Chris Brooks of Haines won his second Alcan 200 title Saturday, passing race leader Jack Smith Jr. after Smith’s 1998 Yamaha SRX 700 blew two drive belts in the last stretches of the 47th snowmachine classic.
Brooks’ time of 1:23:14 equaled an average speed of 111.7 mph during the 155-mile race.
Smith finished second in 1:25:14. George Juhlin of North Pole placed third in 1:30:04. Twenty-four riders, including 12 from Haines, started the race. Five racers didn’t finish due to breakdowns.
Brooks, a 34-year-old state ferry engineer, said his victory was more about Smith’s misfortune than his riding.
“It’s not the way I’d like to win it, but it was really fun trying to chase (Smith) down. He had a faster sled, but I was lucky,” Brooks said.
Brooks said Smith beat him to the race’s half-way checkpoint at Dezadeash by more than a minute and held a comfortable lead on the return to Haines before Smith’s machine’s drive belt broke near Twin Lakes.
Brooks passed Smith during the breakdown, but Smith replaced the belt and caught up and passed Brooks before the replacement belt gave way near Stonehouse Creek. “He changed that belt really fast. Even losing the belt, he was able to catch me,” Brooks said.
Replacing the second belt wasn’t so easy, Smith said. The first replacement belt was shredded inside his engine, with pieces wrapped up in the clutch and other gear.
Smith, a 35-year-old Haines equipment operator, said he entered the race knowing his machine wasn’t at its peak, as it was running about 1,000 rpms less than he knew it should go. “I was fighting it for the past week. I haven’t had much sleep.”
Smith started in the third row of paired racers and by the time he’d passed 5 Mile Creek, led the race. A race competitor for five years, Smith also placed second in last year’s race.
The Haines Uglys have provided sponsorships for local riders in recent years. This year’s contribution of $200 toward the $325 entry fee of each Haines racer boosted the number of local participants to 12, the highest level in 10-15 years, said event organizer Kathi Lapp.
“When they started (sponsoring racers), there were just three locals. It’s just grown,” Lapp said.
Lapp said an unfavorable currency exchange rate put a dent in numbers of participants from Canada. “They said exactly that. Now that the exchange is so bad, it’s hard for them to come down. They spend quite a bit of money on the auction, meals and a place to stay. With a 37 percent loss to their dollar, that makes it harder.”
Lapp said organizers are hoping for more participants and more sponsors next year.
Racers say equipment poses a challenge for the race, the last of its kind to run on a highway.
A solid rubber or “grass” track that’s ideal for riding on race conditions of packed ice and snow is no longer manufactured. The track allows racers to add multiple rows of studs, increasing traction and speed.
“Windowed” tracks don’t have as much room on them for placing studs, race winner Brooks explained.
Also, snowmachines are now manufactured for backcountry riding, making racers rely on sleeker machines from the late 1990s manufactured for racing on packed trails.
Class standings included: 651-800 liquid: 1) Brooks, 2) Smith, 3) Steve McLaughlin, 1:32:06; 551-650 liquid: 1) Juhlin, 2) Nathan Peterson, 1:32:04, 3) Zach Ferrin, 1:32:29; 0-440 liquid: 1) Justin Peterson, 1:32:24, 2) Dan Dickerson, 1:35:07; 441-open fan: 1) Ken Schamber, 1:49:45, 2) Tyler Ferrin, 2:19:19, 3) Dave Zugel, 3:09:02; 0-440 fan: 1) Phil Wood, 1:46:04, 2) Mario Poulin, 1:46:44, 3) Lyn Campbell, 2:03:28.
Nicole Holm of Haines was named Rookie of the Year. She finished the race in 2:23:26. (Lyn Campbell won the award for fastest woman.) Other awards included: Oldest Sled, George Campbell, and Red Lantern, Dave Zugel.)
Sunday’s family fun races at Mosquito Lake included a five-lap final race. Chris Brooks won, followed by Steve McLaughlin and Clayton Lapp of Redmond, Ore.