Alberta Oval Ice Racing Says final Goodbye for the Baumann Family and Baumann Hoe & Bobcat
The Past 10 Years Oval Ice Racing in Western Canada and Alberta was very Strong. With over 10 riders in every class. Packed spectators, and 2 rows for Expert and Intermediate Classes was the norm battling out in -30C Temperatures at over 100km/h across lakes in Alberta.
Key for its success was The Baumanns, the family who Plowed Tracks for Alberta Clubs for Over 10 years From Thorsby, To Rocky Mountain House, and Rimbey.
This year, 2022, Was the last the Family would be Plowing for the Oval Ice Races in Alberta.
Key to the Oval Ice Racing Success, and for winter motorsport racing Alberta as a whole, without their generosity and dedication throughout the years, many of the races could not have been put on without their involvement and love of the very Canadian winter sport. Laughing and Smiling throughout it all.
While a track could be made with a truck and plow as in the first years of ice racing in the 80s and 90s, a Grader and Large tractor plow were just more economical and would give such a good scrape down to pure flat ice, even scraping away the ice crust that could form and unable to be removed with a normal setup. The Surface would be glass and had every class fighting for fresh ice as after the plow, truly was the most exhilarating time on the ice. You could go as fast as you ever wanted, as quick as your motor would go, and the grip on the tires made you smile ear to ear.
A Baumann track, was the best track out there.
The whole family helped put Canadians on the Map and onto the Silver Screen, Plowing for On Any Sunday The Next Chapter Putting Canada, and ice Racers into historybooks and being part of the one movie you KNOW every single person who has ever been on 2 wheels has watched it once or 20 times. To be part of that whole team and crew, while being able to say, Yup, i shared the screen with some of the worlds best, Was possible because of this family.
Watch it at 33:40 Min Mark.
No Strangers to fun and Danger, Alex brought his European background with him and had a Dirt CR500 Sidecar he converted over to Ice Racing when they emigrated from Switzerland in to Canada.
He and All Kids would battle it out when Ice Racing had 8 Sidecars on the Line, and at one point the MRSI team, pushed the limit, Getting Kicked out of the class all together with a new leaning sidecar, Alex and Another team agreed they would join them in the Open Sidecar Class and continue the sport for many more years.
All four Kids would fight for who would be the Monkey (the crazy one on the side), Later on Building a 2nd SideCar an all girl Team with Rita and Melaine would then duke it out on the ice with their own rig keeping everyone in check and the style of racing alive.
The Sidecar Class would slowly die off, It would retire In 2018.
At the gate Was almost ways Susi, Laughing and the most welcoming person you would see wishing you the best of day. Running to see the family race whenever she could.
The Baumann Family, Alex, Susi (wife) and children Melanie , Rita. Kurt and Christine have been and continue to be key integral part of Ice Racing in Alberta.
They have always been so very focused on the Family Club Racing, also being part of the off-road scene in the summers with the Second Gear Club and Rocky Motorcycle Club Across Alberta.
Alex in 2018 was 1 of 3 Vets in the 50+ Class that bumped themselves up to Vet Master class so they could enter the Maze Runner XC Hard Enduro Gold Sections!
Alex would Finish the Class with many of his friends, A Man of many few words. You might get an Oh ya. Yup! and Good out of him, some of the time. After a few drinks you could get him talking, just a bit more.
Truly a man with a passion for the sport of Motorcycling, being key to the meaning of Family part of our clubs, and a smile that grants him a heart larger than his tractors, and more powerful than any engine out there.
From Dirt Bike News, We truly thank the Baumanns for all you have done for our Sport, Families, Alberta and Motorcycling in General!
Please Contact Baumann Hoe and Bobcat for many of your Excavating needs!
Thorsby, 78o – 7 8 9 – 3 8 4 3
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