By Dominic Santina, Contributing Writer
Photography by Ashley Lizzie Photography
For the first time in a while, Michigan has a professional snocross rider in the hunt for the top spot on the podium in the Pro Class. Former, Grand Blanc native, now Rochester, Michigan resident Jake Yurk is racing for Kyllo Racing Arctic Cat on the ISOC Amsoil Championship Snocross circuit.
Yurk is currently sitting fifth in the championship standings. Yurk had a super strong start to the season by competing for 10,000 dollars in the Amsoil Dominator Final. The Dominator is a head-to-head bracket-style race for the ultimate cash prize. Yurk faced some of the biggest names in the sport to get to the final. He beat former Pro champion Kody Kamm and faced multi-time champion Elias Ishoel to make the front row of the final. Ishoel ended up getting the best of Yurk in the end. However, Yurk did return through the last chance qualifier to make his first Dominator final. Ishoel won the final, and Yurk, coming from the back row, claimed third place in the battle.
To start the regular race season, Yurk had a strong showing in the first triple crown race of the season on Saturday in Ironwood, Michigan. Yurk bounced back from a mistake in the first race to secure a fourth-place finish overall for the Triple Crown.
He backed that performance up with a podium finish in round two of the season in Shakopee, Minnesota. In the third round of the season, Yurk had a rough day, finishing ninth after being sick the week before.
Yurk has continued to see improvement over the last year, as he finished in the top five in points last season. While he has shown speed, with the triple crown format now in play, consistency and health are some of the most significant factors and that is precisely what Yurk is hoping to do this season,
“ The goal for this season is to stay healthy through the whole season and finish top three in points,” said Yurk.
Injuries are a part of snocross racing, and early in his time in the pro class, Yurk struggled with some injuries. Last year was one of his healthier seasons, which helped his development.
“ I thought last season was good. Somehow, it felt like my first actual year in the pro class. Circumstantially, it’s never worked out where I am healthy through an entire season. All in all, we exceeded our goals, and it’s good to have something to build off,” said Yurk.
One thing that has also helped Yurk improve into one of the top riders in the Pro class is his move from a factory team to a privateer team. He had raced for All-Finish Racing Arctic Cat for a couple of seasons before the team shut operations and he made the move to Kyllo Racing.
Yurk and Kyllo Racing made some significant adjustments to their Arctic Cat last year, which made him comfortable, and that is when the results started improving. Yurk also credits the switch to Kyllo Racing as a change that made him more comfortable with a more minor team. It shows in the way Yurk talks about his owner,
“Chad Kyllo is a great leader and his role as team owner suits him well. He wants to win but understands the variables in racing that sometimes lead to heartbreak. At the end of the day, he is always positive.”
Yurk has been one of the few to continue waving the Arctic Cat banner despite the recent financial struggles and has been a bright spot for the organization. However, without support from the manufacturer, the season has been even more challenging. While the team feels confident they can make the rest of the season, they are not turning down anybody’s sponsorship ideas.
The fun he has had has increased with his success, but Yurk has continued to enjoy racing since he started his racing career at 13, when he started racing in Michigan regional races.
Yurk has enjoyed his time at the Christian Brothers Racing track in Minnesota, where he turns most of his practice laps with his Kyllo Racing team. Yurk also gets much excitement from the thrill of racing for the hole shot.
“The nerves on the line, the revs, waiting for the light to turn green, and when you achieve that hole shot, there is no better feeling,” said York.
You, too, can join in on Yurk’s enjoyment and success by following along with the snocross circuit on FloRacing. The series will be making its next couple of stops at Deadwood, South Dakota on January 24 and January 25, followed by the pros going to Valcourt, Quebec, Canada in on February 7-9 and Salamanca, New York on February 22 and 23. •