Cat riding Zach Herfindahl held off an angry group of Polaris riders in the second cross-country racing event of the season on the USXC circuit. Below is the press release from the USXC circuit.
J&K Beach Bar 200
Top manufacturers battling for top positions, once again
With two weeks of testing and tuning between Pine Lake and Detroit Lakes, drivers came out in full force with once again, record number of entries and a handful of new names on the season’s roster. Racing was tight in most heats, with the top manufacturers all competing for an award winning position.
The day’s events started with a four lap final for the Pro Women. Last week, it was #4J Jill Tangen (Polaris) taking the top spot over the recurrent #22 Jolene Bute (Arctic Cat) and this week, she showed no slowing down. With a 12-second lead over #496 Kelsey Pladson (Polaris), Jill looked calm and collected down the straits and through the corners to the finish. The Pros and Semi-Pros also ran in this heat, but only for a qualifier to determine their starting position for the final heats later in the day.
As a new option for this year’s season, the I-500 class has proven to be highly competitive and gives riders a chance to prepare for the upcoming Winnipeg to Willmar I-500. The top four manufacturers have placed in the top five both last weekend and this weekend, with #931 Cale Anseeuw coming out on top riding a Yamaha.
Bringing back the old school way of starting, riders went heads up in both the Semi-Pro and Pro finals, for a winner-takes-all finish. Drivers took to the track in rows of six, leaving five seconds apart. Demonstrating to be a strong competitor this season, #62 Lance Efteland (Arctic Cat) took home the first place trophy in the Semi-Pro class, with #196 Craig Ritzinger (Ski-Doo) following right behind.
As anticipated, the Pro 600 final would bring another great showdown. Zach Herfindahl ran a flawless 10 laps on a well prepared Arctic Cat to win the 100-mile final with a total time of 1:18.14; only 20 seconds behind was the ever present Polaris driver, #74 Gabe Bunke. With meticulous preparation and quick fuel stops, Polaris drivers took home six of the top eight places. The top 10 Pro results were: #312 Zach Herfindahl (Arctic Cat), #74 Gabe Bunke (Polaris), #537 Ryan Faust (Polaris), #28 Justin Tate (Polaris), #52 Re Wadena (Yamaha), #57 Spencer Kadlec (Polaris), #473 Travis Faust (Polaris), #131 Bobby Menne (Polaris), #607 Jordan Torgerson (Arctic Cat) and #681 Chad Lian (Arctic Cat).
For a full list of results and sponsors, please visit our website at www.usxcracing.com.
USXC goes back to the ditches when we return racing to Grafton, ND, January 17, for our third event of the season. After two extremely successful weekends of lemans ice racing, the bar is set high for what the ditches will bring in your typical cross country snowmobile racing. Come out and support the local sponsors who make this event possible and get ready to witness the best cross country snowmobile racing there is.
