To air is human, but to do this you have to be crazy. Snow-cross drivers put on a show for a few hundred spectators during the final rounds of the Ultimate Canadian Motorsports Association (UCMA) Snow-Cross event, Feb. 20-21 at the Dryden Agricultural Fairgrounds. Photos by Chris Marchand
UCMA Snow-Cross event draws hundreds to fairgrounds for exciting thrills and spills
By Chris Marchand
The mood is as volatile as the mixture of petroleum vapours lingering in the trailer.
Kyle Szachury is still a bit worked up over his last race where he descended from a 15 foot jump to land on a fellow rider’s machine, and very nearly the rider. The crash sent him into the ground hard and out of his third-place position.
Just outside, the suspension components on Szachury’s Polaris 600 RS are marked with a jaunty shade of ‘Arctic Cat green’.
It might not be the best time to shove a microphone in this young racer’s face.
In another corner of the trailer, Kyle’s brother Jordan is getting psyched up for his next race, thinking about the new air bump that course officials built over Saturday night for Sunday’s races, allowing riders to spend approximately one-quarter of the track in the air.
“It’s pretty good, I’m gonna sauce out some phat whips,” he says in the language peculiar to young men and motorsports.
That language exists because there are few words that can describe the intensity of a snow-cross race for riders, officials and spectators.
A tight track, undulating with jumps, humps and berms crowded by machines brimming with power and riders gunning for a win. It is absolute chaos, a war on snow.
Beyond the riders themselves, course officials have the best view of the action – keeping their heads on a swivel while machines roar just inches away. Using caution flags, they bring some semblance of order and safety to the chaos, warning drivers of unsafe situations ahead on the track.
With continual reshaping of the course throughout the weekend, riders were continually adjusting their strategies to find the fast line. Corners were divided into outside and inside lanes for riders to choose from – each with their own set of difficulties to be negotiated at high speed.
As a course official, finding a safe place from which to conduct your duties often involves some trial and error.
“I got tagged by a mirror this morning on the inside of the track, so I moved to the outside.” said Rick Wyder, a local event volunteer from the Dryden Power Tobbagan Club. “It gets pretty scary at times. Tuck and roll!”
It was a challenging weekend for the half a dozen or so local riders. Vermilion Bay area pro rider Earl Reimer confined his activities to the crowd and the pits while nursing a badly broken wrist, incurred in a previous event.
Second year rider, 17 year-old Daniel Schaffer said he was hoping for a better hometown results after a great start to his season in the Sport Trail and Junior divisions.
“I had a couple bad starts and didn’t do very good,” said Schaffer. “I finished second in two more races, so I’m happy. The track is lot shorter than the last few, with a lot bigger berms. I’m not really used to that. You need a lot more speed to jump.”
Final event results were not available at press time.
Organizer Kevin Szachury says weekend spectator numbers were good, with an extra boost on Sunday afternoon.
“We had about 350 out on Saturday and it looks like around 450 today, so not bad,” said Szachury. “People seemed to enjoy it and have a good time, you couldn’t ask for more beautiful weather.”
Szachury says he’ll be seeking support from local organizations like the Chamber of Commerce or The City of Dryden for support if the event is to continue.
“I don’t mind doing the work, but it costs me a lot to put it on,” he said. “That’s all out of my own pocket. I won’t be able to do it myself next year.”
Ultimate Canadian Motorsports Association president Jake Funk said the event is important to the race series.
“It’s a good venue and an awesome spectator count – actually one of the highest spectator counts we’ve got over the season,” said Funk. “The local kids are really riding hard.”
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