Upper Peninsula Championship Snowmobile Drag Races
in Ontonagon
What started as a ‘dream’ will become a reality on
Saturday, January 4th, when the Western Upper Peninsula community of Ontonagon will
host the first UP Championship Snow Drags. The dream simply started with turning
an undeveloped Village Street into the location for a Snowmobile Drag Race. That
undeveloped Village Street was planned on being the access road for the Villages
Water Tower and Renaissance Zone.
The Village cleared the land for the road, but then
decided to build a different access road. Thus Skip and Sandy Schulz hired people
to level the road, then planted grass, and for years have been mowing that
land.
“All this was done in hope that someday we could
bring a Professional Snowmobile Drag race to the community,” commented
Schulz.
As time went by, the Schulz’s continued to make
improvements to that road. As this undeveloped road appeared to be one long lawn,
the Schulz’s then began working on their adjoining property.
“We knew that even though the undeveloped road
would become an excellent sight for a MASTERS Racing Circuit Snowmobile Drag Race,
we would still need to use our property for spectator viewing and parking, along
with having an area set aside for concessions,” explained Schulz.
“The Pit area parking was actually the first area
that we focused on. We leveled that area off, then made sure we had adequate
entrance for the race team trailers. Once that was done we worked on a picnic area
that could be used for concessions. We had electricity wired to that area, and then
worked on the undeveloped village road,” commented Schulz.
The Schulz’s knew that all this work would not
insure that a Professional Snowmobile Race could take place on this property without
the support of the Village of Ontonagon and the North Country Snowmobile
Club.
“With the new leadership of the North Country
Snowmobile Club, they agreed to ‘prep’ the track before the race and groom the track
during the race. Without the North Country Snowmobile Club support, this event
could not happen. Once we got the club to help us, we needed the permission from
the Ontonagon Village Council, and they gave us permission. Then we began working
on other improvements to the sight,” stated Schulz.
The Schulz’s then had towers erected, and got the
support of Northern Lakes Concrete to donate the concrete footings for those
Towers. The Schulz’s are hoping to secure sponsorship to purchase and erect a Race
Starting light on one of the towers. The other towers would hold outdoor Public
Address Speakers.
“While we have not secured the sponsorship for the
Race Starting light or the PA Speakers, we’re going to show the racers that this
will be a premier Snowmobile Drag Race sight,” remarked Schulz.
The MASTERS Racing Circuit, which stands for Mid
America Snow and Terrain Expert Racers, is considered to be one of the oldest
Snowmobile Race Circuits in the Midwest. The MASTERS began by promoting Snowmobile
Hillclimbs, and eventually focused on sanctioning and promoting Snowmobile
Hillclimbs in the Midwest. The MASTERS has held Snowmobile Hillclimbs in the Upper
Peninsula, and Minnesota. It was in 1998 that the MASTERS expanded to sanction
Snowmobile Drag Races. This winter the MASTERS has expanded again to include
Hillcross Races.
The first event of the season will be the Upper
Peninsula Championship Snowmobile Drag Races on Saturday, January 4th, 2014. Those
races will draw the top Professional Snowmobile Drag Racing teams from throughout
the Midwest. It will be at those races that the MASTERS will also start 3 new
Divisions for this circuit. That is ‘Trail Stock, Race Stock, and Vintage.’
“The Trail Stock Division is going to be for
totally Stock Snowmobiles that are required to have a Trail Sticker for the state
that the snowmobile is registered in. The Race Stock Division is for the sleds that
Polaris, Ski-Doo, and Arctic Cat build for racing purposes. Vintage will be for
sleds 1980 and older,” explained Schulz.
The MASTERS is also using the UP Championship Snow
Drags as a way to promote the Ontonagon County Economic Partnership. OCEP was given
title sponsorship of the event, with financial support for the site improvements
coming from Pat’s Motorsports of Greenland, Citizens State Bank of Ontonagon, White
Pine, and Mass City, Peninsula Graphics of Ontonagon, Domitrovich Insurance of
Ontonagon, Sunshine Motel of Ontonagon, and the North Country Snowmobile
Club.
The Village of Ontonagon Department of Public Works
is dropping off the snow they take from the Downtown area on the track. That snow
will be used as a ‘fence barrier’ between the track and the snowmobile
trail.
The racers will begin coming to Ontonagon on Friday
Night, January 3rd. For the drivers that do not Pre-Register, the MASTERS will have
a Friday Night Registration location. Then after the races, the MASTERS hands out
the Cash and Trophy awards. The location for that Friday Night Meeting and the
Awards Banquet has not been set. The biggest award is the winner of Snowmobile Drag
Racings featured class, TOP GUN.
Ironically the last two TOP GUN Champions for the
year are originally from the Village of Ontonagon. The 2012 TOP GUN Champion was
Jeff Szanto, and last years TOP GUN Champion was Chris Nordang. Nordang is a member
of the General Concrete Goldbach Race team of Iron River, Michigan.
“While it will be difficult for anyone to beat
Nordang and others on that team, we know of teams and drivers from last year that
have upped the ‘ante’ on the sleds they will be running this year. Plus we always
have new teams that could surprise a lot of people,” Schulz stated.
“One of those teams is led by a Class Champion from
last year, who has teamed up with one of the two MASTERS Racing Circuit “Web of
Fame” drivers, that is Jerry Buschell and Web of Fame driver, Paul Voelker. Bushell
and Voelker come from Michigan’s Copper Country. The MASTERS has also heard that
the racer that has won more Drag races in the circuit then any other driver, Matt
LaCosse of Champion, may have a sled competing in TOP GUN this year.
It is not just in the Pro Mod Division that the
competition will be close, but also in the new Trail Stock and Race Stock
Divisions. For the past 3 years no driver has been able to defeat Derek Peterson of
Atlantic Mine. However this year with the new Race Stock Division, the MASTERS is
unsure as to who can give Peterson a ‘run for his money.’
On the subject of money, the MASTERS anticipates a
Cash Purse of close to $3000 for the UP Championship Snow Drags. All the classes in
Pro Mod, and Race Stock hand out cash to the top 3 finishers. Race Stock and
Vintage racers race for Trophies.
“While a lot of attention will be on the Pro Mod
Classes, the class that really draws an interest from the fans is the 120 cc class
and the Junior Division. The 120 cc class has children between 4 and 9 racing, and
the 2 Junior Classes have children between 10 and 17 racing. If you think the
racers take winning serious in the Pro Mod Division, wait till you see the 120cc
racers,” chuckled Schulz.
“Those kids dream about the day when they will be
running a TOP GUN sled, and believe me, they are not that many years away from
accomplishing their dream,” concluded Schulz.
Then again, it was a dream that will come true on
Saturday, January 4th, when the MASTERS will host the 1st UP Championship Snow Drags
right behind the MASTERS Racing Circuit Offices in the Village of Ontonagon.
