Manitou Beach Race Report
Updated: Sep 27, 2022
Wow, what a great finish to the SSRA season! It was a bright and breezy day on Saturday as the inaugural "Unleash The Draggin'" race was held at Manitou Beach. The enthusiastic crowd was kept informed of all the action by the announcer from Broken Bone Entertainment and a member of the local RCMP was on had with his radar gun clocking the competition.
Tech Report:
- 13 sleds were re-classified after going through tech. This was more than at previous races but mostly due to registration not being held at the track. The most common adjustments were for sleds with studs and non-stock exhaust systems.
Race Report:
- The hard and fast track found some racers fighting for traction in the early parts of the race but the sun and above zero temperatures made starting line hookups more common as the race progressed.
- THUNDERSTRUCK - There was a bigger turnout of Arctic Cat Thundercats than at any other race this year. And I'm talking the old school triple two-stroke version. One ridden by Aaron Reid from Warman took the honors in the Open Mod 1000 and Top 2 Stroke classes.
- A heavy favorite - One of the more impressive performances was by a big Ski-Doo utility sled with a 900 Ace engine. While not taking any wins, it was still surprisingly fast. Really.
- Seeing red - Being one of the final races of the year with points battles on the line, adrenaline got the best of a couple of our pro racers who left just a little early and it cost them dearly. We're not naming names, you know who you are.
- More on points battles - Several points championships were decided at this final race. Despite fighting some motor issues in the last couple races, Dr. Rachel was able to do well enough to seal the Classic Muscle title. Freddy Hebb was able to leap-frog the competition to win Stock 800. Troy Rowland made it count when it mattered and came out on top in Stock 1000 while his brother Craig got it done winning Open Stock against some tough competition. Mike Fowlow had another good day winning 1000 Improved to cap the title along with his 700 and 800 Improved Championships. Congratulations to all the season points champions. To win a championship, you not only have to be fast, you have to be consistently fast at a string of races, and that takes commitment. Well done.
- Hashtag "no-doubt" - Imagine trying to win every race in a series in your class. All the things that can happen; mechanical issues of all sorts, variable snow and track conditions, potential red light starts, stiff competition, logistical problems just getting to the races, etc. There's a reason why they say, "you can't win 'em all." But one racer did. The Maxceleration Racing Sidewinder M-TX driven by Mike LaValley won Open Improved at every race this year, and put an exclamation point on it by winning Outlaw in the final heat of the season at Manitou Beach.
- HUGE SHOUT OUT - Thanks to Mike Hayward from Manitou Mini Mart for putting the event together. The local support was fantastic (a copy of the sponsor poster is below). We know he had a lot of help so thank you to everyone! From the friendly reception we received from all, to the delicious dinner and great entertainment at Danceland, it was a really fun event and we look forward to returning.
(Complete and finalized results to follow)
