HOULTON, Maine — Snowmobile racing will return to the Shiretown for the first time in three years, provided there is enough snow on the ground.
The “Tame the Track Tour” snowmobile race series, featuring vintage and current snowmobiles, will come to Houlton Jan. 10-11 under the moniker of “Heartbeats and Handlebars.” Proceeds from the event will benefit the Simon Cyr Scholarship Fund and congenital heart defect research.
Cyr was the son of Levi and Michelle Cyr of Houlton, born Sept. 23, 2016, with a congenital heart defect and spent half of his young life in the hospital, including time spent both at the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in Portland and Boston Children’s Hospital.
Cyr was just 17 months old when he died March 3, 2018. He left behind two siblings, Peyton and Aiden.
The idea to bring the races back to Houlton sprang from conversations between Levi Cyr and Jere Humphrey, one of the organizers of the Tame the Track Tour.
“We wanted to bring something to the area in the winter and also wanted to do something in memory of Simon, so this seemed like a perfect fit,” Michelle Cyr said. “We really wanted to start up a scholarship fund in Simon’s memory and this race will also be a good way to get people out.”
The scholarship will be awarded to both traditional and non-traditional students who enter the medical field.
“We know how difficult it is to go back to school financially,” Michelle Cyr said. “The local community was a huge support to us during our fight, so we want to give back somehow.”
Held behind the American Legion Chester L. Briggs Post No. 47 on the Bangor Road, racing starts at 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10, and resumes 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 11. A racing track has been created behind the Legion, thanks to the generosity of many local businesses.
In the event there is not enough snow, organizers will truck in snow from other communities. Featuring a half-mile endurance course, the track will feature lots of turns and inclines to challenge snowmobilers.
The event will feature up to 15 different divisions, with a guaranteed purse of $2,500. Both adult and children’s races are in the works.
The cost of admission is $5 for children under 12 and $10 for adults. Refreshments will be available inside the Legion.
Other races on the Tame The Track tour include: Jan. 4, Chase the Checkers, Jackman; Jan. 25, Adrenaline Rush Reunion, Rangeley; Feb. 1, Spin the Track, Anah Shriners, Bangor; Feb. 8, First or Last Polar Blast, Eustis; Feb. 22-23, Line ‘Em Up, Lincoln; Feb. 29, Fast and Furious 50s, Skowhegan; March 7, Squeeze the Throttle, Hermon; and March 21, Mega Meltdown, Caribou.
For information, visit tametracktour.com.
