Manufacturers behind the scenes supporting Iron Dog racers

Polaris nabbed a giant podium sweep in 2024;
how will Ski-Doo respond to the challenge in 2025?

Polaris has a long history with Alaska as it developed its snowmachines over the years. Here they have a poster honoring that tradition outside of their offices in Roseau, Minn. Ski-Doo, which has been on the podium the majority of the 2020s, will be on the hunt for a re-do in 2025. Photo: Courtesy Tim Heffron

 Brett Lapham and Cody Barber were not the only winners in the 2024 Iron Dog snowmobile race. Next to them on the podium were their Polaris Cross Country 600s, trail weary but triumphant. That is key to success in this, the World’s Longest, Toughest Snowmobile Race: Not just racers, but also machines, must prevail.

 Indeed 2024 was a good year to the Polaris brand. Not only did the manufacturer take the winning position, but the top three teams were all riding Polaris (as were the fourth- through seventh-place finishers). Ski-Doo came close to a sweep in 2016, when Tyler Aklestad and Tyson Johnson and Brad George and Robby Schachle took the first and third, but second-place finishers Nick Olstad and Todd Minnick were on Polaris. 

 “It was great, but really you can’t take sole credit for this one,” said Tim Heffron, validation manager at Polaris in Roseau, Minn. “We have a team of really passionate engineers and technicians here, and we live and breathe snowmobiling. But we are not the ones out there racing. The talent in 2024 was phenomenal. The focus it takes to race for 2,500 miles is a massive undertaking, so the credit goes to the racers.”

 This year’s Iron Dog has 32 teams, more than half of which are riding Polaris. Seventeen will be riding Polaris, 11 will be on Ski-Doo and four, despite Arctic Cat’s recent announcement that it is ending its racing program, will be on Arctic Cat, which once was a viable competitor on the Iron Dog scene. The last Arctic Cat win came in 2017, with Cory Davis and Ryan Simons.

 “The recent announcement from Textron potentially re-focusing their business model away from powersports isn’t good news for our sport in general,” said Mike Vasser, Iron Dog’s executive director.  “What really compounds the impact of this news was the departure of Yamaha snowmobiles earlier in the year – it’s just a sad day for our sport and not good for the industry or sport to lose two ‘dogs,’ so to say, in the fight!  Maybe in 2026, we'll see more from Lynx and hopefully a potential buyer steps up, and the Arctic Cat sleds continue to be built.”

 Iron Dog attempted to reach representatives from Arctic Cat, but calls were not returned as of press time.

 Ski-Doo BRP US Race Coordinator Carey Daku acknowledges that the absence of the Ski-Doo brand on the 2024 podium stung, especially after four years in a row, from 2020 through 2023, of dominance.

 But, he added, that’s the nature of racing.

 “Racing never ends,” Daku said. “When we win, we want to do it again, and when we lose, we go back and work hard to understand why and build from it. Last season was tough as we had a few teams face some adversity, but that is the way it can go sometimes.”

 Team 7’s Tyler Aklestad and Nick Olstad – responsible for three of those four past Ski-Doo victories – know all too well that racing doesn’t always produce the results you want. After they scratched in the 2024 race, they knew the only next step was to get up and try again.

 “We just have to put it back the way it was the previous four years,” Aklestad said. “This race keeps you honest. Definitely, last year was not ideal for us or our brand, and it was nothing to do with it brand wise; things just happen. There were some unforeseen issues that we had, and we were able to chock those up as learning opportunities.”

 In fact, Aklestad said, Ski-Doo has been a constant supporter, no matter the finish placement. As Korey Cronquist, president and owner of Team CC in Eagle River and Wasilla said, “our energy goes toward making sure the teams will have a successful run and will have every opportunity to have a successful finish. From a brand standpoint, I want to make sure all the teams riding Ski-Doo have every advantage.”

 Team CC sponsors in some form or another about eight to 10 teams, Cronquist said. No matter their racing level, every Ski-Doo team receives the knowledge and best guidance available for their race goals, he said. Top teams such as Aklestad and Olstad might be going for the win, while others are just trying to finish a rookie race.

 “Of course, it always feels good to have teams that are in the front,” he said. “But again, my goal is that they would all have the equal chance to win.”

 Hatcher Pass Polaris General Manager Chris Graeber said having Polaris dominate the podium creates a ripple effect in the general market.

 “It definitely helps in creating sales for dealerships,” she said. “I’ve seen it in the past where a brand wins and you start seeing more racers race that brand, too.”

 It’s unfortunate, Graeber said, that Arctic Cat is withdrawing from the racing market.

 “Now that there are only two real manufacturers going after it, it’s kind of a back and forth,” she said. “Anytime you have more manufacturers it’s better for the sport in my mind.”

 Heffron and Daku wholeheartedly agree. While sales speak volumes for their bottom lines, the real goal is to grow the sport of snowmobiling and create a vibrant community of recreational riders, racers and supporters of the sport. 

 Heffron credits what he calls “the Iron Dog effect” to helping grow the sport.

 “It’s not just about snowmobiling and winning the race, but ingraining it in the culture, promoting safety in powersports in general, and growing the sport,” he said. “If we can help out any way we can, that certainly helps bring riders to Polaris snowmobiles.”

 At the end of the day, though, both Polaris and Ski-Doo will be watching closely as the 2025 race – with some of the fastest names in the sport registered – that will duke it out for podium placement. 

 “For 2025 Iron Dog we have some very solid experienced teams that have been there and done it all,” Daku said. “One thing I do enjoy is the relationship our teams have with each other. It is a collective effort almost where we are all working toward the same goal to win and be in the battle. I think that the preparation and hard work that they are all putting in will reflect in the results.”

 Heffron, from Polaris, said all their racers – from Team 14’s Casey Boylan and Bryan Leslie to Team 6’s Mike Morgan and Bradley Kishbaugh to Team 10’s Chris Olds and Ryan Sottosanti – have proven they have what it takes to win.

 “Iron Dog used to be an endurance where a steady, clean race wins, and now it’s a 2,500-mile sprint race, where it takes pushing with everything you have to get on top of the podium.” he said. “These racers are some of the best. And while the riding terrain is not necessarily overly technical, you are riding at extreme speeds and doing it for 10 hours, 12 hours and sometimes longer. It’s really hard to keep focused, and they know how to do it.”

 “This race pushes the limits at so many levels, whether it’s the mental, physical or mechanical aspect, when you win you prove to the world you are the best,” Daku echoed. “We also get to do it in one of the most beautiful backdrops in the world.”