The ice on Big Moose Lake was a little over 22 inches thick at race time last Saturday. There was a chance of rain in the afternoon, but it was a good enough day for ice drags in Eagle Bay, N.Y. The Big Moose Inn and Duffy’s at the Glenmore, in association with Northeast Snowmobile Drag Racing (NESD), have worked very hard to get this years Big Moose Shootout off the ground, as Mother Nature has not been cooperating with event promoters.
NESD was hoping for a great turnout and very few issues. The new company added a few classes this year, including an 800 stock shootout, bringing the total number of classes to 11. Everything was fast, from the Open Turbo class to the 800 Stock. There were 54 sleds registered, breaking last year's record of 52. Teams from all over the northeast attended this year's event.
Things went very well with just a few hiccups, like the rain causing problems with the sensors. At the end of the day, I think everyone weighed about 20 lbs. more from soaking up the rain. Brian Weaving of the 77x team had three first-place finishes and one second-place finish. Matt Luke was also a big winner, notching three first-place finishes. One of his wins came in the Open Turbo class, in which he piloted Boyd McGarry’s Arctic Cat 1100 from Bikeman Performance. This is the same sled that went 117 mph at the AmSnow Shootout at the Ole Barn this past December.
NESD owners Justin Hulsizer and Andy Stiles were very happy with the event, as were Mark Mayer from Big Moose Inn and Patrick Duffy from Duffy’s at the Glenmore. Mayer and Duffy were especially impressed by the level of professionalism and organization of the crew. Now they'll start planning for next year's event and address any problems or equipment issues. Hulsizer informed me that they are considering adding the Moose Knuckle Award, which will be like the Stanley Cup.
Hats off to the crew of the NESD and the staffs of the Big Moose Inn and Duffy’s at the Glenmore. Without them, this event would not have been possible. Congrats to all the racers for giving us some excitement all day, and thanks for being safe and following the rules. We are looking forward to next year's event and hope that it keeps growing. And maybe that Mother Nature will finally behave.
- Jon Johnville
Photos by JJ's Outlaw Photography