In a sport that’s grown as sharply as one of its turns on the track, Kitty Cat racing soon will be making an appearance in Fort Frances with the Canadian Kitty Cat Championship.
Fort Frances has been accepted to host the final race of an 11-race schedule on the K.C. Pro East Racing Club circuit, which is expected to take place March 4 on Sand Bay (in front of Rusty Myers Flying Service Ltd.).
They will also be hosting the Roetin Cup Series, which will attract Formula 1 drivers from the KC Pro West division circuit.
About 30 or so members, and any local racers aged four to 10, will be looking to tear up the ice while vying for trophies in the amateur stock, improved stock, Formula I, and the new “120” class.
The “120” class will feature the SkiDoo Mini Z, Polaris XCR 120, and Arctic Cat’s Z 120.
While most of racers making the trip here will be from northern Minnesota, organizer Al Boivin said he’s also hoping to attract interest from local youngsters.
An entry fee will be required (for either a day or year membership) in U.S. funds to become sanctioned with the K.C. Pro East Racing Club.
“Al has supported us a whole bunch down here travelling every weekend in the winter [so] it will be nice to get the racers from North Dakota and here and meet halfway,” said K.C. Pro East president Mark Wrazidio.
“We’ll get a lot of machines up there–at least 30,” he predicted.
First introduced in 1972 when Arctic Cat offered a Kitty Cat snowmobile for kids, the sport began to take off in the mid-80s when associations and classes began to be formed.
Most racers begin in the amateur stock class, where machines reach top speeds of about 12 mph. After that, racers move on to the improved stock class, where speeds reach around 20 mph, and then on to the elite Formula I class, where speeds hit 35 mph.
Still, while 35 mph may seem a tad fast for a 10-year-old at first glance, racers rarely reach that top speed due mainly to the short straight-aways on the oval track.
Quite simply, safety is of optimum concern.
“Kids wear safety equipment, eye protection, and a safety jacket so it’s safe,” said Boivin. “In the years we’ve been going, the worst I’ve seen is bumps and bruises–no broken bones.”
The sport is fun, too. Boivin, his wife, Carol, and son, Curtis, will travel to as many as 11 different races this season alone (weather permitting, of course).
“For sure, it’s a good weekend for the family,” he enthused. “We met a lot of people at these races and made a lot of friends.
“And all the kids who race get a trophy. Everyone who participates gets one–and the kids are so proud when they get their trophy.”
“It’s a whole lot of fun for the family. The wives get involved and heck, some even work on the machines,” echoed Wrazidio.
“We try to promote [the races] as everybody is a winner and we make sure the kids get a few races in and not just one race,” he added.