The 18 Minute Race Day With Gunnar Sterne

EDITOR’S NOTE: This insightful article profiling a day in the race life of oval star Gunnar Sterne, penned by Brett Richter, was originally published in the on-site program of the Canadian Power Toboggan Championships (CPTC) in Beausejour, Manitoba. He and the CPTC were kind enough to share it with our readers.

There are 1440 minutes in every 24-hour day. It takes hours of prep time to spend just 1.3 percent of your day going 100 mph chasing the checkers.

A full day of racing during one day of the Canadian Power Toboggan Championship for a top tier race team boils down to roughly 18½ minutes of race time. Splitting time between the two fastest classes on the big half mile in Beausejour, Manitoba, Gunnar Sterne spends roughly 181/2 minutes a day “working” as an ice oval sled racer; or at least that’s what it looks like.

But there is so much more to his day. The No. 220 Red Bull-sponsored Ski-Doo driver was willing to share some personal insight into a typical race day in Canada. Here is an inside look at his typical day.

The Day Of Gunnar Sterne Starts Early

An alarm goes off in another unfamiliar hotel room. It’s roughly 6 a.m. and although racing isn’t scheduled to start until noon, there is a lot to accomplish in the next six hours.

After a quick shower, a breakfast of Red Bull, water and a balanced protein/carb sandwich and a few morning stretches, it is time to jump in the truck and head to the track. Gunnar is joined by his chief mechanic and father, Shawn, his engine tuner, Tim and ice oval veteran/sled builder/clutch guru, Mike Houle. It’s a short drive to the track.

With practice laps scheduled for 10 a.m. and a trailer with two Pro Champ sleds and one F3 sled, the first 30 minutes are mostly organizational. The extra Champ sled gets pulled outside, moved and covered for the day. The F3 and racing Champ are spread apart, hoods pulled and the mental checklist begins. A quick look at data from Friday’s practice compared to last year’s data begins the thought process for final race day tuning. The humidity, air density, air pressure and temperature gauges are calibrated and set out for current information.

Sterne is now three hours into the race day and just one hour remains before practice begins. Several small adjustments to both sleds have been discussed among the team with most of the changes being implemented. With no real access to practice ice in the Chicago area, Sterne is focused on utilizing the practice time at the race track to the fullest. More team members are starting to arrive. Sleds are started, checked for fluid leaks, engines are warmed, carbides are sharpened, and studs are inspected. Based on the order of the day and the premier race schedule, the team decides whether the Champ or F3 will go out first.  

With each different venue, traffic in and out of the Sterne Racing hauler varies in magnitude. When traveling out east and in Beausejour, visitors include a few local fans, venue/promoter people, sanctioning body representatives, media and track announcers. The balancing act of focusing on race details for each chassis vs. the conversational time required for growing the sport can be a tough one. Being a veteran, Sterne handles the inquiries in order while still prioritizing the needs of the sled. Although present in the conversation with guests, Sterne is also focused on the next step in final sled preparation.

With hot laps 10 minutes away, the decision has been made to run the champ sled first and push the F3 out to the paddock area to get in line. Gunnar has completed his final check of his safety gear and is dressed for practice, taking the same approach as a full race prep. With the elbow guards on, knee pads in place, chest protector buckled, HANS device locked in and the helmet secured, the mind of an ice oval racer begins the quick shift to driver only. Thoughts of media inquiries, autographs, sled data, travel, and more are shifted to the back of the brain. Thoughts are now solely focused on holeshot engagement, RPMs, shock travel and hitting the marks needed for a fast and safe lap on the big half mile in Beausejour.

With two successful practice runs on the champ sled and two on the F3, Sterne returns to the hauler and huddles with his crew. Gunnar himself handles most of the chassis’ changes to the F3. Mr. Houle tweaks clutches on both of the sleds. Shawn and Tim address issues in handling, set up and final engine tuning on the champ. The carbides are pulled, measured and sharpened for the upcoming heat races. With both sleds race ready, Sterne heads out for the mandatory drivers meeting. He is now within 30 minutes of the race day starting.

