Friday Night Thunder offers variety of racing

Friday Night Thunder once again returns this week as a fan-favorite for the 63rd World Championship Snowmobile Derby in Eagle River. The night will offer nine classes on the ice this Friday, Jan. 16, starting at 6 p.m, from pro to junior racers taking laps on the big track.

Race spectators will witness a variety of classes throughout the night, including the high-stakes racing of the WCDC Sweet 16 heats, semifinal and final races in the World Championship Formula III class, and many of the same riders hopping on their champ 440 sleds for a 15-lap final for the opening round of the Pro Star Cup series that will be one of the first races of the night.

The WCDC Sweet 16 will be the main event for the evening, with the class going through three heat races, two semifinals, and 10 riders will get into the 16-lap final for a chance at an extra $1,000, courtesy of the World Championship Derby Complex, and the pole position for Sunday’s World Championship 25-lap final.

On top of the championship class, other class finals will include 206 Pro/Semi-Pro (two laps for pro, one for semipro), WKSRA Junior I & Junior II Stock COMBO (3 laps), Junior I F-500-Back Row/Junior II F-500-Front Row COMBO (3 laps) and Outlaw 600 ProStar Cup (8 laps). The F-500 and Sportsman 600 classes will then run five-lap finals back-to-back, ahead of the Big Bikes 10-lap final. The Friday night finale will be the Sweet 16 final.

For more information on the schedule and race specifics, visit derbycomplex.com.