Superior Chronicle -- SnoCross

IRONWOOD, MI - Friday, May 30, 2008 - Superior SnoCross (SSC) President Jim Peterson began last night's board meeting with an announcement that the World PowerSports Association (WPSA), the snowmobile racing circuit that has been sanctioning the local annual event, has gone out of business.

Peterson told the Board that he has been in contact with Iron River, WI snowmobile and motocross event promoter Terry Rock regarding the snow-cross for the upcoming season. Rock told Peterson that a new promoter, International Series of Champions (ISOC) has taken over for the WPSA. Rock was approached by ISOC, according to Peterson, to see if he would be interested in running the Wisconsin Regionals. Rock told Peterson that a proposal was being drafted, but he would not indicate if he whether or not he was going to accept the position. "I got the feeling that he's leaning towards keeping his own circuit going." Peterson said.

According to a May 6, 2008 press release from American Snowmobiler Magazine:

"Recently the World PowerSports Association closed its doors for good and suspended operations on its ATV and snowmobile racing circuits. In one fell swoop the offices were closed, Web site went offline and people were left scratching their heads. But to many in the industry, the shutting down of the WPSA was no shock.

Thankfully, a group of team owners, racers, sponsors, industry reps, fans and other interested individuals refused to let national snowmobile racing die. This group has formed a small business - we'll call it a "Team Owners LLC" - and began doing their due diligence to find the best way to keep snowmobile racing in the spotlight. After looking at several presented business plans and proposals, John Daniels, founder of the cross-country race circuit named International Series of Champions (ISOC), has been given the go-ahead to be the brains behind the new National and Regional snowmobile racing circuit.

ISOC is touting television coverage, increased payouts and a full National and Regional Race schedule. The new circuit will replace the WPSA snow-cross circuit and has aims of being more customer focused by giving fans what they need instead of making promises that can't be realized. WPSA shelled out approximately $175,000 per National race last year and did not see enough revenue come back to be profitable. Input from teams and owners have been vital in keeping racing alive and will hopefully help to steer the new racing circuit down a healthy, profitable road. With John Daniels listening and looking at all options, the future of the sport looks bright."

SSC Board member Steve Pallin gave the board a little background on the ISOC and its founder John Daniels. According to Pallin, Daniels owns Long Haul Trucking. He explained that ISOC has a lot of money behind it, along with the added benefit of its own television production company. Daniels has a long history with snowmobiling events and is the executive producer of the television show SledHead 24/7.

A May 20, 2008 PowerSports Business Magazine article further explains that ISOC wants to take a more active role in the sport:

"The new International Series of Champions race circuit is expected to pick up where the World PowerSports Association (WPSA) dropped out, but officials want to do more than sanction snow-cross races, according to a May 9 SnowWeek article. The organization hopes to reduce the financial strain for racers and support snowmobiling.

According to the proposal the series submitted to snowmobile manufacturers and race teams, the circuit's national tour will likely travel to a number sites, including Duluth, Minn., Vernon, N.Y. and Shakopee, Minn. A regional tour will run in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.

WPSA sanctioned a regional circuit, too, but ISOC calls for its grassroots racing program to follow a financial `break-even' format. The regional tour will maximize cash payback to racers and minimize the cost of competition, according to the proposal. The regional tour hopes to drive up racer entries by giving riders more seat time.

To promote snowmobiling and increase sled traffic in select areas that host national events, the circuit will offer free admission to fans who ride their sled to races. The proposal says at least five national races will support the `Ride To' campaign.

Gate discounts might be extended to snowmobile club members. The circuit is working with snowmobile associations to host youth snowmobile safety certification classes in conjunction with national races."

It's the SSC Board's goal to make the Ironwood event a national event in the near future.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS

The SSC Board of Directors held an election of officers last night. Jim Peterson was re-elected President; John Cain was re-elected Vice-President; and Keith Johnson was re-elected Secretary/Treasurer. Johnson indicated that he would like to give up the Treasurer duties if possible.

ADVISOR TO THE BOARD

Josh Pallin was appointed to an advisory position to the SSC Board of Directors. Jim Peterson explained that Josh was originally asked to become a full-time board member, but Pallin felt his racing obligations would make it difficult to devote the time needed.

FINANCIAL REPORT

SSC Secretary/Treasurer Keith Johnson gave his financial report to the Board. According to Johnson, the organization holds a fund balance of $4,648.98. Although that is a healthy balance for a relatively new non-profit organization, Johnson pointed out that it costs over $12,400 to hold an event. According to a hand-out prepared by Johnson, sponsorship is $5,000 and event expenses are as follows: Fuel for Groomer ($2,200); Port-a-Potties ($250); Worker's Meals ($250); Advertising ($3,500) and Programs ($1,200).

REIMBURSEMENT FOR EXPENSES

The Board unanimously agreed to reimburse Josh Pallin for his out-of-pocket expenses for last year's race. Secretary/Treasurer Johnson prepared a check for $1,000 at the meeting to cover Pallin's costs.

