Justin Reid sits on the 1973 Arctic Cat snowmobile he plans to enter into the Blizzard "One- Lunger" Vintage Snowmobile Race at Taylor's Pit in Cedarville Saturday, March 21. The race is for single-cylinder snowmobiles predating 1975. (Photograph courtesy of Justin Reid) Cedarville Marine technician Justin Reid, 28, has had a lot of fun racing snowmobiles for about five years, but when he felt he needed a new challenge last winter, he took to racing old snowmobiles.

He got into racing vintage snowmobiles because it sounded like fun and wouldn't cost him a whole lot of money, he said.

This year Mr. Reid is entering his 1973 Arctic Cat Eltigre snowmobile into the Blizzard 200 "One- Lunger" Vintage Snowmobile Race at Taylor's Pit in Cedarville Saturday, March 21. All sleds entered into the race must be from 1975 or older and can only use single cylindar engines.

The most difficult part of preparing for the race is finding usable parts for his 36-year-old snowmobile.

"All of our time has been involved with getting the sled ready for the race," he said.

"There's lots of time involved in digging up old parts and figuring out what's good and what's bad."

Working for a snowmobile retailer has made finding usable parts a lot easier for Mr. Reid. He and his eight-person crew, JDR Performance, found parts online, in junkyards, through re-sellers, and by asking around to see if anyone local had the right parts.

Members of his crew, Andy Perkins, Eric Haske, Todd Reid, David O'Brien, John Booth, Dan Autore, Jarred Reid, and John Baker, started working to prepare the vintage snowmobile for the race in early February.

Besides the engine, the major noticeable difference between vintage snowmobiles and modern day sleds is the comfort when riding. The old suspension makes for a very bumpy ride, Mr. Reid said, and the engineering of the older machines also makes them more susceptible to damage and breakdowns.

"Keeping things going and running is going to be the biggest issue we're going to run into," he said. "We're dealing with parts that are almost 40 years old and we're trying to keep them from falling apart."

The only problems he anticipates running into would be with the snowmobile's suspension. His pit crew will be ready to make emergency repairs the day of the race.

"I think we'll be pretty set. We've got a good supply of spare parts on hand," he said. "It depends on how rough the track gets."

His snowmobile has a completely rebuilt engine, and he doesn't expect to have any problems with it during the race.

Race organizers are expecting up to 50 teams from southern Michigan, Ontario, and possibly from as far away as Wisconsin and Minnesota to compete in the 200- lap race. The half-mile track will feature straightaways, hills, moguls, and both right and left turns, with a top prize of $2,000.

Admission will be $8 for adults and $4 for children younger than 12 admitted with an adult. A portion of gate admissions will be given to the Fund the Future campaign to erase the Les Cheneaux Community Schools' projected budget revenue deficit.

About 300 spectators are expected to attend the race that starts at 9 a.m. at Taylor's Pit on M-129 about one mile north of Cedarville.

Pre-race registration will be Friday night, March 20, at Cattails Cove in downtown Cedarville between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Concessions will be provided, and the Les Cheneaux Chamber of Commerce will be selling beer and refreshments.

For more information about the race, contact the Les Cheneaux Welcome Center at 484-3935.