The STM Powersports Snow Outlaws snowmobile drag racing series might have opened the 2026 season one event late, but they opened up in a big way. Big crowds, big (as in high) temperatures, and a big, live video production courtesy of IHRA.
Having the IHRA webcast team spreading Snow Outlaws action live around the globe didn’t deter a huge crowd of snowmobilers from streaming across the lake and lining deep along the purpose-built, 500-foot, snow-packed racing surface.
After the earlier Rice Lake event was cancelled for lack of snow, action-starved snowmobilers turned out strong for the St. Germain Shootout presented by Wisconsin’s St. Germain Chamber of Commerce, and the Snow Outlaws didn’t disappoint.
Outlaw
Certainly one of the most spectacular sights the crowd witnessed Friday night was a huge explosion by Jeff Ratzlaff’s screw-supercharged nitro Outlaw sled, “The Grinch.” Rider Mike Allen ate a face full of flames about 100 feet out as a rod punched a hole in the front of the crankcase and the intakes popped off the head at the back. And just like that, the North Dakota team was toast for the weekend—and probably the season.
“I really didn’t see the flash at all,” said Allen. “There was a little concussion to the chest, but that was about it.” Still, he was bummed about the outcome.
“I’m done for the season,” said Ratzlaff, as he, tuner Howard Haack, and Hypersports’ Craig Campton considered what may have caused the destruction.
While The Grinch was the first sled of its kind several years ago, Tyson Enerson’s compressed air supercharged sled is breaking new ground in ’26. And just like The Grinch in ’22, Enerson took the win in the sled’s first Outlaw class start, and Tyler’s first since 2018.
It didn’t hurt that Enerson totally nailed final round opponent Dominick Ernst and the “Eagle-1” to the starting line. “I knew I had to be on my game,” Enerson said about the flashlight start. “They did review it, but it was very clean.”
Clean like the getaway of his sled—a two-cylinder Hypersports Suzuki burning prodigious quantities of gasoline with the help of the big bottle of compressed air weighing down the tail.
“We built the system last summer with the help of the guys (Mark Griffin and Dave Pearce) at Compressed Air Supercharging (CAS),” said Enerson. “We ran out on grass and had some success, but we needed to refine some things within the set-up and the tune.
“We revamped a lot of the set-up for this season going into winter and spent a lot of time on the dyno to get it working the way we wanted it to, and getting it to the level that we believed it needed to be at for the Outlaw class.
“We had some unknowns going into the weekend with a relatively new set-up, but we kept making it faster every round, and everything worked out in our favor.
“Myself, Dave Mart, and Blake Matney are the main team. Blake helps us tune and we wouldn’t be where we are without him. The 515 racing team is also a huge help along with Mike Hansen and Proline.”
2024 Outlaw champion Ernst still chalked it up as a good weekend for him and Eagle-1— owned by Snow Outlaws’ own Chad and Jenny Nyhus.
“We had a great weekend,” said Dominick. “On Friday for qualifying, our fastest pass was a 3.56, 144.84 mph, with a 1.04 60 foot.
“Round 1 for eliminations on Saturday we were going to go up against Jagger Ashley, but unfortunately he scratched so we only did a half-track shakedown pass.
“In the semifinal round, we knew we were going to have to turn it up when we went up against Johnathan Lentzkow on his new twin cylinder Hypersports sled. Pulled off with win the with a 3.62 at 153.79 mph.
“Final round and we weren’t able to pull off the win due to Tyson’s astonishing reaction time. Still had a solid pass with a 3.64, 152.90. I was starting to catch him at the big end but not enough track to get him.
“Overall, the Eagle ran awesome, the team was on point, and I couldn’t be more grateful. Huge thanks to Chad and Jenny Nyhus. Thanks also to the tuner Glenn Hall, and Ryan Bauer for helping me out the whole race with all the mechanics, pushing the sled around, and helping line it up. Thank you to Craig Campton and everyone at Hypersports for building the most top tier race sleds on the planet. Thank you to the sponsors of the sled, Nyhus Racing and Hypersports.
“Thank you to all the media: IHRA for putting on the most jaw-dropping live footage anyone could ask for, and thank you to Tim Hailey at EatMyInk, Troy Fisher with Troy Fisher Photography, Chris Riley at Super Sled Online, and That Racing Channel.
“Thank you to my mom and Brian for tagging along. Thank you to all my family back home for all the love and support. And most of all thank you to Snow Outlaws for putting on the best top level racing platform any racer and spectator could ever ask for. The hard work that was put into making the race possible is out of this world and we all couldn’t be more appreciative.
“The Nyhus Racing team will see everyone at Three Lakes for another battle! The Eagle-1 will be ready to burn some more nitro and throw some more snow!”
Number one qualifier Ethan Erhardt (3.54 on the Dragy) lost in the semis against Enerson when he had to let out with his “Black Mamba” taking him towards the track’s edge.
Last year’s Outlaw champion Matt Musselman’s retro “Sno-Twister” sled broke in testing.
