The 2016 Iron Dog snowmachine race crowned its champions in Fairbanks on Saturday afternoon. The same team to make it first into Nome, Team 8 — Tyson Johnson and Tyler Aklestad — crossed the finish line to claim the $65,000 first place prize.
“I think we just calmed down a little bit and maybe just rode our own race,” Johnson told KTUU Channel 2 News. “[We] didn’t really focus on what everyone else was doing and just did our own thing.”
Aklestad and Johnson scratched the last two years.
“I was scared until the last mile,” Aklestad admitted. “You just never know.”
Aklestad and Johnson completed 2,000-mile race on their Ski-Doos in a record breaking time of 35 hours and 35 minutes.
Second place finishers Todd Minnick and Nick Oldstad of Team 16 arrived 45 minutes after the first place team. Rounding out the top three was Brad George and Robby Schacle of Team 6.
