Words & Pics: Stephanie Anderson
Dec 12, 2022 – It is prep time for the Gerald Dyrdahl Memorial – Pine Lake 200 Snowmobile Race. There were several racers testing at Pine Lake this past weekend. Excitement is higher than usual this year because of some key changes that will be implemented.
This year is 25 years since the passing of Gerald Dyrdahl and 5 Star Productions has added a race class in his honor. The race will have teams of three. One of the three racers must have been a pro racer in 1997 or prior OR have been a winner of any past Pine Lake Race. In addition, the sled the racers are on must be a 440 from 1997 or prior. The payout for this race is $10,000, which has all the racers fired up. However, the winner of the race must give their winning sled to 5 Star Productions. All ages of racers are excited for this one.
The next big change is racing will be starting heads up. Line ups will be 8-10 across for all classes of racers all weekend. Younger racers who have watched the Pros start heads up in past races will get a chance to race like the Pros.
Finally, this year’s race is not affiliated with a national circuit. Instead, 5 Star Productions got ISR certification on their own. The factory sponsors will still give contingency earning to the racers. Since points will not be affected, younger racers will be trying different classes and seeing how they measure up.
