USXC Detroit Lakes J&K Beach Bar 200 Report

A record number of entries were on hand on January 3rd for the second round of the 2014-15 United States X-Country (USXC) series.

The day’s events started with a four lap final for the Pro Woman. With a 12 second lead over #496 Kelsey Pladson (Polaris), Jill Tangen (#4 Polaris) looked calm and collected down the straits and through the corners to the finish.

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. Lance Efteland (#62 Arctic Cat) took home the first place trophy in the Semi-Pro class, with #196 Craig Ritzinger (Ski-Doo) following right behind.

The Pro 600 final brought 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 Polaris driver, #74 Gabe Bunke. The Polaris drivers took home six of the top 10 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).

USXC goes back to the ditches when it returns racing to Grafton, ND, January 17, for the third event of the season.