Planning underway for new event to replace snowmobile race

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa (AP) — Members of two snowmobile clubs say they’re planning a new event to replace the memorial snowmobile race on Clark Lake that’s been canceled after its 10-year run.

The North Iowa Snow Seekers and the Hancock County Snowmobile Association say the event will operate under a new name and format. Snow Seekers treasurer Mindy Eastman told the Mason City Globe Gazette that the name for the new racing event hasn’t yet been decided but will be announced soon. She says the event tentatively has been set for Feb. 8.

Organizers of the Jack Helgren Memorial Race say the event has been discontinued because members of the original organizational group have decided to retire. It had been named after Jack Helgren, an area businessman, former snowmobile dealer and avid racer who died in 2009.