Bemidji readies for fast machines

I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.

Jan. 31, 1997

By Devlyn Brooks

Staff Writer

Residents on the north end of Lake Bemidji will see anywhere from 200 to 250 snowmobiles come tearing onto the lake racing for the finish line about noon next Tuesday.

But homeowners need not worry, the snowmobilers are not a pack of crazed, marauding bandits. They are racing in the third annual GMC-Start 500 race, part of Bemidji's Polar Daze celebration.

The race starts Sunday in Beausejour, Manitoba, Canada, and will end in Bemidji after winding its way through Roseau, Thief River Falls and other towns along the way.

Also known as the "ISOC 500," the race is one in a series of races sanctioned by the Minnesota-based snowmobiling circuit International Series of Champions. The race is a descendant of a former race known as the "I 500," which ran from Winnipeg to St. Paul.

Paul English, race coordinator for the Greenbush area, said the route was changed three years ago because the weather south of Bemidji was unpredictable and soured several races with warm weather or not enough snow.

Beginning in Canada Sunday, racers will make a 60-mile loop around Beausejor, refuel and head south toward Roseau, just across the border.

On Day Two, the racers will make a 60-mile loop around Roseau, refuel and head south to Thief River Falls, where they will spend the night.

And on the final day, racers will head east out of Thief River Falls along Highway 1, refuel near Fourtown and continue east along the upper edge of Red Lake. They will go through Waskish and Blackduck, then follow Highway 71 to Beltrami County Road 22, heading east onto Lake Bemidji, finishing near Paul and Babe.

Each leg of the race averages 170 to 180 miles a day and will take about three hours to finish, race coordinator Paul English said. "It is a true test of man and machine."

Local racer John Port, who will be competing for the second time in the race, said it is the longest and most grueling race in the ISOC season.

"The first day isn't bad when you get done," he said, "but the second and third days you feel it. This isn't just about speed. It's about speed and endurance."

However, the payouts for winning make the pain worth it. The winner of the .440 liquid-cooled class receives a two-year paid lease on a GMC Jimmy, and the other three division winners receive similarly valued prizes. But in addition to the grand prize in each class, winners also will rake in $15,000 to $25,000 for a first place finish from the manufacturer of the sled they were riding. Second place will fetch $5,000 to $15,000 and third place $2,500 to $10,000.

The winners also receive points used in determining the overall ISOC series champion.

Besides Port, other regional competitors hail from Bagley, Gonvick and Trail. But racers also will come from as far away as Sweden and Finland.

An awards presentation banquet for the winners will be held at the Northern Inn on Tuesday night.