An unidentified rider boosts some big air at the Thunder Lake track, Aug. 27. Photo by Chris Marchand

Local track hosts first CMRC sanctioned event

By Chris Marchand

If you didn’t know better, a trip to a motor-cross track near Thunder Lake this past weekend might convince you that organized motor-cross racing was a firmly established sport in Dryden.

Tucked away, just under a kilometre west from the 90-degree corner on Thunder Lake Rd., was an event that looked like anything but a mere upstart. Complete with carefully planned parking, bleachers for spectators, food vendors, course officials and onsite EMS, it was rather surprising to note that it was Thunder Lake Motorcross’ first shot at an organized race event.

Established over the past two years on the private property of Scott and Kathy Braun, the track has come to play an important developmental role in a burgeoning local motorsports community. Saturday’s raced marked a major step forward as Dryden’s first CMRC (Canadian Motorsport Racing Corporation) sanctioned event.

While riders did not yet earn points for weekend races in Dryden, Kathy Braun says it was an important step in the creation of something larger for the sport in the region.

“The goal is to create a circuit with Kakabeka (Falls), Emo, and Atikokan,” said Braun. “Today is just a non-points race. We’re getting our feet wet to see how it would be in Dryden. There’s a few things we have to fix up for next year, but you have to run it through the first time to figure that out.”

A bit like February’s snow-cross events, just with less clothes, the event features a lot of the same local riders swapping tracks for tires. Names like Earl Reimer, Joel Cates and other steely-nerved locals of varying ages put on a great show among the visiting riders from around the region.

Braun says she hopes the track can pull a lot of new, younger riders out of area gravel pits and into the racing scene.

“Hopefully, this will make it a little more popular,” said Braun. “There are a lot of riders, not all of them come out here because they might be scared of the track — they’re young. They’re out in the pits practicing.

Kenora’s Brady Love (left) and Vermilion Bay’s Joel Cates were neck and neck throughout an afternoon heat at Saturday’s no-points races at the Thunder Lake Moto-cross Track. Photos by Chris Marchand