The Saltcoats volunteer fire department's 11th annual snowmobile race attracts a variety of competitors to the event.
Local area snowmobile enthusiast, Tyler Buchinski, has competed in every vintage race at Saltcoats since it inception 11 years ago.
Buchinski has campaigned a variety of sleds, including a Ski-Roule and a Ski-Doo, but he's run an Arctic Cat for the past two years.
He says he's drawn to vintage racing because he enjoys snowmobiling, racing and working on his machine in the garage.
Buchinski admits the 100 mile race is pretty tiring. After a few laps the sleds chew the course up making it pretty bumpy, he says. This year he 'iron manned' the race, that is, he rode the entire 34 laps himself. "If the sled holds together," he declares.
Buchinski was joined by his brother Kirby who raced his own Arctic Cat in the event.
One long distance competitor at the 11th annual Saltcoats vintage snowmobile race, Kevin Dreyer, probably travelled the farthest to compete in the event. Dreyer hails from New York Mills Minnesota.
Back home, Dreyer competes in a similar 100 mile race hosted by the local club at Detroit Lakes
In his seventh year of competition in the Saltcoats race, Dreyer has claimed several wins in vintage sled racing. He admits that he hasn't won a Saltcoats in awhile.
This year Dreyer campaigned a Sno-Jet. He suggests it's hard to keep the ancient sleds in racing condition. "The courses get kind of rough and then they (snowmobiles) start breaking. You get done for the day and then you go home and start repairing," he explains.
The Sno-Jet sleds are no longer manufactured. Dreyer and a friend who he races with buy old machines and use them for parts.
Typically a 100 mile race such as the one at Saltcoats causes damage to skis, steering, suspension springs, and motor mounts. The engines are usually pretty good, Dreyer says.
He comes to race at Saltcoats because he says he enjoys the people. "I just sure enjoy coming up here. I'm glad you guys have the race every year," Dreyer closes.
Entering the Saltcoats vintage snowmobile race for the first time this year, Brenden Peppler of Rhein raced number 73, an Arctic Cat with a 292 single cylinder motor.
Peppler says he's just looking to have some fun racing the old snowmobile his first time out. He anticipates the track is going to become a little rough and with all the snow flying, it might be a little hard to see. "If the veterans come up quick on me, I'll let them pass," he closes.
