It was supposed to be a back-to-back weekend for Bunke Racing, but back-to-back blizzards in Eastern North Dakota forced the United States Cross-Country Snowmobile Racing Association to postpone the Grand Cities 100 scheduled for Sunday, January 2, to January 15 and push back Saturday’s Grafton 100 to Sunday.
The USCC also announced that the Grafton 100 would be a non-points race since there were some racers who weren’t able to make it to the event due to the weather.
Blizzards may have shut down all major roads in the area, but the Bunke Racing team made it to Grafton and they came ready to race.
The newest member of Bunke Racing, Bobby Menne IV, got his first Semi-Pro win, taking victory in Semi-Pro 600 and logging the third fastest lap of the race on a tough course that featured twisting river, tight woods, drifted tree lines and wide open fields and ditches.
Menne posted a three-lap time of 58:24.398 over the 14.5-mile course and was over a half minute ahead of second place. It is perhaps the biggest race to date won on a Polaris RUSH. Menne also took fifth in the two-lap Semi-Pro Improved race earlier in the day.
“This is my first win as a Semi-Pro and it feels really good,” said Menne. “Our test time with the Polaris 600 RUSH Pro-R really showed in the race, the sled was working great. I feel more comfortable on this sled than anything I’ve raced in the past.”
Pro rider and team co-owner Gabe Bunke didn’t post final race results as good as Menne’s, but his lap times on the Polaris 600 RUSH Pro-R showed much promise.
In the two-lap Pro Open race Bunke set fast lap time for the class before having his race cut short after getting stuck in deep snow.
In the Pro 600 race, Bunke set the seventh fastest lap time out of 24 Pro riders before once again having to drop out of the race.
“I was so happy with the sled,” Bunke said. “Bobby proved we can win on the Polaris 600 RUSH Pro-R and he proved himself as a contender in the Semi-Pro class. Unfortunately it wasn’t my weekend, but the sled was ripping and I’m happy with the fast laps I put in. Let’s hope all the bad luck is behind us for the season.”
“This weekend was definitely a positive one for the team,” said Team Coordinator Bob Menne. “Everyone put in a lot of work getting ready for this race and it showed in how well the sleds ran and in Bobby’s win. It’s a huge boost for the team to get a win and it’s a benchmark for the Polaris 600 RUSH Pro-R.”
Next up for Bunke Racing is the USCC Grand Cities 100 scheduled to take place January 15, 2011, in Grand Forks, ND. For more information on Bunke Racing please visit www.bunkeracing.com and www.onethirtyoneracing.com.
