Locals find success during World Championship weekends

Drivers from Medford were among those finding success this month in Eagle River at two of snowmobile racing’s most prestigious oval events, the 59th World Championship Snowmobile Derby Jan. 14-16 and the 21st Vintage World Championship Snowmobile Races Jan. 7-9.

Sunday of Derby Weekend included a championship for Carter Sapinski, who took the seven-lap F440 fan-cooled main event over Tavish Perry of Eagle River, Daniel Galarowic of Goetzville, Mich. and Kaleb Ackley of Manistique, Mich.

Sapinski had finished third amongst those four drivers in the qualifying heat the previous day. But in Sunday’s final, he completed seven laps in 3:36.943 to reach the finish line 2.165 seconds ahead of Perry (3:39.108). Galarowic (3:47.863) and Ackley (4:00.364) were well off Sapinski’s pace.

Brad Kolecheck also took an F-440 fancooled championship during the Friday Night Thunder event on Derby weekend. He won his heat over Galarowic, Ackley and Perry in the afternoon and then took the five-lap final well ahead of Perry, Galarowic and Ackley.

Kolecheck also finished seventh in that night’s 10-lap F-500 final, which was won by Joey Niewolny of Wausau. Eleven drivers started the race after two rounds of heat races earlier in the day.

Jace Laher was a third racer from Medford involved in Derby weekend. He placed 10th in Sunday’s Sport 600/ F500 combo final after finishing fifth in his heat race Saturday. Austin Leeck of Hubbard Lake, Mich. won that seven-lap race. Laher took second in Saturday’s Heat 1 of the F-500 competition but did not race in Sunday’s final and raced in the F-500 Sport class as well.

Vintage highlights

As is typically the case, the Vintage World Championships drew several entrants from the Medford area.

Colton Niewolny had a big weekend, winning the F-500 championship for the third time. He led from start to finish in the five-lap final and won his initial heat and his semifinal race leading up to the championship. In the final, which started with 10 racers, Niewolny finished ahead of Kendra Westlund from Strathcona, Minn. and third-place driver Tyler Foster of Fairgrove, Mich.

Niewolny added a second-place finish in the Sportsman 600/F500 final.

Sapinski won the F-440 fan-cooled championship on Saturday after placing third in the second preliminary heat. He passed Bill Connell of Chippewa Falls in the last turn of lap four and held him off in the final lap. Ron Kehl Jr. of Madison was third.

The final featured two more Medford racers. Christopher Huther was fourth. He won heat one to earn his spot in the final, while Laher was seventh. Dillon Brandner was seventh in the final. Brandner was fifth in heat two leading up to the final.

Also during the weekend, Brandner finished third out of nine drivers in the Modified Stock 300 Main race, trailing Donald Leddy Jr. of Saginaw, Mich. and Stacey Schroeder of Iola, and he was seventh in the F-500 main event that Niewolny won.

Harlie Ahlers had a busy weekend, highlighted by a championship in the Women’s Super Stock 340 main event. She won the five-lap feature that included six drivers, solidly beating runnerup Brooke Diefenthaler of Manitowoc. Ahlers was third in the Women’s F-500 final behind Westlund and Haven Bouverette of Bad Axe, Mich.

Racing against the guys, Ahlers won the second heat in the Sport Modified 340 competition and placed second in the final behind James Vonberg of Saginaw, Mich. Ahlers reached the semifinals of Super Stock FA 340 competition, taking second in her first heat and eighth in the semifinal.

Laher did well in the Sportsman 600/ F500/Super Stock Open final, placing second behind Jordan Carlson of Manistique, Mich. He won a heat in F500 competition.

Jon Buehler was entered in several with his highest finish being second place in the Relic Single well behind Connell, who led from start to finish.

Paul Socwell placed fourth out of seven entrants in Super Modified LQ 250 competition. He was fourth in the heat race and then fourth in the five-lap final, a race won by Aaron Ruder of Maple Park, Ill. Jesse Cypher had a second-place finish in heat one of Super Stock fan-cooled 440 competition on Friday.