Flashpoint Snow-bike Race Returns to McCall
McCALL, ID, JANUARY 28, 2012
Snow-bike racing returned to the McCall Winter Carnival for the 3rd time on Saturday, January 28, 2012, and was sponsored by: Coors, Rockstar Energy, 2Moto, Timbersled, Micky Ray’s BBQ, Hinson Powersports, ProMoto Billet, Fastway Performance, Fly Racing, Worksmart, Modern Woodman Insurance, and the McCall Winter Carnival.
Anticipation for the event to return was once again huge. Snow-bikes have been around for a several years, and there are a number of different manufacturers of the kits, which fit most, modern dirt bikes with a front ski and small track, allowing them to zip along on snow with incredible speed and agility.
2Moto, a company out of Nampa, Idaho, were the first to create kits, with Timbersled, from Sandpoint, Idaho, following suit. A brand-new company, Frozen Moto, has just been launched out of Northern Idaho as well, and this helped to create excitement, since the three different manufacturers had never been run together before. Since Flashpoint is the largest snow-bike event in the world, it continues to answer the question each year as to Who is the fastest?” and “Which brand is the best?”
The 2009 event was a John Dowd (yes, THAT John Dowd) show, he was clearly the fastest snow-bike racer in the world, riding a 450 Suzuki with a 2Moto kit attached. In 2011, (the event was not held in 2010) the ever-talented Shane Donaca, riding another 450 Suzuki with a 2Moto kit, had his day. In 2012, simply put, the event was a full-blown Derick Driggs runaway. The Northern Idaho racer, riding a 450 KTM fitted with a pre-production SX Timbersled Mountain Horse kit simply ran away from everyone else, winning the A Main and the prestigious Legends Main as well. Driggs was clearly the fastest guy on the track all day.
On race day, nearly perfect weather greeted a crowd of right at 1,000 spectators, and eager racers showed up from across the West to take a shot at snow-bike racing glory. The ¾ mile, twisty track, laid out on the McCall Public Golf Course, featured some rolling jumps and banked turns, which allowed for excellent spectator viewing from almost all the way around the track.
Saturday’s competition consisted of four snow-bike classes: Legends, Trophy A Main, Trophy B and C Mains, as well as special Snocross classes for kids 12-under. Derick Driggs showed early in the day that he meant business, as his bike stalled in his heat race, putting him half a lap behind. Finally getting the big K-Toom lit, he charged like a wild man, passed everyone, and took the checkered flag first. Spectators and racers alike were impressed with Driggs’ raw speed, and it was no surprise that he checked out with wire to wire wins later in the day in both the A Main and Legend’s Main. It can be stated that at least for now, Driggs is the fastest snow-bike racer on the planet. It will be interesting to see who steps up to challenge him.
One possible future challenger to Driggs might be Caldwell, Idaho’s Brady Lasher. Lasher is known for his riding talent, but he had never even seen a snow-bike until race morning. But he was a natural and after a half dozen practice laps on a borrowed 450 Suzuki with a 2Moto kit, he found his groove and wound up with a third in the A Main and a second in the Legend’s Main. The kid looked really, really good.
Last year’s star, former pro motocrosser and current pro hillclimber Shane Donaca from Oregon City, Oregon, did grab a perfect holeshot in the Legend’s Main and held the lead for a lap until Driggs sped angrily by. At age 45, Donaca is still very fast and his solid third in the Legends final proved it. Boring, Oregon’s Aaron Knoit also had a strong day, taking second in the A Main, which allowed him to ride in the Legends final where he grabbed sixth. Boise’s Ritchie Reynolds looked fast as usual in the Legends final until his RM’s clutch blew with a few laps to go.
Timbersled inventor and owner Allen Mangum showed that he knows how to ride as well as invent as he rode fast enough to qualify for the A Main, where he rode well enough to capture sixth. Everyone was anxious to see how the brand-new Frozen Moto machines would fare, and they did look good. They were clean and nice looking and looked good on the track too, finishing first and second in the C-Main, and showing very promising speed.
With no dust or flying debris, and the extreme lean angles, many riders and spectators commented that the racing was some of the best that they’d ever seen, especially in the ferocious A and Legend Mains. Spectators also commented that all of the racers, from the slowest to the fastest, were riding much faster and smoother than they did several years ago at the first McCall Snow-bike event. Clearly, the machines are getting faster and the riders are getting increasingly skilled at piloting them as well. The other good news was that although there were a number of crashes, the only rider shaken up was Oregon’s Brian Donaca who high-sided hard in his heat race, but he returned later in the day, bruised but okay. Clearly snow is much better to crash on than dirt.
The event promoter, Ron Dillon, who also hosts Idaho largest motorcycle event, the Big Nasty Hillclimb, said that he is now committed to the Flashpoint event, and will continue to hold it each year during the opening weekend of the Winter Carnival at the end of January. He will also continue to offer a class for snow-bikes at the Big Nasty Hillclimb in September! For more information on snow-biking and snow-bike racing visit: www.flashpointsnowbike.com.
Race Results
SNOW-BIKE LEGENDS MAIN:
1 DERICK DRIGGS 427 SANDPOINT ID KTM-Timbersled
2 BRADY LASHER 941 CALDWELL ID SUZ-2Moto
3 SHANE DONACA 64 OREGON CITY OR SUZ-2Moto
4 WADE BURNETT 106 SANDPOINT ID KTM-Timbersled
5 TY OLIVER 61 CLARK FORK ID HON-Timbersled
6 AARON KNOITS 253 BORING OR HON-2Moto
SNOW-BIKE A MAIN:
1 DERICK DRIGGS 427 SANDPOINT ID KTM-Timbersled
2 AARON KNOITS 253 BORING OR HON-2Moto
3 BRADY LASHER 941 CALDWELL ID SUZ-2Moto
4 WADE BURNETT 106 SANDPOINT ID KTM-Timbersled
5 RAY PECK 53 SAGLE ID HUS-Timbersled
6 ALLEN MANGUM 1 KOOTENAI ID KAW-Timbersled
7 CHAD MOORE 4 COCOLALLA ID KAW-Timbersled
8 CODY POWELL 354 NAMPA ID SUZ-2Moto
9 BRETT BLASER 4 Bib EAGLE ID KTM-Timbersled
SNOW-BIKE B MAIN:
1 RAY PECK 53 SAGLE ID HUS-Timbersled
2 LANCE HALLWORTH 64X EMMETT ID HON-2Moto
3 TY OLIVER 61 CLARK FORK ID HON-Timbersled
4 NATHAN LYDA 9 TWIN FALLS ID SUZ 2Moto
5 LYNN HODGES 3 Bib NAMPA ID HON-Timbersled
6 DANIEL SPACKMAN 9 Bib EAGLE ID SUZ-2Moto
SNOW-BIKE C MAIN:
1 JEREMY DEMING 76 Coeur d Alene ID YAM-Frozen Moto
2 JIMMY REED 171 PONDERAY ID SUZ-Frozen Moto
3 PETER NIRANEN 1X MILWAUKIE OR YAM-2Moto
