1st Place - most creative - Grade 9 +

Competition was tight at Manitouwadge's box races on Sunday.

 An enthusiastic crowd of about 100 gathered at the Kiwissa Ski Centre for Manitouwadge High School’s Athletic Association box races which had 46 entrants competing in two categories for some great prizes including televisions, I-Pods and DVD’s.  Two, very professional looking lanes, approximately 300 feet in length had been sectioned off by volunteer Dave Jung on the lower part of the Kiwissa Ski hill’s Main run.  Competitors, in teams of two, had built their racers out of only cardboard boxes, garbage bags, duct tape, staples and paint and were required to wear helmets to participate.  Prizes were also awarded for the most creative team in Grade 8 and under won by Jaden & Courtney Belisle with their yellow school bus design; and the most creative team in Grade 9 and over, won by teachers Gord Martin and Wayne Pittman with their Olympic tribute design – this category included any teams with an adult, regardless of how young the other participant was.  There were some intense moments as one team actually took out the judges table and part of the finish line, teams lost control colliding into each other, and a few teams rolled and crashed forcing them to take up their boxes and race for the finish line on foot.  1^st place winners – judged by their two race combined time – Grade 8 and under division: Spencer Reukl (who abandoned his partner to race in this younger division), time 23.66 seconds;  Grade 9 and over division: Paul & Tess Lendt, time 21.20 seconds. 

One of the wonderful Father/Daughter teams racing.

Chelsea (lelievre?) and Kylee Campbell race towards the finish!

1st place winner Justin Lacoursiere of Manitouwadge with new friend 2nd place Dion Desmoulin of Mobert after their race.

The Manitou Sno-Drifters had plenty of local and visiting racers at the 2^nd day of their annual snowmobile drag races.  Police attended on the first day timing speeds on radar and clocked the 2 day big winner, John Stach, World Champion Drag Racer 2005-07 at 159 km/h.  John’s main competition both days was a racer out of Marathon, Sylvain Dunn whose business, Major Machine Works Ltd. also happened to be among the many sponsors of the event.  For the first year, age stipulations were modified to allow some

Sleds taring out at the lights.

younger racers to test their skills. Among them were 10 year old winner Justin Lacoursière, of Manitouwadge on his Bombardier Freestyle 300. Justin has been riding snowmobiles since he was 4 years old and said he looked forward to next years races and perhaps racing a bigger machine. 2^nd place winner in the 300 stock division was young Dion Desmoulin of Mobert.  Their were more than 50 racers who competed over the weekend and among them, only one woman, Bonnie Fortin of Marathon, placing 2^nd in the 1000 stock division.  Bonnie began racing 2

Bonnie Fortin, Marathon, accepts her cash prize from Dominique Gagnon of the Manitou Sno Drifters.

 years ago, having become interested in the sport while cheering on her husband who also competed this weekend. She races internationally, having just returned from a successful weekend in Manistee, Michigan where she was also the lone female racer. When asked about competing in a male dominated sport, Bonnie said “In the beginning I felt a little intimidated but quickly realized the advantage I had (being smaller and lighter) racing the men”.  The day wound up with cash awards being distributed at KG’s Bar & Lounge as organizers discussed plans for next years drags with eager racers. Certainly 9 year old Riley Fitzpatrick, the only young girl who raced, must have felt inspired watching Bonnie, I certainly did!