Professional snowmobilers will race in Sioux Falls – and on national TV – this weekend

By Mick Garry, for Pigeon605.com

Professional snowmobile racing is making a stop in Sioux Falls on Friday and Saturday. It will include a national television audience with the CBS Sports Network and a lot of people who make a career of racing on snow.

It is known as Amsoil Championship Snocross. It represents the foremost national tour for snowmobile racing and promises family entertainment at affordable prices. The races, which will take place at the W.H. Lyons Fairgrounds, will include several levels of competition with activity on the track from morning until 9 p.m. both days.

Here’s a sense of what to expect.

One of the rising young stars in the sport is a 22-year-old named Hunter Patenaude, a native of Hartland, Vermont, who has decided to make a career of racing snowmobiles.

A few of the basics on one of this sport’s emerging stars:

He was an excellent high school football player who scored four touchdowns in Windsor High School’s state title game victory his senior season. He contemplated playing in college but decided his real passion was racing snowmobiles.

The arrow has been pointing up in that regard since he started racing. He’s always getting better, always training and always fearless, within reason, of course.

“The adrenaline rush is why I race,” Patenaude said, laughing. “I enjoy putting myself in uncomfortable situations. And I love the training. I love pushing myself to new limits.”

Take a look at him in action last year in Minnesota:

A brief Google tour of his exploits reveals spills in addition to thrills. As much as he’s a very gracious spokesman for this sport, there has to be a little bit of crazy cooking in that brain of his to decide this is how to earn a living.

“You can’t be afraid when you’re racing,” Patenaude said. “If you’re going to go out there scared, you should probably call it quits. I mean, you don’t want to injure yourself or anybody else – you have to be aware of everything that is going on around you – but you also have to be willing to take the risks.”

The visit to Sioux Falls was not part of the original schedule for the Amsoil series. COVID-19 restrictions squashed a few of the original stops, however, which led to this inaugural visit from the racers, who have made an annual stop in Deadwood in recent seasons.

The events usually include more than 150 competitors in all, with classifications for junior racers as well.

“There was so much positivity and excitement when we met with the Sioux Falls group,” said International Series of Champions president Carl Schubitzke, whose organization oversees the Amsoil Championship series. ‘They are enthusiastic about the event, and we are extremely lucky to have found a partner that is able to enhance our national schedule in such a short window of time.”

Like all other sports, there has been a patchwork element to getting through the pandemic. Those who can focus in and maintain an edge are likely going to profit from it.

For Patenaude, ranked No. 8 in season standings, part of the fun is serving as a good example. That’s in addition to continuing his climb.

It helps that none of this was given to him. His dad introduced him to the sport, but ultimately he had to climb the ladder to his current status by himself, as did brother Leo, who races on the East Coast.

If there is anything that people seeing races for the first time might not know, it’s that the training is fierce. It includes weights and circuit training and never ends. “We literally beat ourselves to death,” Patenaude laughed.

Call it a passion or call it a mission. Either way, he has a plan.

“We all have a purpose,” he said. “I believe I was put on this Earth to race snowmobiles and try to share my dream. One of my great joys is being able to talk to younger kids and show them that, even if you don’t start out at the top, that if you’re willing to work hard and put everything you have into something, it’s going to make a difference. If you go all in something, you can accomplish more than you’d ever imagine.”

To learn more about the event and buy tickets, click here.