~ 2003 Snow-X Results~

Transcription

1 ~ 2003 Snow-X Results~ Nov. 29-Dec. 1 Spirit Mountain Duluth National Snocross Thanksgiving weekend again marked the opening of the snocross racing season, and this year the team traveled to Duluth to compete at the 11th annual national event. The action started on Friday with Paul competing in the sport stock class. Paul ran strong through qualifying, taking 2 first place finishes and a third. Those results placed him as the 5th qualifier for the final. In the final he got caught up in traffic early and ended up with a 9th place finish. In Sport Open competition Paul was on form again taking a 1st and a 3rd in the first 2 rounds, but an engine failure kept him from making the finals. Kurt and Ross both ran well in the Semi-pro Open class on Saturday evening, but a slight mishap on Kurts part in round 3 and a motor problem for Ross in Round 2 kept them from finals contention as well. Amy Luberda, the teams newest rider, ran well in the Pro Women s class Saturday night. This was her first time as a Pro and first time aboard a Ski-doo, yet she ran well through qualifying and won the LCQ to make the final of 12. In the final Amy found herself tangled among sleds off the start and held that position for the race finishing 12th. Sunday brought Chad, Kurt and Ross to the line in Semi-pro Stock, where the 3 ran very strong with the fierce competition and the very rough track. These guys looked very comfortable on the new Rev 440 s, especially for the first time out. Chad ran hard through qualifying and gained 2 third place finishes and a fourth, but with over 100 entries it wasn t quite enough to make the final cut. Kurt and Ross put in some good rides as well, but again with the record number of entries the finals were very hard to make. All in all it was a good weekend for the team, no injuries and some very impressive rides with the top ranked teams in the sport. Dec PMP Rice Lake, WI December 14th brought the team to the Mt. Hardscrabble Ski Area in Rice Lake Wisconsin for an exciting day of Snocross competition. Chad, Ross and Amy made the trek, and the conditions were perfect, with tons of snow and a long track the resembled a mix of Snocross and Hillcross. Chad ran in the 440 and Open divisions of Semi-pro, doing very well in both. In the 440 class he took a 1st and a 3rd in his heats, sending him to the finals. In the final, Chad battled his way through an intense field running a solid 4th, until a last lap pass attempt for 3rd took him out of the running. He was able to remount in time to run across the line in 7th place. In Semi-pro Open Chad was definitely on form, and his new Mod sled was tuned perfectly, going undefeated through qualifying and taking the top qualifier spot for the final. In the final he shot off the line into first place on the climb up the hill, and by the time the first lap was through had gained a very impressive lead. After a short battle for first on the second to last lap, Chad held his lead comfortably and came across the line with a well deserved 1st place. Ross ran in the Semipro 600 and Open classes, showing he is getting to love the new Rev race sleds as well. In Semi-pro Open Ross was running strong in his heats, but an aggressive move by another racer slammed him right off of the track in the last corner, placing him 5th in one heat and 2nd in the other, not quite enough for a final transfer spot. In the 600 class Ross was running very well, taking a 1st in round one, and a 2nd in round two, easily transferring him to the finals. Off the line he looked strong, but a first corner pile-up took Ross out of the hunt for a podium spot, although he did battle his way back up to a 6th. Amy ran both the Women s class and Sport 500, looking very good in both. In the sport class, she run up front in her heats, taking a 2nd in one round and a 4th in the other, not quite enough for a final transfer, but proving she definitely can run with the guys. In the Women s class, Amy got the holeshot every time and went undefeated through qualifying. The track got pretty challenging by finals time, but with her aggressive climbs up the hill and hard charging back down she made it look easy and brought home a very impressive 1st place finish. Dec WSA MN Regional Park-X at Quadna December 21st-22nd was the start of the Minnesota Regional Snocross series season at the new Park-X race facility at Quadna Mountain in Hill City. This new racetrack is one of the biggest courses around and has an abundance of snow. The weekend went very well for the team, against a record number of racers and some very experienced competition. Saturday Paul ran both Sport 500 and Sport Open, running strong in both. In the 500 class, Paul had some good heats, but had to run the LCQ in order to make the final cut. In that race he got hit from behind in the

2 first corner, which caused some damage to rear of the sled so Paul was forced to pull off the track. In the Open class Paul was absolutely flying on his Mod sled, he breezed through qualifying and earned a front spot in the final. The final was one of Paul s best rides ever, with him and another racer running away from the rest of the field by a half lap, that was until the last lap where Paul made an aggressive move for first on a rough downhill section of the track and tumbled. He was able to remount and ride hard to the finish and still gain a respectable 5th place. Chad ran the Semi-pro 600 class on Saturday as well, gaining a spot in the final after some good runs in qualifying. In the final he got tangled in traffic in the first corner but managed to work his way up to 6th and hung there for the entire 10-lap feature. Sunday brought the rest of the team to the line, with Chad, Kurt, Ross and Amy racing. Amy started off the morning by winning all 3 rounds of qualifying in the Pro Women s class. She then continued her successes in the final by passing the entire field on the first lap and hanging onto that lead for the entire 6 laps to bring home her first Pro Class win. In Semi-pro 440 Kurt and Ross both looked strong, with Kurt making the final and Ross just missing the cut. In the final Kurt had to come from behind after a poor start, but as the laps went on he got stronger and stronger and came across the line in 4th at the checkers. In Semi-pro Open, Chad, Kurt and Ross ended up in the same heats, making it more difficult