World Championship Derby announces race dates
“The AmSoil World Championship Derby spokesperson, known as the “Indianapolis 500 of snowmobile racing,” announced dates for this year’s races.
The 2012 derby dates are January 19-22, 2012 in Eagle River, Wis.
This year marks the 49th anniversary of the derby. The Track has been home to the race for 48 years.
Ice oval, snocross and vintage racing will all take place at this year’s derby.
Last year more than 30,000 spectators from around the world attended. The derby track builds and maintains the ice oval and sno cross track with over 2 million gallons of water, a 4,000 gallon water truck, a state of the art snow making machine, a Bombardier ME Plus Groomer, and a Nortec Ice Shaver.
The weekend begins with Thursday evening time trials, then the Friday Night Thunder’s Sweet Sixteen sponsored by the Snowmobile Headquarters where the sixteen fastest time qualifiers race for Pole Position in the Championship finals, into Saturday afternoon’s grueling heats, quarter and semi finals to fill nine more spots in the Top Ten. Sunday morning is the LCQ (last chance qualifier) to put two racers on the second row (twelve make the final field). In 2011, the drivers faced a new challenge, a thirty lap final with a mandatory pit stop after 15 laps. To make the stop more rewarding there was a $2500 pay out to the Jimmy John’s Mid Race winner and checks for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th also. This new format brought more “inside” race action to the spectators who could watch what normally only happens in the pits, as race crews tended to the sleds, drivers stretched muscles, had pit action brought right into the front and center viewing.”
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