January 30th, 2012
7th place finish at Wausau 525 TLR Cup Feature Race
This weekend we raced at a brand new race track and facility that for the Wausau 525 championships in memory of Flip Merwin, a passed racer. This was the first time any of the teams have been on the track which meant no one had an advantage going into the weekend. The race track seemed to prove to be safe after many crashes and only a few minor injuries to other drivers and the spectators had great seating to watch the races from the front stretch.
Saturday morning we got 3 rounds of hot laps in to get a feel for the track and I quickly learned that this track would be hard on the drivers since the turns are very wide which means for not much resting between turns. We started with some handling issues that were causing the back end of the sled to almost go sideways going into turns and also our hole shot could use some improvement after problems from the previous week. All three heat rounds we had poor hole shots which left us towards the back going into the first turn and with poor handling it made it difficult to drive through traffic. This track had quickly become a hole shot track meaning that whoever got to the first turn in first was almost bound to win since there seemed to be only one fast line around the track and passing was very difficult, especially in turns 3 and 4. We were put in the Last Chance Qualifier to try and make Saturday’s final race but ended up in 5th, where the top 2 would qualify. Saturday night we made some changes after comparing a lot of data thanks to our data analysis Alex hoping to make some progress for Sundays TLR cup race.
Sunday morning we got another 3 rounds of hot laps and saw that the changes from the previous night did not work at all and had my sled pushing through the turns and not allowing it to turn. We made some changes for the first heat race but still had the same issues with the sled pushing. We finished 6th, 5th and 6th in our 3 qualify heats putting us in an Last Chance Qualifier race again for the final 2 spots that would start in the back row. We made some drastic changes for the LCQ since we had nothing to lose and we ended up being first to the corner and led all 7 laps to qualify for the 15 lap feature race Sunday afternoon.
After a grand opening ceremony for the TLR Cup feature race we started the race in 11th and ended up finishing 7th overall after other drivers breaking and crashing. Making the final race was a huge improvement and motivator for our team after we had thoughts about throwing everything away in the crash since nothing we did would work. Overall the weekend was very successful at the new 525 track. Hopefully for next year they will make some changes to the track to make the racing more exciting for the spectators. I am not going to lie and say I like the track because I do not, but it is a different track as all tracks are and I have to learn to race it since this will be the new home of the 525 race.
I would like to thank both my parents for letting me race another weekend. Also I would like to thank Timmy, Dave, and Alex for putting in a bunch of work into the sled to make it better. In the end the sled seemed to be very fast and they never gave up after it seemed that we wouldn’t make the big show. Lastly I would like to thank my big sister Shannon for coming up to support me and take some good pictures and videos and Michelle for coming up to watch and support the team.
Our next race is going to be Weyauwega in 2 weeks and hopefully our momentum from this weekend carries over and we get can compete with some of the top teams and maybe get a top 5 finish.
-Gunnar #220
January 23rd, 2012
Eagle River Derby Recap
This weekend was the World Championship Derby in Eagle River, Wisconsin and again it was a weekend that won’t be forgotten for a while, both good and bad.
Due to certain restrictions from school and illness, we were not able to race on Thursday for time trials and Friday Night Thunder. With only going out two times for hot laps Saturday morning we started the qualifying rounds at 1:00pm. The first heat race showed that we had a pretty horrible hole shot that left us almost last to the first turn and we ended up finishing 4th, not qualifying us for the semifinal. We would have to go through a quarter final 15 min after the first heat race against 5 other drivers, not very fair when the other quarter final only had 4 drivers in their race. After protest with race officials, there was no change in the format for the quarter finals and we finished 2nd which qualified us for the semifinal race.
In order to qualify for the World Championship race Sunday afternoon we would have to finish in the top 3 in the semifinal race. Again our hole shot left us coming off the line in almost last place. We were able to move up to 3rd at one point of the race after multiple crashes to people in front, but another poor hole shot on the restart couldn’t get us into the top 3. We would have one more chance to qualify for the world championship race on Sunday through a last chance qualifier race Sunday at 1:00pm where the top two would start back row of the world championship race at 3:00pm.
