For the Cor PowerSports cross country racing series (and many other snowmobile racing organizations), the 2016 race season has been more about scrambling and rescheduling events due to low snow or lack of safe ice than actual racing.
Last Friday, while setting up the Castle Rock course in Friendship, Wis., the winds picked up and the afternoon rain began. Shortly after they finished marking the 8-mile course, the crew noticed that there was water starting to pool in areas on the lake, and the pits were starting to flood as well. Even with more than 17 inches of ice on the lake, the standing water was a safety concern. The decision was made to wait overnight and see what conditions were like in the morning.
When the sun broke the horizon, it revealed a lake on top of the ice. The pits were in 4-5 inches of water, and areas with as much as 12 inches of water on the lake. With 40-degree temps and a clear sky in the forecast, the race was cancelled due to unsafe conditions.
Cor Powersports received approval to make this coming weekend in Baraga, Mich., a two-day event in order to make up one of the cross country rounds. The course is 19-22 miles in length and will feature ditches, woods, fire roads, fields and power line trails, which all have 1-2 inches of snow cover as of yesterday. Organizers are anticipating a 30-45 minute lap time, so it should be a very grueling event.
The Terrain X format has been dropped from the Lutsen weekend to make room for standard cross country races.
Norway Mountain (the host site for Round 1 of the 2016 MESC series, March 5-6) also took a hard hit to its snow base with the rain. After a teleconference with the resort owners on Sunday, the decision was made to cancel this event as well.
After unsuccessful attempts to move the event to a backup location, Cor PowerSports reached out to Blackjack and Lutsen Resorts, the locations of Rounds 2 and 3, respectively. Friday at Blackjack will be the makeup date for Hillx and then Friday at Lutsen will be the makeup date for Hillclimbs.
For more race info and lodging information, visit www.corpowersports.com.