Snowmobile racing for a cause

Episode 388

January 30, 2022

Racers from all around New England to race in the County

Give racers a good cause and watch what happens when they get together to not only compete, but help raise funds for the local community where the race is located. The playground can be seen just off Route 1 in the town of Littleton. (Littleton Community Playground Revitalization Project photo)

With $45,000 of the needed $100,000 raised, Tame The Track Tour Snowmobile Races (TTTTSR) is teaming up with the Littleton Community Playground Revitalization Project to present the “Chase the Checkers” vintage, trail, and kids endurance races Saturday February 5, 2022.

The recent snow in the County has provided an adequate base for snowmobile racers who will compete Saturday in Littleton. The race track is situated behind the Littleton Town office on an eighty-acre field. Sam Dunbar Construction is preparing the track, concessions area, parking area, and spectator viewing spots for what promises to be exciting racing. (TTTTSR photo)

This will be the second race on the snowmobile tour after foul weather forced the cancellation of the “Line ‘Em Up” Vintage, Trail, and Kid’s races hosted by the Lincoln Snowhounds Snowmobile Club which was schedule for January 29 in Lincoln, Maine. That race event will take place February 12 & 13.

Race-day begins with a hearty Moosestompers breakfast beginning at 6 am to 10 am at the Meduxnekeag Ramblers Snowmobile Clubhouse. (Photo courtesy Meduxnekeag Ramblers)

According to race director Jere Humphrey, “Back by popular demand, Tame the Track Snowmobile Tour will once again be offering the Couples Combination race at the “Chase the Checkers” Vintage, Trail & Kids Endurance Races on February 5th in Littleton, Maine.”

Tame the Track Tour Snowmobile Races officials have posted the tentative race schedule for the “Chasing the Checkers” event in Littleton. (TTTTSR photo)

Race Results from Season Opener

“Adrenaline Rush” Vintage & Kids Endurance Race results

Rangeley Snodeo hosted by Rangeley Lakes Snowmobile Club

This was the first of seven scheduled races, where performance results go towards the Vicious Vintage Championship Series (VVCS) with the purchase of race membership.

