Racing for glory in Rankin
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
RANKIN INLET
Nanaouq Tanayuk took the coveted senior division crown with its $10,000 purse at the annual Kivalliq Cross-Country Challenge in Rankin Inlet earlier this month.
Tyrese Dias of Rankin Inlet took the flag in the junior division of the Kivalliq Cross-Country Challenge in Rankin Inlet earlier this month. - Photo courtesy of Noel Kaludjak |
Tyrese Dias captured the junior crown at the event and Ross Tatty took the masters division title.
Noel Kaludjak, who took over as race organizer in 2014, said the number of racers in each category had stayed pretty consistent since he started handling the event.
He said there were a couple of crashes this year - as there are every year - but none of the racers was hurt.
"They're all scary when they happen because you never want to see anyone get hurt - and you're always relieved when the driver gets up after crashing his machine," Kaludjak said.
"We had huge crowds for the races this year, and that's great because you always like to see the racers supported and the community enjoying the event.
"The juniors ran ten laps of three miles, while the masters did 15 laps and the seniors ran 20 laps to reach the semifinals.
"We also had a last-chance qualifying heat of five laps to set up the 11 racers for the 20-lap final of the senior division."
Kaludjak said the top three in the senior division held their positioning ahead of the other racers throughout the event.
He said the three would start pulling away from the field after about 10 laps of every race they were in.
"The crowd was still very pumped during the races, even though the top three dominated their heats and I've received lots of positive feedback from people on how exciting the races were to watch.
"They all seemed to really enjoy it.
"It was also an awesome year for the volunteers we had.
"A lot of people stepped up to help out and I was very happy with the volunteers we had for this year's race."
Kaludjak said he copied a Formula One track design for this year's competition, which worked very well for the snowmobile races.
"The snow was packed perfectly for the track this year," he said.
"There were some smooth spots, some rough spots and everything in between, with good turns, both left and right, and a couple of good straightaways.
"It was pretty awesome and top speeds passed 100 clicks with no sweat."
The Kivalliq Cross-County Challenge saw $42,000 in prize money handed out to racers this year.
Kaludjak had said going into the race that he thought it was going to be the final one he organized.
But he says he's since had second thoughts and is probably going to take a month to rest up and then start fundraising again for 2018.
"The racers and the fans count on me, so as long as my health stays good and my wife is in full support, everything will be a go again for next year.
"I think I still enjoy it a little too much to retire right now."
