Seven Clans I-500 Winnipeg to Willmar Set for February

The Seven Clans I-500 Winnipeg to Willmar snowmobile race is scheduled to start in Winnipeg February 10th, 2016. The iconic event will end in Willmar on Saturday, February 13th. This year marks the 42nd running of the event, which is billed as the largest snowmobile race in the country.

Organizers are expecting more than 300 entries with racers coming from all over the US, Alaska and Canada. Total purse should be close to $100,000 with the winner of the I-500 class receiving $25,000 plus manufacturers’ contingencies.

“The Seven Clans I-500 will cover 600 miles of the toughest terrain Mother Nature can create,” USXC Racing says in a release. “Ditches full of rock hard drifts, lakes, woods, and cross country. Pro class racers exceed speeds of 100 mph down rough ditches and lakes. The race features nine classes of drivers, from 50+ to Vintage and a Women’s class.”

The four-day race will start with Day 1 in Winnipeg, Man. with racers traveling 190 miles to Thief River Falls, Minn. Then Day 2 will be 125 miles to Bemidji, Minn. Day 3 is a long 180 miles to Alexandriam, Minn., and Day 4 will be 125 miles racing to the finish in Willmar, Minn. Racers will also have refueling stops in cities along the route each day.