SAULT STE. MARIE — The Bunke family racing team took home another win at the I-500 this weekend, establishing themselves as the family name in snowmobile racing.
On Saturday, thousands gathered at the racetrack in Sault Ste. Marie to witness competitors from across the country take part in the 55th running of the largest snowmobile race in history.
Although there was some concern from the community about whether the track could hold up under such warm conditions, the race went off without a hitch.
"This is the most prestigious snowmobile race in the world, and if last year's race was anything to go off of this is going to be a great race this year," said I-500 director Ric Federau during the opening ceremonies.
Starting with the waving of the flag at 10 a.m., the race lasted for almost nine hours.
Going into the last 100 laps, the Bunke Racing team was in fifth place but slowly and surely made their way to the front of the pack. In the last moments of the race, Bunke pulled ahead of last year's champion, Tommie Bauer Racing, and won the race by three seconds.
This is the eighth win for the Bunke Racing team, which is made up of mostly Bunke family members. The team of drivers included brothers Taylor and Boe Bunke, their father and coach Gabe Bunke and driver Aaron Christensen.
"Honestly it feels surreal, it was quite a battle," said winning driver Taylor Bunke. "It's pretty special being a family setup, having all those family members being a part of something like this is truly special and makes it that much sweeter when big stuff like this happens."
— Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@Sooeveningnews.com