than ever for all 3 of them to make the final. Chad ended up qualifying 4th for the final after the 3 rounds, Ross qualified 8th and Kurt had to run the LCQ. In the Last chance qualifier they only pull the top 2 to the final, but Kurt was determined to make the cut. He ran out to the lead on the first lap and held it perfectly for the entire 10 laps to make the final. In the final the 3 got great starts and charged hard for the entire race. There were a lot of position changes in the final, with the track being very rough and the competition very fierce. As the 10 laps came to a close Kurt worked his way up into 2nd, Chad held on to a 6th and Ross followed him in for a well deserved 7th. With 3 of the top 10 spots in a Semi-pro Open final, the team had a very successful day. Dec MN North District Park-X at Quadna December 28th-29th marked the teams second trip to Park-X and also the best weekend of competition yet this season. Due to the lack of snow everywhere else, this District race closely resembled a National, both in terms of racer entries and the level of competition. The newest members of the team started things off for the weekend with Craig Lietha running for the first time in the Beginner 500 and 600 classes, and Nathan Bauerly trying out the Sport 500 and 600 classes. Both ran well through qualifying in their respected classes, yet had to run the LCQ s on Sunday to try for a spot in the finals. Craig ran hard in his LCQ s, doing very well off the line, and taking a 2nd in 600, but only the first place transferred. Nathan ran real well in both of his as well, but came just shy of making the big show. Both proved that they have what it takes to compete, especially since it was their first time on a sled in a very long time, and the Quadna course is not too forgiving. Amy ran both the Women s class and the Sport 500 class with the guys. In the Women s class she breezed through qualifying taking 2 firsts, in the final she got the hole shot and ran away from the pack for a very impressive win, almost lapping some of the competition. In the sport 500 class, Amy ran tough through qualifying, but had to run the LCQ on Sunday. In the LCQ she got the hole shot and pulled out a nice lead and held onto it until the checkers, placing her in the finals. In the final she got caught up in traffic in the first corner, but managed to come across the line in 8th after fighting for 5 grueling laps. Paul had a very impressive weekend in the sport classes, qualifying at the top in all 3 classes for the finals. In the Sport 500 final he pulled out a lead on the first lap and never looked back, taking the checkered flag by a comfortable margin. In Sport 600, Paul was poised to win, but a missing snowflap on the back of his sled disqualified him from the final. So, Paul was on a mission to prove himself in the Sport Open final. He pulled a huge hole shot and ran away from the pack for a very comfortable and impressive win on his Mod sled, crossing the finish line jump with a huge heel clicker. Then the competition turned fierce, it was time for the Semi-pros in which Chad and Kurt both ran very tough. They both had excellent qualifying runs on Saturday, placing Kurt in the 440 final as the second qualifier, and Chad in the 600 final as the 6th qualifier. In the 440 final, Kurt grabbed the lead right off the line and ran an excellent race, he ran strong for the entire 7 laps and came across the line with a 2nd place. In the 600 final, Chad got tangled with traffic at the top of the hill, but managed to work his way up to a solid 4th place finish by the end of the race. In the Semi-pro Open class, Chad was the 3rd qualifier for the final, and Kurt had to run and win the LCQ to make it there. Off the line, Chad grabbed the lead, with Kurt sliding into 3rd. On lap 2 Kurt shot to the lead for a lap or 2, but finally slotted into 2nd with Chad in 3rd. The entire 7 lap feature had ran in that order, with these top 3 pulling a half lap lead on the rest of the field. At the flag it was Kurt in 2nd

3 place, and Chad right on him for a very impressive 3rd place finish. Another excellent weekend of racing completed, thanks to everyones hard work and cooperation. Jan. 4-5 WSA MN Regional Park-X at Quadna The first race of the New Year brought the team back to the superb Park-X racing complex at Quadna Mountain in Hill City, where the conditions were perfect for a great weekend of racing. Paul, Amy, Nathan and Craig all ran in the sport classes, and each made some great runs in qualifying. Paul s chances of going directly to the final in Sport 500 were eliminated when he was involved in a crash on the backstretch, so he had to run and win the LCQ to make it there. Nathan had a mishap on the backstretch as well, in which he suffered a sprained ankle, so he wisely chose not to finish out the day. Amy just missed a transfer spot by taking 2 third places in the sport class. In the 500 final Paul was caught in traffic after starting from the back row, and with visibility being very poor Saturday evening with freezing drizzle he rode out the race to a 6th place finish. In Sport 600 Paul breezed through qualifying. In the final he grabbed the hole shot and ran away for the win, coming across the line with a huge heel clicker for the crowd. Then in Sport Open, he did the same, from flag to flag he rode flawlessly; he also was doing a triple jump down the hill that know one else had yet done that day. Amy rode very well in the Pro Women s class, going 3 for 3 in qualifying and again taking the win in the 6 lap final. Amy was making a double jump down the hill and another on the uphill that distanced her from the rest of the field quite easily. In Semi-pro action, Chad, Kurt and Ross all made the 600 final on Saturday evening. With visibility very poor, the race was shortened to 6 laps. At the start, Kurt grabbed the hole shot and ran away with an impressive win, Ross ran hard to finish 4th and Chad came in right behind him with a hard fought 5th. In the 440 class, Kurt was the top qualifier and Ross was 3rd. At the line Kurt again grabbed the hole shot and quickly distanced himself from the field, which he held until the last lap where he went off course and struggled to get back on. Ross inherited 3rd and held it to the finish, Kurt got back into 4th but again went off course and finished 8th. Then came the Semi-pro Open class in which Chad, Kurt