Rovaniemi to hold 4rth Snowmobile Race on March 30

The fourth edition of the Kelekkakisa 2019, snowmobile race, will take place in the Lainaanranta river area near the Candle Bridge in Rovaniemi on March 30.

One hundred and sixty-five drivers from Scandinavian countries will take part in the race in various categories where both new and old model of snowmobiles are expected to be used, the organizers said.

“The participants will take part in children, women, veterans and licensed drivers categories in the race, which will showcase snowmobiles of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000-2005, 2006-2010, 2011-2019,” the event organizer Arto Tuisku told Daily Finland.

Veterans and women, however, will be allowed to ride any snowmobile they choose while children will be allowed to ride 120cc and 200cc snowmobiles.

A five-kilometer snowmobile parade will be also held before the race, where anyone can come and join with own sled, Tuisku said.

This year’s snowmobile race will have 10 competition rounds and all category winners will be awarded the legendary reindeer antler picture.

The registration fee has been set at 50 euros for children and 100 euros for any other categories. The snowmobile race, however, is a free-of-charge for all spectators.

In the morning, there will be a technical inspection which includes the checking of rear lights and emergency cut-off and whether snowmobiles are in a good working condition. The inspection will also check certificates and traffic insurance policy validity for the snowmobiles, etc.

The snowmobile parade will be held at 11:00am which will begin from Saarituvat and will end at Lainaanranta.

The preliminary round will be held from 12:00–13:00pm and the final round from 14:00–15:00pm, after a one-hour break.

All children participating in the race will be awarded prizes immediately after the race while the three best riders in every category will be awarded in a city restaurant later at night.

“The race will be a great winter event. All preparations are on to make the event successful. I expect a sunny weather so that everybody can enjoy the world-class event in a nice atmosphere,” Tuisku added.

The snowmobile race, hosted by Juha Mäntykenttä and Jarkko Ylläsjärvi, has been taking place for the past three years. The first edition took place in Sonka in 2016, with 20 riders taking part and about 200 spectators attending. The second race took place the next year in 2017 at the same place, with 75 riders taking part and 2,000 spectators attending.

In 2018, the third race was relocated to Lainaanranta, with 125 riders and 10,000 spectators joining the one-day event. The fourth edition will be held at the same place this year.