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62nd Championship Derby 25-lap highlight set Sunday

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The 62nd running of the World Championship Snowmobile Derby will be highlighted Sunday by a 25-lap test of speed, endurance and, as always, a little bit of luck.
Racers and teams from around the midwest and Canada will again surround the famed Eagle River ice oval as the World Championship Derby Complex (WCDC) will crown the one and only world champ of snowmobile racing Sunday afternoon.
Race time Sunday is set for 1:30 p.m. and will be preceded by opening ceremonies, driver introductions, and the famous SnowGoer Cup ceremony. For it’s that trophy that will be embossed with the winning driver’s name and be part of the ongoing rich history of the Derby Complex.
“This is the pinnacle of ice oval racing,” said Derby Complex ownership partner and CEO, Tom Anderson. “There are only a select few in our sport that can call themselves a world champion, and the only way they can do it is by crossing this hallowed finish line first this coming Sunday.”
The lore of race history runs deep, not just for Anderson, but for those 12 drivers that will qualify for the Sunday finale.
Last year’s race brought the first two-time and back-to-back champion in the modern era. Modern meaning since the change in race classes, from the former 440 Pro Champ powered motors, to the more modern Formula III, a stock 600 motor package.
Races get underway Thursday with time trials, followed by the pole position race during Friday Night Thunder. Qualifying heats will then take place Saturday afternoon, followed by the Sunday morning last chance qualifier race that will determine the final two spots in that afternoon’s championship.
Included in this year’s field is two-time defending Formula III World Champion Matt Goede of New Germany, Minn.
His Houle-powered Ski-Doo has already seen some success this season, and he’ll likely come into this weekend as the favorite for many race fans.
“Matt’s one of the best drivers this sport has seen,” said Anderson. “And a great ambassador for racing in general. If he’s right, he’s hard to beat.”
Goede will be chased by rival, competitor and friend in racing, Blaine Stephenson.
He’s no stranger to success either when it comes to the track at WCDC, as he is one of only two (PJ Wanderscheid) to ever win four championship races. It’s been almost half a decade, however, since he last hoisted the Snow Goer Cup, and he’s had his trials and tribulations with the change to Formula III.
Other household names competing this weekend include Chicago-area driver Gunnar Sterne who, through the years, has piled up the race wins at Eagle River, but has yet to win the “big one.” He, along with Stephenson’s teammate Tom Olson of Lodi, who finished third last year in his first-ever WC podium, are also going to be looked at to come through the 25-lap final near the top.
Twice, Zach DeWald, out of the MIRA Enduro Series, has found his name near the top of the running order, and he holds one of the best chances this year to improve and bring home a World Championship.
DeWald is heralded as one of the best ice oval endurance racers, and, if given an opportunity, poses a serious threat to the field should he avoid trouble.
In total, an expected field of between 35 and 40 drivers are expected to throw their hat in the ring this week in attempt to win the prestigious snowmobile race.
A full rundown of competitors, along with a more in-depth title race preview, can be found following qualifying online this Saturday at vcnewsreview.com.

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