Foss, Stephenson, Sterne, Garceau all turn heads

It was a heavy day of Champ 440 class racing Friday at the World Championship Derby Complex ahead of Friday night’s Pro-Star Cup Tour final.

Along with the Formula III Sweet 16 pole race, the Champ 440 class will take center stage, and everyone will be chasing the No. 28 Ski-Doo of Matt Goede.

Goede was on rails Friday, sweeping all three rounds of heat races and rolling up 30 tour cup points en route.

In the first race of the day, fans on the hillside got a treat as rivals Blaine Stephenson and Gunnar Sterne traded blows, swapping the lead position until Stephenson slipped up a bit on the inside of turn three. Sterne kept his smooth, but fast line that ran midway up the track and rode it around the outside of Stephenson to win the first race and set the stage for what was an action-packed day for the Champ class.

In the second heat during round one, newly-signed Wahl Bros. Racing driver Tanner Foss looked like his counterpart Stephenson, draping the sled around the inside line and slingshotting each turn while winning the 5-lap heat. Dane Klinger of Athens, Wisc., was in second.

Goede started his sweep in round three by out-racing Will Garceau and Reed Klinger who were second and third.

Round two of Champ heats saw Sterne once more ride to victory, narrowly edging Garceau in second while Gavin Peterson was third.

Foss won his second heat of the day in the second heat, ahead of Reed Klinger and Jazalyn Rathke.

Goede once more was untouchable in the third heat of round two, beating out Stephenson who was hot on his heels. Justin Peterson finished third.

Goede came right back in the first race of round three, though Sterne showed strength as he pulled to within a couple sled lengths before finishing second. Third place went again to Peterson.

Stephenson got his first win of the heats in the second race of round three, making it to the line ahead of his former team, Tom Olson on the No. 39. Reed Klinger was third.

In what might have been the race of the afternoon, five sleds at one point were within three to four sled lengths of one another before Garceau took the white flag in heat three. A red flag staggered the field with one lap to go, but Garceau would go untouched to the finish, ahead of A. Christensen and Foss.

Racers not compiling enough points will race in the LCQ. The Pro-Star Tour final will take place Friday night, under the lights as part of the Friday Night Thunder activities.