Pro Xtreme 55
Brian Sullivan’s “John Deere” may look like the same Pro Xtreme 55 sled he’s been winning on for years, but a lot has changed under the green bodywork since last season. New turbo and fuel system, and—like everyone else that was running the now-outlawed 174 inch track—a shorter 159.
“I was really worried about how the new set-up would do,” said Sullivan. “The motor we could test on the dyno, but really didn’t know what the new configuration would need regarding weight transfer, suspension, etc.
“We guessed and it turned out to be pretty good.”
Good enough to win, which isn’t unusual for Sullivan. The St. Germain win was his seventh, which is a lot for a series that is fortunate to have the weather to race two events per year.
Sullivan didn’t have any actual performance numbers to attach to his winning weekend, as the John Deere twice tossed it’s Dragy. At that point, Brian didn’t care about the numbers as long as he was going rounds.
After racing past Jagger Ashley in E1, Sullivan had a bye second round. Good thing, as the sled developed a misfire. Spark plug changed, misfire gone.
His Outlaw sled broke, Matt Musselmen hopped on Troy Larson’s red Pro Xtreme 55 sled and went to the semis against Sullivan. “That was my closest round,” said Brian, who then beat Kyle Viney in the final.
“Thanks Chad and Jenny Nyhus,” said Sullivan. “We’ve never raced in these warm and sunny conditions and everyone was worried how we would approach the track. Will we have to take power out, add power, or what? But the track was great. They really did a great job.
“Thanks to IHRA for the awesome broadcast, and thanks to Hypersports for the great work they’ve done on this sled. They’re always there for me with anything I need.
“Thanks to my crew—my brother Corey, Brandon Kinserdahl, Mike Kovacevich, and Norm Kowitz.
“Chad, Jenny and crew always do a spectacular job at giving us an amazing event to do what we love,” agreed runner-up Viney. “And the added IHRA coverage was a great addition to show what it’s all about.
“Our team had to give 100% of our effort to try to keep up with this Pro 55 class. Can’t leave anything on the table. Looking forward to giving it another shot in Three Lakes.”
Pro Modified
Three class competitor Jagger Ashley wasn’t able to make the call in Outlaw, lost first round in Pro Xtreme 55, but took the win in Pro Modified.
“What a weekend for Moustakas/J&J Racing,” said Ashley. “We made the long haul from New York to St. Germain for Snow Outlaws ready to put on a show. As always, the competition was stacked and the weather conditions kept everyone on their toes.
“Our Outlaw fought us hard this weekend. We ran into engine trouble that kept us from making the passes we know this sled is capable of. The team worked non-stop trying to diagnose and correct the issue, but sometimes racing has a way of testing your patience. We’ll regroup, go through it top to bottom, and come back stronger.
“The Pro55 gave us a different kind of battle. We chased chassis setup throughout the event, trying to get the sled to settle and transfer the way we needed. We made gains, but it just wasn’t fully where it needed to be. Still, we gathered valuable data that will help us dial it in for the next round.
“On the bright side, our consistently fast Pro Mod sled showed up and delivered. Strong, clean passes all weekend and we were able to park it in the winner’s circle. That’s a testament to the hard work behind the scenes and a setup we can count on when it matters most.
“Racing is full of highs and lows, and this weekend we experienced both. Huge thank you to our crew, sponsors, and everyone who supports us from the shop to the starting line. We’ll take the lessons, fix what needs fixing, and be ready for the next stop.
“Thanks to our team owner Demetreus and Kellie Moustakas, crew chief John Ashley, on-track team Colin, Anthony, Josh, and Don. ARB Tuning Anthony Bosco, Brian Garbus from BTG, Ken Nadeau from Nadeau Brothers. Our sponsors: City Line Diner, Daddyo‘s Restaurant Bar and Grill, KALUX Hospitality Group, Performance Sheet Metal, and Crowell Machine.”
Pro Mod runner-up was Saginaw, Michigan’s Jesse Bruns. “Just want to thank Troy Larson for the opportunity and Barnes Trucking and Knutson Fab for the sponsorship, and Chad and Jenny for the best race series there is,” said Bruns. “We’ll get ‘em next time, can’t wait for Three Lakes!”
Shutdown Area
The St. Germain event was a great drag race for sure, but it was also a giant snowmobile festival. One of the highlights was the bikini Radar Run, with 35 bikini-clad ladies raising over $130,000 for cancer patients and hitting high speeds in the traps. Luckily for these skin-baring competitors, temps on the sunny Saturday were practically tropical.
Temperatures should be back to Wisco-normal when the Snow Outlaws reconvene for the final race of the season—the STM Powersports Snow Outlaws Shoot-Out and Finals on Spirit Lake in in Three Lakes on February 27th and 28th
Chad and Jenny Nyhus and the whole Snow Outlaws crew will have the Three Lakes track on point for the racers and good times aplenty for the spectators.
The post Big Time Opener for Snow Outlaws at St. Germain first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
