Flashpoint Snow-bike Race Returns to McCall

5th Flashpoint Snow-bike Race Returns to McCall
McCALL, ID, JANUARY 25, 2014
Flashpoint, the world’s premier snow-bike event returned to the McCall Winter
Carnival for the fifth time on Saturday, January 25, 2014, and was sponsored
by: Timbersled, The Battery Exchange, Rhino Rush Energy Shots, 2Moto, Mile
High Powersports, ProMoto Billet, Fastway Performance, and Pabst Blue
Ribbon Beer.
As always, anticipation for the event was huge, and over 30,000 people were
in town for the 49th annual McCall Winter Carnival, guaranteeing a great
turnout to watch the race. Snowbikes have now been around for about eight
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, followed by Frozen Moto
and then UFO; interestingly, all four of these manufacturers are based in
Idaho. 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 2014 event marked a return to perfect, sunny, 35F weather and over
1,000 spectators poured into the venue, which is located on the McCall, Idaho
public golf course. A lack of snow was a concern leading right up to the event,
but 15 inches, cool temperatures, and careful grooming, provided a track that
worked well and showed that snowbike racers are getting faster and faster
every year. A record 27 racers from across the Western US and Canada
showed up to take a shot at snow-bike racing glory. The revised, 7/8 mile,
twisty track, 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 s series of heat and semi-races to
determine who would race in the A, B and C mains later in the day.
Timbersled rider, Derick Driggs, has literally never been beaten in a snowbike
race; he is that good. But he finally met his match in the form of Canadian
hotshot Brock Hoyer, who raged unbeaten and untested all day and looked
scary fast. It can still be stated that Driggs is currently the fastest snow-bike
racer in the United States, but Hoyer is now the fastest on the planet. Other
impressive rides were turned in by well-known off-road racer, Jimmy Jarrett,
who just moved to Idaho from Oklahoma, practiced for one day, and
hammered out a well-deserved third in the A Main behind Hoyer and Driggs,
and legendary desert racer, Destry Abbott, flew in from Arizona and also
made the A Main before a first lap crash beat him up and relegated him to 8th.
Another really cool thing about the A Main was that the official starter was Kim
Donaca, widow of legendary snowbike racer, Shane Donaca, who passed
away in 2012. This event was always one of Shane’s favorites and Kim drove
over all the way from Portland, Oregon to catch up with old friends and cheer
for local racers Richie Reynolds and Mark Olberding, (who both rode well
enough to make the A Main).
Timbersled inventor and owner Allen Mangum once again showed that he
knows how to ride as well as invent as he rode fast enough to qualify for the A
Main and matched his fifth place finish from last year.
As the sport of snow-biking continues to mature and develop, a new group of
young riders are also starting to show up to compete. Canadian Austin
Lahning, 15, rode smooth and smart to grab third in the hotly contested B
Main, Brandon Hannold, 15, finished sixth in the same race and 16-year old
Sheldon Hodges grabbed fifth in the C Main. It is going to be fun to watch
these kids mature and start pushing the older, more experienced riders harder
and harder every year. Also of note, although there were a number of
crashes, there were no reported injuries. Clearly snow is much better to crash
on than dirt, and snow-biking is proving to be a pretty safe sport.
The event promoter, Ron Dillon, who also hosts Idaho largest motorcycle
event, the Big Nasty Hillclimb, said that he remains 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. Special thanks are in
order to the City of McCall, McKenzie and the McCall Chamber, Greg Lawley,
(track groomer) and Allan Morrison and his staff at the McCall Golf Course.
He will also continue to offer a class for snow-bikes at the Big Nasty Hillclimb
in September and at the new X-12 HIllclimb in Snowville, Utah at the end of
April For more information on snow-biking and snow-bike racing visit:
www.flashpointsnowbike.com or www.bignastyhillclimb.com.
A MAIN:
1 Brock
2 Derick
3 Jimmy
4
5
6
7
8
9
Reagan
Allen
Richie
Mark
Destry
Chase
Hoyer 322
Driggs 427
Jarrett 232
Williams Lake, BC
Sandpoint
Nampa
Canada
Idaho
Idaho
Sieg 317
Mangum 221
Reynolds 234
Olberding 27
Abbott 13
Hadley 226
Vernon, BC
Kootenai
Eagle
Boise
Peoria
Lewiston
Canada
Idaho
Idaho
Idaho
Arizona
Idaho
YAM-Timbersled, SPS, FXR, Deccant
HON-Timbersled, Timbersled, Pro-Moto Billet, Fly Racing
YAM-Timbersled, dA8 Training, Pro-Moto Billet
KTM-Timbersled, Riderz KTM, Timbersled, Ice Rock, Dragon,
Riders Edge Suspension, Okanagan
KTM-Timbersled, Team Timbersled
HUSA-Timbersled, Timbersled, Pro-Moto Billet
KTM-Timbersled, Carl’s Cycle
KAW-Timbersled, dA8 Training, Pro-Moto Billet, Kawasaki
KAW-Frozen Moto, Taneum, Rekluse, FXR, Tekin, Smith, K&H
B MAIN:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Ty
Ray
Austin
Myles
Nathan
Brandon
Alex
Lynn
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Colt
Dan
Don
Jonathon
Sheldon
Randy
Jeff
Wayne
Ty
Oliver 61
Peck 53
Lahning 94
Lytle 228
Lyda 229
Hannold 227
Hadley 225
Hodges 231
Clark Fork
Sagle
Kuna
Twin Falls
Meridian
Lewiston
Nampa
Idaho
Idaho
Canada
Idaho
Idaho
Idaho
Idaho
Idaho
Pullman
Lewiston
McCall
Boise
Nampa
Van
Ontario
Albany
McCall
Wash
Idaho
Idaho
Idaho
Idaho
Wash
Oregon
Oregon
Idaho
Saskatoon, BC
HON-Timbersled, May’s Honda, D&W Boring, 509
KTM-Timbersled, L.D.R., Burnett Logistics
KTM-Timbersled, Timbersled
KTM-2Moto, 2Moto, Aamco Transmissions of Nampa
SUZ-2Moto, Gateway Real Estate
KAW-Timbersled, Interstate All Battery Center
KAW-Frozen Moto, Taneum, Rekluse, FXR, Tekin, Smith, K&H
HON-Timbersled, Pro Moto Billet, Fastway, Timbersled
C MAIN:
Reisenauer 45
Shanahan 223
Grahm 235
Roberts 233
Hodges 230
Grimes 401
Parker 233
Plumbtree 220
Campbell 222
SUZ-Timbersled, Motley-Motley Inc., Moto 365, St. Maries Saw & Cycle
KAW-Frozen Moto, Taneum, Rekluse, FXR, Tekin, Smith, K&H
KTM-Timbersled, Timbersled
HON-Timbersled, Pro Moto Billet, Fastway, Timbersled
HON-Timbersled, Pro Moto Billet, Fastway, Timbersled
HON-Timbersled, Timbersled
KAW-Frozen Moto, Taneum, Rekluse, FXR, Tekin, Smith, K&H
HUSA-Timbersled, Timbersled
YAM-Frozen Moto, Taneum, Rekluse, FXR, Tekin, Smith, K&H

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