World Champion, Then And Now
January 23, 2012
Here's this year's World Champion -- 11 years ago.So I was sitting here in my office today, working on a story for another magazine our company produces in another market, but I couldn’t get a singular thought out of my head related to the yesterday’s new World Champion, as crowned at the 49th annual Eagle River World Championship Snowmobile Derby. Somehow, I just knew that I had taken... [Read more]
Van Strydonk Wins World Championship With Last Lap Pass
January 22, 2012
Just when it seemed the Eagle River World Championship snowmobile race couldn’t get any better, Nick Van Strydonk used a dramatic pass in the last corner to win his first title on the famed Derby Track in Eagle River, Wisconsin. Van Strydonk beat 2010 World Champion Matt Schulz to the waving checkered flag by a ski length. The margin of victory was 0.025 second. Nick Van Strydonk won his first... [Read more]
World Championship Day: Here’s The Field, And The Odds!
January 22, 2012
This is the year of parity in the ultra-exciting Champ 440 class. The World Champion will likely come from a group of seven racers who have all run incredibly well here on the famed Derby track – after time trials, heats, a Friday Night Thunder final, then more heats and semi finals on Saturday, it was still next to impossible on Saturday night to truly nail down a top one or two drivers. . ... [Read more]
Outlaw 600s, Pro Open Snocross Dazzle The Derby
January 21, 2012
The Parts Unlimited Friday Night Thunder program at the Eagle River World Championship Snowmobile Derby featured more than Champ racing: The new Outlaw 600 class put on an epic debut, top snocross racers in the world flew over the infield track and other close races were held into the night. The Outlaw 600 class was the brainchild of master chassis builder John Hooper, and is in its first year on the... [Read more]
Johnson Wins Friday Night TLR: Earns Poll For World Championship
January 20, 2012
Any fear that the drama of last year’s amazing Amsoil World Championship Snowmobile Derby final could not possibly be repeated may have been laid to rest Friday night, when a fast and tight Champ 440 final in the Friday Night Thunder program reflected in the incredible parity at the very top of the oval racing world. . With the mercury dipping to double digits below zero Fahrenheit, racers... [Read more]
Hibbert Wins Thrilling Race In Front Of Huge Crowd
January 7, 2012
Twenty-four hours after a fabulous Pro Open final on a rough track at Shakopee, Minnesota’s Canterbury Park, the best snocross racers on the planet did it again – putting on a spectacular final in front of a huge crowd at the ISOC National sponsored by Traxxis and Jimmy John’s. . Weather that has been mega-depressing for snowmobilers in southern and central Minnesota proved to... [Read more]
Tremblay Claims Entertaining ISOC Canterbury Snocross
January 6, 2012
In one of the most entertaining final races in years, Quebec’s Tim Tremblay overcame a dogfight with three other top competitors to win Friday night’s Pro Open final at the Traxxis-sponsored Canterbury National in Shakopee, Minnesota. . Before that, however, Tremblay’s main fight this week was with customs agents that almost prevented his appearance at the race – more on that later. . ... [Read more]
Hibbert Wins Sunday ISOC Final
December 11, 2011
Tucker Hibbert apparently didn’t want to leave any questions unanswered on Sunday afternoon in Michigan. . After starting slowly and staging dramatic charges in both finals in rounds 1 and 2 in Duluth, Minnesota, last weekend, and then giving up the lead due to a mechanical problem Saturday in round 3 in Michigan, Hibbert got the early lead and absolutely checked out in Sunday’s Pro... [Read more]
Curtis Boivin injured in Beausejour
December 7, 2011
During the Pro Champ final, #19b Curtis Boivin from Fort Frances, Ontario was involved in a serious crash. He was airlifted to a Winnipeg Hospital where he remains in critical condition. Curtis is a rising star in ice oval racing. I will post updates as the information is available, please keep the Boivin family in your thoughts and prayers. Read More →
The Outlaws have arrived!
December 6, 2011
Early in the spring of 2011, I began to hear some internet chatter about the creation of a new class of snowmobile ice oval racing. This revolutionary new idea was going to place the driver in a left-side cockpit driving position, surrounded by a full roll cage and driven much like a Sprint car, with a steering wheel, foot pedal controls, and a 5-point harness. Considering the high amount of injuries... [Read more]