It’s going to be a wild weekend in Mullan
Photo courtesy of MRP RACING A rider catches some serious air during last year’s SnowBeast Snowbike event in Mullan.
MULLAN — It’s going to be an extremely fun weekend in Shoshone County’s eastern-most city.
Emphasis on the extreme.
Once again Mullan will be hosting the annual SnowBeast Snowbike races in conjunction with MRP Racing on Saturday and then on Sunday the focus shifts to the annual Vintage Snowmobile Races.
Motorized snowbiking is still a relatively newer concept that blends traditional snowbikes with motocross and snowmobiling.
Chaun McAlister, the owner of MRP Racing has once again secured their location in Mullan where he and his crew have built a snowbike track that will use all of the elements that the Silver Valley has to offer.
“We are going to combine the meadow, the hillside, everything up there for a very unique racing track,” McAlister said in a previous interview. “The layout is terrific and will be very spectator friendly. The spectators will be able to see the entire race, even when the racers head onto the hillside and into the trees.”
The snowbike races kick off on Saturday at noon near the Fish Hatchery.
On Sunday, the festivities take a more classic approach as the Vintage Snowmobile races take center stage.
While not a new event, Mullan Mayor Don Kotschevar took the idea from an event he had attended a few years ago in Priest Lake, and then decided to bring something similar to Mullan.
“In the past, we have hosted snowmobile drag races,” Kotschevar said. “Back in the ’60s and ’70s, we hosted snowmobile races in town that were promoted as the world championship of snowmobile racing. I had attended Priest Lake’s event and thought we need to bring this to Mullan. We have the snow, as well as the facility to pull it off.”
The sleds must be from 1985 or older, and registration is on Saturday from 4-8 p.m. and then again on Sunday morning at 6 a.m. at Mullan Trail Gas and Grocery.
The racing kicks off at 10 a.m. and will be followed by an awards ceremony after the last race ends.
The SnowBeast Snowbike event is Saturday and the Vintage Snowmobile Races are Sunday in Mullan.