Medina, MN - Alaska’s Iron Dog race sends riders 1,954 miles over some of the roughest and remote terrain on the planet. Starting at Deshka Landing north of Anchorage, riders head west to Nome, then turn back east and head to the finish line in Fairbanks.
In its 35th year, the Iron Dog featured a back-to back winner for only the 6th time in its history this year, with Polaris Engineered Lubricants-backed riders Mike Morgan and Chris Olds claiming their second win in a row.
In the 2019 Iron Dog, 11 of the 24 Pro teams entered scratched out of the race—nearly half the field. Preparation is key to success and engine oil plays a huge factor in the team’s success.
"When it comes to racing the Iron Dog, reliability and durability of our engines is our No. 1 priority,” Morgan said. “We see temperatures as extreme as minus 50 degrees F, so the exceptional cold flow characteristics and proven engine protection of VES Extreme takes care of any of our engine protection concerns putting together a race-winning strategy. By using VES Extreme, we know that we're giving our engines the best oil on the planet.”
The team of Morgan and Olds finished the 2019 Iron Dog on Feb. 23, completing the 1,954-mile course in 34 hours, 27 minutes and 34 seconds. That means they traveled at an average speed of 57 mph over the course of the race. It’s an incredible test for both rider and machine, especially the engine. It’s more proof that VES Extreme is formulated to protect under the most severe conditions.