Snowmobile racing
I-500 ready to go
The annual running of the I-500 is scheduled for this weekend in the Thief River Falls area. The race begins Friday and ends Sunday.
The race, sanctioned by the United States Cross Country snowmobile racing association, will take place in the fields, ditches, woods and rivers of the Red Lake Indian Reservation and areas surrounding Thief River Falls.
This is the 39th running of the race.
Spanning three days and encompassing 500 miles of terrain, the winner of the FXR Pro 600 class will receive a $10,000 cash payout, and with USCC and manufacturer’s contingencies added, the purse could total nearly $20,000.
“The Red Lake I-500 is the USCC’s flagship event,” said USCC president Pat Mach. “The payout, format and level of competition place it at the top of all snowmobile races.”
As it has been since its inception, the field of racers will range from top factory-supported pros to riders who enter the race simply to say they raced the I-500. This year USCC expects the rider count to range from 110 to 125 and more than 175 class entries are expected.
Some noteworthy riders who will be racing the Red Lake I-500 this year include Cory Davis, Soldotna, Alaska, who won the recent Grafton 100; Corey Davidson, Holt, Minn; D.J. Ekre, Shevlin; Brian Dick, Thief River Falls; Nathan Titus, Nampa, Idaho; Gabe Bunke, Moorhead; and Bryan Dyrdahl, Bagley.