After a night of much debate and critical thinking and also much help from Mr. Rugland, we went out for hot laps Sunday morning and our hole shot seemed to improve a lot from the previous day. The LCQ seemed to be promising that we would qualify for our first WC. Running late on schedule, we went out for the LCQ closer to 1:30pm. Once again we got to the first turn in 7th place and I had to quickly get to work in order to move up. Finding out that the low, bumpy line around the track was not working, I started driving in deeper and taking a higher line where I could carry more speed. I passed 4 sleds in the 10 laps and got up to 3rd place but laps would run out and for the 2nd straight year we would finish one position away from qualifying for the world championship race.
Being extremely disappointed, especially after I thought this would be the year we would qualify, I am also glad the my good buddy Cardell Potter made the front row in the WC after missing out last year. The format for this year’s WC would consist of 10 laps, a 5 min break were crew members could change anything on the sled they wanted within the 5 min, and then 20 laps to make a total of 30 laps. After 30 laps of 5+ sleds within 2 seconds of each other it came down to the last lap where Nick VanStrydonk would win by a ski tip. There isn't another driver or team that I could think to best deserve being world champions. After racing my whole career against Nick, this was definitely the highlight of my weekend.
Next year Sterne Racing will be in the WC race starting in the front row and we will be surprising many on our finish. Let the countdown begin!
Next up is Wausau. Be sure to check back in next week for results and highlights from Wausau and their brand new racing facilty which should provide great, tight racing.
-Gunnar #220
January 10th, 2012
Amherst Recap
The second race of the season came and went in hurry in Amherst, Wisconsin, however good news is that the sled is getting better every time we try we go out. This was the first race of USSA’s race season and it is also a part of the TLR Cup. The warm weather all weekend threatened the ice conditions yet surprisingly the ice on the track held up very well, however the same could not be said for the pits.
Saturday’s race was rescheduled to be the TLR Cup series race due to track conditions. Twenty-Two drivers signed up for Pro Champ 440 for Saturday which made it a very competitive field. We got 2 practice rounds that told us that the extremely soft ice was causing some traction issues on the start so we made some changes for our first heat race. The first heat race we finished 6th out of 7 after a very poor hole shot that left us almost last coming out of the hole. We made some clutch changes and went back out for the 2ndheat where we finished 5th out of 7th after another fairly poor hole shot. With the wet track conditions, this made visibility very poor and passing more difficult than usual. In the 3rd heat race we had a little improvement on our start and a lot more speed coming out of the turns, but we still finished 6th out of 7 which would not qualify us for the final race. Trying to solve more traction issues would take up much of the rest of the night.
After a serious crash in the Saturday’s final, 3 drivers would not be returning to race on Sunday because of injuries or wrecked equipment. We got another 2 rounds of practice to see if our overnight changes helped our hole shot and I got to get a feel for the track which had been beat up even more from the previous night’s final. Rough corners and warm weather would make visibility and handling even more challenging. For the first heat race we were able to finish 3rd out of 5, with a better hole shot but not great. We made some more clutch changes to try and slow things coming out of the hole for the next heat race but things seemed to stay the same after we finished 5th out of 6. Two more champ drivers left the event for reasons I do not know and after a meeting between the rest of the drivers we agreed to go straight to a 10 lap final instead of a 3rd heat race. We would start in the back row next to my good buddy Cardell Potter and surprisingly our hole shot seemed to improve greatly. We would not move up much throughout the race due to a rough track which made passing hard and overall finished 10th out of 12.
Once again I would like to thank my parents, Timmy, Brian, and Jeff and his buddies for helping out in the pits and for bring a Go Pro camera that we strapped on my sled. After the first turn ice covered the lens which really showed my crew how much visibility can be an issue. I also would like to thank our Tech Master Alex for helping us read data all the way from Chicago.
Next up is Eagle River in 2 weeks where we will be trying to qualify for the World Championship race on Saturday and Sunday. Hopefully our hole shot improves and puts us in contention to qualify for our first World Championship.
In the meantime, check out a video of the Pro Champ 440 Final at Ironwood here.
-Gunnar #220
January 3rd, 2012
A GOOD START IN IRONWOOD
After the first race of the season in Rock Rapids and the Iowa race being cancelled due to warm weather, we decided to race in Ironwood, Michigan with the Pro Vintage Racing group, which would be their first time having a champ 440 class. I have raced at this track before and all the good things I remember about it including the pits were just as spectacular. The Pro Vintage Racing staff and crew were very nice people that seemed to want us pro champ guys to come race, and after this weekend of racing I would not mind racing with this group more often. They know how to put on a show for the fans and keep everything in order and on time.
