Ice racing gains traction

A new element of the Fort Winter Festival gained traction with ice racing enthusiasts this season.

Saskatoon racer Vince Crawford, 50, came up with a concept to design a unique motocross track February 21 on Echo Lake. It featured nine sharp turns and stretched 1.1 kilometres across the frozen water in Echo Lake near Fort Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan, for the second year at the Fort Winter Festival.

“Riding on the ice is way faster than taking a dirt bike out on the pavement,” said Crawford. “The traction with studded tires is incredible.”

Crawford joined Town of Fort Qu’Appelle councillor Brian Janz on Echo Lake in minus-24 Celsius temperatures to help build an ice racing track with a small team of volunteers from the community, for ice racing competitions held between February 28 and March 1 this winter.

“Cal Tulik helped us build (the track) with the grader,” said Janz. “Vince came down from Saskatoon to help us design the track, which was great. I could go out and design a track, but it’s not going to be what they want, so this way, they’re getting a track they want and it’s fun to ride on.”

After two years of working together to design a desirable race track during the winter, the Fort Winter Festival riding has attracted competitors who travel from Regina and Saskatoon to participate in the outdoor races with locals.

“Last year it was very enjoyable to watch,” said Janz. “A lot of people really enjoyed watching it and the guys who were riding bikes really took in the festival activities. They wanted to be a part of the festival. They weren’t coming here to get paid. They were coming out for a good time.”

This year marked the second time in history when the ice racing track boosted tourism numbers within the community and lured out racers to compete at the Fort Winter Festival.

The idea to design the track that was used during this year’s event came from Crawford’s mind after spending 15 years working with a crew at the Rat Hole race track in Saskatoon. But his drive to be involved with ice racing is even older.

“I’ve been ice racing for at least 30 years, said Crawford. “I’ve always been riding in Saskatchewan. I think that I actually started ice racing when I was about 14 or 15.”

Crawford encouraged new riders to come out to the track at the Fort Winter Festival and give it a shot this year.

“There’s really no payoff like enjoying riding with your buddies,” said Crawford, gazing at the track as the grader cleared fresh snow from the ice track for the last time before the festivities began. “There’s nothing better.”

Crawford opened up the back of a black Toyota pick-up truck, lined up a ramp and slowly moved his bike to the ground. He was the first rider to test the limits of the track and determine the top speeds for others during the two-day long activities during the Fort Winter Festival.

“I think we’ve gone over 130 kilometres per hour and it’s pretty exciting down the end of the straight section,” said Crawford. “We get to push ourselves and there’s a lot of fast riders here.”

As the races at the festival approached, Crawford’s excitement grew quickly and he prepared for the journey back to Fort Qu’Appelle.

“It looks like everybody is pretty happy with the track,” said Crawford. “The ice is taking a beating. It’s pretty rough out there after two days of racing. After the weekend is over, it’s going to be trashed, but there have been some good races out there and the guys are enjoying it.”

He ultimately determined that the support from the Fort Qu’Appelle community and its surrounding region had continually grown for ice racing.

“There’s a ton of spectators here,” added Crawford. “It looks like we’ve got a better turnout this year than last and we absolutely want to be a part of the fun again next year. We’ve had a great time being out here. Thanks to Fort Qu’Appelle for putting this on. We really appreciate it.”