2017 Iron Dog Race –Day 5 Coverage
More at the link, including updates on some of the teams having crashes/mechanical issues:
https://www.thealaskalife.com/blog/2017-iron-dog-race-day-5-coverage/
Unlike NASCAR where the driver simply drives and the pit crew takes care of the maintenance, Iron Doggers have to be skilled at both disciplines. When the race began in the mid 1980’s snowmachines were very undependable and needed constant wrenching and creative improvising. John Faeo, a 7 time Iron Dog Champ, was extremely talented mechanic who seemed to have a solution to address most issues that arose out in the middle of nowhere. Technological advances on the sleds over the past 30+ years have been remarkable, with efficient and reliable fuel injected engines needing very little attention. While it is safe to say that skills at wrenching is not as crucial as it used to be it is still a important factor in this toughest, longest, grueling 2000 mile affair.
Iron Dog race teams are leaving Nome in a different order from which they arrived due to times being adjusted for “on the clock” repairs and maintenance. The average time most teams spent on repairs was about 10 minutes which reflects on the remarkable reliability of these sleds from all 3 manufacturers.
The longest time needed was 29:11 by team #14 of Boylan and Leslie. Team #8 of Tyler and Tyson spent the least amount of time of all the teams, as they only needed 2:26 to prepare their Skidoos for the next 1000 mile leg. Todd and Nick of team #16 arrived first in Nome but are headed out 1.5 minutes behind team #8 since they spent 18:37 minutes tending to their Polaris’s. Cory Davis and Ryan Simons only needed to 4:36 minutes to tinker with their Cats, so the top 3 teams are leaving closer together than when they arrived.
Some speculate that the longer work time by Team #16 was a part of their strategy as a major storm has moved onto the Bering Sea Coast. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for heavy snow and local blizzard conditions reducing visibility to less than one half mile or less. Racers can also expect winds gusting to 50mph which makes finding the trail next to impossible. It could be that team #16 decided to let someone else lead the way out into conditions quite similar to navigating in a bottle of milk.
It is going to be very interesting to see how this race unfolds with this arctic storm throwing a monkey wrench into the best laid plans. Team #8 will leave Nome at 8:00 this morning and head east towards White Mountain. Race rules require a 10 hour layover in either Koyuk, Unalakleet or Kaltag.
More .... see link.