We pulled into Ironwood Saturday morning and were able to park our rig in a designated area only for pro champ teams which made things much easier being close to the pits. There were no hot laps since practice was all run the day before, but before racing there was a lap of strength in honor of a fellow champ driver, Curtis Boivin, who was seriously injured in the pro champ feature in Beausejour, Manitoba for their first race of the season. All who had purchased a 19B sticker, Curtis’ number, were allowed to take a parade lap in honor of Curtis and his getting well soon. A link to the video of the parade lap can be seeon T&N Racing’s website.
The race day started out a little rough after pulling into the pits for our first heat race and our sled didn’t want to start. We had everyone from fellow race crews trying to help get it started but it just didn’t want to start up, so we took the sled back to the trailer and after playing around with some wires we were able to get it started and back up to the line before our first heat race. We were allowed 2 safety inspection hot laps before our heat race, which was very generous of PVR to allow for us since they had such a busy schedule for the day. The first heat race we were running second the entire race until the last corner I got a good run coming out of corner 4 and were able to just pass for the win right before the finish line. The track in Ironwood is a very fast, flat oval which produced very high speeds up to 97 according to a speedometer sitting in corner 1. After some minor changes before our second and final heat race of the day, we took to the line picking an inside starting spot this time and I was first to the corner and led all 5 laps to another win. Not many champs showed up for this race which meant there were only 2 heats for pro champ, with racers in mine and 4 in the other.
Sunday consisted of one more heat race, racing the same people as the previous day and then a final at 1:00. We easily won the first race getting the holeshot and leading all 5 laps. We didn’t change anything for the final since the sled was handling great and we didn’t have anything to compare to the other racers in the other heat. The final was shortened from 10 to 7 laps due to windy, snowy conditions. Once again I was first to corner 1 and pulled down the back stretch in first where I would remain for 3 laps until getting passed on the inside by fellow racer Nick Vanstrydonk of T&N Racing. I remained a close second all the way to the finish. At the end, the track was starting to get a little rough but was still in nice condition compared to other tracks I have raced.
Overall the weekend was a great success - we were able to shake of some rust from the off season and get ready for the bigger race coming up this weekend in Amherst, Wisconsin. I would like to thank Mom, Dad, and Tim for a great weekend. I would also like to thank both my sisters, and Alex for coming up to watch my race and support me on Sunday. Up next is Amherst where competition will be much harder with some more champ drivers expected to race.
-Gunnar
February 7th, 2011
STERNE RACING WINS IN PLYMOUTH!
Gunnar being interviewed after the Win in the 440 Pro Champ Final
This week we raced at the 33rd Annual Budweiser Shootout in Plymouth, Wisconsin. Plymouth has always been one of my favorite tracks because it is a smaller track with fast turns. Saturday we raced in the Open 600 class and because of another race the same weekend only 3 other racers showed up. We finished 2nd twice and 1st once in the 3 heat races and finished 2nd in the final behind the team that won last years World Championship.
Sunday proved to be a much better day then Saturday even still with our holeshot problems that we still didn’t seem to be able to fix from last week. We placed 2nd and 3rd twice through the qualifying heats with poor holeshots that left us last going into the first corner. We made some major changes throughout the day and tried something new for the final. In the final, there were only 3 other racers again but this time I was the first to corner with a holeshot that seemed to come out of nowhere. Being out front for the first time all weekend allowed me to really put the throttle down all the way and I lead all 7 laps to my first pro champ final win of my career. I would like to thank Tim and Dave for their relentless work with the clutch which in the end payed off. I also would like to thank Brittany, Allison, and Matt for their support all weekend. This race will sure be one that I look back as one of my greatest accomplishments of my racing career. Not many pro champ drivers can say that they won a pro champ final.
-Gunnar
January 31st, 2011
Wausau 525 Recap
After a weekend off, (we were actually busy getting the hood patched up and re-stickered from bumping and banging at the derby), we raced at the Wausau 525 “Flip Merwin” Memorial Race this past weekend. I like to come to this race every year because a lot of the proceeds from the race and the silent auction go towards 'Flip’s Fund'. Also at the driver’s meeting, we were informed that they are planning to build a new track for the 525 that will be ready next year which should really make the racing a lot more exciting and safer. After watching Sunday’s final which had half the field taken out in the first corner, I’m glad that a new site will be put in place for next year.