Recreational Motorsports & Workstore Kids 120 Division —

1st Place: Oliver Spear #529

2nd Place: Chase Rideout #8

3rd Place: Liam Tucker # X

Dysart’s & Dead River Company Kids 120 Improved Division —

1st Place: Dylan Rider #10

2nd Place: Colby Adams #44

3rd Place: Oliver Spear #529

Witham’s Paving & Unifirst Kids 120 Modified Division —

1st Place: Colby Adams #44

2nd Place: Oliver Spear # 529

Star City Rentals & RC Logging Kids 200 Stock Division —

1st Place: Tucker Chase #3

2nd Place: Myles Grew #38

3rd Place: Pierce Cooperman #120

TNT Road Company & State Farm Juniors Invitational Division —

1st Place: Riley Hartford #56

2nd Place: Hailey Hartford #326

3rd Place: Emmett Walker #68

Matt McEwen Const. & Mike & Sons Teens Invitational Division —

1st Place: Noah Alexander #17

2nd Place: Haley Brownell #5

3rd Place: Riley Hartford #56

Casella Waste & Crabbie’s Racing Women’s Invitational Division —

1st Place: Haley Brownell #5

2nd Place: Alley Ripley #72

3rd Place: Haley Frohlich #11

Pelletier Ford & Brooks Const. Single Cylinder Stock Division —

1st Place: Mike Morris #95

2nd Place: Andy Frohlich #11

3rd Place: Eric LeBree #179

RA Paradis Const. & Daigle Oil Co. 340 Stock Division —

1st Place: Henry Moneypenny #007

2nd Place: Mike Morris #4X

3rd Place: Cole Valley #72X

Bangor Motorsports & Mission Trailers 440 Stock Division —

1st Place: Jake Bissonette #4X

2nd Place: Asa Grace #711

3rd Place: Cole Valley #72

Varney Agency & VIP Tires & Service Single Cylinder Mod Division —

1st Place: Adam Polvinen #61

2nd Place: Jacob Bissonette #427

3rd Place: Dalton Varney #07

Savage Paint/ Body & Beal’s Country Store 340/440 Mod Division —

1st Place: Caleb Morris #60

2nd Place: Asa Grace #33

3rd Place: Cole Valley #007

SnowStuds & Harry’s Motorsports IFS 440 Stock Division —

1st Place: Caleb Morris #95

2nd Place: Aidan Murray #36

3rd Place: Reeve Twitchell #57

The next race is the “Chase the Checkers” Vintage, Trail, and Kids Endurance Races at Littleton, Maine Saturday February 5, 2022 beginning at 10 am.

CORE Autosports on podium at Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona

Speedweeks 2022 got underway last weekend with the 60th annual Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona on the road course at Daytona International Speedway. After 24 hours of racing in record cold, the top class, Daytona Prototypes international (DPi) had the top 4 within 6 seconds of the winner. Hard to imagine that a race that long can finish that close.

Acura, its teams and drivers dominated the final hours of this weekend’s 60th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, with Meyer Shank Racing and defending race winner Wayne Taylor Racing battling to the checkers in a 1-2 finish in their Acura ARX-05 prototypes in the opening event of the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

At the end of the twice-around-the-clock competition, it was the MSR lineup of Tom Blomqvist, Helio Castroneves, Oliver Jarvis and Simon Pagenaud taking the victory three seconds ahead of WTR and drivers Filipe Albuquerque, Alexander Rossi, Will Stevens and Ricky Taylor.

The win is the second consecutive Rolex 24 victory for Acura and the ARX-05 prototype, and the first 1-2 finish at Daytona for the manufacturer.  For the Meyer Shank team, the win is their second Rolex 24 triumph, and 10 years to the weekend after their first win here in the 2012 50th running of the event.

Winning Acura on right, Meyer Shank Racing finished 3 seconds in front of the Wayne Taylor Racing #10 Acura. Helio Castroneves drove the final stint in the MSR #60 marking the second major win by Castroneves in the last 8 months having won his fourth Indy 500 May 2021. Castroneves was joined by his crew as he did his signature Spider-Man climbing of the protective fence on the start/finish line. Ricky Taylor was at the wheel in the family- owned Acura coming within seconds of their fourth Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. (Acura Racing photo)

Second-place for Wayne Taylor Racing places the teams at the top of the championship table after the first of 10 races this season, and solidifies Acura’s early-season Manufacturers’ Championship advantage.

The debut of the GT Daytona Pro class, which replaced the old GTLM class, had the wildest finish of the race when the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 of Mathieu Jaminet, and Laurens Vanthoor in the KCMG Porsche 911 swapped the lead back-and-forth for the last few laps, until the two made contact in the Bus Stop chicane renamed the Le Mans Chicane, and Vanthoor went spinning on the very last lap. Jaminet finished first and Vanthoor recovered to finish third.

The team I will be following once again in the LMP# class, CORE autosports based in Rock Hill, South Carolina finished third 2 laps down to the LMP3 winner, Riley Motorsports #74 driven by Gar Robinson, who was last year’s LMP3 driver champion, Felipe Fraga, Kay van Berlo and Michael Cooper to claim class honors once again.

Riley Motorsports #74 LMP3 class winner by over a lap, goes to Victory Lane for the second year in a row. (IMSA photo by Russell Branham)

Despite race record overnight temperatures as low as 33 degrees, the CORE autosports team ran in the top three with many laps in the lead. The team had to start the race in dead last due to qualifying difficulties in last weekend’s Roar Before the 24 qualifying race. A punctured tire at the beginning of the race and ignition shut-off were a couple problems the team overcame during the course of the race. Drivers of the #54 include owner/driver Jon Bennett, 10-year team driver Colin Braun, Crowdstrike owner George Kurtz, and Nic Jonsson. (CORE Autosports photo)

I hope to cover the next IMSA race, the 61st annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, March 16-19, 2022 with help from my race photographer/brother Bill Hale.

Let’s go racing,

Tom Hale

Soli Deo Gloria (Matthew 5:16)