The Canadian Power Toboggan Championships held their annual outing in Beausejour on the weekend.
“This event is a longtime embedded tradition here in Beausejour, Manitoba. We’ve got two full days of racing, 120+ racers,” said President of the championship, Jared Black.
Now in its 62nd outing, this year’s championship event will feature over 90 races. The event began back in the sixties after people in the area began to race early snowmobiles which they called power toboggans and the name stuck.
“It was actually created just north of Beausejour, and that’s why it is called the power toboggan championships. Most people refer to them as snowmobiles, but here we refer to them as power toboggans.” said Black.
The snowmobiles used are outfitted for high speeds and the fastest will hit 170km per hour around the half-mile track and there are races for kids as young as three. Some of them like Jordan Sobetski will stick with the sport until they reach the top class.
“I’ve been racing here my whole life, since I was four years old. I’m 20 years old now almost 21. So almost 17 years I’ve been around this track, it’s been a lifetime thing for me.” said Sobetski.
He says the speed and the adrenaline keep him coming back year after year even though it can be dangerous and demanding to the body.
“I know the champs, they train pretty hard, they’re pulling 2gs of force in the corner, so they’ve got to have a lot of arm strength a lot of core strength.” said Black.
But the intense training doesn’t deter the racers and they say it’s all worth it to feel the crowd’s excitement as they speed past the checkered flag.
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