Saturday we went out for some hot laps in the morning to get a feel for the track and made some adjustments after we found out that spinning on the holes was going to be a big problem. At the first heat of pro open 600, we placed 3rd with a fairly poor hole shot but managed to hang on. The 2nd heat race we placed 5th with another poor hole shot due to the track spinning. And in the 3rd heat race we placed 5th again while being the last to the corner again. Throughout the day we tried to make adjustments that would stop the track from spinning out of the hole but we never seemed to have made much progress. We didn’t make the final and looked at the day as a practice day for the real race on Sunday.
After dining in a cave (Wausau Mine Co.) and a good night’s rest, we went out for some more hot laps Sunday morning to try and resolve our hole shot problem. After a couple runs out we seemed to be making progress with less spinning and decided to keep the sled the way it was for the 1st heat race. The 1st heat race we finished last and were once again last to the 1st corner. I was able to stay with the pack throughout the whole race but passing on this track became much harder after USSA officials adjusted the track to have a narrower track with a wider turn due to big ruts happening in both turns. The 2nd heat race was more of the same where we finished 5th but had a better hole shot and was not that far back at the 1st turn. Another adjustment was made for the final heat race which helped the holeshot a whole bunch but was still last to the 1st turn. We finished last but we were not that far off the pack which included this years WC champion, last year’s WC champion, and 3 other top competitors. With only beating 2 people the whole day we did not qualify for the final, which I am partially glad because the final race was a wreck fest that had more than half the field involved in wrecks and not able to finish.
I would like to send out congrats to Curtis Boivin on his 2nd place finish on Sunday which he passed 2 other racers on the final lap to get his first podium finish of the season.
Next weekend we are off to Plymouth, Wisconsin for the 33rd Annual Budweiser Race of Champions. The turnout of champ racers is expected to be down which means we can take advantage and hopefully get a top 5 finish, that is when we get a holeshot...
-Gunnar
January 16th, 2011
Eagle River Weekend Recap
Gunnar & the team were busy with race events all weekend, they didn't have much time to update as we went along. However, tonight Gunnar was able to write a recap of the race weekend:
'What a weekend! First off I would like to thank Dave, Tim, Karl, Jeff, Jamie, Allison, Tyler and of course mom and dad. These are the guys that make this team be as successful as it is. Also a special thanks goes out to Wahl Racing for much needed help they gave us throughout the whole weekend. This is the most stressful weekend of the year but it is my favorite also, and without my crew it wouldn't be as much fun as it was.
After qualifying for the Parts Unlimited Friday Night Thunder Sweet 16, we were put in a tough 1st round heat. We placed 6th in a race filled with crashes from visibility issues, one spot away from advancing to the feature race. With the snow blowing in sideways and my shield fogging up, I was a little relieved to finish my night a little earlier. To even be able to race in the sweet 16 was a great accomplishment by our team and was by far the highlight of our weekend.
Saturday was a lot of racing in over 48 turns, which by the end of the day my left Arm was throbbing. The first heat race we finished 4th, one spot away from advancing straight to the semi-final. Poor holeshots all weekend left us coming from behind in most of the races, which is hard to do on a track like the Derby. The 2nd race on Saturday was the quarter final where we finished 2nd and advanced to the semi-final. There were 3 heats of semi-finals where the top 3 advance to the final on Sunday. We were put in a relatively tough semi-final which would also be my first race against the living legend himself, Jacques Villinueve. Going into the first corner Jacques got a little wild and hit another racer and then slowed drastically right in front of me. I didn't have anywhere else to go and hit Jacques with my front end and sent him around which then sent him flying off his sled. His sled ended up on top of him and the race was then red flagged. Jacques was black flagged for his aggressive driving and pulled off the track. The race was restarted and we ran in 3rd for awhile until we ended up a close 4th, one spot away from qualifying for the final. Towards the end of the semi I was getting pretty tired but the sled held up great and had amazing speed all weekend.
