Leo (Dali) Kaludjak races his Arctic Cat machine to top spot in the Senior Division of the Kivalliq Challenge cross-country race in Rankin Inlet. - photo courtesy Noel Kaludjak |
Dali still the man
Pulls from pack to defend senior racing crown in Rankin
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, May 7, 2014
RANKIN INLET
Leo (Dali) Kaludjak successfully defended his racing crown by taking the flag in the Senior Division of the Kivalliq Challenge cross-country race this past month in Rankin Inlet.
Kaludjak earned $8,000 for his win.
Brian Tanuyak ($5,000) finished second in the Senior Division, with Chris Tanuyak ($3,000) placing third, Billy Kaludjak ($2,000) fourth and Joseph Curley ($1,000) fifth.
Ross Tatty took the Master Division (40 years and older) flag, while Kane Komaksiutiksak won the Junior Division (under-18).
Both Tatty and Komaksiutiksak earned $2,500 for their first-place finish.
Makpa Ulurksit took home the Bravo crown and its $3,000 in top prize money.
Race organizer Noel Kaludjak said there were 24 racers in the Senior Division this year, which allowed machines up to 600 cc to compete.
He said while Dali took the race by a fair margin, it was a fairly tight finish between the second- and fifth-place finishers.
"This was my first time organizing it and everything went super," said Noel.
"We had really good crowds during the race.
"At one time, we counted about 92 trucks parked near the track.
"It was a big crowd and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves very much."
Overall, the Senior Division featured some very good competition amongst its 24 racers.
Noel said the racers advanced from the four heats held on opening day, through to the semifinals and final the following day.
He said six racers advanced from the 10 who competed in each semifinal to set up the 12 for the final race.
"We did have a few accidents, but all of them but one, pretty much, just saw damage to the snowmobile and they couldn't race anymore.
"We did have one accident that almost turned into something very serious when the driver was knocked unconscious for a while.
"We let him finish his semifinal lap very slowly, and then sent him immediately to the hospital to have his head checked, and he's OK now.
"We try hard to make everything as safe as possible, but it is racing and there's always the chance of an accident."
