Matt Schulz Earns Historic World Championship

Schulz hoists the coveted Snow Goer Cup after winning the World Championship.

The Eagle River World Championship Snowmobile Derby is always about history, but Matt Schulz’ victory Sunday at the famed Derby track truly was one for the ages.

     By winning in dominating fashion with a green-to-checkered run, Wausau, Wisconsin’s Schulz became:

• The first Wisconsin driver since Dale Loritz in 1995 to keep the Snow Goer Cup in its own state.
• The first Polaris driver to win the World Championship since Steve Thorsen claimed the title in 1978.
• The second second-generation driver to win snowmobiling’s premier race – following his uncle and lead mechanic Al Fenhaus, the 1993 champion, much like Terry Wahl followed in the footsteps of his uncle Dave Wahl.
• The comeback racer of the year. A year ago, Schulz showed up at Eagle River wearing a halo – he broke his neck the previous weekend at the USSA oval race in Plymouth, Wisconsin, and was forced to watch the World Championship race – without turning his head.

     Schulz was fast all weekend, claiming the fast time in Thursday’s trials and winning his heat and semi-final in Saturday’s qualifying. The only time he was beat on the track was in the Friday Night Thunder Program, when a clutching issues relegated him to second behind three-time champion PJ Wanderscheid.

Matt Schulz was flawless in the 25-lap final, and collected $20,000 for the effort.

     Sunday, the roles were reversed. Schulz clutching was dialed in perfectly, as his Larry Rugland Motorsports-powered mod rocketed off the starting line and into turn one ahead of a star-studded field that included four ex-champions that had claimed a combined 10 world titles (Jacques Villeneuve 3; Wanderscheid 3; Gary Moyle 2; Brian Bewcyk, 2).

     Wanderscheid settled into second, with the surprising Jason Lavallee claiming third for several laps. He was followed by an angry pack in the early going, with Dan Fenhaus on his heels, Malcolm Chartier in fourth and Dustin Wahl in fifth.

     Deep in the pack, the two former champs who started in the back row after qualifying through Sunday’s last chance qualifier, Villeneuve and Moyle, tried to fight through traffic. By lap six in the 25-lap final, Villeneuve was up to seventh in the 12-lap field.

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Fjerstad and Van Strydonk Fast at Friday Night Thunder

Besides the World Championship race on Sunday afternoon, Friday Night Thunder is arguably the high light of the Eagle River Snowmobile Derby.  The evening started off with the Semi-Pro Champ class.  Joey Fjerstad, of Minneapolis, Minn., got a great hole shot and established an early lead.  Fast on his Polaris, it became clear the rest of the field would have to run hard to catch him.

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