Engines rev, tires spin, mud flies and a whole lot of water is displaced during a mud bog.
Such was the case during Snow Lake’s inaugural Mud Bog, held August 3 in the Paintball Pit east of the community.
Eleven quads and three side-by-sides took part in the event, and the machines and drivers were put through their paces in a 60-ft-long by 15-ft-wide mud and gravel pit.
Mud bogging is a form of off-road racing popular with an ever-growing multitude of off-roaders.
The objective is to drive an off-road vehicle through a pit of mud. Winners are determined by the distance travelled through the pit.
However, if the operators are able to travel the entire length, the time taken to navigate the pit determines the winner.
The races began with 500 (cc) Stock Class, before moving through to 1,000 Stock, prior to the Stock Side-by-Sides taking to the track.
After a break in the action, the modified classes followed.
Winners
The winners were:
500 Stock: first, Blair Stoupe; second, Shelby Stoupe; third, Adam Taylor; fourth, Blair McLaughlin.
700 Stock: first, Al Johnson; second, Blair Stoupe; third, Dennison Brule; fourth, Nick Norlock; fifth, Warren VanDamme.
800 Stock: first, Travis Shewchuk; second, Dennison Brule; third, Nick Norlock.
1,000 Stock: first, Dennison Brule; second, Nick Norlock.
Side-by-Side Stock Event: first, Alex Menzies; second, Richard Gartly; third, Stephan Lavoie.
800 Modified: first, Dennison Brule; second, Nick Norlock.
1,000 Modified: first, Travis Shewchuk; second, Dennison Brule; third, Nick Norlock.
Side-by-Side Modified Event: first, Alex Menzies; second, Stephan Lavoie; third, Richard Gartly.
There was a good number of spectators in attendance as the affair took on a bit of a festival atmosphere.
The event was a labour of love for the organizer, local businessman Chris Chell. He said this was something that he had wanted to do in the community for years.
Chell’s preparatory work began several weeks back in shaping the pit. From there came the arduous task of transferring water from lake to swamp to pit, in order to get it filled.
He also had help from family and friends, and enthusiast Robert Stoupe advised that members of the SnoDrifters Snowmobile Club lent a hand as well.
Chell hopes the Mud Bog will become an annual event, and he would also like to see it attract more folks from outside the community.
My Take on Snow Lake runs Fridays.
