Close quarters racing, giant snowflakes and a packed house are trademarks of the U.S. Air Force national in Deadwood, South Dakota and this year was no exception. Logan Christian led the charge for the team on on Friday night going 3-1 in his qualifying rounds and finishing on the Pro podium in third place.
Hunter Patenaude was in close pursuit of Christian, battling with his teammate throughout the long and demanding main event to finish fourth. Patenaude was challenging for a heat race win in his second round when contact with title rival Elias Ishoel, knocked him off his sled.
On Saturday, Christian was once again the model of consistency finishing 1-2 in his heats, earning the top qualifier sport for the second straight night. Unfortunately, Logie was caught up in a high speed tangle right off the start of the main event and had to race from almost a lap down to finish 11th.
Patenaude continude to struggle with qualifying on the tricky Deadwood bullring but managed a sixth place finish in the final.
Sport Lite rider Nate Lavalley scored a pair of top 10s, finishing seventh and sixth in his class finals.
Deadwood is always a favorite stop for the team with several representatives from the U.S. Air Force on hand visiting the trailer and taking part in guest rides on the race course after Saturday’s Pro final. Students at our school visits in this region are also some of the most engaged that we get to meet with all season. We presented two Race to the Future scholarships during or visits to the Black Hills.
