The International 500 Snowmobile

Snowmobile

A snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, or sled,is a land vehicle for winter travel on snow. Designed to be operated on snow and ice, they require no road or trail. Design variations enable some machines to operate in deep snow or forests; most are used on open terrain, including...

 Race, commonly known as the I-500, takes place annually in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

Sault Ste. Marie is a city in and the county seat of Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the north-eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the Canadian border, separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River...

. It is known across the country as the oldest and longest race of its kind.

Origin

The idea for the I-500 came about in 1968. Several businessmen were discussing the Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis 500

The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...

, and the question rose of whether or not a snowmobile could run for 500 miles. The idea became a plan for a race patterned off the Indy 500 for snowmobiles.

A section of land was acquired from the city of Sault Ste. Marie on which to build the track. The site was originally an ammunitions dump for Fort Brady during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. It posed a problem for the newly created I-500 Committee, because three concrete ammunitions bunkers were still on the property. The help of the National Guard was enlisted, and two of the bunkers were destroyed (the third remains to this day). In less than six months, a crew composed entirely of volunteers had completed the mile-long track.

First race

On February 8, 1969, the first I-500 was held with forty-seven qualifying drivers. At the time, there was no standard of rules for snowmobile races, so the I-500 Committee adapted the rules of the Indy 500 for snowmobiles. Volunteers counted the laps, as they would do for the next twenty-eight years. Each driver was required to have at least three backup drivers, and they had to change places every fifty laps or less. The total prize money alloted for all places was $10,000. After thirteen hours and forty-two minutes of racing, Dan Planck won the first I-500. By the time Planck crossed the finish line, only twenty-six snowmobiles were still running. By the following year, news of the race had spread, and professional drivers began attending the I-500.

I-500 today

In the modern I-500, the race takes approximately eight hours to complete. The original time trial attempt limit (two per driver) has been abandoned. An entrant may attempt to qualify in the time trial as many times as he chooses. Drivers can now complete the race alone, though most choose to have one or sometimes two partners. Each driver must provide a racing resume along with other requirements before being allowed to enter. Many drivers spend the time preceding the I-500 competing in smaller races around the Midwest to prepare for the big race. Each racing team spends thousands of dollars for equipment and fuel. Top drivers may be sponsored by companies such as one of the biggest, Ski-doo, but also yamaha, polaris, and artic cat. Through the years, the I-500 has gained a large following, and the audience numbers in the thousands each year. The prize money is now in excess of $40,000. The original track was made of snow. Now, three 8,000 gallon tankers deposit approximately 1,800,000 gallons of water on the track over the course of three weeks to create a layer of ice twelve to eighteen inches thick. Accidents at the I-500 are common; an ambulance at the track is almost as much a part of the race as the checkered flag, and the death of a driver shocks no one who is familiar with the risky race.

The I-500 in the News

In 2004, a non-driver was killed during the I-500 for the first time. Alynn Burke, a pit crew member, was standing close to track with another pit crew member when a snowmobile flew out of control and hit Burke, the other crew member, and the mother of one of the drivers. The mother's ankle was broken, the crew member suffered leg and internal injuries, and Burke was killed. Those three, in addition to the unusually large number of drivers that had already been injured on the track, forced Sault Ste. Marie's small hospital, War Memorial, to activate its disaster drill and inform race officials that its emergency room had reached capacity. The race was shut down at the 174th lap, and the leader at the time was declared the winner. The death sparked a controversy about the safety of the race , with many people condemning the I-500 Committee for allowing the disaster to happen.

In 2007, Fast Track Amphibian brought its namesake vehicle, the Fast Track 1 Amphibian, to the I-500 to test its ability to run on snow and ice. The company, based in Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

, had already tested the vehicle on concrete, grass, dirt and water. The audience gathered for the I-500 that year also witnessed the Fast Track 1 Amphibian's successful conquest of two more types of terrain. The company's owner/manager, Keith Wernicke, stated in a press release, "Living near Dallas doesn't give us much of a chance to test on snow and ice. The I-500 was the perfect opportunity for us to run the Fast Track under controlled conditions.”