The 2011 Second Gear Club ice racing season wrapped up March 6 at Gull Lake, as champions were crowned in 26 different divisions.
Among the competitors who took to the ice ovals throughout Alberta was Airdrie’s Mitch Brown, who took part in all six events this season.
Brown took part in four different classes, with his best overall finishes coming in the two-stroke with a second place overall finish, and third overall in the open expert division.
Brown lost the two-stroke title to Patrick Marques from Calgary by a margin of just two points at the end of the season.
“I was getting used to the bike in the last races, and battling for first place (in the two-stroke class),” said Brown. “Consistency always wins. It showed me that if I was consistent all year, I could have had a chance at the championship.”
Brown, along with his father Monty, runs a team that fields bikes in a number of classes, but suffered major issues with one particular bike.
The team’s Honda 500cc bike suffered an engine failure in four of the six races of the year, and failed to complete a single event. Brown says that there was someone working on the bikes for six to eight hours a day between races.
“We have had an engine failure at almost every race,” said Brown. “We order the parts on the Monday after the race, usually get the part the Wednesday or Thursday and then have Friday and some time on Saturday to put the bike together.”
The season started Jan. 16 in Chestermere, then ran back-to-back events Jan. 30 and Feb. 6 at Cow Lake near Rocky Mountain House. Riders then headed to Sylvan Lake Feb. 13 before the final two rounds at Gull Lake Feb. 20 and March 6.
“Usually we would go up to Lac La Biche (Feb. 20) but they didn’t have enough ice,” said Brown.
Even with one round cancelled due to warm weather, Brown says this year was the coldest for the club in recent memory.
“These bikes are not meant to run in -30°C. We were using heat guns to warm them up to get them started,” Brown said. “The ice was really good in Sylvan Lake. It was black ice, which means it froze really consistently.”
Now that another season is in the books, Brown, his teammates and the Second Gear Club will focus their attention on dirt, and the upcoming Harescramble season slated to start April 9, at Cactus Coulee in Lethbridge. Brown isn’t optimistic the weather will cooperate for the opening Harescramble.
“We are always talking to the organizers and watching the weather. In Alberta, we can have winter conditions in August,” said Brown. “Everyone is used to that first race being colder and wetter with some frozen ground.”
For more information on the Second Gear Club, full ice racing results or upcoming Harescramble event schedules, visit www.secondgearclub.camp9.org
Here are some local competitors’ results from the 2011 Second Gear Club’s ice racing season:
• Mitch Brown, Airdrie, 2nd - two-stroke, 3rd - open expert, 9th - 450 expert, 10th - four-stroke
• Monty Brown, Airdrie, 1st - veteran 39+, 3rd - 250 expert, 5th - four-stroke, 6th - open expert, 8th - 450 expert, 11th - two-stroke
• Charlie Wilson, Airdrie, 5th - 450 intermediate, 10th - two-stroke
• Sean Broderick, Airdrie, 20th - two-stroke
• Billy Ling, Airdrie, 1st - ATV Under 500 Expert
• Danny Hewitt, Airdrie, 5th - veteran 29+, 5th - open expert
• Matt Coonfer, Chestermere, 1st - 250 expert, 2nd - four-stroke, 10th - 450 expert
• Shelby Coonfer, Chestermere, 1st - 250 intermediate, 4th - intermediate, 4th - ladies, 7th - 450 intermediate
• Mike Endell, Chestermere, 6th - ATV under 500 novice, 8th - non-studded 2wd
