Champion crowned in Slingshot Racing Cup

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This article was published 08/09/2017 (3277 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A winner has been crowned in the Slingshot Racing Cup, the world’s first-ever racing championship to feature three-wheeled Polaris Slingshot roadsters.

David Richert, a Manitoba-born professional race car driver, who last year completed a race through the streets of Monte Carlo at the world-famous Formula One Monaco Grand Prix weekend, was crowned the Slingshot Racing Cup overall champion last week after dominating throughout the summer and winning rounds nine and 10 of the unique racing series at Gimli Motorsport Park.

Richert, who helped launched the Slingshot Racing Cup with S.A.R. Sport and Recreation, a Polaris and Husqvarna dealership in Steinbach, enjoyed the win, but was even more happy with the tight results and racing created by the championship.

“I’m unbelievably excited with the extremely close racing produced by the Slingshot and a field of very talented drivers throughout this year,” Richert said in a press release. “It’s been a privilege to work with, and compete against, all of our participants this season.”

Winnipegger Myles Kraut dominated the participant class to seal his top position at the head of the rookie field. Kraut beat out second-place finisher Kurt Enns, of Steinbach, while Winnipeg’s Paul Thiessen placed third.

“Racing wheel to wheel with everyone has been a great experience this year and winning is the icing on the cake. A huge thank-you to all of my sponsors and the organizers for putting on an amazing championship, I’m looking forward to defending my title next season,” Kraut said.

Slingshot marketing specialist Becca Czerniak, who travelled to Manitoba from the Polaris corporate headquarters in Medina, Minn., was thrilled not only with how well the racing series showcased the Slingshot product, but also with Richert’s driving prowess.

“Riding along with David during the race was so much fun. It was great to see everyone enjoying the Slingshot, and a big congratulations to all drivers who made the Slingshot Racing Cup such a success this year,” Czerniak said.

The three-wheeled Polaris Slingshot, introduced in 2014 as a 2015 model, is manufactured by Polaris Industries. It features two wheels up front and one in the rear, a tilt steering wheel and side-by-side bucket seats equipped with seatbelts. It has no roof, doors or side windows. The steering wheel, gear shifter and brake, clutch and throttle pedals have a conventional automobile layout. Here in Manitoba a driver and passenger must wear motorcycle helmets when operating a Slingshot, which weighs only 1,743 pounds (791 kilograms) and is powered by a 2.4-L inline four-cylinder engine derived from the General Motors Ecotec, which was formerly used by GM in the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky sports cars.

Plans are already in the works for the 2018 Slingshot Racing Cup. For more information and complete race results check out slingshotracingcup.com.

willy@freepress.mb.ca