MASTERS Racing Circuit

We are also going to be having Kitty Cat Races in addition to the 120 cc Races at this year’s event. This is the BIGGEST CASH PURSE of ANY of our MASTERS Racing Events. $750.00 for 1st Place in TOP GUN, $500 for 1st Place in Open Stock, and $250 for 1st Place in Vintage Open. This is all due to the hard work of the Sno-Valley Riders Snowmobile Club, so MAKE SURE you show your appreciation for all they have done and are doing to make this the BIGGEST SNOW DRAG in the Midwest!

For this race, and this race ONLY, we are going to be handing out Trophies and the Cash Purse AFTER each Feature. We WILL NOT be having an Awards Banquet. Thus the Features will NOT be running as fast as they usually do, but on the good side, you’re going to get your trophy and money RIGHT AWAY.

ALL Drivers that have sent in registration via e-mail, and have not sent fees in via Snail Mail, you have to either be at UP Chucks in Kenton, between 6 and 9 pm ET THIS FRIDAY NIGHT, or be at the track between 7 and 7:30 am ET. We WILL not be taking registration OR FEEs (even if you sent in the classes you are going to race in via e-mail) AFTER 7:30 am ET.

We are going to make up the Race Charts RIGHT AT 7:30 am ET. Those that have Pre-Registered and paid the fees will be able to IMMEDIATELY go through SAFETY TECH. You will need this weekend's MASTERS Racing Decal to show that you have successfully went through Safety Tech to do your TNT (Test N Tune) Runs.

Remember, YOU and EVERYBODY that goes in the PITS HAS TO SIGN the Waiver and HAVE A PIT PASS on them to be in the PITS. The Sno-Valley Snowmobile Club WILL have people at the PIT GATE checking to make sure everyone in the PITS has a Pit Pass. If we find anyone working on a sled, or in a Trailer, the registered driver will be disqualified. We CANNOT have ANYONE in the pits that has not signed a Waiver and have a Pit Pass!

We are also going to be double-checking your tethers in Staging...so be aware of this. ALL TETHERS are to be attached to a SOLID LOOP either on your Safety Vest or a double-stitched heavy duty safety loop on your race jacket. NO Tethers can be attached to a coat zipper or simply put around your wrist.

ALL SAFETY Rules, as printed on our website and required to be read by ALL drivers is at: www.mastersracing.net. Make sure you read them over, understand them, and agree to abide by them.

These SAFETY Rules will be enforced AT ALL OF OUR RACES this year, with new rules for next season being written, sent out, and posted on our website at the end of this season.

Chippewa Sno-Kats Snow Drags at Iron County (MI) Airport, Saturday, Feb 25th, 2012:
This race is co-sponsored by Upper Peninsula Power Company, Lac Vieux Desert Resort Casino of Watersmeet, John’s Industries, Tru Recycling, North Star Hospital, Kermit's of Iron River, Chippewa Resort, and Chicaugon Inn.

The Chippewa Sno-Kats have already been working on the track. They have Pit Parking and Fan Parking plowed, and the track has been groomed. Attached is pictures of the track. THIS IS GOING TO BE AN EXCELLENT TRACK AND FACILITY! The Chippewa Sno-Kats will have a concession stand on the ground, so NO CARRY-INs...PLEASE SUPPORT THE CLUB putting on this race!

We will have a $500 1st Place in TOP GUN at this race!

You either have to send in your Pre-Registration (Registration form is attached) by Snail Mail by WEDNESDAY, Feb 22, 2012 too: MASTERS, %Iron County, 610 Greenland Road, Ontonagon, MI 49953, or send in your registration too: sschulz@jamadots.com then be at the Chippewa Resort on Friday Night, Feb 24th, 2012 between 6 and 9 pm ET. We will NOT be taking ANY Registrations on Saturday Morning for this race. You can also Pre-Register and Pay your fees for this race at This Friday Nights Registration for the Sidnaw Race.

The Awards Ceremony for the Chippewa Sno-Kats Snow Drags will be at the Chippewa Resort, located just west of Crystal Falls on the North Side of US-2. The Awards Ceremony will take place approximately 2 hours after the conclusion of the Snow Drags.

