The 38th edition of Valcourt’s Ski-Doo Grand Prix is coming up this February 7 to 9. Returning to the tiny Townships community with its unparalleled slate of seven different winter motor sports, the Grand Prix continues its claim of being the largest winter racing event in the world. “Technology has changed since 1983,” said Véronique Lizotte, Executive Director of the organization that manages the Grand Prix, pointing out that when the annual gathering got started as the “Festival International de la Motoneige,” it was a Ski-Doo-specific event. With developments in the world of winterized motor sports since then, however, the event has built a reputation of attracting high-performance athletes in a range of different disciplines. “This year we are expecting a particularly high caliber of competitor in snocross,” Lizotte continued, speaking at the launch for the programming of this year’s gathering on Wednesday. “In the snowmobile oval the Americans are very strong in the new category and we are expecting speed records to be broken.” The new category, in this case, is the addition of formula three machines to the lineup. The new Formula three rules allow the use of snowmobiles that keep a stock engine but allow for more customization of front and rear suspension. See full story in the Thursday, Jan. 23 edition of The Record.
