The World Championship Snowmobile Derby is the World championship
snowmobile
A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...
race. It is held at the World Championship Derby Complex, formerly known as the Eagle River Derby Track, along
U.S. Route 45
U.S. Route 45 (US 45) is a major north-south United States highway and a border-to-border route, from Lake Superior to the Gulf of Mexico. A sign at the highway's northern terminus notes the total distance as .
US 45 is notable for incorporatin ...
in
Eagle River, Wisconsin on the third weekend in January. Eagle River is known as the "Snowmobile Capital of the World" because it hosts the Derby. Eagle River is located in the same
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
as
Sayner, Wisconsin
Sayner is a census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the coun ...
, the place that
Carl Eliason
A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...
invented one of the first modern snowmobiles.
History
The first event was held in 1964. The event was founded by innkeeper John Alward, his wife Betty, and their friend Walter Goldsworthy.
[Snowmobiles Keep Coming Though the Ice Is Melting]
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
; Joe Drape; January 15, 2006, Retrieved November 19, 2007 Alward's son Jake said "We had a couple of snowmobiles in the garage, and Dad figured more than a few other people did, too. He decided to have a rally."
The event was a
cross country race run on and around Dollar Lake.
Many snowmobiles were unable to climb a small hill. The first winner was an eighth grade student named Stan Hayes, who won the marquee race in a 9
horsepower
Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are t ...
sled.
The Alward's held the race at their inn in 1965 before passing it on to the Eagle River
Lions Club
The International Association of Lions Clubs, more commonly known as Lions Clubs International, is an international non-political service organization established originally in 1916 in Chicago, Illinois, by Melvin Jones. It is now headquarter ...
. The Lions Club trademarked the term "World Championship Snowmobile Derby".
The 1968 derby was broadcast on
ABC's Wide World of Sports
''ABC's Wide World of Sports'' is an American sports anthology television program that aired on ABC from April 29, 1961 to January 3, 1998, primarily on Saturday afternoons. Hosted by Jim McKay, with a succession of co-hosts beginning in 1987, ...
. Numerous guests attended the event, including
Bart Starr
Bryan Bartlett Starr (January 9, 1934 – May 26, 2019) was an American professional football quarterback and head coach for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of ...
,
Ray Nitschke
Raymond Ernest Nitschke (December 29, 1936 – March 8, 1998) was a professional American football middle linebacker who spent his entire 15-year National Football League (NFL) career with the in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in , he was the ...
and
Fuzzy Thurston
Frederick Charles "Fuzzy" Thurston (December 29, 1933 – December 14, 2014) was an American football player who played offensive guard for the Baltimore Colts and the Green Bay Packers.
Early years
Born and raised in the small western Wisconsi ...
from the
Super Bowl II
The second AFL-NFL World Championship Game (known retroactively as Super Bowl II) was an American football game played on January 14, 1968, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. The National Football League (NFL)'s defending champion Green Bay P ...
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the t ...
championship team. The track was reconfigured to a 0.5-mile high banked oval in 1974.
Dick and Audrey Decker purchased the Derby Track from the Eagle River Lions Club in 1985 and they sold the property to their son, Chuck Decker, in 1989. In 2013, the World Championship Snowmobile Derby celebrated its 50th anniversary.
The current event features 1400+ entrants racing
snocross
Snocross (also snowcross) is a racing sport involving racing specialized high performance snowmobiles on natural or artificially-made tracks consisting of tight turns, banked corners, steep jumps and obstacles. Riders race at speed of up to 60 mil ...
or on the
oval track
Oval track racing is a form of closed-circuit motorsport that is contested on an oval-shaped race track. An oval track differs from a road course in that the layout resembles an oval with turns in only one direction, and the direction of traff ...
in vintage and modern snowmobiles.
[World Championship Snowmobile Derby]
travelwisconsin, Retrieved November 24, 2007 30,000 spectators frequently attend the event.
The Eagle River Derby Track was sold from the previous owner Chuck Decker in August 2018 to a group of industry insiders lead by Tom Anderson, Russ Davis, Craig Marchbank and was renamed World Championship Derby Complex.
Qualifying
The riders with the sixteen fastest qualifying speeds during the Thursday night qualifying race in two heats on Friday night. The top five finishers in the two heats advance to a qualifying race. The top finisher in the ten competitor qualifying race starts on the
pole position
In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the rac ...
for the world championship feature on Sunday. The other nine competitors keep their seed for in a series of heat races, quarterfinals, semi-finals and consolation races to qualify for the Sunday world championship event.
