“You have to be a little crazy”
Snowmobiles to race on water next month in Sherbrooke
Whether you call it watercross, snowmobile skipping, “Motoneige sur L’eau” or something else entirely, the provincial championships are coming to the old Saint-élie Quarry at the beginning of next month. Over the course of the day on June 8, more than 50 competitors will take their modified snowmobiles out onto the water for a race that makes up the first step of the North American Championship.
André Fortin, President of the Circuit de Motoneige sur l’eau du Quebec (CMEQ), said that he is expecting “thousands” of spectators for this second Sherbrooke edition after the success of last year’s edition. The lineup for the day includes drag races of 600m or more, oval races, jump competitions, and an event where snowmobilists will pull waterskiers
behind them.
“Sherbrooke is a choice destination for racing snowmobiles on water,” Fortin said, acknowledging the city’s proximity to the birthplace of Bombardier’s “Skidoo.” “The people in the area love the snowmobile and are proud to show it.”
Announcing the upcoming Sherbrooke event in the rain on Tuesday morning, the president highlighted the presence of Marcel Vaillancourt, one of the pioneers of the unusual sport in Quebec in the 1980s.
“It’s something special,” Vaillancourt said, recalling that his experimentation dates back into the 1970s. “It started in the states, but we practiced a bit in the winter,” he said, explaining that he and his friends would try out running across small pools of water on their machines when the opportunity arose. “When we saw that there were all kinds of competitions, then we decided to give it a try.”
Although he has not taken to the water himself in nearly 20 years, the seasoned veteran said that he knows well that the sport is an all-or nothing experience for its participants.
“When you’re on the edge (of the water), you have no choice, you have to go,” Vaillancourt said, describing driving on water as being comparable to taking a snowmobile into fresh powder that is two feet deep. “It takes a lot of power,” he said, noting that although he and his friends just used their standard snowmobiles, the modern competitors use machines that have been specially modified to work better on the water and handle submersion better when they inevitably sink.
Drivers Yvan Witty and Jacques Martin were both on hand to give a demonstration at Tuesday’s announcement. Asked how one gets into competitive snowmobiling on water, Martin was very frank.
“You have to be a little crazy,” he said with a grin. “We’re snowmobile maniacs.”
Witty and Martin said that they have both been at the summer sport for nine years this year and are happy to see it gaining in popularity in their native province.
“In the United States there are races every weekend,” Witty said.
The races get started on June 8, starting at 11 a.m. although those looking to try their hand can register to participate from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. that day. The event is free for children 11 and under, but has both a youth and adult ticket price for those 12 and older. Due to the nature of the quarry site, spectators are also encouraged to bring their own chairs.
More information on the Sherbrooke race and the follow-up events elsewhere in Quebec is available in French at cmeqracing.ca. or by contacting Performance NC in Sherbrooke at (819) 821-3595.