Pedrosa wins Red Bull’s frozen-lake race as F1 car finishes third

An F1 car set the fastest calibration lap, but Dani Pedrosa’s MotoGP bike won Red Bull’s first Ultimate Winter race on a frozen lake in Eagle River, Wisconsin.

Former F1 driver Patrick Friesacher set a 1m11s lap in the RB7 that Sebastian Vettel drove to the 2011 world title. Pedrosa’s KTM and Gunnar Sterne’s snowmobile each posted 1m12s; the Pro 4 truck and rally car each completed their laps in 1m13s. All five vehicles ran on custom studded tyres, with a separate racing line laid out for each.

Sterne’s snowmobile pulled clear early in the race, but it had the longest lap to complete. Pedrosa reeled it in and took the win as the pair went through the final corner. He said his KTM had 207 spikes at the front and 300 at the rear, shorter suspension travel, a steel brake disc instead of carbon and revised engine mapping for the cold.

The snowmobile finished second, the RB7 third, the Pro 4 truck fourth and the rally car fifth.