ONE PHOTO & ONE STORY BY JOHN BASHER

On Oct 22, 2015 Last updated Jul 30, 2016

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Daryl Ecklund had a fun time dodging snow plows during the Steel Shoe Fund three-hour endurance ice race a few years ago.

By John Basher

Motocross is different than most sports, as rider and machine unite in the goal of winning. Unlike team sports, where the success of a unified effort is measured by the team’s ability to rise above while sharing the load, motocross is individualistic. When the checkered flag waves it’s the rider who is responsible for shouldering the result. A motorcycle cannot block the blind side or have a cold streak. Sure, there’s no denying that a dirt bike is an important cog in success. Then again, how many times have you seen some flannel-wearing goon on a roached-out Honda CR250 blowing the doors off a Ryan Dungey wannabe? It’s no coincidence that a rider’s right hand also picks up the trophy after the dust settles.

Every so often motocross riders unite for the sake of competing in a team race. The Motocross des Nations needs no explanation and is the most historic team race in the sport. There are other events, such as the Red Bull Day In The Dirt team race and Surfercross, where racers pair up. It’s a unique concept that’s widely popular among those who have experienced racing such a format.

I’m a fan of team races. They help form a bond between riders and encourage even the most selfish among us to satisfy the needs of the group rather than the individual. In my many years of racing I’ve had great experiences teaming up at A Day In The Dirt, the Glen Helen 24 Hour event–okay, maybe that wasn’t such a fun time–as well as a number of one-off events. However, none compared to the Steel Shoe Fund three-hour endurance ice race in Campbellsport, Wisconsin.

MXA managing editor, Daryl Ecklund, and I willingly flew to the cheesehead state in the middle of January nearly two years ago. I say willingly, because Wisconsin in the winter consists of sub-freezing temperatures and feet of snow blanketing the ground. We were joined by then-Yamaha PR point-man, Tim Olson (Olson used to be my boss before he began his tenure at Yamaha). Tim arranged for us to compete in a three-man ice race on Kettle Moraine Lake. I had previous ice racing experience from my 85cc days in upstate New York, but Ecklund the SoCal native didn’t grow up around snow. He had cut his riding teeth by bombing around the desert. Daryl was acquainted with cold weather, if you think cold weather consists of a slight breeze out of the east and 45 degrees.

Having said that, nothing could have prepared us for the moment we stepped foot outside the Milwaukee airport. Daryl’s lips quickly turned purple and my toes went numb. That’ll happen when it’s 11 degrees with snow squalls. Welcome to Wisconsin! Risking embarrassment, we ran to the rental car screaming like little girls at a One Direction concert. Tim blasted the heat and we shoved our faces against the vents. We were a broken rental car away from turning into popsicles in the frozen tundra of Wisconsin. It was exhilarating.

The first day we rode around a practice “track,” and by track I mean a mostly secluded lake that was only inhabited by the occasional ice fisherman. We met with Yamaha’s Jim Drummond and his two sons, Mike and Jake. The Drummond boys were ringers, well versed in the mystical art of ice racing. Naturally they were pairing up for the following day’s endurance race. Daryl, Tim and I had a few hours–or as long as our bodies could resist frostbite–to learn the art of riding fast around a frozen lake. Ecklund, naturally gifted when it comes to riding anything with an engine and two wheels (I loathe him for that, by the way), was a fast learner. He flew into one of the snowbanks as a result of getting a bit too cocky, but it didn’t shrivel up his ego as much as it did his frozen toes inside his Alpinestar Tech 10s.

“IT TOOK A MILE OR SO BEFORE THE GUY FOUND AN OPENING, CUT UP THE INSIDE, AND SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES WITH THE INTENT OF DROPPING DARYL TO THE GROUND. WHEN THAT DIDN’T WORK, THE RIDER LOOKED BACK AND FLIPPED ECKLUND THE UNIVERSAL SIGN FOR ‘I REALLY REALLY REALLY DON’T LIKE YOU.’ THAT MASKED MAN WAS THE EVENTUAL RACE WINNER JR SCHNABEL.”

The next morning we felt much better prepared for what was in store. Tim, Daryl and I talked strategy, which equated to having Ecklund spin as many laps as possible. He was the fastest of the group, and naturally we wanted to win at all costs. So what if his face would got blotchy from freezer burn? We were going to play to our strengths.

A few things about the Steel Shoe Fund three-hour endurance ice race. (1) The event raises funds for flat track racers who have been seriously injured during competition. It’s for a good cause. (2) Every year there are several big names that show up. In 2014, AMA Pro Flat Track racer JR Schnabel competed, as did Jeff Fredette. We were in esteemed company. (3) The course was 6-1/2 miles long, with over 100 turns. It was very demanding, and braking bumps and ruts had formed in the ice by the end of the race. (4) Not surprisingly, dirt trackers typically finish at the front of the pack. They aren’t afraid to back the rear end into corners and have an affinity for choosing the fast lines.

This is what I came away with after racing the endurance team ice race. (1) Spending three hours on a lake is not for meek of body or spirit. Fortunately, it was a balmy 26 degrees during the race. I practically ripped off my snowsuit and sun-bathed in the warm glow. (2) Daryl Ecklund rides like a man possessed during a race. He risked life and limb in order to make passes and, in one case, keep someone behind. Ecklund rode like Jeff Emig circa 1995 when an unknown rider on a Suzuki caught up to him. He swerved from one side of the snow bank to the other in a desperate attempt to foil the racer’s advance. It took a mile or so before the guy found an opening, cut up the inside, and slammed on the brakes with the intent of dropping Daryl to the ground. When that didn’t work, the rider looked back and flipped Ecklund the universal sign of “I really really really don’t like you.” That masked man was the eventual race winner JR Schnabel. (3) Believe it or not, the event organizers had snow plow drivers scrape the fluffy stuff off the track in the middle of the race. You haven’t lived until you take the outside line around a corner while dodging a snow plow. It was daunting, but also a massive adrenaline rush. I can’t wait to do it again some day.

For more information on competing in the Steel Shoe Fund three-hour endurance ice race, which usually takes place in the middle of January, click here. Make sure to wear a snow suit and watch out for snow plows!