People have already begun assembling their go-karts for the annual St. Labre 200 race happening later this weekend and event planner Lucien Grenier is convinced the event will be bigger and better than ever before.

With, new places to eat, new showers, new racing teams, and new events like axe-throwing, Grenier expects around 2,000 people to visit this year’s festivities. He notes that this record attendance will include people from all across the province.

“In the last couple of year’s the event has just flourished,” comments Grenier. “We’ve got people coming in from Plum Coulee, Winkler, Beausejour, and Winnipeg. people are still asking if they can join and we have to turn them down because we are maxed out.”

Grenier says people are coming to race from all across Manitoba (Photo credit: St. Labre 200).

Though a lot of extra features have been added to the annual race, Grenier says that the crowning jewel of this year’s programming is the racetrack itself which was completed last weekend.

“We’ve got a brand spanking new track,” says Grenier, “It’s going to be pretty cool because a lot of work went into organizing this year. I have got to commend the committee; they did a wonderful job.”

Grenier says some highlights of the refurbished facilities include pits, a stage, and a lap counting building.

“The purpose of this whole event is to give back to the community while having fun at a low cost,” adds Grenier who indicates that any money raised this year will go to one of five not-for-profit organizations: Steinbach Sunset Riders, Les Chouette De Lorette, Small Town Kids, First Steps Wellness, and No Limits For Girls.

Grenier says those involved in the competition began arriving Thursday night, will spend the majority of Friday assembling their karts, and will partake of their iconic 200 lap race at 6:00 PM Saturday evening.

“It’s a lot more grueling than people think,” comments Grenier, “ these go-karts are all built on site, some people don’t put suspension in them, and you have to remember that whatever you build, you are cramped up in for two and a half to three hours.”

However, uncomfortable the vehicles may be, the occasion continues to draw a larger crowd every single year.


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