Aaron Christensen Conquers Rough Ditches To Win USXC TRF 250

Photos and captions by Aaron Kennedy

In a winter that has finally seen normal temperatures, it seems cruel that once again, XC racers are praying for snow. With minimal snow near the Canadian border, the I500 will now consist of two legs around Thief River Falls, MN before completing a final leg to Bemidji. While this takes away some of the charm of a true point-to-point race, the change in format made the Seven Clans 250 this past weekend even more important. It would offer riders a first glimpse at the conditions for the I500, and a chance to dial-in sleds one last time.

On Saturday, racers completed 1-2, 50+ mile laps that looped from the Seven Clans Casino, through Plummer, MN and back. Racers packed ditches that ranged from narrow to wide, and rough to sort-of smooth. Wade Mueller (#34) led the way in the I-500 Open class that had a 50% finish rate.

Saturday proved to be a difficult day for many. Between varying light conditions and hard, unforgiving terrain, racers were challenged at many places along the course. Despite hitting a hard slab of dirt coming out of a river crossing, Savannah Landrus (#402) and her machine survived the weekend, taking the win in the Women’s class.

Savannah was one of many that fell victim to the hidden obstacle. Easton Dickinson (#515), also had an off and was pinned under his sled…

Fortunately for Easton, SX pro Logan Christian and buddies were out for a ride and were there to save the day.

Others weren’t so lucky. A particularly rough part of ditch claimed a number of riders. Pro Open rider Tony Smith (#181) overcame bent handlebars from this nasty wreck and was able to complete the weekend. Photo courtesy of Cory Loeffler.

The ditches played no favorites. Even the lone Jr. 10-13 Girls rider Annie Olson (#886) was a participant in the rodeo. Photo courtesy of Cory Loeffler.

Of course where there’s a rodeo, there’s guaranteed to be Team Mattison who racked up wins in the Vintage (Gerry Mattison, #110), and Vintage 50+ (Pete Mattison, #42) classes.

After a Saturday that will go down as one of the roughest races in recent memory, Sunday proved to be a calmer and smoother day on a loop that passed by Goodridge, MN. Overall, ditches seemed to be better packed with snow, and several river sections led to faster speeds. Nate Joyce (#240) found speed on both days, and walked away with a win in the competitive Sport 600 Stock class.

Cale Anseeuw (#931) is no stranger to the TRF ditches, making up time on Sunday to top the Semi Pro podium in a narrow 5-second victory over Joseph Wood (#157).

With Zach Herfindahl (#312) suffering from suspension issues on Saturday that led to a toasted heat exchanger, Wes Selby (#15) led the charge for Arctic Cat. Despite a close call with a fire at a fuel stop, Wes would end up finishing 2nd.

The story of the weekend was the pace set by Polaris riders. Justin Tate rode strong all weekend taking the win in the Masters 40+ class, and third place in Pro.

Aaron Christensen (#10) led the way, building a lead on Saturday that couldn’t be overcome by other riders. Taylor Bunke (#14) and Andrew Carlson (#151) rounded out the top 5, yielding 4 of the 5 spots for Polaris.

With a one week gap for the SOO 500, racers return in two weeks for the I500, and you can’t ask for a better storyline. Will Zach Herfindahl overcome bad mechanical luck he has had the last two weeks and repeat as champion? Will Aaron Christensen who has podiumed several times in the I500 finally take the checkered flag? Or will another rider step up and win the fabled race? Stay tuned.

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