Local racers competed in the Enduro races at Proctor Speedway in October. J.J. Liljestrand of Grand Marais in the pit next to his bright yellow #13 car.
Seven locals were among the 108 cars that participated in the fall Enduro car racing event October 17 at Proctor Speedway.
The purpose of the race is to see how many laps each car can complete in an allotted amount of time. That is more difficult than it sounds, as the clay track is watered down. As one racer said, the slick course causes cars to bump into each other “front, back, sideways, front to back, back to front, side to side.”
Before racing, drivers must remove all of the glass from their vehicles; weld and chain the bumpers on; bolt down the hood and trunk; move the gas tank to the middle; strap down the battery; and place metal mesh over the windshield area.
Each driver pays $50 and each rider pays $20. The winner takes $500.
Each car also needs its own lap counter, which is then verified by video camera.
Local participants were Easton Nelson with copilot Kaylee Blomberg; Rick Backstrom with co-pilot Jesse Kimball; Jesse Backstrom with birthday girl Jade Wolke first and his wife Paullina Backstrom second; Kyle Anderson with co-pilot Devin Smith; Nick Pitman with co-pilot Connor Smith; Craig Horak with copilot Kayla Bronikowski; and J.J. Liljestrand with co-pilot Kyle Bloomquist along with back seat eyes and “traction,” Colton Iverson.
On the track are local racers, Rick Backstrom in the turquoise IXVIII car and Nick Pitman in orange number 87.
Jesse Backstrom took honorable mention. Rick Backstrom took best of show, earning a nice trophy. Others receiving mentions for best of show were Nick Pitman; J.J. Liljestrand, eighth place, winning $150; and Kyle Anderson, 10th place, winning $100.
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