Lodging Sponsor for this race is the Chicaugon Inn. When you go to this website, you will see how beautiful of a place this is: http://www.chicaugonlakeinn.com/
Call them for reservations ASAP, and plan on staying with the MASTERS Racing Staff!

The Chippewa Resort is another place to stay. Check out the website: http://www.chippewaresort.com/home.html

We will be following the SAME SAFETY RULES for this race as we will for this Saturday’s races in Sidnaw and ALL our other races this season.

Lansing Michigan Snowmobiler wins TOP GUN

East Lansing’s Cam Howie drove over 500 miles to take in the 3rd leg of the MASTERS Racing Circuit Snowmobile Drag Racing Series, and the Ski-Doo driver made the trip worthwhile. Howie took home the $750.00 first place cash from the Sno Valley Riders Snowmobile Club by winning the TOP GUN Class at the Sidnaw, Michigan airport.

While Howie won the featured class, it was Houghton, Michigan’s Derek Peterson that took home 4 Firsts. Peterson ran away from the competition in 4 of the 5 Stock Classes. The only class he didn’t win, was in Stock 500, where his Polaris 600 is ineligible to compete. The stiffest competition Peterson had was in the $500 1st Place Open Stock where Peterson held off Babbit, Minnesota’s Jim Butler on an Arctic Cat. It was at the 2011 races at the Sidnaw airport that Peterson set the All-Time MASTERS Racing Circuit record by winning 6 classes. The MASTERS Racing Circuit has been sanctioning Snowmobile Drag and Hillclimb events since 1993.

Peterson racked up 74 points to take the lead in the MASTERS Racing Circuit High Point Driver Award. Peterson now has 105 points for the year, with 3 more races to go. Champion, Michigan’s, Matt LaCosse, who won the Stock 500 class on a Polaris is second to Peterson with 87 points. In the Open Stock Class, Peterson took home the $500 1st Place money provided by the Sno Valley Riders Snowmobile Club.

The next race is this Saturday at the Iron County (MI) Airport. The season then concludes with the Uphill Drags at Marquette Mountain on April 7th, and Powderhorn Mountain on April 14th.

“We’re only half-way through the season, and all it will take is one driver to have a hot day to take the points. Plus the points are based upon the number of entries in a class, and we’re expecting a good turnout of drivers at Marquette Mountain and Powderhorn,” proclaimed MASTERS Racing Circuit President, Skip Schulz.

Jim Johnson from Skanee, Michigan, won the Mod 5 and Mod 6 classes. Johnson was on a Polaris. Then it was Calumet, Michigan’s, Jerry Buschell on the Goldbach Racing Ski-Doo that won the Mod 7 Class. Buschell was edged out by fellow Goldbach Racing driver, Rudy Vincent of Iron River (MI) in Mod 8. Buschell came back to win the Open Mod Class.

However all the attention by the drivers, crew, and fans was on the TOP GUN Class. This is the featured class with the fastest sleds being piloted by the Midwest top Snowmobile Drag Racers. It was in the first round that Cam Howie would lose to Negaunee’s Shay Thompson, and Rice Lake, Wisconsin’s, Drew Minkel. Thompson, who had won the TOP GUN class at the second ‘leg’ of the 6-race series.

Howie was forced to go into the ‘must-win’ Elimination Race. Howie defeated Steve “Go-Go” Govier of Gwinn (MI), to advance. The next race for Howie was a battle between himself and two Goldbach Racing sleds. One driven by Louie Goldbach of Iron River (MI) and the other by fellow Iron River driver, Rudy Vincent. Howie won that race putting him in the Semi-Finals against Peterson and Thompson.

Peterson Racing had built a special TOP GUN sled for this event and the rest of the MASTERS Racing Circuit season. Thompson was aboard his St. Germain Ice Drag TOP GUN Championship sled. When the snow dust had settled at the 500 foot finish line, Howie took a first and advanced to the biggest race of the day, the TOP GUN Feature.

In the feature, Howie held off Buschell and Peterson to get his name notched on the TOP GUN Winners list for 2012. Crystal Falls, (MI) Jeff Szanto won the Wisconsin Snow Drag Championships, and Thompson won at St. Germain.

