Eric Kilabuk and his snowmachine are held aloft after the Pangnirtung racer broke a 19-year speed record held by his father, Ricky Kilabuk, by clocking a time of two hours and 47 minutes. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Eric Kilabuk beats father’s 19-year speed record to win Toonik Tyme race
Cousin Alex Kilabuk takes 2nd place in annual snowmobile competition
Updated April 8 at 12:10 p.m. ET
The Kilabuk cousins of Pangnirtung earned top prizes in Toonik Tyme’s second snowmobile race from Iqaluit to Kimmirut and back on Sunday.
Eric Kilabuk broke a 19-year-old speed record held by his father, Ricky Kilabuk, by clocking a time of two hours and 47 minutes over the 240-kilometre course to earn the $10,000 first-place prize.
His cousin, Alex Kilabuk, arrived 13 minutes later to take the second-place prize of $5,000.
Eric Kilabuk crosses the finish line in first place Sunday in Toonik Tyme’s race from Iqaluit to Kimmirut and back. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Eric Kilabuk’s victory was anticipated by racers who returned early to Iqaluit after being disqualified. Seventeen competitors registered for the event, but 10 finished.
The disqualified racers, who were standing with race fans near the finish line, nodded in agreement when one of them said Kilabuk’s machine passed the other competitors “like a bullet.”
Lodi Ipeelie Jr. took himself out of the race even before it started after he detected a popping sound coming from his snow machine’s exhaust system. In frustration, he threw his helmet at the snowmobile as he and fellow riders were unable to fix the problem before race time.
Kyle Oolayou was the first disqualified racer to arrive back, after his machine malfunctioned mid-race and within sight of land near the Kimmirut side of Frobisher Bay.
“It was rough,” he said, describing the uneven ice cloaked in a blanket of snow on the bay.
Chris Provost arrived back shortly after Oolayou, having flipped his snowmachine at a bend along the route. He took himself out of contention after receiving help to pull his vehicle out of the snow.
Robert Bourassa went off the road near the same place ahead of Provost. He ended up with a sore shoulder and had to hitch a ride home with a race volunteer.
Alex Kilabuk crosses the finish line Sunday in second place in Toonik Tyme’s second race from Iqaluit to Kimmirut and back. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Jaypetee Peter crashed his snowmachine and was disqualified. He was met by an ambulance on the ice road behind Baffin Gas Bar in Iqaluit and later told organizers he had escaped injury after being checked out at the hospital.
Simon Graham, Davidee Nowyook and Gary Eeseemalie were also disqualified mid-race.
Robert Padluq of Kimmirut, who was racing to raise awareness about suicide prevention, was disqualified after getting stuck along the course but was able to finish on his own power. Padluq had a lot of support from his hometown fans watching the race from the Kimmirut side.
“The racers were really surprised by the amount of people out on the sea ice supporting them,” said Stephen Johnson, the administrator for 123Go!, the charitable organization that oversees the Toonik Tyme festival.
Close to 300 fans congregated on the Iqaluit side of the ice.
In third place was another Kilabuk — Joshua Kilabuk of Iqaluit — who finished in a time of three hours and nine minutes.
One minute later, Wayne Michael arrived to finish fourth. Two minutes behind him was Michael Alivaktuk, which earned him the fifth and final prize position. Both racers are from Pangnirtung.
Jamie Anilniliak of Iqaluit won this year’s first Toonik Tyme snowmobile race on March 30.
The rest of Iqaluit’s 60th annual Toonik Tyme spring festival begins with a civic holiday on Friday and continues until April 20.
Note: This story was updated to note that Eric and Alex Kilabuk are cousins.
I had to boolean search Nunatsiaq archives to find the father’s speed record.
In 2005 (twenty years ago), Sara Minogue noted Ricky Kilabuk’s speed record of 2 hours and 48 minutes. His speed record was broken by one minute!
I would have loved to hear if his father was one of the spectators! Must have been exhilarating.
Isn’t this race 330 kilometers to Kimmirut and back?
Entertaining article to read, Darron. The tailoring of accurate terms into this made it enjoyable.
Congrats all racers. Hope this is the revival of something very good.
This is amazing! Congrats, everybody!