News
Area speedway to open go-kart track
Matthew Semisch
03/31/2015
Regular patrons of the Thunder Mountain Speedway (TMS) will notice something new at the site when the 2015 racing season starts in the coming months: A second track.
Sport stock and Wissota Midwest modified cars will still race on the track they had previously been wheeling around. However, a second track is currently being constructed that will allow younger racers in go-karts to have their own races at the speedway.
Thunder Mountain Go-Karts (TMGK), the group that is overseeing the go-kart track at TMS, held a general informational meeting on Wednesday at the Bottineau Community Arena. The meeting was led by Norm Reitan, a TMGK member and veteran driver at TMS.
TMGK is affiliated with the Bottineau County Racing Association, which runs the speedway located five miles north of Bottineau. The group is in the latter stages of constructing the TMS go-kart track, which Reitan said is 75 percent completed.
The track will be fully constructed before May 23, which TMGK has circled as its first race day. The track will then be open every other Saturday until Aug. 22 before the season’s final day of go-kart racing on Sept. 12. All races on the go-kart track are tentatively scheduled to start at 1 p.m.
Group bylaws have not yet been fully created, but divisions for different age groups were among the talking points at Wednesday’s meeting. Reitan said he would like to see one division for racers aged five to seven, another for those aged eight to 10 and a third for racers from age 11 into the teens.
“Some go-karts are designed so that even adults can drive them,” Reitan said, “But what we’re doing with the go-karts at (TMS) is catered more to younger kids and teenagers.
“We’d like to invite people who are interested in karting to join what we’re doing here. What we’re doing here is for the kids, and we’re starting out with a new season and a new adventure.”
The TMGK group’s next meeting will take place at TMS on Wednesday, April 15 at 7 p.m. Anyone interested in joining the group or wishing to inquire about the TMS go-kart track can call Reitan at (701) 871-1255.