and Ross all qualified for the final. The track was getting treacherous, and the field of competitors was awesome. At the line, Chad nailed the hole shot and took the lead, then on the downhill Kurt found the triple jump and passed Chad in the air. The 2 battled for the first few laps, until Chad settled into second behind Kurt for the duration; Ross was running in 4th at that time. On the last lap, in the last corner, Chad slipped to 3rd with no time left to pass, so he crossed the line in 3rd and Ross came through with 4th. All 3 Bauerlys in the top 5 of Semi-pro Open, not a bad weekend at the races for the team! Jan. 11-Jan. 12 WSA Canterbury National Snocross The second weekend of January brought the National Snocross tour to Minnesota for the annual Polaris Canterbury Snocross event. This event draws huge crowds and brings in some of the best snocross pilots around. Kurt, Paul and Amy all took part in the event. Paul was the first to run Saturday morning, in the Sport Stock class. Paul took seconds in all three rounds of qualifying, which put him into the final. In the final he along with 3 others shot off the line and into the lead, only to get tangled up and stuck in the first corner. By the time they got up and going again 2 laps had been run, but with the very tough track conditions many others found troubles during the race. By the time the checkers flew, Paul came across the line with a 9th. In the Sport Open class, Paul ran through qualifying with 2 firsts and a second. In the final he shot off the line and into the lead. Throughout the race the top three battled hard running a pace well above the rest of the field. Paul fought off third place and ran up on the leader, but settled in for a well deserved and hard fought 2nd at the line. Kurt ran both Semi-pro Stock and Open, both of which are very competitive at a national event. He ran very well with the big factory boys though, taking a few firsts in his heat in both classes. In each class though, Kurt ran into trouble in 1 heat, falling back a few spots from the lead, and eventually not qualifying for the finals. Although he didn t make the main event, Kurt ran some of the best races of his career and looked very strong against some of the best riders out there. Then came the Pro Womens class, where Amy ran very well against the best women in the sport, proving that she also belongs with the big guns of snocross. She qualified 5th for the final, came off the line at the front of the pack and ran hard all 6 laps. At the checkers, Amy came home with a 5th place finish, out of 12 National Pro Women. All in all, a very good weekend for the team, and a definite confidence booster as well.

4 Jan WSA MN Regional Thief River Falls The third weekend of January brought the team to Thief River Falls for the WSA MN Regional snocross, which was also combined with the annual Ironman race from Thief River. Everyone made the trek, and ran well all weekend. Paul ran well through qualifying and gained positions in the finals of the Sport 500 and Sport Open classes. In the sport 500 final he had a shock failure and limped it in for an 8th place finish. In the Open class, Paul shot off the line up front and ran very well to bring home a 2nd. Amy was again the top qualifier for the Pro Womens final. In the final she took the lead part way through the first lap and never looked back, coming home with another big win. In the Semi-pro 600 class, Kurt was the top qualifier and Ross was third. In the final Kurt led most of the race, but after a bobble on the second to last lap he slipped to third, at the line it was Kurt in 3rd and Ross with a 5th. Semi-pro 440 again brought Kurt out as the top qualifier, this time he shot to the lead and held it for the whole final, coming home with a big win. Then, in Semi-pro Open Chad, Kurt, and Ross all made the final all as top 5 qualifiers. In what looked to be one of the most challenging races of their year, the boys held their own against a very fierce crowd, with Kurt taking 4th, Chad in 5th, and Ross taking a 7th. After all the finals, the Ironman crew held some different Dash for Cash races, one for the Sport class winners to compete in and one for the Semi-pros. Paul qualified for the sport dash, which was a very competitive 12 laps, all chasing after $1000 which went to the winner. After a crash in the first corner he ran hard and charged up to 4th before the checkers flew, gaining him a spot on the top 5 podium and a $200 purse. In the Semi-pro dash, Chad, Kurt and Ross all qualified. Kurt grabbed the lead on lap 2 and held it for most of the race, but ran into trouble after the triple jump and fell way back, Chad got the holeshot but got wiped out in the first corner and fell back in the pack, but Ross charged toward the front after a dismal start and came out with a 4th, which again brought $200. Then, the big race to end the day, the Ironman, a 16 lap feature with a new Arctic Cat ZR snowmobile as the top prize, with payouts for the top 5. All three of the boys qualified for this race, which also included Pros. At the start, Kurt ran up front but again fell after the huge triple, Ross ran into traffic in the first corner, and Chad was about in the middle of the pack. It was a brutal race, everyone riding well over their heads and running a pace much faster than the rest of the weekend. As the laps went on, TJ Gulla was the leader, Chad moved up to 5th and held that to the finish, gaining a podium spot and $100. Ross came across in 6th and Kurt in 7th, not bad after a full day of finals and a long cold weekend of racing. Feb. 1-2 WSA MN Regional Willmar February 1st and 2nd only one rider due to the winter X-Games in Aspen represented the team in Willmar. In the middle of the winter s first snowstorm, the regional in Willmar took place on a track that was put together by a dedicated crew who pumped 2 million gallons of water to make snow for the impressive track. With conditions deteriorating as the snow fell, Amy ran very well in the Pro Womans class. She qualified 2nd for the final. In the final she pulled an impressive hole shot and ran up front for the entire race, crossing the line with a solid 2nd place finish, placing her even further ahead in points for the year. Feb. 8-9 MN North District Park-X at Quadna February 8th-9th the team traveled back to Park-X at Quadna for a District North Snocross race. The weather was