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Gunnar Sterne won the 2025 Bonnechere Cup with his Ski-Doo Houle 440.
Eganville – When the checkered flag dropped after the 15-lap final of the 49th annual Castle Building Centre Bonnechere Cup presented by Honest Herbs, there was a familiar face on the winning sled.
Gunnar Sterne powered his Champ 440 machine to his second straight Bonnechere Cup victory Sunday afternoon.
Rival Blaine Stephenson, the 2023 champion, took the lead in the final, but the race was halted for a crash in corners 1 and 2 on the first lap. At the re-start, Sterne jumped out to the lead, and held it for most of the race, with Stephenson finishing second and newcomer Reed Klinger placing third.
The race capped off an exciting weekend of competition that saw one of the largest fields of racers in the last 15 years, according to Bonnechere Cup Inc. race director Scott Clark, who interviewed the top three drivers after the final.
Sterne said he always enjoys coming to Eganville.
“I like coming here,” he said after the final. “This is probably one of the roughest tracks I’ve raced on in a long while.
“We made some adjustments we were trying to get away from, but we went back to them,” he added. “We did really good around the bumps. I appreciate all my guys and the small group that came out here. They’re all taking off work and helping me out.”
Stephenson, despite his second-place finish, echoed his enjoyment of racing here.
“I love coming here,” he remarked. “I really did need the re-start (in the final). I derailed two or three times after that.”
Klinger, of Athens, Wisconsin, who was making his debut here was obviously thrilled with the results.
“It’s awesome; the track is super fun,” he said. “I finally got the hang of the turns and that made the biggest difference.
“I finally figured the track out a little bit,” he added. “It takes a lot of people (to compete) and it sure is fun, that’s for sure.
Clark noted Klinger had been having mechanical issues for some of the races but when it counted his team had his sled flying for the final.
He said he had the opportunity to meet Klinger, his father, and team earlier in the weekend saying they were “super nice people”.
“It was very nice in his first time here to see him get third place,” he said.
Pleased With Weekend
Clark said Monday he felt it was great weekend overall.
“The weather didn’t co-operate and it didn’t maybe bring out as many fans as we’d have liked because it was were very cold. Other than that, the drivers were all happy with the purse we had put up. They love being in Eganville, and no one got really badly hurt in any accidents.”
He said the track held up reasonably well, admitting it got rough by the end of the two days of heavy usage.
“I think we probably made money again and thanks to all our volunteers, sponsors, race directors, racers, and fans for making it another successful year.”
While exact numbers will not be known for some time, attendance was very good on Saturday despite the cold weather.
“Sunday, from what I heard, we were down, but a lot of that could be because of weekend passes bought,” he explained. “But we did great as far as entries and we definitely didn’t lose money.”
There were 137 entries as of mid-afternoon Friday, which may not be an overall record but definitely the highest number in the last 15 years.
Cold Weather Hard On Track
He said the cold weather provided a challenge not only for fans but the track also as it took quite the beating over the two days of racing and hot laps on Friday.
“We have the highest amount of races in any schedule because we have so many classes,” he said. “I’ve never wanted to be the person to say we’re going to cut out this or that class because it’s not good enough.
“Each one of those drivers, whether it’s junior, vintage or pros, everybody is just as important and they all bring friends, family and a crew,” he added.
Clark noted Ralph Selle likes to make the track when it’s around minus 5 so it doesn’t freeze as hard and hence get rough because it chips easier.
“But we had no choice the last five weeks when it was minus 20 every day. It freezes harder which chips easier and makes more bumps and more grooves. We didn’t have the option to flood and make the track in warmer weather.
“It did get rougher than it has been for a lot of years,” he added.
As a former race, he felt bad for Stephenson to finish second in the final after dominating all weekend.
It’s misfortune for one and success for another. No one likes to be the first-place runner up and I know how competitive Blaine is.
“You’re disappointed being second,” he added. “I know I’d come home mad if I was second. It’s in a racer’s blood to want to win all the time.”
Fan favourite Sabrina Blanchet had run one race Sunday morning after competing Saturday, but the team was having engine problems recently that continued into this weekend. In addition, she was apparently experiencing some discomfort in her back which kept her out of the field most of the day Sunday.
Clark said Matt Goede was in a bad crash Saturday and did not compete the rest of the weekend, and Tyler Obie left Saturday for some reason, reducing the Champ field to 11 from its original 15.
“But it was still a great field and everything I heard from the drivers and teams was they love our professionalism and how we run things.”
The drivers also commented on the purse available, noting other events that are more heavily sponsored do not pay out what the Bonnechere Cup races do.
He said many people commented on the way the track looked this year with the old boards being removed. A chain link fence and hundreds of bales of hay around the track protects fans.
“Everybody loved the way it was. I loved it too. It makes it easier to see.”
However, Clark added he has some safety concerns with the boards gone which he hopes to address this summer.
Sights Now Set on 2026
Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the Bonnechere Cup and Clark indicated during the post- race comments he hopes to make the 2026 version the largest oval racing purse ever.
“I’m not trying to compete with any other races or be better than them in any other way, but they don’t give the drivers and the teams the money they deserve. I want to make it worth their while. They have hundreds of thousands of dollars invested.
“We’re a non-profit organization and I’m not about selling the bank,” he added. “We’ll keep enough money to carry on the next year to start but other than that, I want to put every other cent into it and make it the biggest purse ever.”
He said representatives from Castle headquarters are on-board for next year and he is confident Honest Herbs will be returning.
“Being the 50th, hopefully we can get a lot more sponsors and it will definitely help fulfill my dream of making the biggest purse in the history of oval racing.”
He said flagman Rico Borrero and announcer Tim Baltz are guaranteed to return, adding the two love the sport and are great at what they do.
In his address Sunday, he acknowledged the tremendous effort Bonnechere Cup Inc. secretary Paige Zadow had put forth the past three years while she battled cancer, noting she is now cancer free and a real inspiration to all members of the organization.
“She never stopped, even at the worst of times. She’s the hardest worker out of our Bonnechere Cup directors. She’s a sweetheart and we love her.
“She won the biggest battle of all, the battle of life,” he added
Clark said local racers like Marcus Buelow, Cole Fitzgerald, Brandon Gourlay of Beachburg, Ava Aubry, Colin Ranger, Cody Zadow, Maveric Yonin and others did well over the weekend.
