Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By BRYAN HELLIOS
Ironwood Township — The Red Bull 400 will return to Copper Peak on Saturday.
Kassi Huotari, marketing director for Copper Peak, said the second annual event is bigger than last year.
“There will be 1,000 participants rather than the 470 we had last year,” she said.
The event begins at 8 a.m. and a day of racing begins at 9:45. The event is free for spectators.
Dubbed as the “World’s steepest 400 meter race,” racers start at the bottom of the landing area and claw up a 40-story ski jump.
Each heat will include 40 participants and start every 15 minutes.
The Red Bull skydive team is scheduled to drop in at noon.
Huotari said they have prepared to accommodate up to 10,000 spectators at this year’s event by bringing in more food and refreshment vendors and doubling the parking shuttles this year.
Parking for spectators will be off-site at two gravel pits. Organizers are hoping for donations for parking to support the future of the Copper Peak project.
The event will have four buses running every 15 minutes from the lots. With limited parking, carpooling is much appreciated, according to Huotari.
The event is supposed to be live-streamed, Huotari said, and Wi-Fi will be available.
Huotari said the event will take place even if the weather is not the best.
“As of this (Thursday) morning, it’s only 20% chance of rain on Saturday and 66 degrees,” she said. “It looks like it’s getting better as time goes on, so hopefully by Saturday we won’t have any rain.”
The ski jump is located at N12870 Copper Peak Road.
For more information, visit copperpeak.com, or email Huotari at [email protected].