below zero and the winds were whipping, but the course is down in a valley so the racing went well. Everyone did very well in qualifying, with not one of the riders have to run an LCQ. When finals time came, Amy was the first to run, again getting the hole shot and running out front for the entire race, bringing home another first place in the Woman s division. Next was Paul, who ran Sport 600 and Sport Open. In the 600 final he was back in traffic coming out of the first corner, but managed to move his way up in the order throughout the race, crossing the line with a hard fought 3rd place. In the Open class, Paul shot off the line and into an impressive lead by the first corner; he ran a perfect race and crossed the line with a half of a lap lead for a huge 1st place finish. Ross ran next in Semipro 440, where he got a good start and battled up front for the entire race, bringing home a solid 3rd place finish. Chad then ran in Semi-pro 600, where he shot off the line and grabbed the early lead, but on the backstretch he got bumped out of a corner and tipped over, putting him at the back of the pack. He ran hard for the remaining 7 laps and worked his way back up to 10th by the time he crossed the finish line. Then, came Semi-pro Open where Chad and Ross were the top 2 qualifiers. At the line, Chad nailed the hole shot and jumped out to an early lead with Ross

5 stuck back in the pack. Ross worked his way up, picking off riders at a rate of 1 per lap, while Chad ran up front uncontested the entire race. When the checkers flew, Chad came across the line with a huge win and Ross came across in 2nd, another great 1 2 finish for the team. Mar. 1-2 WSA MN Regional Willmar March 1st and 2nd brought the team to the Kandiyohi County Fairgrounds for the second regional race at that facility. There was an abundance of snow on the track, which made for some rough and tumble racing. Saturday Chad, Kurt and Ross all ran in the Semi-pro 600 class, all qualifying for the final, for which Ross was the top qualifier going undefeated through 3 rounds of qualifying. In the final, the 3 teammates ran up front tight together swapping positions and charging for the lead. Halfway through the 10-lap feature, Ross bobbled and fell off over the finish line tabletop, Chad and Kurt were both able to steer clear of him and continue on, but another rider who was unaware that Ross was down cleared the jump and landed right into Ross as he was remounting his sled. Knowing something was not right Ross pulled off, and upon inspection of the crew realized his lower leg was fractured from the impact. Ross is doing fine, and on his way to a speedy recovery; he was very fortunate to be wearing the proactive gear that he was, for this accident could have been much worse. On the next lap, as the flagmen were attending to Ross another rider went down after the huge triple jump, Chad and Kurt hit the triple side by side unaware of this downed sled. Kurt had nowhere to go and hit the sled head on and came to a complete stop, causing major damage to both machines. Kurt climbed back aboard and limped his sled 5 more laps to a 5th place finish, a major feat after the damage his sled incurred. Chad meanwhile kept on his charge to the front and by the time the checkers flew on lap 10 he crossed the line in 2nd. Paul ran Sport 500 on Saturday and ended up taking home a 3rd place. Sunday morning the weather made a major turn and it was 10 below zero when racing started only to warm to about 10 degrees for the day, yet the racing was great and the track turned out to be a blast to watch and ride. Kurt started things off right by running strong in qualifying and making the Semi-pro 440 final, where he ran hard right from the start and placed 3rd. Paul ran in the Sport 600 class where he battled his way through the pack from a poor start to finish with a 5th. Amy ran very well in qualifying, again gaining the top qualifier honors for the final. In the final she grabbed the hole shot and ran a very solid race. On the last lap and in the last corner she slipped to 2nd place without enough time to counter, but a 2nd moved her points lead up to 22 for the season. Paul went undefeated in Sport Open qualifying and gained the top qualifier position for the final. In the final he grabbed an instant hole shot and lead the entire 8 lap race, crossing the line in 1st with a huge whip for the crowd. Then in Semi-pro Open qualifying, Kurt and Chad ran very well, both gaining good spots in the finals. Kurt had his open mod sled and Chad rode a stock one. At the line Kurt grabbed the hole shot and battled for the lead for a few laps, only to fall victim to the huge holes on the backstretch. After that Kurt could only muster up a 9th, but out of 12 riders and after a big off like that it wasn t too bad. Chad rode hard and consistent, using everything the stock 440 had to offer up against the open mods, and came across the line with a solid and hard fought 5th place finish. All in all it was an up and down weekend for the team, but still not a bad finish to the 2003 Snocross season, as the team all sits very comfortably in the top of their classes in season end points WSA MN Regional Points Standings As the Snocross season came to a close in late March, and the team was both short on riders due to injuries, and split between Snocross and Hillcross each weekend, Team Bauerly was still very well represented when it came to Season End Points. First off, Amy who was able to run all 6 Regional races came out on top of the Pro Women s class, by a fairly comfortable margin too. Her awesome holeshots and ability to adapt to the challenges of different tracks gained her the top honors in that class. Next was Paul, who was able to hold top 10 positions in all 3 sport classes, despite there being hundreds of entries in each class and the fact that he only ran 4 of the 6 races in the series. In Sport Open Paul was almost untouchable all season, he ended the season 2nd in points. In the Sport 500 and 600 classes he held on to a 7th and 10th respectively. Ross, who was on fire right from the start this season, was doing very well until suffering a season ending injury at the 4th race in the series, so he only actually ran 3 of the 6 races. Even so, Ross ended up taking a 9th overall in Semi-pro Open and a 12th in Semi-pro 600. Kurt had one of his best seasons yet, but he too only ran 4 of 6 races due to scheduling conflicts with Hillcross. Yet, he was able to come out with a 4th overall in Semi-pro 440 and a 5th overall in Semi-pro Open. Chad also had a great season, and in only 4 of 6 regional races he as able to capture a 5th place overall in Semi-pro 600 and a 6th place overall in