Winners
Blaine Stephenson (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021) and P. J. Wanderscheid (2002, 2003, 2006, 2011) are the only riders to win four world championships. Stephenson is the only racer in history to have won four back-to-back World Championships. Two drivers won the championship three times
Jacques Villeneuve (1980, 1982, 1986), and Dave Wahl (1990, 1996, 1997). The two time winners are Steve Ave (1966, 1968), Mike Trapp (1971, 1972), Steve Thorsen (1977, 1978), Brad Hulings (1981, 1983), Dale Loritz (1994, 1995), Mike Houle (1999, 2000), Gary Moyle (2005, 2007), Brian Bewcyk (2008, 2009), Matt Schulz (2010, 2016), and Nick VanStrydonk (2012, 2017).
*2022 Jay Mittelstaedt (Polaris)
*2021 Blaine Stephenson (Polaris)
*2020 Blaine Stephenson (Polaris)
*2019 Blaine Stephenson
(Polaris)
*2018 Blaine Stephenson
(Polaris)
*2017 Nick Van Strydonk (Polaris)
*2016 Matt Schulz (Ski-Doo)
*2015 Cardell Potter (Ski-Doo)
*2014 Malcom Chartier(Ski-Doo)
*2013 Malcom Chartier (50th anniversary)(Ski-Doo)
*2012 Nick Van Strydonk (Polaris)
*2011 P.J. Wanderscheid
*2010 Matt Schulz
*2009 Brian Bewcyk (Ski-Doo)
*2008 Brian Bewcyk (Ski-Doo)
*2007 Gary Moyle(Arctic Cat)
*2006 P. J. Wanderscheid
Wanderscheld wins Eagle River Derby
January 15, 2005, ''American Snowmobiler Magazine
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
'', Retrieved November 20, 2007(Arctic Cat)
*2005 Gary Moyle (Arctic Cat)
*2004 Larry Day (Arctic Cat)
*2003 P. J. Wanderscheid (Arctic Cat)
*2002 P. J. Wanderscheid (Arctic Cat)
*2001 Jeremy Johnston (Ski-Doo)
*2000 Mike Houle (Ski-Doo)
*1999 Mike Houle (Ski-Doo)
*1998 Terry Wahl (Ski-Doo)
*1997 Dave Wahl (Ski-Doo)
*1996 Dave Wahl (Ski-Doo)
*1995 Dale Loritz (Ski-Doo)
*1994 Dale Loritz (Ski-Doo)
*1993 Al Fenhaus (Ski-Doo)
*1992 Gary Vessair (Ski-Doo)
*1991 Greg Goodwin (Ski-Doo)
*1990 Dave Wahl (Ski-Doo)
*1989 Bruce Vessair (Ski-Doo)
*1988 Bobby Donahue (Ski-Doo)
*1987 Chuck Decker (Ski-Doo)
*1986 Jacques Villeneuve (Ski-Doo)
*1985 Michael Gingras (Ski-Doo)
*1984 Jim Dimmerman (Arctic Cat)
*1983 Brad Hulings (Ski-Doo)
*1982 Jacques Villeneuve (Ski-Doo)
*1981 Brad Hulings (Scorpion)
*1980 Jacques Villeneuve (Ski-Doo)
*1979 Bobby Elsner (Arctic Cat)
*1978 Steve Thorsen (Polaris)
*1977 Steve Thorsen (Polaris)
*1976 Ed Schubitzke (Yamaha)
*1975 Jim Bernat (Polaris)
*1974 Gilles Villeneuve (Alouette)
*1973 Bob Eastman (Polaris)
*1972 Mike Trapp (Yamaha)
*1971 Mike Trapp (Yamaha)
*1970 Yvon Duhamel
Yvon Duhamel (October 17, 1939 – August 17, 2021) was a French Canadian professional motorcycle and snowmobile racer. A six-time winner of the White Trophy, the highest award in Canadian motorcycle racing, he was one of the most accomplish ...
(Ski-Doo)
*1969 Roger Janssen (Arctic Cat)
*1968 Steve Ave (Ski-Doo)
*1967 Duane Frandsen (Ski-Doo)
*1966 Steve Ave (Ski-doo)
*1965 George Gensler (Evinrude)
*1964 Stan Hayes (Polaris)
Winning Makes
*SKI-DOO 28
*POLARIS 11
*ARCTIC CAT 9
*YAMAHA 3
*ALOUETTE 1
*SCORPION 1
*EVINRUDE 1
Additional resources
*''Of Ice and Engines'' (book), chronicles the first 25 years of the Derby
*''Decades of the Derby'' (video), chronicles the first 40 years of the Derby
References
External links
*
{{coord, 45.932836, -89.256343, type:event_globe:earth_region:US-WI, display=title
Motorsport venues in Wisconsin
Snowmobile racing
Snowmobile
A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...
Tourist attractions in Vilas County, Wisconsin
Lions Clubs International
Snowmobile
A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...