2015 Eagle River Championship Snowmobile Derby Report + Video

The neon candle blazed up the field, starting in the last row but charging through a white haze to finish first at the 2015 AMSOIL Eagle River Championship Snowmobile Derby in Eagle River, Wis. Cardell Potter’s bright yellow Ski-Doo won Sunday’s last chance qualifier at the Eagle River track and circled the giant oval faster than several veteran champs to secure the victory in the main event.

“I tried working the top side last year and that wasn’t the answer,” says Potter. “I tried a little different plan, working the bottom. It was rough down there but I was able to make it work for me and get a good drive off the corners.”

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The ice track on those sloped corners gets torn up plenty as heavily modified sleds dig deep to drive hard.

Malcolm Cartier, who started in the lead position on a fresh Ski-Doo, came into Sunday’s race with victories in 2013 and 2014. Ski-Doos dominated the day, with 2010 champ Matt Schulz taking the holeshot and leading most of the race while Potter worked his way up. Potter took the lead with six laps to go and Schulz fell to seventh. Chartier took second place, just missing out on becoming the first to win three years in a row.

It’s easier to lead than to follow, Chartier says. “You’re in the snow dust the whole time, so being able to hit those lines I wanted to hit was a little more difficult,” he explains. “I feel we were in a great position the entire race to capitalize on any breakdowns and any fatigue by the other drivers.”

As to why he chose this sport, Chartier says, “As a young kid my dad was racing this sport. I just wanted to be like my pops and follow in his footsteps.”

The weeklong snowmobile derby is always a family event. Ceremony is strong and tradition means everything. Young children compete, as do women and veterans, some on antique snowmobiles. For almost all of its 52 years, Dick Decker has been the owner and director. His son’s name is on the championship cup, carved into history with winners from across the northern U.S. and Canada.

“Everybody wants to win so bad. You just go for it,” says Dustin Wahl, who first raced at Eagle River 15 years ago. On Sunday he watched from the sidelines after his engine died during the last chance qualifier. “All that’s on your mind when you’re out there is trying to pass the guy in front of you,” he says.

“Danger can be ignored,” Wahl said moments after Glen Hart crashed into hay bales right in front of him. “Unfortunately, I’m seeing that now as I’m watching this, but when you’re out there you aren’t worrying about it too much unless your sled is driving absolutely terribly.”

Younger brother Jordan Wahl pulled into third place early on before his engine died during the championship race, so Wahl was cheering for Schulz on a sled built by Wahl Brothers Racing. Potter won on a 2007 Ski-Doo bought from Wahl Brothers much earlier, and it held up well through constant stress.

“Those last couple laps it was getting hard to hold on,” Potter says, “It’s tight corners, heavy braking. You’ve just got to bring your A game and go hard at it. This means a lot. I hope the fans enjoy it. I sure appreciate each and every one of you coming out and supporting us. It means a lot to me.”

Most fans stand outside but some enjoy heated seating. They get to watch the crews at work for 10 minutes after the 10th lap of the big race. Twenty more laps followed in a whirlwind with fewer interruptions than most years see. Schulz had a healthy lead when Hart crashed into those hay bales, forcing a restart that ended Schulz’s fortunes and gave Potter his shot.

In the last lap, 2012 champion Nick Van Strydonk’s Polaris passed four-time champ PJ Wanderscheid’s Arctic Cat to grab third place.

“We knew coming into this we were going to have to battle,” says Van Strydonk, “So we just decided to lay back and let corner one work itself out any time there was a start. And I think it worked to our benefit. We let the guys bump and bang a little bit and we just kept it clean and then we made our passes when we needed to make them.”

Van Strydonk says that last red flag definitely helped him make several passes.

When asked if injuries suffered in the summer affected his performance, Chartier brushed those thoughts aside.

“No. I’m not going to make any excuses about it, ” says Chartier. “We rode a second-place race today and that’s all it is. It just wasn’t our place and it wasn’t our time today.”

It was time for fun right at the end of the awards ceremony. A new tradition saw the winners blast each other with champagne, and Chartier aimed for a few friends in the crowd.