6 Semi-pro Open. Then the teams newest rider Phil Johnson, who waited until the Snocross season was completed to join the team in Hillcross, swept the Regional Semi-pro classes in points. Phil was able to run all the races and won nearly all of the finals in every class, placing him on top of the field in points for the year. Congratulations on a very impressive season to everyone on the team, and we look forward to seeing everyone together on the track next season. May 3-4 WSA Western Boreal Snowmobile Expo Mt. Boreal Ski Resort in Donner California, which is in the Lake Tahoe and Reno area of the west, was the host of the final races of the 2003 season, dubbed the Boreal Snowmobile Expo. This year s event was spectacular, it snowed 6 Friday night and 12 Saturday night, making for some unbelievable track conditions. Kurt made a last minute decision to head west and give this event a try, representing Team Bauerly at yet another epic event. The weekend was full of activity, with Snowmobile Drags, Snocross, Hillclimb, and Hillcross events. Kurt decided to give the Snocross event a try; despite the fact the he had a long-track Hillcross machine and no studs. He entered the Semi-pro Open class, where he did very well in qualifying against the best in the west. Making the final as the 6th qualifier, Kurt was already happy with his performance, yet he was determined to show his talents and rode hard to the end and crossed the line with a very impressive 2nd place finish. Then, on to the Hillcross events, where Kurt was showing everyone that flatlanders can climb mountains too. In Pro 800 Kurt qualified 6th for the final, at the line he grabbed the hole shot, yet by mid-track he was feeling immense pressure from 5 other riders. Kurt found a line that was going to take extreme commitment to pull off, which he did and it paid off huge, he shot to the front of the pack and came home with a very well deserved 1st place finish. Then, in the X-Games Qualifier class, he again performed flawlessly, winning all three rounds of qualifying and taking the top qualifier honors for the final. In the final, he was running in third, and again tried his line which again paid off pulling him up to first, but shortly after taking the lead he hit something unforeseen and was pitched absolutely sideways. Unable to hold onto it, he was left watching his lead slip as the competition flew by. Despite not making the cut for the X-games, Kurt was very happy with his performance and had what he called the weekend of his life, and a better end to the season than the one back home. ~ 2003 Hill-X Results~ Feb WSA Quadna Park-X Hillcross The Hillcross season got an early start this year with the first event at Quadna on the 22nd and 23rd of February. It was quite cold for a Hillcross, but the racing went great. The team grew again, with 10 riders representing Team Bauerly Racing. It was Paul and Kim Greenwaldts first weekend out, and also for Todd Lachinski it was the first Vintage run of the year. Todd is running a 1977 Sno Jet this season that he has been working on quite hard, which paid off as he brought home a 2nd place trophy at Park-X. Paul Greenwaldt ran in the Masters and sport divisions, putting in some good qualifying runs and finishing with a 3rd in Masters, and a 2nd in Sport 800. Amy ran both the Womens and Sport classes, putting together some great runs in qualifying, but finding some bad luck in the finals in each class, yet she hangs on to 4th, 8th and 10th in points. Nathan Bauerly and Craig Lietha both ran in the sport classes as well, running well in qualifying. Neither of them made the final rounds, but both accumulated some valuable points for the series. Paul moved up to the Semi-pro ranks this season, and proved he belongs there, qualifying for his finals on the first weekend in the class. Paul ended up having to miss a few of his finals after a very scary crash in an X-Games semi-final race, but he checked out ok and came back out for his last 2 finals. In Semi-pro 900 Paul finished 5th, and in Semi-pro Open he brought home a 2nd place. Ross also ran all of the Semi-pro classes, having a stellar weekend. He took 2nd in the 500 class, 5th in 600, 2nd in 800, 1st in the Semi-pro Open class, and he placed 2nd in Semi-pro King of the Hill. Ross also ran the X-Games qualifier races, finishing 1st and 4th in his heats and 4th in the final, placing him in 2nd place in points so far for the season. Then we have Chad and Kurt who both run the Pro classes, both proving that they have what it takes to compete at that level. Chad had a very good weekend, taking a 2nd in Pro 500, a 3rd in Pro 600, a 3rd in Pro 800 and a 6th in Pro 900. Chad also ran the X-Games qualifiers, taking a 1st and a 2nd in his heats and a 5th in the final, placing him in the points hunt for the season as well. Kurt brought home a 4th place in Pro 600, a 4th in Pro 700, a 2nd in Pro 800, 3rd in Pro 900, 4th in Pro Open, and he ended up winning the Pro King of the Hill race at the end of the

7 day. He also ran the X-Games qualifiers, crossing the line in 3rd and holding onto 3rd place in points in that class. It was a great first weekend of Hillcross for the team, and if things can improve from here, this will be the team to beat every weekend! Mar. 8-9 WSA Telemark Lodge Hillcross The second stop of the 2003 Hillcross series was in Cable, WI at the Telemark Lodge Resort and Conference center. It was a perfect venue for an event like this, with everything from the hill to the lodging being in one place. If only Mother Nature would have cooperated it could have been the perfect event. The temperatures were zero or below, creating some very hard snow conditions, and the overall lack of snow made that even harder to deal with. Actually, things were getting worse as the day progressed on Saturday so after one full round of qualifying they called off the races until Sunday. Kurt fell victim to the treacherous track Saturday afternoon, taking a hard fall after a big double jump. He called it quits for the weekend, as he was quite sore. Everyone actually did quite well in qualifying