By Keith McNeill
The Clearwater Times
Brett Turcotte has a well-known name in the snowmobiling world.
He plans to make use of that name to promote a charity event in his hometown of Clearwater, B.C.
“I chose to help support the cause so I can give back to the community that has supported me to where I am today,” he said.
Brett’s business, The Turcotte Compound, will be helping to put on a charity drag races and freestyle show on Saturday, March 3.
READ MORE: Turcotte wins silver at Winter X Games (Jan. 31, 2017)
READ MORE: Brett Turcotte appears at BC Show Show in Vernon (Nov. 11, 2015)
READ MORE: Turcotte helps construct mountain bike trails (June 9, 2016)
Snow conditions permitting, the event will be held in the field next to Raft River Elementary School in Clearwater.
The event is being organized with help from Clearwater Sno-Drifters snowmobile club.
The club has traditionally supported the BC Lions Society for Children with Disabilities through its annual Snowarama.
The upcoming event will continue that tradition, with 100 per cent of the proceeds going to the Lions club.
“It will be a unique event and will give the average person a chance to do some racing where no other options are available,” Turcotte said.
There will be two freestyle shows, one at 12 noon and another at the end of the races, probably around 4:30 p.m.
Food trucks and vendors will be on site.
“There will be a kids’ area and, hopefully, some bonfires going,” he added. “We want it to be a family-friendly event for the whole community.”
| Brett Turcotte at 14 yeas old in 2002 had just signed up as the youngest member of the Blair Morgan racing team. |
The Clearwater Times has been reporting about Turcotte’s snowmobiling career since 1998 when he won second place in a BC Snowmobiling Federation hill-climb near Vernon.
He said at the time, “I had a good race. It was a tough, fast course. I had some bad air on one jump and lost a bit of time. Hopefully, I can race more next year.”
In 2002 we reported that Clearwater’s “Wild Child”, then aged 14, had recently signed on with the Blair Morgan racing team, one of the top teams in the sno-cross circuit.
Other highlights of his career include winning the CSRA sno-cross semi-pro national championship in 2006, a silver for sno-cross at the X-Games in 2008, three firsts and one second in WCHA hill-climbs in 2015, and a silver for best trick at the X-Games in 2017.
The next big event for Turcotte will be the X-Games in Aspen, Colorado from Jan. 25 to 28.
The Turcotte Compound is a 100+ acre action sports training facility located in Clearwater.
