Recently while performing for a large crowd at the Milwaukee Mile, Slednecks ringmaster Paul Thacker just wasn’t getting the usual enthusiastic response in his attempt to incite crowd participation. His first “Let’s give it up Michigan” was received with silence. The second time, delivered with even more enthusiasm drew a smattering of boos. Bewildered, Thacker pleaded again, “you guys are a tough crowd, let’s hear it one time Michigan.” Somewhere in the ensuing rain of beer cans and foam cheese heads, the light turned on for Thacker who realized that while Milwaukee is on the shore of Lake Michigan, it’s actually in Wisconsin.
To his credit, the world record distance jumper, apologized mercifully for his geographical goof and made good by offering up his Monster Energy jacket and helmet to the crowd. The show both nights was as good as ever, including Friday night backflips into a nasty headwind and a Saturday performance that was a solid 11 on the ten scale.
The Lodge at Belmont is branching out. Beginning the third week in January the wagering venue will add snowmobile racing to its list of attractions.
Members from the Planning Board approved the using the outdoor dog track to stage snowmobile racing on the weekend of Jan. 23-24. This type of event is totally new to the facility and is something General Manager Rick Newman said represents a change of philosophy for the business.
“We’re planning to make it [The Lodge] grow in ways we haven’t traditionally looked at before,” Newman said. “We sort have been in a ‘let’s wait to get slot machines’ mode, but we can’t keeping waiting to get slots.”
The Lodge at Belmont opened in 1975. Over the years, ownership changed and in 2006 the business came to be known as The Lodge at Belmont — or simply The Lodge.
Round two of the ERX Grassroots racing series will help to usher in the New Year at ERX this Thursday night. Along with the traditional Thursday night grassroots activities, this Thursday’s event will also include giveaways, an HMK boot race and more. Plus when the racing action is over, all racers and fans can utilize their ERX wristband for a free beverage and half-price appetizer at the Friendly Buffalo in Big Lake.
Racing action gets underway this Thursday at 5:00pm and should be completed by 8:30pm; leaving you plenty of time to visit the Friendly Buffalo, enjoy some great food, live music and usher in the New Year. Visit www.erxmotorpark.com for more details on the grassroots series and call the Friendly Buffalo for more details on their planned New Year’s Eve celebration at (763) 263-7766
ISOC Regional This Weekend
What better way to kick off 2010 then with a weekend of International Series of Champions (ISOC) Minnesota Regional racing action at ERX. With no National event planned, many of the top pro and semi-pro riders in the nation are expected to be on-hand for two days of racing action Saturday and Sunday, January 2-3, 2010.
ERX has been making an over-abundance of snow in anticipation for the first regional race of the season, and the results should be one of the largest snocross tracks riders will experience this season. Racing action gets underway both days at 9:00am and tickets are just $15 for adults; $5 for kids age 6-16 and those 5 and under admitted for free. Visit www.isocracing.com for more details on the regional series at ERX.
Larry Tiede from Woody’s did a bunch of work on gearing that would keep speeds down and allow Junior 10-13 riders to run full-sized sleds safely in USCC cross-country. See the approved sled models and the gearing chart here:
There’s an aluminum heat shield over the throttle body on the Sno Pro 500. If the steering post is mounted in the low position the post will hit the shield when the skis are turned to the far right. The heat shield will break and start to rattle and drive you nuts. While Arctic Cat is working on a fix we went ahead and trimmed ours with a tin snips. It’s an easy job as the heat shield is only held on by two phillips head screws, but you will have to remove the pipe to get at it.
Here's the heat shield and the steering post with the skis straight.
Our mad photoshop skillz show where we trimmed the heat shield and where the post sits when the skis are turned to the far right. Don't do what we did and trim in the wrong spot, you'll want to trim right on the bend.
The shield needs to be trimmed right on the bend and it skinnys it up pretty good, so we’re not sure if it willhold up to extended use because vibration might stress it and we’re thinking eventually it will break on its own. With any luck we’ll be wrong.
sledRacer.com hit up the WSA Pro-Ice race held at Raceway Park in Shakopee, Minn., this past Sunday, Dec. 20. We learned that no one runs stockers anymore because it costs just as much to run one as it does a Champ sled. All the top names were running the big iron and as a result the race featured 15 Champ sleds. You won’t find this many Champs anywhere else but Eagle River, so we were pretty stoked. You also won’t find any more World Champions anywhere else short of Eagle River. On the track there were three: Gary Moyle, Brian Bewcyk and P.J. Wanderscheid and in the pits there were two that we saw. But mainly we confirmed that, yeah, ice racing is alive and well. Read on as we take you inside an ice race.
The sledRacer crew hit the Pro-Ice race at Raceway Park in Shakopee, Minn., December 20. Here’s a Champ 440 heat lap led my Matt Schultz followed by Joey Fjerstad, Brandon Johnson and P.J. Wanderscheid.
Round two of the ERX Grassroots racing series will help to usher in the New Year at ERX this Thursday night. Along with the traditional Thursday night grassroots activities, this Thursday’s event will also include giveaways, an HMK boot race and more. Plus when the racing action is over, all racers and fans can utilize their ERX wristband for a free beverage and half-price appetizer at the Friendly Buffalo in Big Lake.
sledRacer.com hit up the WSA Pro-Ice race held at Raceway Park in Shakopee, Minn., this past Sunday, Dec. 20. We learned that no one runs stockers anymore because it costs just as much to run one as it does a Champ sled. All the top names were running the big iron and as a result the race featured 15 Champ sleds. You won’t find this many Champs anywhere else but Eagle River, so we were pretty stoked. You also won’t find any more World Champions anywhere else short of Eagle River. On the track there were three: Gary Moyle, Brian Bewcyk and P.J. Wanderscheid and in the pits there were two that we saw. But mainly we confirmed that, yeah, ice racing is alive and well. Read on as we take you inside an ice race.
