BARK RIVER - If bigger is better when it comes to racing, especially in the mud, then you are in store for a big treat this weekend.
3 Fires Offroad Track will host what promoter Bill Sagataw says "is the largest gathering of mud trucks in the U.P."
Trucks Gone Wild, a national firm that makes DVDs of a form of racing that Sagataw said is "getting bigger and bigger" will attend to make videos of the event. "They are looking for more venues to visit," said Sagataw, indicating the Florida firm has been focusing on its home area until recently.
Article Photos
A driver runs his truck through a mud pit at the 3 Fires Offroad Track last month. The track will host a major competition this weekend, including monster trucks. (Daily Press photo by Keith Shelton)
"To come here is a major thing for us," he said, noting this is only the second year of the track's operation.
He is expecting trucks of all sizes and drivers from Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, lower Michigan and Kentucky.
A media day with radio remotes will take place Thursday as participants begin arriving.
The U.P. Mud Drag Association will compete at 7 p.m. Friday, with registration from 4-6. Sagataw said the stock class division is open to anybody with a vehicle, from used to brand new. A live band will perform at 9 p.m.
Saturday's session begins with a welcome program at 11 a.m., and the pits will be open. Registration runs from 12-2 p.m. and the U.P. Mud Drag pro classes compete at 3 p.m. There will also be a monster truck back flip exhibition.
At 8 p.m. the Pro Wrestling Revolution will stage several matches.
Sunday's highlight at 11 a.m. is the $500 Bounty Hole, in which the biggest trucks will try to get through a mud hole.
"You're going to see lots of action, lots of big mud trucks, all different sizes, stock trucks to monster trucks," said Sagataw. "You'll see the biggest and fastest trucks. Some trucks whip across the mud in two seconds.
"There will be side-by-side racing at 3 and 7 p.m., but the majority of it is just a free-for-all. We'll have 15-20 trucks tearing up mud hills of different sizes."
He said there are several mud pits on the course, some with obstacles.
"We're still building it," he said. "We want to get dfferent ideas from people."
Admission is $25 for the weekend or $10 per day, with ages 15-and-under free. Fans are encouraged to bring umbrellas, a canopy and lawn chairs to view the action from a hill. Carry-ins are only allowed for fans who camp at the complex, which is on D Road (the flashing yellow light on U.S. 2-41 in Bark River), two miles south of the Bark River Off-Road Track