By Chad Ingram

Published Jan. 12 2017

Vintage snowmobile racing is coming to Minden later this month.
The Ontario Snowmobile Oval Racers (OSOR) will host two days of activities at the ice track at the fairgrounds on Saturday Jan. 21 and Sunday Jan. 22.

OSOR is a new organization and the Minden event will mark its first major event.
“A lot of people don’t know it’ happening” says founding executive member Rick Greenfield of the snowmobile racing phenomenon which was once more common than it is today. “Racing was huge back in the ‘70s. Every place that had a winter carnival had snowmobile races.”
From Schomberg Ont. Greenfield and a group of like-minded enthusiasts have a frozen oval track in Eganville.
“We all race” Greenfield says. “We’ve raced for years.”

The hobby has taken some members of the group to the Vintage World Championship Derby which takes place in Eagle River Wisconsin.
The snowmobiles are all vintage the newest models dating to about 1992.
“They’re a cool-looking sled” Greenfield says of the older machines.

He said the group became interested in Minden when it heard about the ice oval the Minden Kin Club maintains at the fairgrounds for the auto ice racing events it hosts each winter.
The snowmobile races take place the weekend before this season’s auto races are scheduled to start.
Greenfield says there will be 22 races with a total of $4000 in prize money up for grabs and expects there to be at least 50 racers.
Entry fees are $20 per class with the youngest class for racers aged 12 to 17.
Admission for event is $10 with children under 10 admitted for free.

Action is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. on Saturday Jan. 21
For more information or to register visit www.osor.ca.
The group also has a Facebook page.