“Due to the distance, Howie will not be at this Saturday’s Chippewa Sno-Kats Snow Drags at the Iron County Airport, so it is anyone’s guess who is going to win the $500 1st Place money,” commented Schulz.

The crowd favorite at the Sidnaw Airport was the Kitty Cat Races, where Graci Schwenk, Alley Ayres, and Carter LaCosse were crowned champions. Nathan LaCosse edged out his younger brother Carter, to win the 120 cc class.

Mike Richey from Taylor (MI) won the Vintage 340, with LaCosse winning the Vintage 440. In the Vintage Open class, Matt LaCosse won $250 by defeating Bob Baxter of Skanne (MI) and Richey.

Sno-Valley Riders Snowmobile Club Snow Drags at Sidnaw Airport RESULTS (Top 3 only)

120 cc: 1) Nathan LaCosse, Polaris, Champion (MI); 2) Carter LaCosse, Polaris, Champion (MI)

Vintage 340: 1) Mike Richey, Polaris, Taylor (MI); 2) Tom Grall, Mercury, Aetna (IN); 3) Bob Baxter, Polaris, Skanee (MI)

Vintage 440: 1) Matt LaCosse, Ski-Doo, Champion (MI); 2) Mike Richey, Polaris, Taylor (MI); 3) Tom Grall, Mercury, Aetna (IN)

Sno-Valley Riders $250 OPEN Vintage: 1) Matt LaCosse, Ski-Doo, Champion (MI); 2) Bob Baxter, Polaris, Skanee, (MI); 3) Mike Richey, Polaris, Taylor (MI)

Stock 500: 1) Matt LaCosse, Polaris, Champion (MI); 2) Jonah Dowd, Arctic Cat, L'Anse (MI); 3) Chaz Forcia, Polaris, L'Anse (MI)

Stock 600: 1) Derek Peterson, Polaris, Atlantic Mine (MI); 2) Chris Nordang, Ski-Doo, Iron River (MI); 3) Trevor Wood, Arctic Cat, Laurium (MI)

Stock 700: 1) Derek Peterson, Polaris, Atlantic Mine (MI); 2) Trevor Wood, Arctic Cat, Laurium (MI); 3) Chris Nordang, Ski-Doo, Iron River (MI)

Stock 800: 1) Derek Peterson, Polaris, Atlantic Mine (MI); 2) Jim Butler, Arctic Cat, Babbit (MN); 3) Tom Hodges, Arctic Cat, Lake Linden (MI)

Sno-Valley Riders $500 OPEN Stock: 1) Derek Peterson, Polaris, Atlantic Mine (MI); 2) Tom Hodges, Arctic Cat, Lake Linden (MI); 3) Jim Butler, Arctic Cat, Babbit (MN)

Mod 500: 1) Jim Johnson, Polaris, Skanee (MI); 2) Matt LaCosse, Ski-Doo, Champion (MI); 3) Lance Forcia, Yamaha, L'Anse (MI)

Mod 600: 1) Jim Johnson, Polaris, Skanee (MI); 2) Derek Peterson, Polaris, Atlantic Mine (MI); 3) Tom Hodges, Arctic Cat, Lake Linden (MI)

Mod 700: 1) Jerry Buschell, Ski-Doo, Calumet (MI); 2) Derek Peterson, Polaris, Atlantic Mine (MI); 3) Tyler Wood, Arctic Cat, Laurium (MI)

Mod 800: 1) Rudy Vincent, Ski-Doo, Iron River (MI); 2) Jerry Buschell, Ski-Doo, Calumet (MI); 3) Shay Thompson, Polaris, Negaunee (MI)

Open Mod: 1) Jerry Buschell, Ski-Doo, Calumet (MI); 2) Rudy Vincent, Ski-Doo, Iron River (MI); 3) Derek Peterson, Polaris, Atlantic Mine (MI)

TOP GUN: 1) Cam Howie, Ski-Doo, East Lansing (MI); 2) Jerry Buschell, Ski-Doo, Calumet (MI); 3) Derek Peterson, Polaris, Atlantic Mine (MI)

Feb 25th: Chippewa Sno-Kats Snow Drags, Iron County Airport, Crystal Falls, Michigan