Brian Joski, RJ Lego Score Wins as King of the Elements Kicks Off at Eagle River

March 1, 2021

Off Road Racer Staff

Few racing series offer the kind of surface diversity of Monster Energy King of the Elements, the SXS Sports-organized series that challenges UTV racers to take to all types of terrain over the year. The series returned on Saturday with the Arctic Derby Dash in Eagle River, Wisconsin’s World Championship Derby Complex, the same venue that hosted last year’s opening round as well.

Six different classes hit the track for the 2021 opener, including the series’ first-ever SXS Diva Powder Puff race. When all was said and done, Brian Joski scored the Pro Mod victory and took home the $3,000 winner’s check after upsetting Kyle Chaney in the heat race, taking the lead from Brian Waszak early on, and holding off a hard-charging Rodney VanEperen in the 12-lap feature. It was Joski’s best finish in the series since an eighth place at Dirt City Motorplex two years ago. Luke Stubbs completed the podium over Chaney and Scottie Lawrence after third through fifth changed hands multiple times in the closing laps.

VanEperen’s second place in Pro Mod came shortly after a third place finish in the Pro Stock class, as he completed the podium behind his son Owen in second and race winner RJ Lego. Lego, who started ninth, charged through the field in the first half of the race, making the decisive pass on Owen VanEperen with four laps to go.

Chase Kleist took the Sportsman victory after he and Jake Kosmecki got around Riley Marquardt just past halfway in their nine-lap feature. Both Collin Paitl and Ellah Holtger took dual podiums in the youth classes, with Holtger and Paitl finishing second and third to Troy Johnson in the 570 race and Paitl beating Corbyn Wassenberg and Holtger in the SXS Mini feature. Amber Holtger wrapped up the festivities with a win in the Diva race, making the decisive pass on Shantel Homernik on the final lap of the night after wheel-to-wheel contact down the frontstretch.

Pro Mod SXS Results

FIN.	ST.	NO.	DRIVER	LAPS/TIME	INTERVAL	BEST
1	2	95	BRIAN JOSKI	12/10:25.664	---	41.355
2	3	45	RODNEY VANEPEREN	12/10:26.390	0.726	41.756
3	12	88	LUKE STUBBS	12/10:33.250	7.586	41.015
4	4	191	KYLE CHANEY	12/10:38.532	12.868	41.19
5	5	26	SCOTTIE LAWRENCE	12/10:39.033	13.369	41.93
6	1	68	BRIAN WASZAK	12/10:39.466	13.802	41.614
7	8	81	JASON WATT	12/10:39.815	14.151	43.444
8	9	23	TYLER KRUSICK	12/10:44.689	19.025	44.628
9	7	17	MICHAEL GILLILAND	12/10:52.399	26.735	41.745
10	6	28	GRAY LEADBETTER	12/10:55.460	29.796	42.382
11	11	959	THOMAS BLANTON	12/11:11.070	45.406	43.907
12	10	94	LELAND THYES	10/9:14.977	2 Laps	43.207

Pro Stock SXS Results

FIN.	ST.	NO.	DRIVER	LAPS/TIME	INTERVAL	BEST
1	9	91	RJ LEGO	12/11:52.342	---	42.656
2	1	5	OWEN VANEPEREN	12/11:54.512	2.17	43.361
3	5	45	RODNEY VANEPEREN	12/11:57.636	5.294	42.902
4	2	99	JESSE KLAUS	12/12:00.726	8.384	43.605
5	7	41	SCOTT WASZ	12/12:00.907	8.565	43.672
6	6	13	MATT BOHN	12/12:02.839	10.497	44.078
7	8	22	DYLAN MARQUARDT	12/12:04.619	12.277	44.817
8	10	75	BILL BERGER	12/12:08.380	16.038	45.415
9	11	95	BEN ENLOE	12/12:10.766	18.424	44.985
10	20	37	ZACH JANKE	12/12:11.207	18.865	44.73
11	19	98	BLAKE ENLOE	12/12:11.469	19.127	45.008
12	4	61	KYLE THOME	12/12:12.461	20.119	44.398
13	14	88	TIM CHRISTENSEN	12/12:14.183	21.841	45.689
14	13	84	JORDAN MCKNIGHT	12/12:18.124	25.782	45.422
15	15	97	JACK LETOURNEAU	12/12:22.326	29.984	44.279
16	18	21	JOSH BAYER	12/12:36.221	43.879	44.2
17	3	44	JOHN HOLTGER	11/11:54.663	1 Lap	42.278
18	17	80	JUSTIN TESSMER	11/12:19.422	1 Lap	44.594
19	12	36	JOE DRESEL	8/9:06.111	4 Laps	44.981
20	16	74	RORY NAVIN	4/3:13.746	8 Laps	45.027

A rebroadcast of Saturday’s event can be found here. Monster Energy King of the Elements continues with the Spring National from Dirt City Motorplex on May 21-22, and returns to 141 Speedway on September 17-18 for Chaos at the Creek. Jimmy Henderson and Rodney VanEperen are the defending Pro Mod and Pro Stock winners from Dirt City, respectively, while Scottie Lawrence and Scott Wasz took the checkered flags in the top two classes in last year’s visit to 141.