Brad George and Robby Schachle have won this year’s Iron Dog snowmachine race, passing leaders Casey Boylan and Bryan Leslie between Puntilla and the finish line in Big Lake on Saturday.
George and Schachle completed their more than 2,600-mile race with a total course time of 50 hours and 26 minutes, arriving at the finish at 12:23pm Saturday.
Friday night into Saturday morning the front runners were all holding in Puntilla, about 150 miles away from Big Lake. At the time, Casey Boylan and Bryan Leslie were scheduled to depart Puntilla 28 minutes ahead of George and Schachle, leaving at 8:51am. Unfortunately for team #14, they had mechanical issues about 30 miles from the finish line.
According to a statement from Iron Dog, Boylan and Leslie took a windswept portion of trail that diverted from the actual race trail. After that Boylan’s engine locked up and Leslie had to tow his partner’s machine until the tow strap snapped. Eventually, after a few more mishaps and broken straps, the pair made it into Big Lake only to find out they had been passed by George and Schachle en-route to the finish.
Rounding out the top three was Mike Morgan of Nome and Chris Olds who finished less than 20 minutes behind Boylan and Leslie at 1:13pm. 14 teams completed this year’s race with the Hale Brothers claiming the “red lantern” spot. Israel and Joseph Hale were not the last team to reach the finish line, but their total course time was over 75 hours, capping off their first Pro Class finish.
The 2021 race champions of George and Schachle take home $35,000, with more in contingency prizes, in their first ever Iron Dog pro class win.
Image at top: 2021 Iron Dog Finish- Team #14 Casey Boylan and Bryan Leslie Towing Into the finish after suffering mechanical issues 30 miles from Big Lake. (Photo from Iron Dog, James Wicken)