RED BULL SPONSORSHIP

Board member Tom Bergquist told the Board that he has been in contact with Red Bull to see about possible sponsorship. He explained that his contact with the company earlier expressed moderate interest in sponsorship, but he indicated that the company does not give money for sponsorship but might come up and give away product for promotion. Bergquist has done some corporate work for an art exhibit that Red Bull sponsors every year. He built furniture out of Red Bull cans as part of that exhibit. "I don't think it's going to be the `Red Bull SnoCross' but you might just see a van or two driving around town and some people up at the event." Bergquist said.

Bergquist told the Board that "it may sound ridiculous" but the Red Bull art exhibit is a world-wide event. Of the 280 entries from over 250 countries into the event, Bergquist's entry was among the 47 accepted. Bergquist told the Chronicle that he would send along some photos of his entry. We will present them as soon as we get them.

PROGRAM COVER PAGE

Jim Peterson presented several sample cover pages prepared by Gogebic Community College commercial and graphic art students. The Board selected their favorite to be this year's program cover.

Last year, the Superior SnoCross initiated a Gogebic Community College scholarship.

UPCOMING RACE UPDATE

President Peterson told the Board that their originally scheduled date of December 13 & 14, 2008, for the next event may have to be changed. He pointed out that a national event was taking place in Brainerd, MN that week. He indicated that he wanted to push the event up by one week to December 6 & 7. And it appears that the new date will be acceptable with everybody concerned.

Peterson told the Board that having the event before the Brainerd event could be a good thing because it can be promoted as a "warm-up" to the nationals. Peterson reminded the Board that the Ironwood track at Mt. Zion is the only national track used in regional events in the country.

Steve Pallin expressed dismay regarding the conflict. He said he was hoping that the ISOC would work out these perennial scheduling conflicts. He said he in anxious to communicate with the ISOC to let them know where the Board stands and how difficult it is to schedule events with so many conflicts. He did say, however, that the "worst scenario" would be a repeat of last year's event, because there were conflicts then. And, he pointed out, last year's event was rather successful. He did say that a lack of conflicts would bright up the bigger name racers to Ironwood's event.

The entire Board agreed that last year's event was a big success. The racers raved about the track and the operation of the event and the spectators liked the atmosphere. The Mt. Zion location is ideal for the SnoCross event. Local motels, restaurants, taverns, and merchants noticed the impact of the event. President Peterson told the Chronicle that the support from the community for the event has been "outstanding!"

The next meeting will be announced once information is received from ISOC regarding the upcoming season's schedule.

