Turf Wars is back in Cormorant with winter racing event Dec. 18

Winter racing is heading to Cormorant, Minn., for the first winter Turf Wars event on Dec. 18.

Event organizers are planning on delivering a full winter's day of drag racing on the snow, as drivers will compete across more than a dozen different racing classes for trophies and bragging rights. Luke Eggebraaten, an organizer and part-owner of the event, said enthusiasm around snowmobiles and winter recreation in this part of Minnesota made the idea to plan a winter racing event an easy decision.

"Not only are we doing snowmobile drag racing, but we also have an ATV class, we have an open mod class and a side-by-side class," said Eggebraaten. "It'll be a full day of racing again, and it'll be a lot of fun. I think the pictures and video will look really cool with the snow."

Also at the group's first winter racing event, a women's racing class will be available for the first time at a Turf Wars event. Eggebraaten added they got the idea from the social media group, Sled Girlz , which focuses on "encouraging and empowering women riders in a male dominated sport," according to the group's Facebook page .

"We're used to having the kids class, we're used to having all the different classes with the different cc's and everything, and now we're adding this all-girls class, which I think will be awesome because we have had a lot of female racers before, and now, just having an all-girls class where they can duke it out, I think will be really exciting," he said.

The event is open to the public and costs:

• $10 for adults
• $5 for children under 12
• $40 for racing registration, plus $20 per additional racing class
  
• $10 for racing registration for children under 10
• $5 per test run

Eggebraaten also said the winter event will be a little bit of "trial and error" since it's their first event held during the coldest part of the year, but he is confident they are ready because their summer events have been going well. Warming stations will be located on the property for the event, and, he said, there should also be a few fire pits. They may also allow spectator vehicles up to the track's edge so attendees could stay in their warm cars and watch the drag-racing like a drive-in movie if the weather turns unbearably cold.

The racing classes for the event are:

• Vintage: 1980s and older

• Vintage: 0-340

• Vintage: 400-600

• 0-500cc

• 600cc

• 700cc

• 800-1000cc

• Open Mod

• Open ATV

• Mountain Sled 154+

• Kids: 0-200cc

• Women's class

"To be honest, I think the winter event, if it's not this event, maybe in the future, it's going to be bigger than the summer event because of the presence of all the snowmobile racers and with Arctic Cat and Polaris and everything around the area, I just know that the winter Turf Wars is going to be a big deal," said Eggebraaten.
Gates and registration open at 6:30 a.m., at Sherbrooke Turf . Race registration closes at 9:30 a.m., with racing starting at 10 a.m. Organizers expect racing to be completed by sundown.

• Send your local story tips to Michael at machterling@dlnewspapers.com and follow him on Twitter @machterling .