
More than 400 participants and spectators turned out Saturday for the New England XCountry snowmobile races and the inaugural NorState Federal Credit Union Star City 100, hosted by North Star Motorsports.
Held at Arnold Brook Lake in Presque Isle, the races were the first of five events in the New England XCountry Championship series. Others are planned at Oquossoc, Lincoln, Portage Lake and Long Lake.
Aroostook County has been light on snow, but there was enough, and the lake had 14 inches of ice, organizers reported on social media. The event was a snowmobile-racing first for the region.
“This is the first time this type of XC racing has ever been held in Presque Isle,” North Star Motorsports owner Buddy Collins said Monday. “The next one is in Portage, which is the second annual Loon 100 on March 8, and the first annual Long Lake 100 on March 15 is actually the series championship race.”

The event started at 9 a.m., and by 1 p.m. 350 people had come through the gates, he said. Still more came after that.
The atmosphere on Saturday morning was upbeat as crowds watched the racers on the lake, spectators milled around and competitors fine-tuned their machines. Announcers called the races and the audience cheered as sleds sped across the finish line.
Jake Barrows of Vermont has raced since about 2018 and follows Scott Preston of New England XC. He came to Presque Isle with his father, Brian, after meeting Collins at a local race last year.
“We met him last year up at Portage, so we figured we’d come up here and race,” Barrows said. “This place is awesome.”

A group from Leach Racing in Naples was working on a sled after team member Loralee Leach had a minor crash on the track. She was uninjured and laughed as she said her son made her part of the team.
“I decided to try it out this year — first time,” she said. “My daughter has always done it and she decided not to race this year. I had fun today.”
Among the day’s highlights were the children’s runs for kids 5 to 10 years old. Those races were all for fun, but kids received awards and participation trophies, Collins said.
As organizers marked the track for the youngsters, parents helped kids adjust their gear and check their sleds.

Among those racing were Autumn Lane of Sherman, Addilynn Alexander of Blaine and Gladys Chandler of Washburn.
Chandler, 7, enjoys dirt-bike racing in the summer and this was her second snowmobile race, her father, Chase Chandler, said.
More than 120 adult racers competed in several classes on a 6-mile track. The top three winners in each class were as follows.
Pro Stock: 1st place, Lucas Vaadi; 2nd place, Noah Cole; and 3rd place, T.J. Leach.
Pro Open 600/650: 1st, Lucas Vaadi; 2nd, Rem Lessard; and 3rd, T.J. Leach.
Semi Pro Stock: 1st, Colby Bonville; 2nd, Allen Brown; 3rd, Buddy Collins.
Semi Pro Open 600/650: 1st, Colby Bonville; 2nd, Tucker Westney; 3rd, Buddy Collins.

SOO 650: 1st, Scott Preston; 2nd, Noah Cole; 3rd, Mike Young.
Sport Stock 600: 1st, Owen Taylor; 2nd, Alex Zwiki; 3rd, Maddox Mailhait.
Sport Open 600/650: 1st, Owen Taylor; 2nd, Alex Zwiki; 3rd, Jake Barrows.
Women’s Pro 600/650: 1st, Molly Nichols; 2nd, Danae Thompson; 3rd, Charly Collins.
Trail Open: 1st, Chase Chandler; 2nd, Joel Carvell; 3rd, Dylan Theriault.
Trail 600/650: 1st, Molly Nichols; 2nd, Mason Haten; 3rd, Tyler Knight.
Classic 600 for sleds 2004 and older: 1st, Eric Moore; 2nd, Daytona Gould; 3rd, Chad Jones.
Masters 50-plus: 1st, Chip Vaadi; 2nd, Mike Savage; 3rd, Ron Fournier.
Juniors 10-13: 1st, Brennan Comeau; 2nd, Charlotte Lilley; 3rd, Jackson Rafford.
Juniors 14-17: 1st, Patrick McGuire; 2nd, Brennan Comeau; 3rd, Carson Howes.
The next race in the New England XC series is scheduled Feb. 8 and 9 in Oquossoc.
