After three seasons at Bass Park in Bangor, the Eastern Maine Community College Foundation’s Dysart’s Snocross will move to Speedway 95 in Hermon on Saturday and Sunday.
The gates open at 10 a.m. each day for the the East Coast Snocross-sanctioned event.
Poor attendance and a $5,000 fee for the use of the Bass Park facility prompted East Coast Snocross owner Kurt Gagne to seek another venue and Speedway 95 owner Del Merritt was looking for other activities to hold aty the stock car racing track.
Josh Little, director of marketing and promotions for ECS, wouldn’t discuss details of the financial agreement with Merritt but said it was “far better” than the Bass Park deal and will enable them to raise money for the EMCC Foundation.
ECS is the leading fundraiser for the nonprofit EMCC Foundation and several of the volunteers at the event are from the Bangor-based college.
Little said the backdrop at Bass Park was nice with its proximity to downtown, Hollywood Casino and the Cross Insurance Center but, “what we were paying for Bass Park was absurd. The last two years, it was a matter of us just trying to keep the show going. The people at Speedway 95 welcomed us with open arms. This makes more fiscal sense.”
Speedway 95 public relations director and former snocross racer Nick Huff and Little both noted there are several other advantages to taking the event to the track.
One of the primary sponsors of the event is Lane Construction and its corporate office is only 1.1 miles away from Speedway 95.
“So they’ve been able to bring in a lot of snow from nearby over the last month to set up the track,” explained Huff. “It also cheaper for them (to transport the snow due to their close proximity).”
Another sponsor is Dysart’s Restaurant and Truck Stop which is open 24 hours a day and is just one mile up the road. Racers, fans and families have a convenient place to eat and fuel their vehicles.
Little pointed out that because Speedway 95 is a stock car track, “it provides a better platform for us because it is already set up for racing. They have pit areas, a public address system and all that good stuff.”
Bass Park is a harness racing track.
The snocross course will be primarily in the infield although Huff said some of it will spill onto the front stretch of the racetrack.
One advantage Bass Park had over Speedway 95 is that it has a covered grandstand and a sizeable heated area under the grandstand where people could obtain food and beverages.
Speedway 95’s stands aren’t covered and the concession stands are outdoors.
“But we have several large tents we can put up and we might be able to put some over the grandstand,” said Little.
The positive news for Little and ECS is that the temperatures are supposed to be in the 40s on both Saturday and Sunday. However, the weather forecast is calling for rain showers.
“They can race in showers. They can adjust,” said Huff, who added that torrential downpours would halt the racing.
Little said the cold days predicted for Thursday and Friday will help firm up the track for this weekend’s racing. He said moisture and warm temperatures can be beneficial in creating the track’s surface.
Snocross consists of snowmobile racers maneuvering around a course featuring tight turns, banks and steep jumps that can launch snowmobiles as high as 30 feet in the air.
Little said the preregistration has been “spectacular” and it could rival last week’s racing in Winchester, N.H., where they had 240 entrants — the most they’ve had in “three or four years.”
Snowmobile racers often register in several different classes.
There will be a large number of classes including the Pro class where Mike Pilotte of Fall River, Mass., and Vermont’s Leo Patenaude were winners last weekend. Vermont’s Brad Tatro and New York native Dylan Roes were winners in the Pro Lite class.
There will also be divisions for newcomers and youngsters including a 120cc class for kids ages 6-10.
The Trail Stock class is for those looking to try snocross for the first time.
“We will also have three classes of vintage snow sleds on Sunday,” said Little. “That will some entertainment. Some of them will be from the 1970s and ’80s.”
Other event sponsors include Bangor Motorsports, J.M. Brown Construction, Chase Toys Inc. and Darling’s Auto.
Tickets are $10 per day for adults, $15 for a weekend pass. Children ages seven and under get in free with a paying adult. Pit passes are an extra $10.
Practice will be held on Friday beginning at 3:30 p.m.
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