Sunday we had to go through a last chance qualifier against 9 other racers. The race was 10 laps and we got to the first corner in 6th. We passed one other racer and finished in 5th, 3 spots away from advancing to the final later in the day. After almost 70 laps of racing and testing, I was pretty relieved to finally be over after a successful weekend. Major strides were put forward by our team and I learned a lot in my first race Eagle in the pro class. Off to Wausau 525 in 2 weeks where a top 5 finish is in my sights.
Lastly, I would like to send congratulations to PJ Wandersheid on winning his 4th world championship and setting a Derby record.'
- Gunnar
January 13, 2011
Eagle River Fever: Day 1
Gunnar’s words:
‘We practiced all day today with 3 rounds of hot laps and then had qualifying for the Friday Night Thunder Sweet 16 show at 3:30. We qualified 16th out of 26 with a 18.527, which made us the last qualifier for the feature race tomorrow night. The fastest qualifier was 17.8 which means there was less than a second between the whole field of qualifiers. We hope to advanced out of our heat race of 8 sleds tomorrow and make it to the feature race tomorrow night. If we win the feature race tomorrow then we advance straight to the World Championship race on Sunday and I spend my Saturday up in the press booth to help commentate during the heat races on Saturday. A busy couple of days coming up!’
For the crazed fans, you can follow the race action live here:
http://www.derbytrack.com/track_cam.cfm
or check back here for an end of day recap during the full weekend of race events.
Welcome to the big dance Gunnar [Pro-Ice Oval Driver]
Excellent facility and race track. Again Friday practice was canceled due to warm weather during the week . We made some changes during the week that we thought would get Gunnar off the line with the other machines .But the changes made didn't make much of a difference and maybe even worse. We continued to change setups all day. Saturday night even changed out the drive track with a new one. Sunday we did make improvements with the changes and are at least getting our holeshot closer to the others Still didn't make the feature race for Sunday. Next up is Eagle River World Championships.
November 2010
Preseaon Preview
It's finally cold outside, even here in the Prairie State. The cold weather has us thinking of the upcoming season and we started to go through and evaluate our race equipment. After looking at the calendar and counting days until season starts, we decided that we should be able to have everything ready for the Rock Rapids Iowa race. Since we won't have any ice available to us until then, Rock & Rapids will be a test & tune race weekend for us. Hopefully mother nature will be cooperative for that race venue.
The team wants to put all of our efforts into the Semi & Pro Champ class this year so we have decided to place For Sale our other sled which is currently set up for the Sprint class with a 440 fan motor. It's a great chassis and a proven winner (see additional info under classifieds).
Gunnar just finished up his High School Cross Country season and is now working on strength training in the school weight room in anticipation of the Ice Oval season. He's hoping that his successful running season this year carries over to snowmobile racing and is looking forward to seeing all of his winter friends and race competitors.
February 16th, 2010
Weyauwega Recap
This track didn't disappoint and has become one of our team's favorites. It was mostly bump free and the pits were iced nicely. Besides the snowmobile racing there was also motorcycles, quads and snow cross racing. So the grandstand was full and the pits were busy. And they also brought back the racing Sausages for entertainment.
But on to the Champer, Gunnar just loves this sled and cant get enough racing on it. The Semi Pro class has a good following and Gunnar enjoys the competitiveness of the other racers. The heat races were fairly ordinary and we made some adjustments for the track. The final should of been much of the same, but not only do we still have no hole-shot but Gunnar came off the start dead last. But much to our surprise he just started to pass the other racers one by one and didn't give up until he got to the 1st place racer with one lap to go. He had that sled passed momentary on the back stretch of the last lap but gave it up in turn 3, tried to make it up on the front stretch but came up just short at the finish.
Still, a great 2nd place finish. His only disappointment is that he can't race this sled more often, and that he didn't win on Saturday.
February 1st, 2010
Wausau 525 Recap
The final for the SemiPro class had 7 competitors and all of them after the start were in the first and second turns at the same time, but after a couple of clean passes Gunnar gained some speed and finished a strong 2nd place.
We had special fans this weekend, and appreciate that Shannon & Alex along with Jaime & Jeff spent Sunday with us instead of snowboarding. The team has an off week to review data and are looking forward to Weyauwega and some warmer weather...just not too warm.
