Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
ED WILBERT tracks the diagnostic readings of the Revolution Racing team as they practice on Mt. Zion. When the racers returned to the trailer he inquired about the conditions of the sled's and the track so he could make changes as necessary to the set up to maximize their chances of winning.
By IAN MINIELLY
Ironwood - Ed Wilbert, from Richfield, Wis., loves his family and loves snowmobiles. The best thing he could do is find a way to combine the two so his passion and his love would intersect and bond. As one of the two families that formed Evolution Racing, Ed and his family follow the regional racing circuit all winter long.
Ed's children started racing at four. His sons Ben and Matt keep the family busy all year round working on their sleds and attending regional races, which feed into the national racing events. Ed keeps diagnostic tools in the trailer to monitor peak RPM and throttle position during races and the heat coming off the tailpipe so they can fine tune and tweak the sleds based on conditions and driver.
If you are wondering what goes into running a racing team, you will be surprised. It takes money, time, energy, and love. While the sleds look similar, each class has its own restrictions, which allows people of different age and sex to use the same model of sleds.
Some racers make enough to cover expenses, but most do it as a hobby and seek sponsorships to help alleviate the burden. Ed sells snow plows for a living and was anxious to get home because of the pending storm heading towards Wisconsin.
U.S. Chrome is their primary sponsor, FXR Racing covers their clothing requirements with $1,000 in clothing for each racer and then some, and the team also has a local guy that does their stickers for free. The sponsorships help, but they only tell about 10 percent of the story.
Dad bought the truck and trailer, does the driving, handles the sponsorships, helps with the cooking, and does the wake up calls. Most weekends mom comes along and the whole family will spend the weekend at the track. For Thanksgiving this year they were at a race in Duluth so they deep fried a turkey and stayed as traditional as possible while on pit row in the back of a heated trailer with all the fixings.
A new sled costs the Evolution Racing team $8,500-9,000 dollars. They buy new sleds, depending on the class, either yearly or every other year, which keeps the secondary market thriving. This weekend they are in Ironwood and next weekend they are heading to Winter Park, Colo.
The racers wear 2015 Snell approved helmets, steel knee braces similar to an offensive lineman in football, vests to protect their torso, and various pads around the body. The teams are very safety conscious and connect the racers to their sleds with a tether in the event the racer falls off his sled so the sled will stop running.
Snowmobile racing is not without its bumps and bruises, both of Ed's sons have broken limbs racing, but it is mostly safe. Ed recommended a trip to Lake Geneva in March to see the top of the racing circuit compete. He said it is an impressive race and the amount of money invested in those teams is significant.
