In a few weeks, the city is hosting several hundred snowmobilers for the Timmins Mechanical Solutions Snowcross Races. The event promises to be an opportunity for a fun family outing and a boost to the city’s tourism economy.
“Timmins is a great market for us. There are tons of snowmobilers up there and it’s fun for us to bring a bunch of new people from out of town because it lets them see the town and learn about the trail systems that are up there,” says Ken Avann of the Canadian Snowcross Racing Association (CSRA).
This year’s event is set to bring about 150 racing teams to the city, which will amount to 700-1,000 people between racers, crew members, and their families. The races are expected to bring in a few thousand spectators over the weekend.
CSRA runs between eight to 10 races every year all over Ontario. They have been organizing races in Timmins for at least 20 years, with a few cancellations here and there, often due to weather. Last year’s event in Timmins was cancelled, and this year’s has already been rescheduled from its original date in January.
“We’re struggling with snow this year, as you can imagine. All over Ontario there just isn’t very much. This event is pretty much guaranteed for us so we’re happy to come up to Timmins, and we have some great sponsors that bring us back every year so we appreciate the support from the city,” Avann says.
“Hopefully we’re going to get a bit of natural snow there between now and then so we can have the trail riding going for our staff afterwards,” he says.
This is the first year in which the CSRA has a dedicated snow-making team to make up for where mother nature has fallen short, but adapting to less-than-ideal weather conditions is nothing new for the series.
“I’ve been involved in snowmobile racing since the '70s and I’ve seen this kind of thing even back then. There were times when in mid-winter there was no snow, even in Timmins,” Avann says.
“If you’re going to be a promoter of an outdoor event, you need to be prepared to make adjustments,” he says.
“Every year we’ll lose an event or we have to reschedule an event. That’s happened every year that I’ve been doing races.”
Despite the lack of snow, Avann says the change in date worked out for the best since the milder temperatures near the end of the winter season are usually more welcoming to spectators.
“It’s a family event. We have kids starting to race at four years of age, we’ve got men and women of all different age groups involved. There will be food and beverages and displays and everything. It’s like a little festival going on for the weekend and an opportunity for people to come out and have a good time, enjoy the weather,” Avann says.
“Hopefully it’ll be a nice weekend. Usually this time of year in Timmins, we’ve lucked out and had good weather,” he says.
The Timmins Mechanical Solutions Snowcross Races are scheduled for March 9 and 10 at the city snow facility on Spruce St. South. The event is sponsored by Guiho Saw Sales & Arctic Cat, NPLH Drilling, and many more.
For more information, updates, or to purchase tickets, visit CSRA’s website.