Gunnar Sterne Is Ready For Action

Time permitting after the drivers meeting, a quick lunch of his favorite peanut butter and jelly Uncrustable and a banana along with a bottle of water move Sterne into full race driver mode. Heat race lineups are reviewed, race strategies are discussed and, with any luck, a small amount of quiet time is all squeezed in before the first heat is called. The morning has gone by very quickly. Based on the posted race order, the first sled is pulled from the trailer and lowered onto the jack stand. Members of the crew push the sled to staging as Sterne finishes getting geared up; the final act being two quick knocks on the helmet.

Once outside the trailer, the helmet and goggles provide a bit of a sanctuary, drowning out much of the outside noise and conversation. With each heat race upcoming, Sterne pulls the starting rope on his sled, cracks the throttle a time or two and gives the thumbs up to the crew to lower the sled to the ice. Sterne knocks the snow off his FXR race boots, straddles the seat, and looks forward. It is finally race time.

With laps times in the 23-second bracket for the Champ sled, a green to checker race only takes Sterne 1 minute and 55 seconds. The F3 runs the same five lap race in just over two minutes. Three heats on the champ and two heats on the F3 over the next four hours, and Sterne has wrapped up just shy of 10 minutes of race time. But even in those 10 minutes, the mental and physical strain put on the body is evident. It would be a very rare occurrence if both of the No. 220 Red Bull Ski-Doos aren’t qualified for the final. Today is no exception. Thankfully, there is at least 30 minutes of time between the 10-lap F3 final and the feature race of the day, the Pro Champ-based Canadian Power Toboggan Championship – a grueling 15 lap final.

Before each final, slight changes are made to both sleds due to track and weather conditions. Sterne adds a forearm stretching exercise to help with the inevitable arm pump all drivers at this level will experience during the finals. Arm pump is no fun, but knowing what to do to minimize the effect is crucial to long-term success in the sport.

The F3 final is competitive and well run. During that race, Sterne learns much about the current track condition and race lines, knowing full well that the Champ final is his best shot at another CPTC victory. The 10-lap F3 final adds another 4 minutes of driving time to his race day resume.

The final details for the champ sled are dialed in and after one last plow break, the champ sled is pushed to staging. The same routine runs through Sterne’s mind. He has visualized this moment several times on his long drive from Chicago to Beausejour. There are a lot of Ski-Doo fans cheering him on; something he can see but can not hear through his helmet. The race runs 15 green flag laps, adding just over five minutes of race time to his days total.

Not quite 19 minutes at nearly 100 miles per hour two inches from the frozen race surface. After a front stretch podium appearance and interview, Sterne drives the sled back to the tech building for post-race inspection.

Just like most typical race days, the crew runs the sled through post-race inspection while Sterne goes back to the hauler to begin the cool down process. Notes are made regarding handling, clutching and RPMs, all in hopes of benefiting his next race in Beausejour. Tomorrow is another race day and thoughts have already turned in that direction.

Once tech is cleared, it takes another 30 minutes to arrange the sleds, drop in final data, and button-up the trailer. A few team members leave early and arrange for a large table at a local restaurant. The team will have dinner together tonight.

Hopefully, Sterne returns to the same unfamiliar hotel room by 9 p.m. His wife pulls up videos from today’s racing action, allowing Sterne to consider what changes he wants to implement for tomorrow. The video replay also allows Sterne to study the driving habits of his competitors. At this level of competition, any insight is helpful. After seeing the racing action, he feels like most of his ideas were validated and Sterne makes mental notes for tomorrow’s changes.

Sleep comes easy as the lights go out and the mental and physical exhaustion of nearly 19 minutes of racing takes their toll. And then suddenly, the alarm goes off. It is 6 am and race day No. 2 starts all over again.