Palin in 2012 Iron Dog

The Iron Dog, Alaska’s toughest snow machine race is getting ready for the 2012 race, with that famous Alaskan family name “Palin” in the mix. Four time Iron Dog Champion Todd Palin, 47*, is on Team Number 11, along with Eric Quam, 41, and both are running this year’s race on Arctic Cats. Tod claimed victory in the 1995, 2000, 2002, and 2007 trophies. There are 31 Pro Class teams signed up this year, including seven other previous year’s champions and sixteen all rookie teams.

Snow machines shown here were actually in Nenana during Tripod Days in a recent year, but are similar to those run in the Iron Dog. Photo by Diane Neill Jensen

Entered this year are seven teams representing the rural communities of Bethel, Galena, Hughes, Kotzebue, Nulato, Noorvik, Tanana, Nome and Selawik, and five teams traveling north from Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Minnesota and Virginia. Again, all snowmobile manufacturers, Polaris, Yamaha, Ski-Doo and Arctic Cat have their models entered by racers in the race.

Team number 2, with Ryan Sotosanti, 34, and Andrew Zwink, 22, of Wasilla, Alaska are running Polaris machines. Doug Dixon, 44, and Wayne Wold, both of Anchorage, are entered.  Team four, Robert Gardner, 38, of Mercer, Maine, and David Hammond, 35, of Sidney, Maine, are both racing Ski-Doo MxZ machines. Team Five with Howard Darling, 32, of Nulato and Justin Robertson, 38 of Anchorage, are both rookies. Howard is running a Polaris. Tyler Huntington, 26, hailing from Fairbanks, and James (Tre) West III, 27, of Nome, are team number six, andare both racing Polaris machines. Tyler is a two time Iron Dog Champion, 2010 and 2011.

Team 7 are both rookies, Norman Sheldon, Selawik, Alaska, is 26 years old, and is driving a Polaris, while Raymond Wells, 53, is from Fairbanks, Alaska. Team eight consists of Tyson Johnson, 32, of Eagle River, Alaska, and Chad Gueco, 28, of Wasilla, Alaska are both competing on Ski-Doo MXZ X-RS’s. Team 9, from Idaho are Darrick Johnson and Donald West on Arctic Cats. Team 10, Chris Olds and Mike Morgan, both Alaskans, are both using the Polaris brand.  Team Thirteen are Daniel Lowrie, 36, of New Mexico and Raymond Rapp, 34, of Washington State, both on Arctic Cats. Team number 15 are Rob Robinson, 40, and Don Redick, 34, both of Wasilla, and both rookies.
Wasilla also is represented by Team 16, consisting of Todd Minnick, 32, and Nick Olstad, 29, racing Pro R Switchbacks. They are both previous year winners, 2009 for Todd, and 2005 and 2009 for Nick.  Team 17, Dusty VanMeter, 42, of Kasilof, and Marc McKenna, 37 of Anchorage both will be on Ski-Doos this year. Dusty has run all but one race since 1994, and won in 2000, ’02 and ’04, while Marc is also a previous winner, in 2005 and ’08. Team 18, Robert Jauhola, 44, of Fairbanks, and Tommy Kriska, 50, also of Fairbanks, will race on their Polaris Rush’s.

The rest of the teams are listed below, in order of team number, name, hometown, age:

19

Arthur (Gux) Laraux Bethel, Alaska 29 Yamaha Nytro RTX Rookie

19

Steven Boney

Bethel, Alaska

31

Yamaha Nytro RTX

Rookie

 20

Jana Peterson-Pevan

Willow, Alaska

Unknown Arctic Cat

20

Carl Swenson

Big Lake, Alaska

Unknown Arctic Cat

 21

Stan Brown

Eagle River, Alaska

27

Ski-Doo MXZ X-RS

Rookie

21

John Dean

Eagle River, Alaska

27

Ski-Doo MXZ X-RS

Rookie

 22

Randy Gravatt

Island Park, Idaho

49

Arctic Cat F-6

Rookie

22

Jon Berry

Castle Rock, Colorado

44

Arctic Cat F-6

Rookie

 23

Paul Dick

Grand Rapids, Minnesota

Unknown Arctic Cat

23

Brian Dick

Thief River Falls, Minnesota

Unknown Arctic Cat

25

Race Price

Wasilla, Alaska

29

Unknown Arctic Cat

2011, 13th

25

Eric Watson

Wasilla, Alaska

Unknown Arctic Cat

2011, 13th

27

Rusty Goodman

Palmer, Alaska

40

Polaris Pro R Rush

1998, 10th; 1999, DNF

27

Lawrence Jones

Anchorage, Alaska

26

Polaris Pro R Rush

Rookie

28

Joseph Brantley

Kotzebue, Alaska

30

Polaris IQ 600

Rookie

28

Frank Ferreira

Kotzebue, Alaska

31

Polaris IQ 600

Rookie

29

Robbie Muir

Anchorage, Alaska

53

Ski-Doo MXZ X-RS

2007, 12th; 2010, 9th; 2008, 2011, DNF.

29

Jeremiah Jones

Denver, Colorado

31

Ski-Doo MXZ X-RS

2010, 9th; 2011, DNF

30

Trent Lee

Anchorage, Alaska

Undeclared

National Guard Team – Rookie

30

Gary Smith

Anchorage, Alaska

Undeclared

National Guard Team – Rookie

31

Charlie Potter

Wasilla, Alaska

28

Unknown Arctic Cat

2009, 15th; 2008, 2009, 2011, DNF

31

Lee Harrison

Wasilla, Alaska

32

Unknown Arctic Cat

Rookie

32

Tim Jauhola

Fairbanks, Alaska

45

Ski-Doo MXZ X-RS

2011, trail Class, Finished; Pro Class Rookie, 2007, 2008, DNF

32

Brad Dietrich

Fairbanks, Alaska

54

Ski-Doo MXZ X-RS

Pro Class Rookie; 2010, 2011 Trail Class, Finished

33

Kelly Sommer II

Nulato, Alaska

24

Polaris Pro R Rush

Rookie

33

Harold Warner

Galena, Alaska

24

Polaris Pro R Rush

Rookie

36

Harold Attla

Fairbanks, Alaska

47

Polaris 600

Pro Class Rookie; 2010, Trail Class, Finished

36

Archie Beetus

Hughes, Alaska

25

Polaris Pro R Rush

Rookie

39

Tyler Aklestad

Palmer, Alaska

26

Ski Doo

2007, 2009, 2nd

39

Aaron Loyer

Palmer, Alaska

26

Ski Doo

Rookie, A few DNF’s

40

Arnold Marks Jr.

Tanana, Alaska

29

Polaris PRO R Switchback

2011, 7th

40

Archie Agnes

Tanana, Alaska

36

Polaris PRO R Switchback

Rookie

Anchorage, Alaska

44

Unknown Arctic Cat

2010, 2nd; 2000, 2011, DNF

38

Rookie

*Palin’s age was incorrectly reported as 41 on the day this article went live.  Sorry Mr. Palin, you just look so young!  And thanks to reader “Ru” shown in comments below, for reporting this inaccuracy. (Posted by the Editor)

Photo Credit Diane Neill Jensen

Meet the Author: Diane Jensen

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