Mike Morgan was the overall winner in the 2017 Archie Ferguson/Willie Goodwin, Sr., Memorial Snowmachine Race this past weekend in Kotzebue.
61 racers in three classes took to the nearly 226-mile trail from Kotzebue through Noorvik, Kiana, and Selawik and back through Noorvik to the finish line in Kotzebue.
Morgan, from Nome by way of Anchorage, clinched the overall win and $1,000-dollar prize with a time of 2 hours, 29 minutes, and 36 seconds, riding a Polaris 800. He also took 1st place in this year’s C-Class, adding to his prize money by nearly $7,600.
Taking 2nd in the C-Class was Brad Reich, Jr., of Kotzebue, followed by Nome’s James “Tre” West III in third place riding a Skidoo Renegade.
In the fan-cooled class, River Jones of Kotzebue took the top spot, with Noorvik’s Gage Jackson in second, and Louis Edenshaw of Kotzebue in third.
Kotzebue’s Rick Lie claimed first in the 0-600 Class on his Arctic Cat F6, followed by fellow Kotzebue racer Frank Lane in second, and Kiana’s Alvin Morris claiming third.
Only one female racer competed this year: 17-year-old Kaylee Wilson of Wasilla.
The Archie Ferguson/Willie Goodwin, Sr., Memorial Snowmachine Race is put on by the Arctic Circle Racing Association.
Race Marshall Claude Wilson says the annual race has been happening for more than 50 years.
This year’s purse totaled more than $38,000.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the hometown of Alvin Morris. Morris is from Kiana, not Noorvik.
