TURNER – An estimated 4,000 people of all ages took in spills, thrills and a whole lot of chill on Saturday during the sixth annual One-Lunger 100 vintage snowmobile race in a sprawling gravel pit off Route 4 behind The Pit Stop Mobil station.

And that was all before the namesake main event, which, by 3 p.m., was running about 90 minutes late.

Hosted by the Turner Ridge Runners Snowmobile Club, the day was liberally packed with several exciting, 10-lap qualifying heats for vintage snowmobile racers entered in the One-Lunger.

Originally, the One-Lunger was a 100-lap race for one-cylinder, fan-cooled snowmobiles from 1973 and older, pace-sled driver Winston Gilbert Sr. said. Now, it’s down to 50 bumpy laps.

“The machines didn’t hold together long enough for 100 laps, and people’s backs were aching, and there were parts everywhere,” he chuckled.

On Saturday, the course for all races was a new half-mile Grand Prix-style track with plenty of corners carved to keep speeds down.

Although, in that aged-machine bracket, top speeds were between 30 and 40 mph in straightaways, Winston’s son, club president Chip Gilbert said.

There were also a women’s vintage sled race, a Two-Lunger (twin-cylinder) vintage snowmobile race, and children’s stock and modified competitions on newer mini-machines.

Chip Gilbert said the event drew both the largest-ever crowd and field of racers – 165 entries.

Normally, they average between 100 and 110 racers.

Winston Gilbert attributed the increase to the event’s new location and, most importantly, its lack of water holes and mud bogs in the course, unlike the previous track, which was in a cow pasture off Route 117 in Turner Center.

After each of six qualifying heats that whittled the One-Lunger field of racers down to 42 – the maximum allowed on a course that size, both Gilberts said – the track and infield were dotted with dead sleds.

One such sled, a blue 1973 Suzuki 292 Nomad operated by Ron Sawyer of Hampden, died twice: once in the first qualifying round and again in the go-for-broke-or-broken, last-chance qualifier.

Still, Sawyer, who was wearing a black leather checkered-flag jacket, safety gear and baseball catcher-style shin guards duct-taped to both legs to protect him from taking a beating on the sled’s cowling, said it was worth it just to participate.

Chip Gilbert said the oldest sled entered was a 1968 Ski-Doo Olympic.

Throughout the day, spent fuel and hot-food aromas assaulted noses while announcer Travis Steward of Auburn kept up a lively commentary during each race, entertaining the crowd.

“Oh no! One of the racers is following the pace car off the track!” he yelled into the microphone right before the green flag came out during a running start in the three-lap children’s stock race for kids aged 4 to 10.

One little guy traveling about 10 mph then broke into a big lead only to lose control in bumps lining the first turn, his sled bouncing this way and that like a wild bronco, which ultimately dumped him. Gamely, he dusted the snow off, climbed back on and took off, still ahead of the pack.

Ellen Brown of Turner laughed a lot during that race, following the progress of grandson Evan Brown, 4, of Turner, a first-time racer on his fire-red, flame-streaked Arctic Cat MiniZ.

“The last I heard, he was in third place, but I don’t know how, because he’s only gone around once,” she said.