NEWPORT CITY –– The roar of snowmobiles filled the air on Saturday, Feb. 7, as dozens of snowmobilers gathered on the ice behind the Eastside Restaurant for the annual Fire & Ice Radar Runs 2026. The riders came from throughout New England, but mostly Vermont.
The track was 600 feet long with a 1,000-foot cooldown. Organizer Ken Wells said this year’s races had about 41 competitors and that 500 people showed up. According to Wells, last year was their biggest event ever, but he thinks Saturday’s 10-below-zero temperatures kept people away this year. It was so cold this year that the event lasted three hours instead of four.
“People were frozen,” Wells said. He also noted that the communications equipment failed, but the radar units used to measure speed did not fail, and the microphone did not fail. “The telephones froze after about a half-hour, and the walkie-talkies froze after about an hour.”
Even though the cold weather cut the races short, Wells was pleased with the turnout.
“Snowmobilers are very hardy and they all came out anyway,” he said. “They don’t mind when it’s 10 below.”
Some speeds were well over 100 miles per hour. Some of the sleds on Saturday were built specifically for racing and others were modified.
“Some sleds are worth $30,000 and some are worth $500,” Wells said. “We had a 1982 sled, and we had 2026 Turbo sleds. They have a lot of money in all their equipment.”
Scot Padgett, of Newport City, attended the radar run to watch the many races. Even though he doesn’t ride snowmobiles himself, the rest of his family does. While he doesn’t race snowmobiles, he has raced other things in the past, like his 1958 MG. For him, the enjoyment on Saturday was seeing the motorsport in general and being near Lake Memphremagog.
“It’s hard not to come here if you’re on the lake,” he said.
Diane Verdon, of Newport City, also attended the races. She explained that she was a spectator but drove her sled across the lake from Lower Road in Newport City. Verdon feels she is too old to race herself but enjoys watching the younger set do it.
“It’s fun,” she said. Verdon likes seeing the different machines, the smell of the fuel and the speed of the snowmobiles. “A lot of people have the courage to do that. I saw a lot of young kids out there, which is nice because a lot of young people are racing. Young racers turn into older racers.”
Chris Egitto, who has a place in Newport City, likes trail riding and did some racing on Saturday. Joe Egitto explained that trail riding is more relaxing and leisurely, while racing is faster and more intense. The duo has been trail riding for about 25 years and racing for about the same time, but not as consistently. They said they have family members who have been building drag snowmobiles for years.