though, placing them high on the list for the finals on Sunday. Chad and Paul had to run a semi-final for the X-Games class Sunday morning, which Paul ended up winning, followed by Chad in 2nd, placing them up front as qualifiers for the final. When finals started, the track was still tough, but the team prevailed. Amy ran away with the win in the Woman s class final, she also placed 6th in the Sport 500 final. Nathan ran very well in what was only his second Hillcross ever. He took a 4th in Sport 500, a 3rd in Sport Open, and came home with an impressive win in Sport 800. Paul Greenwaldt also had a stellar weekend, taking a 2nd in the Masters class, a 2nd in Sport 800, and a huge win in Sport 700. The Vintage class is becoming more and more competitive, but Todd continued to show he has what it takes to compete. Todd won his qualifier, and came home with a 4th place trophy in the final. In the Semi-pro division Paul ran very well, taking a solid 2nd place in the 500 class, a 3rd in the 600 class and despite some trouble at the finish-line in Semi-pro 900 he still came out with a 2nd place finish. Actually, Paul and the first place rider were running what was possibly the fastest race of the weekend, when Paul hit a kicker on the finish-line jump that sent him flying into the solid ground, he got rattled pretty hard, something that shook up the rest of the racers, and also prompted him to call it a season. After all of that, Chad still had his Pro class finals and the X-Games qualifier races to run, something that was hard to do after seeing all of the wipeouts and damaged sleds so far that day. In the Pro 500 class, Chad brought home his first Pro win, taking a huge 1st place at the line. In Pro 600 he finished 4th, with a 3rd place to back that up in Pro 800. In Pro 900 Chad again crossed the line with a 3rd place finish. Then in the X-Games qualifier final, minus 2 of his team-mates Chad ran a very good race, finishing with a solid 3rd place. That finish propelled him to 2nd place in points for the season so far in the X-Games class, where at the end of the series, the top 4 go to the 2004 games. With the core of the team dwindling down, the rest of Team Bauerly has picked it up and the results continue to show that this team has what it takes to compete with the best. Mar WSA Hardscrabble Ski Area Rice Lake, WI March 22nd and 23rd marked the third round of the WSA Midwest Hillcross series, at a new venue in Rice Lake, WI. The Hardscrabble Ski area made for a great event, with plenty of room on the hill, in the pits and a nice base lodge as well. The weather again was an issue, but this time to the tune of degrees, which is really hard to complain about while basking in the sun. The racing went well, and the team performed great once again. Saturday s qualifying rounds went very well for Craig, Nathan, Amy and Paul Greenwaldt in the sport classes, and Chad did the same in the Pro classes. Sunday morning, Nathan and Craig ran their last chance and semi-final rounds, both of which had some very impressive runs. When finals time rolled around, the sun was out and the temps were in the 60 s, great weather for just hanging out outside. Todd was up first; he gave the Sno-Jet everything he could, but the competition was fierce in the Vintage class this weekend and in the end he came across the line with a 5th place finish. Paul Greenwaldt ran a simply flawless race in the Masters 800 class final, pulling a lead right from the start and outdistancing himself from the field by a very comfortable margin to take a huge 1st place. He then ran in the Sport 800 final, where he again was flying, clearing the big double jump with ease for the first time and bringing home a strong 2nd place finish. Nathan made it to the finals in the Sport 600 and Sport 900 classes, showing he can run with the veterans of Hillcross in only his third race ever by placing 2nd in both classes. Both Nathan and Paul ran King of the Hill races, in which they each placed 4th in their respective runs. Then, Chad was up in the Pro class finals, making it to 5 of them. In Pro 500, Chad had the hole-shot and led most of the race; he crossed the line with a very close 2nd. In Pro 600 he again ran up front and brought home a strong 3rd place finish. In Pro 800 and 900 Chad ran well against a tough crowd and placed 4th and 5th in each. Then, on to the big show, the X-games qualifier, in which Chad was qualified 4th for the final. At the line, he

8 grabbed the hole-shot and ran a perfect race, crossing the line in 1st for a huge win. Congratulations to the team on another stellar weekend of Hillcross racing, even with a few of the key members missing this team continues to prove themselves. Mar WSA Welch Village Hillcross March brought the team back to where Hillcross got its start, the annual Hill climb at Welch Village Ski Area in Welch Minnesota. This year s event marked the 1st time that the racecourse had ever been moved, creating a new challenge for the racers. It also marked the start of a promising Hillcross career for the teams newest member #233 Phil Johnson, Phil is from Two Harbors and has been racing Snocross with Chad, Kurt and Ross for a few years now. The team started thing off right on Saturday, with everyone winning his or her heats. Todd won both Vintage heats, Amy won both Women s heats, Nathan was 3 for 4 in Sport classes, Craig won a few of his Sport class heats, Paul G. won his Masters heats, Phil Johnson won several Semi-pro heats and Chad won 4 straight Pro heats. Things were definitely clicking for Team Bauerly. Sunday brought quarterfinals, semi-finals and eventually finals, all of which the team did very well in once again. Todd ran hard in the Vintage final, taking the lead by airing it out over the big jumps, but once he hit the final long straight climb, his sled just didn t have the hp some others did and he ended up with a hard fought 4th place finish. Craig made the Sport 700 final, he pulled hard off the line and ran a good race, but once again hp came into play and he ended up with a well-deserved 6th place finish. Paul Greenwaldt ran hard once again, coming home with a 3rd place in Masters, a 4th in Sport 700 and a very impressive run to 2nd in Sport 800. Amy pulled away for another huge win in the Women s class, she also ran a strong race in Sport 500 crossing the line in 5th. Then, for her biggest ride yet in