On Saturday February 18, 2017 I was lucky enough to get to Innisfil Ontario to see some CSRA Snow Cross at Georgian Downs. On the schedule was 120cc, Sport 1, Pro, specialty class, Pro open, Sport 2 600, Pro Lite and the very interesting looking snow bikes.
The venue was very fan friendly, with fans able to watch the action from the outdoors along the fence or grandstand, or fans could watch the action from the grandstand inside out of the elements. Lots of refreshments were available inside as well as souvenirs and various retail items and displays.
The day started out very nice and sunny with lots of snow, and only a small puddle near where I was shooting. I was ok where I was, because I was on a little snowy hill. As the day went on, the air temperature continued to rise causing lots of snow to melt, resulting in lots of track grooming. The snow started out very white and loose, and finished very dirty and very wet. This was great for making a snowman, but not so good to stand around in taking photographs. The small puddle that was beside me turned into a small lake with a river running through it. To get where I needed to go, I had to navigate through this mess. Needless to say, by the end of the say my feet were extremely wet.
The events were fantastic, except for the injury that occurred right after I got trackside that caused an extended delay. I never heard an injury update, so hopefully the rider was fine. Throughout the different classes they were riders that would get lots of air, to riders that seemed to take great caution in the uneven terrain. They all put on a great show.
Snow bike in action.
The most interesting thing to see was the snow bikes. So interesting in fact, the Discovery Channel was there covering them for an upcoming show. Only thing that concerned me about this is the drone that kept buzzing over my head at a low altitude. This made me extremely nervous.
The snow bikes are elongated in the back with a narrow track, and the single ski in the front to resemble a motorcross bike. They didn't jump around as much as their wheeled counterparts which was disappointing, but still provided some great action.
It was a great day of shooting even with the soaked feet at the end of the day. If you get a chance to check out the CSRA Series sometime, be sure to get tickets. Get all the info you need at http://www.snowcross.com
Till next time,
