BARK RIVER, Mich. (WZMQ) – A full weekend of off-road racing is happening this weekend in Delta County.
The Bark River International Raceway is hosting the 49th annual Off-Road Rumble in the U.P.
“This is the culmination of a year’s planning all in one,” said Race Director Scott Kwarciany. “We have professional off-road racers from all over the country and Canada come here to our raceway. Our general attendance we’re looking at for this weekend will be in the neighborhood of 16,000 – 17,000.”
Racers are put to the test on the raceway’s one-and-a-half-mile dirt track.
“It is one of the most technical tracks in the champ series,” Kwarciany said. “Most of the drivers really like this track because of its intricacies. It really brings out the best in drivers, and the best driver—not the best car—is the one that usually wins.”
Speeds were a bit tame on Friday morning, as drivers were warming up and scoping out changes to the track before the qualifying races. When the official races start on Saturday at 9 a.m., they will be speeding around curves and making some major jumps.
“Because of the natural terrain of this track, there is a lot of high areas, low areas,” Kwarciany explained. “You can see the elevation change. Because it has so many undulations, we’ll get drivers that are going upwards of 80 – 90 miles an hour over high-top jumps. Some of these vehicles will fly close to 200 feet in the air before they land.”
100% of the money brought in this weekend will go to the Bark River Lions Club, which will put it to good use in the community.
“The Lions Club has many charitable causes,” said Kwarciany. “Their biggest causes usually revolve around vision, diabetes, childhood cancer, the environment, things that kind of affect all people at all levels.”
Kwarciany says the Off-Road Rumble is like a family gathering for Lions Club members, drivers, and fans. That extended family is looking forward to celebrating half a century of races next summer.
“Off-road racing is the kind of sport where families really do get involved in it, and you have a lot of fanbase that follows a lot of local drivers,” Kwarciany said. “That fanbase has been built up for so many years that they really look forward to this event. Even though we only do it one time per year, it’s kind of that highlight event of the summer.”
Admission is $35 per day or $50 for the weekend. Kids 9 and younger are admitted for free. To see the full schedule of races or to purchase tickets online, visit barkriveroffroad.com.
