Davis Wins Silver At Winter X, Simons Sweeps Oslo 100
Fertile, Minn (January 30, 2013) – They were both competing on snowmobiles for Christian Brothers Racing but they were worlds away from one another. While Cory Davis was winning the medal in Speed & Style at the Winter X Games, Ryan Simons was completing his sweep of the Pro classes at the USXC cross-country race in Oslo, Minn. Both major feats, both on vastly different stages.
Davis competed in all four snowmobile disciplines at Winter X but found medal success in Speed & Style. He sliced his way through the field of talented freestyle riders making his way to the final where he was matched up against rival Levi LaVallee. Racing on a combination snocross track and freestyle ramp course, Davis entered the competition with the fastest qualifying time. Blazing speed and precisely-executed tricks such as his signature whip meant a silver medal for Davis to go along with two bronze medals he won in 2009 and 2011. Davis also finished fifth in Freestyle, fourth in Best Trick and failed to qualify for the snocross final
Logan Christian got hit by another rider in the first round of snocross eliminations which meant he would have to transfer through the LCQ. Five riders would transfer and Christian started from the back row, passing his way all the way up to fourth place to earn the transfer spot. In the final he got crossed up in the bumps, crashed and did not return to the race. Garth Kaufman had to pull out of the snocross competition after suffering a concussion sustained in a crash during practice.
Meanwhile, in Oslo, Minn., Ryan Simons was setting the pace at the USXC cross-country race. Frigid temps, hazy sun and snow-filled ditches and river bottoms set the scene as CBR riders competed on a 23-mile course that got brutally rough as the day wore on. Riders battled through ditches as well as on the Snake and Red Rivers where speed and handling ruled the day. While the terrain of the 23-mile Oslo course varied greatly from the lake races the circuit hosted at its first three events, the results shook out with most of the same names ending up at the top of the order, namely Christian Brothers Racing riders.
Simons started the day by winning the 2-lap, 56-mile Pro Open race, besting the next fastest rider by over a minute on the time charts. Simons was the favorite for the 4-lap, 112-mile Pro 600 race and he didn’t disappoint, setting a complete race time of 1:42:11.821, 1:37.778 faster than the second place sled of his teammate Zach Herfindahl and 2:43.234 faster than the third place sled of his other teammate, Brian Dick. Brian was battling a flu bug all day, but his times were still good enough to put him on the podium. Brian leads the Pro 600 points but is just three points ahead of Simons. Herfindahl sits in third place. Simons has a solid lead in Pro Open points ahead of Dick and Herfindahl.
“I’m proud of Cory winning a silver medal, he worked hard improving his freestyle routine specifically for this event and it paid off,” said Christian Brothers Racing team co-owner Dwight Christian. “Our cross-country mechanics have been in the shop working some long hours to get our sleds set up and Ryan, Brian, and Zach continue pushing each other to do their best. I hope the season can keep improving.”
For more information on Christian Brothers Racing visit www.christianbrosracing.com