WPSA pulls out of Ontario
Poor snowmaking conditions lead co-promoter to withdraw from snocross event
For the second time this month, the World PowerSports Association (WPSA) has pulled out of a national snocross event.
According to the WPSA, marginal snowmaking conditions in the Sarnia, Ont. area forced the series to withdraw from the race it was co-promoting with the Canadian Snowcross Racing Association (CSRA) at Hiawatha Horse Track in Sarnia. The event was scheduled to take place Feb. 23 and 24.
“For some time now we have been concerned that the lack of snowmaking weather and the amount of available snow will prevent us from building the National caliber track that our racers expect,” says PowerSports Entertainment Inc. executive vice-president of operations Kent Lungstrom.
Lungstrom says the WPSA sent snowmakers to the Sarnia track, but had to pull them out because adequate snowmaking weather did not look like it was on the way.
“We then hoped Mother Nature would come to the rescue but the natural snowfall received so far is only enough to build a decent quality regional racing surface and not the larger, deeper track needed for the Pro class riders to compete upon over a whole weekend,” says Lungstrom.
The CSRA is still planning to race that weekend.
“We think the CSRA will have a fine weekend on the snow they have and we wish them the best,” says Lungstrom.
This news comes just a week after the WPSA cancelled the Eastern Championship event in Vernon, NY, which was scheduled to take place Feb. 8 to 10. Lungstrom says warmer temperatures and rain in the area forced the WPSA’s hand.
WPSA snowmakers turned 2.3 million gallons of water into snow in Vernon only to watch it melt away in the days leading up the event.