The average speed for racers was 80 miles per hour.
By Gail Geraghty
Staff Writer

NORWAY – Frigid weekend temperatures never chilled the enthusiasm of die-hard snowmobile racers who showed up in record numbers to test their speed on Norway Lake.

“It was so cold, but we did just as well as last year, even better,” said Jaime Mowatt, a member of the Norway Trackers Snowmobile Club, which sponsored the event.

More than $4,000 was raised in racing fees alone, not to mention the chowder fest inside the Little Red Schoolhouse.

Mowatt said the proceeds go toward maintaining the club’s 30 or so miles of snowmobile trails.

The drag races and radar runs that comprise the main events of the snowfest “just keep getting bigger and bigger and more well known,” Mowatt said.

Saturday’s drag races drew 118 entries in 38 classes. On Sunday, there were 187 entries in 38 classes for the radar runs. The fastest speed clocked on Sunday was 119 miles per hour, by Chris Nault. Nault was driving an “open” sled, said Mowatt, which means it had been custom built for more horsepower.

The average speed for racers was 80 miles per hour.

Mowatt said many of the racers do nothing but race, every weekend, at similar events held in other towns throughout the state. “That’s what they are there for – to race. We charge a fee ($15 for drag racing, $5 for radar runs) and all they get is a trophy,” Mowatt said. “You get hooked.”

She said Norway’s snowfest was held this year without the winter carnival, which was canceled this year. Usually, winter carnival activities are planned around the snowfest, since the snowfest draws the biggest crowds.

A new attraction this year was a collection of “antique” sleds. In snowmobile terms, that means anything over 25 years old. Troy Fox won a trophy for his entry in that event, she said.

ggeraghty@sunjournal.com

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