Episode 45
March 1, 2015
Frozen Motor Mayhem II Comes to Presque Isle
According to Race Director Rick Guerrette of Presque Isle, Frozen Motor Mayhem II will have all the excitement of the inaugural version plus more. The Vintage Snowmobile Racing festival is scheduled for March 14th at the Northern Maine Fair. Registration will be from 7:30 to 9:00 am with races at 10:00.
“We expect more entries this year”, said Guerrette. “We will have computerized scoring, 20 to 30 vintage sleds on display, and lots of action on our one-half mile road course type of track in the infield at the Fairgrounds.”
“New this year will be two classes for the kids 10 years of age and under, the 120 cc stock and the 120 cc modified. We also will have an open class for sleds up to 1990 and 650 cc or less.”
The event is made possible because of a dedicated core planning group who began planning after last years successful races. To make it all work requires about 50 volunteers as well as sponsors.
Race Director Guerrette mentioned several locals as well as downstate enthusiasts who have either registered or expressed their intent to compete.
One local racer is Caribou’s Danny Raymond who, along with Dave Harris, will enter their 1972 GP292. Raymond’s son Tyler will also enter a Yamaha in another class. Tyler is the reigning Spud Speedway Senior Champ Kart Champion.
Danny Raymond said, “People have no idea how much work it takes to make one of these sleds take the abuse. The stock Yamaha came with plastic bogey wheels which we replaced with aluminum wheels.”
“We run a converted Ski Doo track which has two drive sprockets rather than the single drive sprocket that came stock on the sled. We grind all the tread bars down to the required .75 inch height.”
“This is the sled that we took to the Vintage races at Turner, Maine in February,” said Raymond. ” It would not start even after replacing the points. Once back at our shop we found a bare wire rubbing against the stator. We are 99% sure that was the problem.”
“We run six-inch carbide strips on our skis which gives us bite in the corners but does not slow us down on the straights.”
In addition to races enthusiasts will have displays of vintage sleds to view. Kids will be able to ride on the Snow Train.
The race on-line pre-registration is $35 per class and $70 per class on race day. Spectators may also pre-purchase tickets for $5 for adults, $4 for 10 to 12 year olds accompanied by an adult. Kids under 8 free. Race day admission is $7.
Details can be found at www.northernmainefair.com.
Maine Indoor Karting Hosts the DT 100 for Make-A-Wish Foundation
Maine Indoor Karting (MIK) in Scarborough held the 7th Annual DT 100 kart races for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Maine last Saturday February 28th. Racers from every New England state made the trip to the indoor facility to have fun as well as raise money for a good cause.
Young folks from all over Maine, including the County, are beneficiaries of the work of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Maine.
The event featured several qualifying heats followed by three 25 lap features in each of the three divisions, Lightweight, Middleweight, and Heavyweight.
This year’s Lightweight Division was won by three-time winner Alby Olvitt from Barrington, New Hampshire. Olvitt is a competitor at Lee USA Speedway in New Hampshire.
Buckfield, Maine’s Kyle Treadwell won his second straight feature. Treadwell won the Middleweight Division this year after winning the Lightweight Division last year.
Speed51.com powered by Jegs had a funny story about Treadwell on their website. Treadwell showed up at MIK on Friday evening before Saturday’s race day to put in some practice laps. He said he thought he was coming down with a cold. His remedy for the cold symptoms…a double cheeseburger from McDonalds before the race. It must have worked.
The Heavyweight Division was won by “Thrillin” Dillon Moltz of Waterford, Connecticut. Moltz was making his initial appearance at MIK.
Condolences go out to Frenchville native Shawn Martin, now living in Turner. He was slated to appear in the DT100. Martin’s father, Frank Martin of Frenchville passed away on February 23. His funeral was February 28th.
Shawn was very close to his Dad sharing many experiences both at the racetrack and in the County. In many ways Shawn mirrors his father’s influence when it comes to loving his family. Mr. Martin will surely be missed.
Chevy Aero Kits Released
Some of you remember when I told the story of Van Buren’s Phil LaPointe who works for Honda Performance development (HPD) in Southern California. LaPointe’s primary responsibility these last several months has been to develop the Honda version of the short track/road course aero kit to fit the Honda teams DW12 chassis.
I thought you might enjoy looking at what Chevrolet, in conjunction with Pratt & Miller Engineering of New Hudson, Michigan, have developed for their package. Both Chevrolet and Honda will be racing their cars head-to-head in the season opener the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg March 29th at 3:00 pm. The race can be seen on ABC.
Honda will introduce their version of the short track/road course aero package later this month.
Some Austin Theriault threads
Thought you might like a couple of links from Austin Theriault. The first is from Brad Keselowski’s blog about Daytona.
http://bradracing.com/…/quiktrip-folds-honor-500/win-daytona
The next is a short Daytona video from Austin.
www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10153130741914216&set=vb.318427454215&type=2&theater
Good Read
I recently finished a good book about team work and sacrifice. The book, “The Boys in the Boat” by Daniel James Brown was recommended to me by longtime teacher, tutor, coach, and friend Bob Sprague of Stockholm.
This is the story of nine Americans and their epic quest for gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. It features many details of growing up in the Depression, Germany’s preparation for war, and how extremely poor young men from the Northwestern United States find themselves on the biggest world stage, the 1936 Olympics.
It also includes examples of the dedication and determination one needs to rise to the level of Olympic competition. I realize it does not have direct ties to motorsports, however, it can provide inspiration for just about anyone who may appreciate these types of stories. Enjoy.
Let’s go racing!
Tom Hale
Soli Deo Gloria