The rip of tires zipping through sand, the roar of motors blown wide-open, and staggering time-records kept the weekend of July 20-21 a whirlwind of thrills for crowds at the East 40 Motorplex.
Featuring talent and skill from Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, New York State, Minnesota and North Dakota, just to name a few, the event lived up to its reputation of holding the most amount of horsepower on one property at one time.
Trucks and Tractors each took their stab in pulling a heavy sand drag, blown alcohol sand drags thrilled crowds with impressive times and the Canadian Mud Racers Association made the whole event run smoothly.
Crowds were not only the young and tough, but also whole families, keeping the bouncy castles, sand pits, and monster truck rides busy over the weekend. In the evenings, the 454 and Dusty Mules bands entertained attendees to the late-night cabarets.
Emcee Wayne Benson, a knowledgeable announcer with 20+ years of experience, filled the crowds in on the drivers, machines and events as they happened. His upbeat announcements and informative dialogue allowed even the most non-mechanically-minded folks to easily understand the times, scores, and results of all the drivers.
Two special appearances made the event all the more Saskatchewan-proud, as Larry Hillworth and Jordan Muhr each brought a tractor that was dedicated to the memories of the members of the Humboldt Broncos team.
Larry Hillworth had already built his tractor when the news of the Humboldt Broncos’ tragedy rocked the province. “I grew up playing hockey, I rode in lots of buses, so when I heard of the accident, it just really got to me.” Hillworth promptly “rebirthed” one of his tractors; painted it yellow and green—Bronco colors—tied a memento hockey stick to its side, and named it #Humboldtstrong. The memento hockey stick was given to Hillworth when he played in the Canadian Nationals as a midget hockey player. The wooden stick was autographed by Hillworth’s team at the time and continues to hold a strong bind from Hillworth to those affected by the Humboldt Broncos’ accident. #Humboldt Strong was driven by Brian Lowe, a Saskatchewan resident from the Fort Qu’Appelle.
Jordan Muhr has an even strong connection to the Humbolt Broncos accident as his best friend Adam Herold, of Montmartre, SK was one of the victims in the crash. Muhr was in the middle of building his tractor when he heard the news. “It then came across my mind that I needed to do something special in memory of Adam.” Muhr painted his tractor red and blue, the colors of the Regina Pat Canadians Midget AAA team which Herold had played on just before joining the Broncos. He also placed one of the two created decals in Herold’s memory #Heroldstrong, on his tractor, the other decal remains on Herold family’s boat. Herold’s jersey number 10, the number he held from the Regina Pats was also printed on the tractor. The tractor’s name was BuckFever, named in honor of the boys’ joint passion for hunting.
As event host Shayne Neigum noted in a previous interview, that a busy, full weekend like that could not have been pulled off without the dedicated work of many volunteers. “I would like to give out my heartfelt thanks to everyone who donated their time, money, equipment, and energy to make this even possible. A very special ‘thank you’ goes to all of our sponsors who made this event a reality for the people of West Central Saskatchewan and beyond.”
Feature Image Source: Brett Neumiiller
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