By Ben Rodgers
Staff Writer
HOWARD – More than 3,500 people came out to watch as speed was king over the weekend.
Snowmobilers from around the country and Canada descended onto the frozen waters of Green Bay for Battle on the Bay.
The biggest was the International Snowmobile Racing World Series of Ice Drags, where ranked racers from all over tested their machines on 660-foot straight track.
“What went on this weekend out there made history,” said Chris Garrity, event organizer. “It broke three world records, and that’s never been done at a single event before in history.”
Danny Steinmetz in the Outlaw Class went 660 feet in 4.257 seconds with a top speed of 160 mph, a world record.
Also, Steinmetz in the Pro Mod Class went 660 feet in 4.89 seconds with a top speed of 134 mph, another world record.
“That drag goes on in many different states and they were all brought here for the last race, the biggest and the best,” Garrity said.
The second event was the National Snowmobile Racing Racing Fire on Ice World Record Series.
Racers here had 1,000 feet to hit top speed.
Ryan Ensor in the Top Gun Class hit 191.574 mph in 1000 feet, setting the third world record of the event.
The machines participating in the first two events had a lot of time and money invested in them.
“Mostly the sleds are handbuilt, all the parts are machine-custom parts, they could have anywhere from $80,000 to $100,000 in some of these machines,” Garrity said.
The final event was the Battle on the Bay, where anyone can drag their machine on the ice.
This event was comprised of roughly 90 percent local competitors racing motorcycles, UTVs, ATVs, and snowmobiles.
The event also ended with women in bikinis racing on the Battle of the Bay.
Garrity said he needs to go over the financials of how the event did before determining if he will bring it back for next year.
But what he heard from racers was encouraging.
“One thing that really makes me think to keep it going, is these racers, some of these guys have been racing 40 years, they go weekend after weekend, every one of them came up to me and told me they have never seen anything like it, they were impressed,” he said. “So that really put a smile on my face.”
