page_title: Snowmobile
section_title: Types of races
hierarchical_section_title: Snowmobile / Types of races
caption_attribution_description: two snowmobiles at 27. Januar 07 in Aspen
context_page_description: A snowmobile, also known as a motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, snowscooter, Ski-Doo, or snowmachine, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not require a road or trail, but most are driven on open terrain or trails. Snowmobiling is a sport that many people have taken on as a serious hobby.
  Older snowmobiles could generally accommodate two people; however, most snowmobiles manufactured in the last 25 years have been designed to only accommodate one person. Snowmobiles built with the ability to accommodate two people are referred to as "2-up" snowmobiles or 'touring' models and make up an extremely small share of the market. Snowmobiles do not have any enclosures, except for a windshield, and their engines normally drive a continuous track at the rear. Skis at the front provide directional control.
  Early snowmobiles used simple rubber tracks, but modern snowmobiles' tracks are usually made of a Kevlar composite construction. Originally, snowmobiles were powered by two-stroke gasoline internal combustion engines and since the mid-2000s four-stroke engines have also entered the market.
context_section_description: The International 500 is a large racing event held annually in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan. It is a 500-mile (800 km) race on a track, with the current purse being in excess of $40,000. It has been running since February 1969.
  Drag racing is common with snowmobiles year-round, with summer and fall often with grass or closed-course (asphalt or concrete) drag strips. The largest event is Hay Days in North Branch, Minnesota, on the first weekend following Labor Day.
  The World Championship Watercross or snowmobile skipping races are held in Grantsburg, Wisconsin, in July. The snowmobiles are raced on a marked course, similar to motocross courses, without the ramps and on water.
  The Snocross racing series are snowmobile races on a motocross-like course. The races are held during the winter season in Northern United States and Canada. One of the largest in New York is the Northeast SnoX Challenge in early January in Malone, New York, and run by Rock Maple Racing and sponsored by the Malone Chamber of Commerce.
  Snowmobiles are used for ice racing. The racing is held on an "Ice Oval" track. The World Championship Snowmobile Derby is held each winter in Eagle River, Wisconsin.
  Alaska's "Iron Dog" is the longest snowmachine race in the world. It is 2,031 miles (3,269 km) long and runs from Big Lake to Nome to Fairbanks. The name refers to dog mushing, long popular in Alaska.
  Vintage Snowmobile Racing is the racing of vintage snowmobiles and has grown in popularity as a sporting event on the Canadian prairie and in America.
  The World Championship Hill Climb competition is held in Jackson, Wyoming, at the Snow King Mountain resort each year in March. 2019 was the 43rd year of the four-day event and drew around 10,000 in attendance.
caption: Snowmobile race
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