The Lancaster Snow-Drifters are bringing the famed Kilkenny Cup out of retirement in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Lancaster Grand Prix.
The Lancaster Grand Prix is the oldest snowmobile race in the U.S.
Named after the rugged mountain range on the border of Lancaster, the Kilkenny Cup is one of early snowmobiling’s oldest and most coveted awards. With snowmobile races, a parade and a vintage snowmobile show, along with the 50th Anniversary Kilkenny Cup Ball, the Lancaster Grand Prix will boast loads of fun, snow and speed Friday, January 31, though Sunday, February 2.
“In a lot of ways, competitive snowmobiling was born in N.H., in Lancaster,” said Ken Bolland, President of the Lancaster Snow-Drifters. “The Kilkenny Cup is really at the heart of the sport’s history. For 13 years the Lancaster Grand Prix was the superior snowmobiling race in the country, attracting nearly 20,000 spectators, making it then the largest outdoor sporting event in the state, and possibly New England. We decided to restore the Grand Prix in hopes this special, one-time event will bring out past competitors, along with the newest generation of snowmobilers.”
The Kilkenny Cup, which includes the names of the “Snowmobile Hall of Fame” members who began their victorious reign at the first Lancaster Grand Prix in 1964, resides with the Lancaster
Snow-Drifters, the oldest snowmobile club in the U.S. Participants were awarded the Kilkenny Cup if they received top points for three consecutive years. Timberland Machines donated the huge, silver cup to the Snow-Drifters in 1966.
The Northern N.Y. Vintage Snowsled Racers will race to the finish of the one-quarter-mile track at the Lancaster Fairgrounds at 9 a.m. on Saturday, February 1. The race will be followed by a snowmobile parade and bonfire. The marquee event, the Lancaster Grand Prix, will take place at 9 a.m. on Sunday, February 2, at the Lancaster Fairgrounds. Race winners will have their names inscribed on the
Kilkenny Cup. Racers will be awarded $8,000 in cash prizes over the two days of the Lancaster Grand Prix celebration, which is sponsored by Ski Doo and Dalton Mountain Motor Sports, F.B. Spaulding, North Country Ford, Mountain View Grand, and Fitch Fuel.
“This weekend-long celebration is a great way to remember and commemorate this region’s snowmobiling roots,” said Cathy Conway of N.H. Grand.
Events will kick off with the Vintage Snow Sled Show at Crane’s Snowmobile Museum from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, January 31. The Kilkenny Cup Ball, which will take place on Friday, January 31, at the Mountain View Grand Resort from 5:30 to 11 p.m., will feature cocktails, cash bar, buffet dinner, music and dancing.
Additionally, the weekend takes place on the Reciprocal Snowmobile Weekend which is shared by New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. During this weekend, snowmobilers registered in Vermont and Maine will be able to operate on New Hampshire trails during the three-day open weekend.
The Lancaster Grand Prix will take place as part of a year-long celebration of Lancaster, as 2014 marks Lancaster’s 250th anniversary.
For more information, visit www.lancastergrandprix.com.