior 1 380 Sprint:
We were able to get Gunnar's clutches set up to get him a decent hole shot. At the start of the feature race, Gunnar was right behind Cardell Potter at turn 2, Gunnar then pulled ahead down the back stretch. There was a restart after VanNatta and Ritchie tangled up in turn 3. At the restart, Gunnar got a good start and lead the remaining laps to his first win in this class.
Due to the warm weather on Sunday, and track conditions melting fast, USSA official shortened our schedule to one heat race and one feature race. Gunnar won the heat race, which was a close race winning by a foot or two.
At the feature race, Gunanr had a good hole shot but got behind in turn 2. All the ice slope was pounding him causing his face shield to get soaking wet. After the race, Gunnar said he gave it every thing he could, but there was no way he could pass VanStrydonk on this sloppy track. He had good speed down the straights but wasn't able gain on VanStrydonk in the corners.
Next up is Plymouth, Wisconsin.
Dec. 25th, 2007
NEW WEBSITE!!!
We love our new website, hope you do too. Check back every weekend and check out the most current race results & photos.
Also, Check out our classifieds section. We have our Jr sprint 380 from last season for sale.
Dec. 18th, 2007
Rock Rapids Iowa: Two poles. 1st, 2nd, and 6th
Wow, what an excellent race facility. The Snow Lyons snowmobile club really built a nice Bristol size race track. The weather was much warmer then last weekend, around 20 degrees . Gunnar must have felt really comfortable with this track, as he was running up front in all his heat races on Saturday, followed by some good finishes on Sunday.
Junior 2 600 Sprint:
Started on the pole, Gunnar got the hole shot and went low on corner 1 while Graff went high and drove around Gunnar for the lead . Gunnar ran in 2nd looking to pass Graff at any time and on the last lap coming out of turn 4, went low on Graff and there was a photo finish . We thought he won the race, but the scorers gave the win to Graff.
Junior 3 600 Sprint
Qualified on the pole. Gunnar got the hole shot and lead the race from flag to flag. This is Gunnar's very first win on a sprint class. If he keeps on driving like this he is sure to see many more checked flags.
Gunnar would like to thank the following for this year excellent start to his racing:
Tim, Big Al, John, Mom & Dad
Next up is Ironwood Michigan, another new track for the year . Check back for results after the new year.
Dec 10. 2007
Beausejour Results, Two 2nd's, COLD COLD COLD: -18 below!
Wow Great weekend for Gunnar, he really loves his new Wahl Chassis .
Junior 1 380 Sprint:
We struggled with our hole shot all day Friday practice day, and still into the heat races on Saturday. Gunnar was finishing in 4th and 5th place. When we lined up for the main race, still unsure if our clutching changes would help . To our surprise, he ended up with a descent hole shot and was 3rd into corner 1, by lap 3 Gunnar had passed took the lead which he held for 1 lap. Gunnar finished 2nd out of a field of 8 and looks to be a real contender in this class for future races.
Junior 2 600 Sprint:
A new Class for Gunnar. From Friday practice to our main race race on Sunday, Gunnar really felt good on this sled we were able to make some speed adjustments on practice day to set him up with a machine to race for the win. On Sunday's final, Gunnar was 1st into the corner and held the lead for a lap only losing in the corners to Spencer Graff. Gunnar competed with Graff the rest of the race . Finishing 2nd out of field of 6, this class will be a real challenge for Gunnar as the speeds were reaching 85 mph.
Dec. 1. 2007
Welcome!
Our site is currently under construction. In the meantime, check out our race schedule below and come back for race results & pictures from the first race of the season in Beausejour, Manitoba, Dec 8th-9th, 2007.
