With 17 days left until the first green flag is waved to launch the 29th running of the Grand Prix Ski-Doo of Valcourt, presented by La Capitale General Insurance, the organizers of the event held on Tuesday their annual press conference at the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Museum.
Several of the star riders, who will compete in the Great Quebec Winter Motorsport Classic, were on hand to field questions from the media and to invite the fans to come in great numbers to cheer them on next February 18-20, 2011.
Three full days of all-out snocross competition, snowmobile, motorcycle, and ATV oval ice racing await extreme race fans from 9 a.m. on Friday February 18. The drag racing under the lights program, a two-prong competition, will start at 3:00 p.m. with a friendly competition for snowmobile owners who wish to test their snowmobile and their abilities on a snow-covered drag strip.
It will be followed at 7:30 p.m. by a high-speed drag racing Radar competition featuring Pro Max Class snow sleds that can reach up to 300 km/h. The drag racing event will be open to all as admission will be free for everyone passing through the Grand Prix turnstiles after 3:00 p.m. Several keynote spokespersons were on hand to speak to the media during the press conference.
“If our Grand Prix is a success year after year, it is mainly because of the people that make, run and support our event. So, I would to thank all our business partners starting with the presenting sponsor of the event, La Capitale General Insurance, and of course Ski-Doo, a BRP trademark that has been a faithful partner of the Grand Prix of Valcourt since its inception in 1983,” said Rock Bourassa, Co-Chief Executive Officer of the Grand Prix Ski-Doo de Valcourt. “Of course, the Grand Prix is always thankful to the hundreds of volunteers without whom it would be impossible to stage such an event. It is also thankful to the people working for the sanctioning bodies and to our managing team that work so hard to make our Grand Prix an international event.”
On the ice oval track, Jacques Villeneuve will be featured in the Pro Champ class against two-time Valcourt winner Dustin Wahl of Minnesota, Matt Schulz of Wisconsin, winner of the 2010 Eagle River World Championship and winner of the 2007 Valcourt Grand Prix, as well as Wisconsin native Nicholas Van Strydonk who won the Valcourt Grand Prix last year.
“The Grand Prix Ski-Doo of Valcourt is the only major event to feature five different types of motorsports activities in the course of a single weekend of competition,” said Linsay Roberge, Director of the Grand Prix Ski-Doo of Valcourt, presented by La Capitale General Insurance. “Our competition program offers fans high level snowmobile, motorcycle and ATV ice oval racing, snocross competition and snowmobile drag racing on Friday night. With no other major North American East Coast and Midwest snowmobile series competing the weekend of February 18-20, we expect the top riders from these championships to come to Valcourt and challenge for top honors against the best Quebec and Canadian riders.”
Mario Landry, Director of the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Museum, was also on hand to invite everyone to come and visit for free the Museum during the weekend of the Grand Prix. “Besides the open door policy during the weekend, we are holding several activities to promote snowmobiling. On Thursday, February 17, riders from our three BRP sponsored snocross teams will be at the Museum for an autograph session. It will be an ideal moment to meet among others with Quebec riders Kaven Benoît, Tim Tremblay and Mathieu Morin, as well as Canadian Brett Turcotte from British Columbia or Darrin and Garrett Mees from Long Island, New York.”
During the Grand Prix weekend, visitors to the Museum will have a chance to meet and talk to historic snowmobile owners who will be on hand to display their sleds on the Museum grounds. In addition, on Saturday, we are inviting snowmobile and ATV owners to come and join us for a parade through the town of Valcourt. The parade will leave the Valcourt Arena at 11 a.m.
There will also be fun and games for the whole family including slides for the kids at the Grand Prix site, and spectators will be able test-drive free of charge Ski-Doo snowmobiles. Some of the new 2012 Ski-Doo models will also be on display. Several activities are planned for Friday evening with crowd entertainers, fireworks, and bonfires. Fans will also be able to join the party at the Winter Patio with entertainment with live DJ promotions from Red Bull.
General Admission and Some Trackside Suite Tickets Still Available
Tickets for the 29th running of the Grand Prix de Valcourt, presented by La Capitale General Insurance are available by contacting the ticket office at 1-450-532-3443 or at 1-866-532-7543. Trackside Suite passes, offering an incredible view of all the action on Circuit Yvon Duhamel in the comfort of a heated building, are also still available. To learn more about the weekend festivities, schedule and ticket packages, fans can log online at www.grandprixvalcourt.com.
Event organizers have also scheduled a Saturday night concert featuring Quebec rock star Éric Lapointe on February 19 at 8:30 p.m. at the Valcourt Arena. Tickets are currently on sale at $25 each, taxes included and can be ordered by calling the Grand Prix ticket office at 450-532-3443 or at 1-866-532-7543.
