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Eganville – Adrenalin junkies take note.
In less than two weeks’ time, the top oval snowmobile racers will be converging on Eganville to compete on the half-mile track in pursuit of almost $30,000 in prize money being offered at the 49th annual running of the Castle Building Centre Bonnechere Cup, presented by Honest Herbs.
With flooding on the track progressing well, the Bonnechere Cup Inc. committee is busy working to ensure the 2025 version of the world-class event rivals its predecessors.
Race Director Scott Clark said fans can expect to see a collection of the top racers from Canada and the U.S. back in Eganville competing for bragging rights and an increased total purse of $29,200.
As part of the USSA and ProStar circuit, he expects all the top Champ 440 drivers to be here, including defending champion Gunnar Sterne, 2023 Cup winner Blaine Stephenson, and 2020 champion Tom Olson.
“We’re also going to have Sabrina Blanchette, Matt Goede, Dannick Lamber, who has been very fast this year, and there’s a lot of new guys.
“Everybody is very tight,” he remarked. “It’s not like years ago when you’d have one or two dominant people. They’re all very close; it’s going to be a very competitive weekend.”
He noted a racer named Zach DeWald won this year’s World Championship in Eagle River last weekend and he is also expected to be in the field.
In terms of local content, Mr. Clark said fans will see Colin Ranger in Fan 500, Cole Fitzgerald in Fan 500 and SemiPro and Pro 500, Jeff Yonin and his sons, Maverick and Micah, Marcus Buelow, Ava Aubrey, Shelby Neitzel and more.
There will also be lots of locals in the vintage classes, and the Sno-cross, and possibly the ATV class, which will or will not go based on registration.
He thanked the event’s two major sponsors, Castle Building Centres in Killaloe, Pembroke, and Eganville, and Honest Herbs in Pikwakanagan, saying they simply could not hold the races without their financial support. He also thanked the many other sponsors for their support, and the many volunteers who support the club each year.
Mr. Clark noted the Eganville Minor Hockey Association and Eganville Figure Skating Club will be manning the canteen in the clubhouse again, and breakfast will be served each day.
There will be free hot-lapping on Friday, weather permitting and the races will start mid-morning both days. Admission is $40 weekend pass or $25 per day. Children 12 and under are free.
Members of the USSA will be on hand to assist his team of race officials.
Mr. Clark said despite the late start of the winter and the mild spell at Christmas, R.J. Selle and his crew have managed to build another great track.
Improvements to Track
Fans and racers alike will see one big change when they arrive at the track this year that make the track look decidedly different.
“We had discussed removing the boards for years because they were in bad shape and sort on an eyesore,” he said. “It’s going to cost us more in hay bales for protection but it looks a lot nicer.
“The viewing will be better for the fans because you could only see their heads over the tops of the boards, but now you’ll be able to see the snowmobiles too,” he stated.
He added there will also be extra hay bales in the corners and an another line of fencing will be added to ensure the fans don’t get too close to the action.
“Safety is our priority,” he stated.
The work was carried out in the fall by club members and volunteers.
Mr. Clark said the sport is making a great resurgence to its glory days of the past and the last two years in Eganville have been real proof of that.
“There were so many racers in the ‘60’s, ‘70’s, 80’s, and early ‘90’s and there were two divisions, the east and west,” he explained. “Then things slowed down mid-2000’s, and there wasn’t enough racers in the east or west, but now we’ve joined sides and we’re part of the USSA (United States Snowmobile Association)..
“There aren’t enough racers in the east to have a competition alone, so to have those 50 people come from the mid-west – Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin – and the eastern states of New York, Vermont and New Hampshire, and all the Quebec and Ontario people, make it a more competitive and larger circuit.”
He said there are less races, so the hosts are putting more money into it, attracting the drivers fans want to see.
“The past couple of years have been great, an amazing number of fans. Great weather to allow us to have a great track, and we had the best racers in the world. The whole weekend, right to the very end, we just feel good about it.”
Looking Ahead
Mr. Clark said as they are busy planning for this year, they are also looking ahead to 2026 when it will be the 50th anniversary of the races in Eganville.
“We actually even have a 50th committee with people from Eganville, with past members of the club who are already making plans,” he said. “They’re talking about a parade, a meet-and-greet dinner with the drivers (past and present) on the Thursday night, fireworks, all kinds of different things.
“They’ve asked if they could be the planners and it’s that much less that we have to do,” he added. “It’s a great idea, it’s awesome.”
The committee includes Joe and Diane Moore, Cecelia Buelow, Kevin and Tara Plotz, Merv Boldt, Dennis and Debbie Brash, Peter Plotz, and Zach and Shawna Plotz.
“The more people we can have join and help, the more load it is off our shoulders,” Mr. Clark said. “But then we also get our hundreds of volunteers on the weekend and it’s an awful pile of work taken off us.
“And we appreciate it greatly,” he added.
Mr. Clark said the 2026 purse will be the largest ever in the history of the Bonnechere Cup.