Jim Albert


SnoCross Board of Directors Prepares for Next Season
IRONWOOD, MI - Friday, May 30, 2008 - Superior SnoCross (SSC) President Jim Peterson began last night's board meeting with an announcement that the World PowerSports Association (WPSA), the snowmobile racing circuit that has been sanctioning the local annual event, has gone out of business. Peterson told the Board that he has been in contact with Iron River, WI snowmobile and motocross event promoter Terry Rock regarding the snow-cross for the upcoming season. Rock told Peterson that a new promoter, International Series of Champions (ISOC) has taken over for the WPSA. Rock was approached by ISOC, according to Peterson, to see if he would be interested in running the Wisconsin Regionals. Rock told Peterson that a proposal was being drafted, but he would not indicate if he whether or not he was going to accept the position. "I got the feeling that he's leaning towards keeping his own circuit going." Peterson said. According to a May 6, 2008 press release from American Snowmobiler Magazine: "Recently the World PowerSports Association closed its doors for good and suspended operations on its ATV and snowmobile racing circuits. In one fell swoop the offices were closed, Web site went offline and people were left scratching their heads. But to many in the industry, the shutting down of the WPSA was no shock. Thankfully, a group of team owners, racers, sponsors, industry reps, fans and other interested individuals refused to let national snowmobile racing die. This group has formed a small business - we'll call it a "Team Owners LLC" - and began doing their due diligence to find the best way to keep snowmobile racing in the spotlight. After looking at several presented business plans and proposals, John Daniels, founder of the cross-country race circuit named International Series of Champions (ISOC), has been given the go-ahead to be the brains behind the new National and Regional snowmobile racing circuit. ISOC is touting television coverage, increased payouts and a full National and Regional Race schedule. The new circuit will replace the WPSA snow-cross circuit and has aims of being more customer focused by giving fans what they need instead of making promises that can't be realized. WPSA shelled out approximately $175,000 per National race last year and did not see enough revenue come back to be profitable. Input from teams and owners have been vital in keeping racing alive and will hopefully help to steer the new racing circuit down a healthy, profitable road. With John Daniels listening and looking at all options, the future of the sport looks bright." SSC Board member Steve Pallin gave the board a little background on the ISOC and its founder John Daniels. According to Pallin, Daniels owns Long Haul Trucking. He explained that ISOC has a lot of money behind it, along with the added benefit of its own television production company. Daniels has a long history with snowmobiling events and is the executive producer of the television show SledHead 24/7. A May 20, 2008 PowerSports Business Magazine article further explains that ISOC wants to take a more active role in the sport: "The new International Series of Champions race circuit is expected to pick up where the World PowerSports Association (WPSA) dropped out, but officials want to do more than sanction snow-cross races, according to a May 9 SnowWeek article. The organization hopes to reduce the financial strain for racers and support snowmobiling. According to the proposal the series submitted to snowmobile manufacturers and race teams, the circuit's national tour will likely travel to a number sites, including Duluth, Minn., Vernon, N.Y. and Shakopee, Minn. A regional tour will run in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. WPSA sanctioned a regional circuit, too, but ISOC calls for its grassroots racing program to follow a financial `break-even' format. The regional tour will maximize cash payback to racers and minimize the cost of competition, according to the proposal. The regional tour hopes to drive up racer entries by giving riders more seat time. To promote snowmobiling and increase sled traffic in select areas that host national events, the circuit will offer free admission to fans who ride their sled to races. The proposal says at least five national races will support the `Ride To' campaign. Gate discounts might be extended to snowmobile club members. The circuit is working with snowmobile associations to host youth snowmobile safety certification classes in conjunction with national races." It's the SSC Board's goal to make the Ironwood event a national event in the near future. ELECTION OF OFFICERS The SSC Board of Directors held an election of officers last night. Jim Peterson was re-elected President; John Cain was re-elected Vice-President; and Keith Johnson was re-elected Secretary/Treasurer. Johnson indicated that he would like to give up the Treasurer duties if possible. ADVISOR TO THE BOARD Josh Pallin was appointed to an advisory position to the SSC Board of Directors. Jim Peterson explained that Josh was originally asked to become a full-time board member, but Pallin felt his racing obligations would make it difficult to devote the time needed. FINANCIAL REPORT SSC Secretary/Treasurer Keith Johnson gave his financial report to the Board. According to Johnson, the organization holds a fund balance of $4,648.98. Although that is a healthy balance for a relatively new non-profit organization, Johnson pointed out that it costs over $12,400 to hold an event. According to a hand-out prepared by Johnson, sponsorship is $5,000 and event expenses are as follows: Fuel for Groomer ($2,200); Port-a-Potties ($250); Worker's Meals ($250); Advertising ($3,500) and Programs ($1,200). REIMBURSEMENT FOR EXPENSES The Board unanimously agreed to reimburse Josh Pallin for his out-of-pocket expenses for last year's race. Secretary/Treasurer Johnson prepared a check for $1,000 at the meeting to cover Pallin's costs. RED BULL SPONSORSHIP Board member Tom Bergquist told the Board that he has been in contact with Red Bull to see about possible sponsorship. He explained that his contact with the company earlier expressed moderate interest in sponsorship, but he indicated that the company does not give money for sponsorship but might come up and give away product for promotion. Bergquist has done some corporate work for an art exhibit that Red Bull sponsors every year. He built furniture out of Red Bull cans as part of that exhibit. "I don't think it's going to be the `Red Bull SnoCross' but you might just see a van or two driving around town and some people up at the event." Bergquist said. Bergquist told the Board that "it may sound ridiculous" but the Red Bull art exhibit is a world-wide event. Of the 280 entries from over 250 countries into the event, Bergquist's entry was among the 47 accepted. Bergquist told the Chronicle that he would send along some photos of his entry. We will present them as soon as we get them. PROGRAM COVER PAGE Jim Peterson presented several sample cover pages prepared by Gogebic Community College commercial and graphic art students. The Board selected their favorite to be this year's program cover. Last year, the Superior SnoCross initiated a Gogebic Community College scholarship. UPCOMING RACE UPDATE President Peterson told the Board that their originally scheduled date of December 13 & 14, 2008, for the next event may have to be changed. He pointed out that a national event was taking place in Brainerd, MN that week. He indicated that he wanted to push the event up by one week to December 6 & 7. And it appears that the new date will be acceptable with everybody concerned. Peterson told the Board that having the event before the Brainerd event could be a good thing because it can be promoted as a "warm-up" to the nationals. Peterson reminded the Board that the Ironwood track at Mt. Zion is the only national track used in regional events in the country. Steve Pallin expressed dismay regarding the conflict. He said he was hoping that the ISOC would work out these perennial scheduling conflicts. He said he in anxious to communicate with the ISOC to let them know where the Board stands and how difficult it is to schedule events with so many conflicts. He did say, however, that the "worst scenario" would be a repeat of last year's event, because there were conflicts then. And, he pointed out, last year's event was rather successful. He did say that a lack of conflicts would bright up the bigger name racers to Ironwood's event. The entire Board agreed that last year's event was a big success. The racers raved about the track and the operation of the event and the spectators liked the atmosphere. The Mt. Zion location is ideal for the SnoCross event. Local motels, restaurants, taverns, and merchants noticed the impact of the event. President Peterson told the Chronicle that the support from the community for the event has been "outstanding!" The next meeting will be announced once information is received from ISOC regarding the upcoming season's schedule. Jim Albert

SnoCross Board of Directors Prepares for Next Season