By Ann Drzewiecki
Scott and I have to admit to really enjoying the fun the local county fairs provide. We absolutely missed the Shiawassee County fair during covid and we were so relieved to hear they would be back again for 2021. To top it off they added a new event to their grand stand offering – a Side by Side (SxS) race! What a great way to enjoy a fast growing sport.
The race was held on a gorgeous, only slightly humid Sunday night. The evening kicked off with the national anthem. At this county fairground, Old Glory flies above the main arena. Everyone stood, took a moment to pay tribute, and cheered like crazy after the anthem because we knew the racing was about to start.
The announcer from IDBrapThat racing introduced the first race, done in a grudge match style event. Two racers at a time until, one was determined to be the fastest of the class. The first heat featured the 900cc SxS class. Each pair of racers completed two laps on the dirt track of the Shiawassee County Fairgrounds. Within the first few minutes we saw at least a couple of SxS’s either on their sides or nearly on their lids on the curvy area just before the bowl. This didn’t stop our racers, as fellow racers and track support jumped to the rescue and by human power got the drivers back on 4 wheels. Kind of amazing to see most of these SxS’s complete the race after an event that would not be so nearly forgiving to our daily driving vehicles.
If you have access to the Michigan Snowmobiler and ORV Instagram account or Facebook page, check out the video posted on this event to truly get an image of the race action. When you listen to the sounds in the background, it’s almost like being there.
The night continued with the 1000cc heat, and then the 1000cc turbo SxS event. Lots of great fun and action to watch while enjoying the outdoors with family and friends. Scott and I enjoyed a Michigan Cola and lemonade, sold by the Corunna High School Marching Band. This editor can’t pass up an opportunity to support a great cause like kids trying to raise enough funds to march at Disney.
The race event had a surprise feature at the end, which included 4 SxS’s racing at a time. his race lasted from 4 to 5 laps and included all varieties on the course at once. What a blast to see the driving skill it took to coordinate 4 vehicles on a relatively short course. The folks from IDBrapThat, really gave us a great show for the value price of $10.00 per person grandstand entry. A truly fun for all ages family event.
Keep an eye on the IDBrapThat.com web-site. They planned a couple of trail rides for October of this year and I’m sure will be back in 2022 to provide more racing fun. •