Young pups

WASILLA — In its rookie year running the Tesoro Iron Dog snowmachine race, members of Team Zwink/Spikes said they know they don’t have much chance of winning.

“We just want to be first place with the rookies,” said James Spikes, 20.

By their reckoning, Spikes and teammate Andrew Zwink, 18, make up the youngest team in this year’s pro class. The 1,971-mile race runs from Wasilla to Nome to Fairbanks and is the longest snowmachine race in the world, according to its Web site, www.irondog.org.

Zwink is a busser at the International House of Pancakes who’s just finishing up his high school diploma. Spikes owns and operates a lawn care business and is taking classes at Mat-Su College — or at least he was before he took time off to race. He plans to get back to it next semester.

They spoke Monday in Zwink’s dad’s garage as they reflected on all the work they’ve had to do to get their sleds ready.

Zwink said he’s been saving his money for years to enter the race. Now, he’s running in the first year he’s been eligible. The Wasilla resident said he’s always been interested in long-distance endurance racing.

As for Spikes, he said the challenge is what drew him to Iron Dog, and the road to the race hasn’t been without setbacks.

On Saturday, Spikes blew out his engine. A fuel leak caused his right piston to seize on a practice run on the race trail between Big Lake and the Little Susitna River.

“We had to tow it back,” Spikes said. It took four hours and two tow straps.

“We were looking like rookies,” Zwink said. But then maybe that’s not a bad thing.

“Some guys are going to underestimate us,” Zwink said.

Zwink and Spikes said they don’t have many illusions about how tough the race will be. They have talked to Iron Dog veterans for advice on how to outfit their sleds and to make sure they know what they’re getting themselves into.

Zwink, who made Eagle Scout this year, said he’s confident his outdoor survival skills will see him through. What makes him most nervous is that the race starts Feb. 20 and the two still have lots of work to do on their sleds.

Still, Team Zwink/Spikes is confident they’ll be ready.

Zwink and Spikes see this year’s race as one of many they hope to make. This year’s sleds will be practice sleds next year. By then and having run the race once they will have a better idea what breaks on their machines, and can better prepare their new sleds next year.

Next year, the pair said they’ll hopefully have more sponsors to help defray the cost of racing, which has run into the thousands of dollars for each. They have a few this year, listed on their Web site, teamzwinkspikes.com.

They could use a few more, as is obvious from a quick look at Zwink’s Ford truck, decked out in team stickers.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.