January 22nd, 2010
Eagle River Recap
We had a great time and lots of fun this past weekend. Everybody shows up to watch the World Championship and its fun seeing friends from years past. Surprisingly, the track survived the warm sunny weather and we could feel our toes all weekend. Everyone that was around this weekend helped out in someway. So let it be known that you don't have to look like a team to be a team.
Gunnar's first two finals, Jr 2 and Pro Sprint 500, were both on his 440 sprinter and there wasn't going to be time for any changes if need be. We are still having a hole-shot issue with this sled, but Gunnar ran very consistent lines and finished 1st in both classes. He got interviewed in front of the derby crowd and pictures were taken with the Miss Snowflakes.
Tim and Dave analyzed a lot of computer input, and gave Gunnar the best set up they knew. Gunnar drove hard the whole race and again with his consistent lines battled for 3rd place, but Beau was a bit stronger in the corners and Gunnar finished 4th out of 9 sleds. The team couldn't be happier with the performance of this chassis and is looking forward to see how it handles at the flat Wausau 525 track.
We have a weekend off before going to Wausau but we are going to need it to get all of the dirt and sand out of the trailer...
January 17th, 2010
Gun wins first in two classes: Jr 2 Sprint & Sprint 500. He also finished 4th in the Semi Pro Champ. Check back later for complete results and a full Eagle River race recap...
January 16th, 2010
Mid-racing Update from Eagle River:
The sleds made it through two days of racing and the team is finishing up some setups for the finals on Sunday. Friday Night Thunder was warmer then usual and seemed to have a large crowd. The fireworks were good but a little short. We have a lot of visitors and help this weekend so the trailer is feeling a little crowded. The pits are the pits...getting soft and sandy.
The derby track set up a jumbo-tron in the infiield so its easier to watch the racers around the whole track.
Gunnar's races on Friday night were about the same performance wise for our team as years past. Since he wasn't able to make it to the track for any practice on Thursday, (those school finals are a problem every year), all of his heat races were practice for him and the team.
Having a new chassis with no prior notes for this track might not of been a bad thing as Gunnar got 4th in the Semi-pro Champ class and raced against some very fast sleds. He also ran in the Jr 2 Sprint class and finished in a very close 2nd place after being in a racing incident in the last corner. Overall, The team was just happy there were no injuries to drivers or sleds. On Sunday morning there will be three finals: Jr 2 Sprint, Semi-Pro Champ and Sprint 500. The team is feeling good about the set-ups - just not the sauerkraut....team heads home on Monday and final update to follow.
January 11th, 2010
Plymouth Recap:
January 7th, 2010
SEASON STARTS!
Portage County Ice Wars, Amherst WI
First race of the year for Sterne Racing and first race for our new Champ chassis. Gunnar practiced on Friday and said the new chassis handled well but he wanted to go faster, the team felt he should take it easy on the new motor. Gunnar decided a 1/2 of a lap was enough break in time.
The Semi-Pro Champ 440 class was on Saturdays schedule but the racing got to a slow start and we ran out of daylight so finals were up first on Sunday, of which Gunnar placed 4th. This was the first time for this class and champ chassis so the team was very happy with the results and race data.
Jr 2 Sprint is being offered on both Saturday and Sunday. We used Saturday as a test and tune since Sunday will be the points class. Gunnar placed 1st on Sunday. Plymouth is this week-end which is a short banked track so the team will be challenged again with the Champ chassis.
Looking forward to a short travel to Plymouth, WI for this upcoming weekend's race. Which means it is also a good race for friends & family to come out and support us! See you there!
December 2009
PRESEASON 2009-2010
The snow is flying....just where did the summer go? The team is back in the shop updating race chassis and looking forward to the first race of the season.
The summer weather wasn't the greatest but Gunnar was kept busy working his summer job at Advanced Compressor Technology, who is also a race sponsor. He was also running 700 conditioning miles prior to the high school cross country season. In the end, Gunnar had a successful Cross Country Running season, as he qualified for the Illinois High School State Meet.
Besides running in a couple of 5k's this summer he also participated in a triathlon relay with his sisters in August.
But since the cold weather moved in, the whole team has spent every spare second getting the race sleds ready. So a quick pre-season Thank you to our sponsors: Advanced Compressor Technology, Major Mechanical, Renaissance Flooring, Brookstone Construction and Fast-Trac Conveyor Service.
