Valcourt, QC – BRP Ski-Doo X-Team racers Tyler Aklestad and Tyson Johnson won the 2016 Iron Dog race in Alaska.
The duo won in record fashion, shattering the existing time for the 2,031 mile (3,268 km) race through the Alaskan bush by five minutes. The Ski-Doo team of Brad George and Robby Schachle took third.
The multi-day race is the ultimate test of snowmobile durability and performance as it runs over several days from Anchorage to Nome to Fairbanks. Just 23 of the 41 teams that started the race made it to the end.
At the finish, teams on Ski-Doo snowmobiles placed in six of the top 10 spots and Ski-Doo had the highest percentage of finishing racers with 84 percent. Other competitive brands had 53 percent, 50 percent and 25 percent.
This was Johnson’s 18th and Aklestad’s 13th Iron Dog race and despite running near the front almost every event, this was finally the year they broke through for a win. And in an impressive fashion, averaging 57 mph and finishing a full 37 minutes ahead of the second place team. At the finish line, both the racers and their Ski-Doo MXZ sleds looked fresh and almost new.
For more information on Ski-Doo snowmobiles visit www.ski-doo.com or the On Track blog site for racing-specific information.