Snowmobile Oval Racing Series In A Bit Of A Flux

One of the top levels of snowmobile oval racing is in a rather precarious spot today after the public breakup between a race circuit and most of its main race venues.

Early on Wednesday, July 23, the USSA ProStar Series posted on social media that it and some longtime partners were unable to reach new agreements for the traveling ProStar Cup Tour points series for this coming winter. Therefore, USSA said, the circuit was “already in the process of securing new venues, building relationships with other organizations, and even working with facilities that haven’t had a snowmobile racing event in years.”

USSA did not state which locations it was unable to agree with.

That became clear about five hours later, when four locations that hosted five events last year issued a joint statement with their side of the break up. The sites were the Canadian Power Toboggan Championship facility in Beausejour, Manitoba (which hosted two events each season); the Wausau 525 group from Wausau, Wisconsin; the Bonnechere Cup group from Eganville, Ontario; and the Grand Prix Ski-Doo de Valcourt in Valcourt, Quebec.

“Collectively as a group we feel we have not received appropriate solutions to questions that have arose, specifically in regards to the season schedule, running of the tour and driver payout,” their statement said. It went on to say that “USSA sent a statement which concluded by them withdrawing all of the ProStar Cup Tour contracts from our venues.”

Some Oval Racing Context

The good news is that all of the race sites mentioned in the statements are in fact planning to host oval racing this winter. So with those sites plus whatever the USSA pulls together, there should be plenty of action on ice ovals this winter.

However, the idea of a big international points circuit that crowns an overall Pro Champ class champion for the sport is in a notable flux.

Specifically, last year the ProStar Cup Series has nine events planned on their points schedule – weather permitting. There were at Beausejour, Manitoba, in December; Ironwood, Michigan, Eagle River, Wisconsin, and Wausau, Wisconsin, in January; Eganville, Ontario, Valcourt, Quebec, Manawa, Wisconsin, and back at Eagle River in February; and then back at Beausejour on March 1 to conclude the season.

Out of that pack of nine events, the Ironwood event had already been cancelled for this coming winter due to a lack of agreement between the fairgrounds where the races have been held and the local promoter, plus the Manawa Snodeo event was unlikely to be a part of any international points tour because many racers didn’t like the laketop surface. (Though, to be clear, the multi-faceted Manawa Snodeo will definitely continue.) Now with Beausejour, Wausau, Eganville and the Grand Prix supposedly out of the picture for a points series, that leaves Eagle River as the only venue.

We’ll see what USSA comes up with for alternative sites. Speculation of racing at past sites in Wisconsin and Minnesota flourished online. Others have wondered if the Michigan-based MIRA race circuit or any of the vintage racing circuits would have interest in partnering with the USSA circuit going forward.

Or maybe the public break-up on social media will cause all sides to come back together. Time will tell. We just know that snowmobile oval racing is one of the most adrenaline pumping forms of the sport that we here at Snow Goer love. So, we’ll continue to hope for the best without picking sides or getting into the weeds.