January 16, 2023 |
The inaugural 307 GoFast on Ice was a success, said race organizers.
Saturday, January 14th, was the very first ice racing competition held on Lake Saratoga. 307 GoFast is a racing league established by Tyler Roy and Phillip Smith. With the cancelation of the 2023 Saratoga ice fishing derby, Roy and Smith were able to create an oval track on the frozen surface of Lake Saratoga. Racers from around the region competed in seven different disciplines for prize money.
Event organizers said 135 spectators paid the $10 gate fee to attend the races. Twenty racers, in seven classes, battled for traction on the slick surface. Sixteen men and four women drove a variety of side by sides, ATV’s, and motorcycles in two preliminary four lap heats, with a third, six lap race determining the winners. Race organizers said contestants from Laramie, Gillette, northern Colorado, Evanston, Rawlins, Sinclair, and Saratoga participated.
The event began with turbo, non-traction, side-by-sides. Non-traction means tires with ice screws installed were not permitted. The first class was followed by long screw bikes. Women’s turbo, non-traction, side-by-sides were next. Short screw bikes, ATV’s, and naturally aspirated side-by-sides, both traction and non-traction, rounded out the schedule. Long screw bike winner, Scott Winslow, described the difference between the long and short screw motorcycles.
Winslow is a member of the North Platte Enduro Racers. Fellow member Mike Miner won the title for short screw bikes.
During the first long screw bike race, Winslow took a hard spill around turn one. He said the uneven ice surface caused a piece of his motorcycle to become tangled, resulting in his fall.
Winslow was uninjured and went on to win in his class. During the women’s side-by-side event, a racer had the turbo fail in her vehicle. The final race of the day saw 307 GoFast’s Phil Smith collide with another racer, resulting in Smith breaking a wheel off his side-by-side. Thankfully, no one was hurt and the SCWEMS members stationed at the track were not needed.
After the races had finished, Smith said the event was a success. He, his sister Susan, and Tyler Roy thanked the event’s sponsors.
Shawn Fletcher won the men’s turbo, non-traction, side-by-side championship. Scott Winslow took home first in the long screw bike class. In the women’s turbo, non-traction, class, Tracy Fletcher was first. In short screw bikes, Mike Miner was the victor. Levi Porter won the ATV class. 307 GoFast’s own Phil Smith won the non-turbo, non-traction, side-by-side race. The final class, men’s turbo, traction, side-by-side had no winner due to the race being cut short after Smith’s accident.
The winner’s ceremony was held at the Lazy River Cantina, one of the sponsors of the event.
The next running of the 307 GoFast on Ice will be held on February 11th. If you’re interested in registering for the second go-round, check out their Facebook page at 307 Go Fast.
