CWIRA Season Opener
Amherst, WI - January 8
S
eason openers are always special. You never really feel ready, but still you and everyone else in the pits is excited to get the racing started. Even in the northern portion of the Cycle USA readership area, many have their bikes and quads put away for the winter. Still, others have been busy for weeks, prepping, making final adjustments, and eagerly awaiting January 8th, as it opened the 2012 Central Wisconsin Ice Racing Association’s season. There’s a big variety or riders and machines at these events. Bikes and quads that never get touched during the summer, specially built and used only on the frozen lakes during winter. Then there’s the riders that race all summer, then convert the machines over for the new season. Some are very serious... and there is no limit to how fine tuned some of these machines can get. Also, there are the guys that show up with just a set of decent tires and added fenders, ready to have a great time. Regardless, everyone enjoys it, and appreciates every weekend they get out of the short season. If you think summer events are weather dependant, try ice racing. Still, all these racers consider it well worth the effort, it is
addicting, even as a spectator. This season opener was different from any I had ever been to... it was run on a dry land course. An old oval used for horse racing in the past, now converted to a really good ice racing track thanks to weeks of effort, and a lot of hauled in water. Mother nature took care of freezing the million plus gallons of water that built up an average of ten inches or more in ice. Also unique, this event was combined with a snowmobile racing weekend. Several classes were added for the sleds on this, their second day of racing. Some of these guys were the best in the country... Pros with serious efforts and a lot of money invested in the racing efforts. As a spectator, it was cool having the mix. The CWIRA regulars seemed to like it as well... for the most part. The added classes, added practice, and a lot of course delays from simple crashes (during the CWIRA program) delayed the program enough that the second half of the racing had to be cut out. Basically it became a one moto type of format. Spectators got an awesome show, and even the racers didn’t seem to bummed about the half day of racing that ended under the lights as it was. The combined show, and first race excitement kept any disappointment to a minimum. The ProAm Rubber ATV class was as wild as any all day. John Flick quickly took over the lead with Mitchel Williams, Jim Falke and Scott Davis all close behind. As they entered the second lap Flick had a small margin.
The pit area was flooded so ice would protect the studded tires.
12
CYCLE USA, March 2012
Outlaw Rubber front runners & brothers Scott Lindner (2) and Dan Lindner don’t give an inch against each other on the track.
Jacob Cunningham and Fred Therrien in the 250/450 Pro class.
Tryton Stewart leads Hanna Daniels in the Junior motorcycle class.