The 56th running of the International 500 Snowmobile Endurance race starts in three weeks and volunteers preparing the track say it will be ready to go with a good amount of ice on it.
Last year, crews only had two weeks before the race to get the track ready for the gruelling 500 laps due to the weather not cooperating. Yet, the track held up better than one could expect due to the determined work of the crews.
Bil Cryderman, who is in his 18th year as race director, is breathing a sigh of relief that Mother Nature is cooperating better this year.
"Last year at this time, three weeks before the race, we had no ice on the track due to the warm winter we had. It was a struggle but we made it through. And now with what Mother Nature has given us this year, it's so much better. We are so far ahead of the game right now that if another warm up does happen, we are ready for it and could withstand it," Cryderman said.
The weather around Thanksgiving gave crews a jump on getting the track ready.
"Preparation at the track this time around started in late November with crews pounding frost, which is earlier than normal, because the weather was right. We started watering the track around Dec. 21 and created around 5 inches of ice but then we lost it with the warm up. However, we kept the frost. That was our goal. Keep the frost," Cryderman said.
"We use between one and two million gallons of water to make sure the track is ready for race day. We try to get close to 16 inches of ice for the start of the race. Right now, we have at least half that on the track. Last year we only had 11 inches of ice on rack day and it held up pretty good."
Many people think the track needs a lot of snow, but that is not the case at all. The track is made of pure ice. It needs cold. However, making that ice has a science behind it to more than just pouring water on the track when the temperature falls below freezing.
"The science of ice is different. Many people think you can make good ice at -12 F to -15 F. Yes, we can and do make ice at those temperatures but the ice does not bond together as good if we can make the ice in the high teens to lower 20s. At those temperatures, the ice has time to bond better with the ice that is already on the track, and that makes it stronger. On a real good day, we can build a couple inches of ice," Cryderman explained.
This year, crews have three watering-tanker trucks that move at a snails-pace around the one-mile oval track, usually around the clock as weather permits.
"We have over 70 volunteers that build this place and that's not including people who race day with me. I cannot thank them enough for what they do for this facility," Cryderman concluded.
