Area residents will be able to hear the zoomin’ sounds of snowmobiles as racers take to the track here again Feb. 3-4 for the second-annual international sno-cross racing event.
Local racers Johnny Lundon (Fort Frances) and Thatcher Haggberg (Nestor Falls) also are scheduled to hit the track.
“Johnny Lundon is semi-pro this year and Thatcher Haggberg is in his first year so he will be running in the beginners’ class,” noted Daryl Begin, who is involved with building the track for the event.
Other racers are expected to compete from Minnesota, Kenora, Thunder Bay, and Winnipeg.
“We are expecting more racers than last year,” noted Begin. “Last year there was 276 . . . but most racers compete in two or three different classes.”
Begin also noted the track, to be located off McIrvine Road about two miles north of Canadian Tire, will be bigger and much more spectator-friendly this year.
“[The] track is bigger and the jumps will be larger,” he enthused, adding the town has been hauling snow to the area for the past two weeks.
The qualifying races will begin on the Saturday (Feb. 3) at 10 a.m. and finishing up around 4 p.m. The semi-finals and finals will be held all day Sunday (Feb. 4.)
Begin said there also be mini-classes–with 120 CC sleds. “Those will be good for the kids to watch,” he remarked.
He added the main reason the sno-cross circuit is returning to Fort Frances this year is because it was the best races it had last winter.
Unfortunately, the inaugural event was held on the same weekend as a hockey tournament and so Begin said most people spent their time inside the arena.
“This year, we planned it with the Red Dog [Inn] and it happens the weekend before the hockey tournament so hopefully a lot more people will be out,” he added.
If anyone is are interested in racing, or has any further questions about the event, they can phone Badiuk Equipment.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