Hillcross, Amy won Sport King of the Hill. Nathan had a stellar weekend in the Sport classes, claiming 1st place in Sport 500 and Sport 900, a 2nd in Sport 600 and a 3rd in Sport Open. He then ran in King of the Hill where he crossed the line in 2nd place. Phil Johnson didn t quite know what to expect coming into the Hillcross season at the halfway point, but he shocked everyone including himself by taking a podium spot in 4 Semi-pro classes and also making the X-Games final as the second qualifier. Phil brought home a 3rd place in 500, a 1st in 600, a 2nd in both 800 and 900, and a 5th in the X-Games qualifier. He also ran the King of the Hill race on his stock sled, where he still managed to come across the line in 3rd. Chad ran strong all weekend long in the Pro classes, qualifying 1st for the 500 final where he eventually finished 3rd. In Pro 600 Chad came across the line in 4th, but again in Pro 800 and 900 he finished with 2 3rd s. In the X-Games final Chad ran into some trouble, only taking a 7th, but his strong qualifying runs and the win the week prior should propel him into 1st place points in the X-Games class. Chad also ran King of the Hill on his stock sled, taking an impressive 2nd place behind Justin Tate. Another very impressive weekend for the team, with only 2 more to go and many points titles heating up, it should be a fun run to the end of the season. Apr. 5-6 WSA Giants Ridge Hillcross The 5th stop on the WSA Hillcross tour took place at the beautiful Giants Ridge Ski Resort in Biwabik, Minnesota. It was the best race of the year, in terms of snow quality and quantity, weather, and the track was simply awesome, consisting of 6 sets of double jumps and a very long steep pitched hill. The team again performed very well all weekend. On Saturday, qualifying went great for Craig, Nathan and Amy in the sport classes, and Paul Greenwalt and Phil Johnson were absolutely on fire on this technical track. With the sun out and the temps around 40, Sunday was a perfect day for racing and the finals went very well. Todd started things off in the Vintage class, where he was out jumping everyone else in his final, but the Sno-jet just didn t have what it took to climb to the top the fastest, he ended up taking a 4th place. Amy outpaced the women s division again, winning both heats and the final. Paul Greenwaldt ran away with the win in the Masters class, he went undefeated all weekend in that class. Paul also ran strong in the Sport 800 class, but after getting together with another sled in the final he was still able to salvage a 5th place finish there. Nathan ran well in qualifying, making all of his finals. In the Sport 500 and 600 finals, he ran into some tough competition but was still able to pull off 2-4th place finishes. In Sport 900 Nathan took a 6th, and in Sport Open he crossed the line with a hard fought 2nd place finish. Phil Johnson continued where he left off the previous weekend, leaving everyone wondering where this guy came from. He breezed through qualifying, making all of his finals at the top of the pack. In the Semi-pro 500 final, Phil exploded off the line and never looked back, taking an impressive 1st place finish. In 600 he placed 4th, and in 800 he ran out a tough 2nd place. In the Semi-pro Open class, Phil again exploded off the line and into the lead that he would never give up and brought home another impressive 1st place finish. In the X-Games qualifier class, Phil qualified 2nd for the final, where he ended up finishing 4th. Chad had a good weekend running with the big boys again, qualifying in the top 3 in most of his finals. In the Pro 500 final, Chad was battling hard with Justin Tate and came out with a 2nd place finish. In Pro 600 Chad placed 4th, which he again did in Pro 800. In Pro 900 Chad

9 ran very hard and crossed the line in a pack of 3, of which he took a strong 3rd place. In the X-Games qualifier class, Chad took a 5th in the final, just enough to hold on to his 1st place in season points for that class. All in all, another good weekend for the team, next weekend is the finale at Spirit Mountain in Duluth. Apr WSA Duluth Hillcross-Spirit Mountain April marked the season finale of the WSA Midwest Hillcross Series, and what better place to be than Spirit Mountain in Duluth Minnesota. The weather was perfect all weekend, sunny skies and temps in the upper 40 s. The track was very long and included some huge jumps, making it both fun for the racers and spectators alike. The team had one of their best weekends yet, everyone was absolutely flying, and with Kurt and Ross back on the track one last time it was very fun to watch. Saturdays qualifying went great for the team, everyone took turns winning heats and showing up the competition. Chad, Phil, Kurt and Ross all ran in the X-Games qualifier race, which was run in its entirety on Saturday, to determine who would be in the top 4 and be awarded spots in the 2004 Winter X-Games. In the final, Phil shot off the line and into the lead early, Ross and Justin Tate were locked tight battling for 2nd, Kurt pulled hard midway through the race up toward the front with Chad in tow, it was a very intense battle as the 4 teammates leapt over the 120 foot double jump before the finish line. At the line, it was Phil Johnson with the win, Kurt took 2nd, Chad ran up into 3rd, and Ross came out 4th. With the 3rd place finish in the final, Chad earned enough points in the series to gain the first place spot in the X-Games. Congratulations to Chad for his hard work and excellent Hillcross season, we look forward to seeing him at Winter X. Now, with the top placings the other 3 received, they all earned enough points to run in the last chance round where the winner of a ten man final would also go to X. In that final each of the team drivers ran a good race, but at the line it was Justin Tate who took the win. With one more spot open to go to the X-Games, the team was bound and determined to get another driver in. Sunday was their final chance, the race called Special X was to be run at the end of the day, and all 3 drivers won their qualifying rounds to make the final. In the final, Phil Johnson grabbed the holeshot with Ross in a close 2nd, Kurt was closing the gap midway up the hill, Ross briefly passed Phil before the big double jump, but a blown motor shot his chances down in the last few seconds, and Phil crossed the line and gained the