Whitecap welcomes snowmobile racing

By P.J. GLISSON

news@yourdailyglobe.com

UPSON, Wis. - Whitecap Mountains Resort boasted a totally different vibe Saturday, starting with a friendly village of trailers, snowmobiles and their riders sprawled throughout the first parking lot.

Camaraderie was everywhere as the adjacent base of the ski hill provided space for spectators, who sipped hot beverages in a zero-ish wind chill while chatting with companions and studying - not the normal skiers and snowboarders - but multiple rounds of snowmobiles moving at breakneck speeds.

The Cor PowerSports Battle chose the Upson resort for the seventh segment of its eight-part cross-country racing series that started on Jan. 8 and will end on April 3.

It was Whitecap's first snowmobile event and was, from all observations, a resounding success.

"I wish they'd get some people here," kidded David Dziuban, Whitecap's general manager, who was grinning broadly as he jumped out of his side-by-side.

"It's pretty wild," he continued of the crowd, which also filled up the resort's housing. "It's so cool to see this."

While watching racers climb the first hill, Dziuban said, "There're other parts of the trail steeper than that." Whitecap promotes a vertical drop of 400 feet.

Todd Myers, race director and Cor PowerSports owner, said the race was 4.5 miles long, down slightly from the goal of 5 miles.

During the one-day event, 82 racers competed in 19 categories, including Pro, Semi-Pro, Classic and others, allowing males and females from ages 10 to 50-plus to race.

A flagman allowed each of the competitors to move through the starting gate in staggered timing to allow plenty of space between them as they climbed the hill.

According to Myers, a radio receiver was wired underneath the starting gate and noted the start and end times of racers, who were required to wear a related transponder.

Myers said Cor PowerSports is like a family affair. "All these racers are very close-knit," he said. "They all help each other. It's basically like a traveling family."

That was evident in talking with professional racers Zach Herfindahl (No. 312) of Eagle River, and Dan Revering (No. 101) of Fergus Falls, Minnesota.

Herfindahl won the Pro-Factory 600 race with a time of 1:02:52.827, as well as the Pro-Open with a time of 48:58.643. Revering came in second on the Pro-Factory with a time of 1:03:32.511 and third in the Pro-Open with a speed of 49:45.379.

While waiting for the Pro-Factory race, Herfindahl was in the trailer of his sponsor, Arctic Cat, and Revering, who rides on Polaris sleds, was in the trailer of his own family.

Herfindahl said he likes the kindred spirit of racers. He also cherishes time with his own relatives.

"We actually have a cabin in Ewen," he said. "We've got the whole family here, so it'll be fun to hang out with everybody when the day ends."

Revering's "Team Rev Racing" is a mom-and-dad operation, said Myers while introducing the group.

Also in the Revering trailer were Dan's dad, Charlie Revering Sr., and Dan's girlfriend, Laura Gaustad. Dan's mother, Debbie Revering, is a retired racer who won many women's races in her time, and Dan's brother, Charlie Revering Jr., also races.

Dan Revering called his dad, "our crew chief. He was a diesel mechanic in the Marines, so that helps."

The snowmobile trailers in which the two pro-racers spoke not only provided respite from the cold, but also were well equipped with fluorescent lighting, drawers full of tools and space to complete mechanical repairs.

As for their love of the sport, Herfindahl and Revering also attributed their history with snowmobiling to each of their respective clans.

"I snowmobiled with my family my whole life since I was about 2 years old," said Herfindahl.

Revering, who is in his sixth year as a pro, said he's been snowmobiling "since before I could walk, probably."

Racing or preparing to race require much of the year for professional competitors.

"Generally, Dec. 1 until the middle of April is the typical racing year," said Herfindahl, who explained that he generally races in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa and North Dakota. Last year, however, he also competed in Vermont.

He explained that related preparation begins in October and also occurs in May.

"We work out of the Arctic Cat factory," he said of the facility in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. "We build sleds all through the fall, and then we'll race those sleds, and then in the spring time we start developing the next year's sled. Every year we have different sleds."

In addition, said Herfindahl of his current career, "It takes a lot of training."

Herfindahl said he also works during summers at his family's school bus company, which serves northern Wisconsin and Michigan.

Revering said Saturday's race typically involved sled speeds of 50 to 80 mph. "It's not a very fast race," he said. "The ski resorts are a lot slower than, like, an ice lake."

On other races with a plowed lake of flat ice, Revering said he's reached 111 mph and called the speed "addicting."

Myers assured that safety is well assured with layers of prevention.

"Most riders are pretty well experienced," he said, adding that "excellent" equipment is well maintained.

Moreover, Myers said that he and others who create the trails are mindful to "calculate turns and run-offs carefully," allowing escape routes for worst-case scenarios.

"It's actually safer than trail riding," claimed Myers, who has snowmobiled for about 45 years and who raced for nearly half that time. "It's a controlled environment. Everybody's going in the same direction."

On a personal note, said Revering, "My dad always told me to keep it within my capacity, and then it's fun."

Herfindahl said that a typical retirement age for pro-level racers is the mid-30s.

Until their day comes, Revering said he appreciates that Myers makes it possible for him and other racers to "live our passion."

Both racers said they also are grateful to Whitecap for opening its hills to Saturday's event, in the 11th season of the Cor PowerSports Battle.

"Everybody's been super friendly," said Herfindahl, while Revering called the site "the perfect venue for a sport like this."

"It's a great way to end the season," said Dziuban of his resort, which had closed the skiing season in the previous weekend. "It's just a great way of underscoring the idea that this is a sports facility."

'Full race results are available at corpowersports.com.