Another marginal winter in the Upper Midwest has again caused the cancelled of the cross-country USXC I-500, and this year it stole the ISR World Series of Ice Drag away from us, too. But fear now, fans of extreme snowmobile racing events – the sport’s most interesting new event is charging forward!
The Red Bull Snow Boundaries event planned for the ERX Motor Park in Elk River, Minnesota, is definitely a “go” for its planned February 20 race date, according to Red Bull officials. The course has been shortened slightly, but the event still promises to be mind-blowing, with $80,000 in cash and prizes on the line for races and amateurs who are willing to take the challenge. The host facility has been making snow like mad — a fact that Team Snow Goer can confirm, as we’ve been past the track several times in the last week and have seen the big snow-making guns hard at work.
Competitors in the Open Racer and Ditchbangers classes will compete on an 8-mile endurance course that will features a little bit of everything – a big air snocross track, tights wooded trails and natural rolling terrain with big drops and steep climbs. Somewhat sinister course organizers are mixing in some special features, with different parts of the course listed as “the swamp,” “the ice run,” “the pit” and “the eliminator,” to name a few.
The race will be a timed event, with 90 minutes of racing in each classes. The racer who covers the runs the most laps/covers the most terrain in that time in the Open Racer class earns a Polaris RZR Turbo valued at $25,000, with $10,000 in cash for second place and $6,500 for third. The winner in the Ditchbanger class wins a Polaris 800-class snowmobile in the Axys chassis, while second place gets a 600-class Polaris and third place nets $3,000. Also, there’s a substantial “lucky racer” prize – a randomly drawn competitor will win a $15,000 Polaris RZR 900.
“The team at ERX has been working non-stop to make sure this race is a go and together we’ve outlined an alternative course that will deliver the kind of challenge we envision for racers and give fans a one-of-a-kind racing experience,” Race Director Joe Duncan said in a press release. “ERX and Red Bull are committed to delivering a first-class race experience. We have an extensive snow making plan with eight snow guns and a million gallons of water, allowing for snow making to the remote sections of the course.”
Those interested in competing can still sign up – in fact, there’s discounted registration available through February 16. For more information, visit redbullsnowboundaries.splashthat.com/