last possible spot for the X-Games, Kurt crossed the line in 2nd and Ross in 3rd. With an impressive finish, the team had all the chances to get someone there, and Phil Johnson got the job done, Congratulations to Phil as he will join Chad at the 2004 Winter X-Games. Now, there was still an entire weekend of racing to get done, and each of those finals was equally exciting. Amy ran strong in the women s class again, winning both of here qualifying heats and taking a hard fought 2nd in the finals. Paul Greenwaldt ran hard all weekend, bringing home a 2nd in the Masters class and another 2nd in the Sport 800 class. Nathan again was running hard in the Sport classes, taking a 2nd in the Sport 900 class and again doing the same in the Sport Open class. Ross came back to run one final weekend, and besides his stellar runs in the X-games classes, he also ended up finishing with a strong 2nd behind Phil in the Semi-pro Open class. Phil stole the show in Semi-pro all weekend long, he won all of his heat races Saturday, and 3 of4 finals on Sunday. In Semi-pro 500 he got caught up in traffic and crossed the line in 4th, but then in 600 he came back and took the win. In Semi-pro 800 Phil again crossed the line in 1st place, which he again accomplished in the Open class. Chad had an equally impressive weekend in the Pro classes, winning 4 qualifying rounds in a row on Saturday and qualifying 1st or 2nd for several finals. In the Pro 500 final, Chad shot off the line and into the lead over Justin Tate, he ran away with the lead for a very impressive 1st place finish. In Pro 600 Chad again shot off the line and into the lead, but this time it was Keith Dirkes that gave him a run, they ran side by side to the line, Chad earned a very strong 2nd place in that final. In Pro 800 Chad was running up front again, this time Justin just edged him out at the line, he again earned a hard fought 2nd place. In Pro 900 Chad crossed the line in a tight pack of 5 sleds, in which he was 4th. It was by far the best weekend to date for the team, and what a way to end the season, 2 going to the X- Games, and 19 top 3 finishes on the weekend. Congratulations to all of the teams riders, it was a heck of a season, and everyone out there that knows about Hillcross knows about the Bauerly Team. May 3-4 WSA Western Boreal Snowmobile Expo Mt. Boreal Ski Resort in Donner California, which is in the Lake Tahoe and Reno area of the west, was the host of the final races of the 2003 season, dubbed the Boreal Snowmobile Expo. This year s event was spectacular, it snowed 6 Friday night and 12 Saturday night, making for some unbelievable track conditions. Kurt made a last minute decision to head west and give this event a try, representing Team Bauerly at yet another epic event. The weekend was full of activity, with Snowmobile Drags, Snocross, Hillclimb, and Hillcross events. Kurt decided to give the Snocross event a try; despite the fact the he had a long-track Hillcross machine and no studs. He entered the Semi-pro Open class, where he did very well in qualifying against

10 the best in the west. Making the final as the 6th qualifier, Kurt was already happy with his performance, yet he was determined to show his talents and rode hard to the end and crossed the line with a very impressive 2nd place finish. Then, on to the Hillcross events, where Kurt was showing everyone that flatlanders can climb mountains too. In Pro 800 Kurt qualified 6th for the final, at the line he grabbed the hole shot, yet by mid-track he was feeling immense pressure from 5 other riders. Kurt found a line that was going to take extreme commitment to pull off, which he did and it paid off huge, he shot to the front of the pack and came home with a very well deserved 1st place finish. Then, in the X-Games Qualifier class, he again performed flawlessly, winning all three rounds of qualifying and taking the top qualifier honors for the final. In the final, he was running in third, and again tried his line which again paid off pulling him up to first, but shortly after taking the lead he hit something unforeseen and was pitched absolutely sideways. Unable to hold onto it, he was left watching his lead slip as the competition flew by. Despite not making the cut for the X-games, Kurt was very happy with his performance and had what he called the weekend of his life, and a better end to the season than the one back home. ESPN Winter X-Games VII January 30th through February 2nd marked the seventh running of the ESPN Winter X-Games in Aspen, Colorado. Kurt qualified for the Hillcross competition at the games, which is an enormous achievement. The team spent several weeks building and preparing a machine capable of running with the big boys of the sport, and when they arrived in Aspen their goal was met, this machine rocked. After several hours of testing at high altitude in Aspen, Kurt and his sled were ready for the task at hand. The games were ongoing for several days before the Hillcross competition, so the whole team was able to take in some of the best extreme sports events on the planet. Once Sunday rolled around, it was go time, and everything and everyone seemed poised to win. In the first round of qualifying, Kurt made a hard charge to the front of the pack at about a quarter of the way up the hill, everything looked good until he hit an off camber jump and was shot right off the track and off his sled, also spraining his ankle. Then came round 2, with his ankle taped up Kurt was ready to go, again he made an aggressive charge to the front only to get together with Tucker Hibbert and again get dismounted. Things remained the same in round three, a big let down for Kurt as he hit a big jump that jarred some controls and killed the machine, ending his hopes for being first to the top at this years games. Some other hopefuls had the same kind of luck though, which just goes to show that it can happen to anyone at anytime. There was definitely some good things to come of this experience though, Kurt now knows how to test and tune his machines, the team worked together better and harder than ever before, and everyone got to meet and see some of the best athletes in the world. Now the team moves forward to the Hillcross season back in the Midwest, after the lessons learned in Aspen, everyone is ready to rule the hills back home and make an honest charge at qualifying for the 2004 X-Games.