Top SnoCross racer excited to race at home

Courtesy of Sarah McQuestion Sarah McQuestion, ranked No. 1 in the nation in SnoCross, tackles the track.

CADILLAC — She’s got the jumps. She’s got the speed and daring. And she’s got the endurance. All of these qualities have placed Sarah McQuestion at the top of the heap in women’s SnoCross racing, a snowmobile race that looks a little like moto-cross racing, “but cooler.”

McQuestion has raced at the national level in the Power Sports Snowmobile Tour for four years. Last year she finished third in the nation. Currently she holds the No. 1 spot and is determined to finish the season in the first-place position.

In a sport dominated by men, McQuestion would like to see women get their due. And she’s hoping for local support this weekend when she races in the WPSA Woody’s Michigan Regional SnoCross race at the Wexford County Fairgrounds.

“It’s exciting to be in my home town where people can finally watch who have never had a chance to watch before.”

So determined is McQuestion to make this weekend event a top-notch experience, she helped design and build the tracks. Her family even helped haul in the snow.

In fact, the entire McQuestion family has a deep history in the sport. Her father, Alan, used to race the I-500 and her sisters and brother have also raced. Now she has nieces and nephews racing.

“I’ve always been on sleds,” she laughed, “ever since I was old enough to push a throttle.”

McQuestion, who just graduated from Ferris State University with construction management and civil engineering degrees, works full-time for her family’s road construction firm. But on weekends she’s competing, from Thanksgiving through the end of March. She competes at both the national and regional level.

The national level, she pointed out, has more prize money and is more stressful and intense. She has three races left in the national series. If she holds her first-place spot, she is almost guaranteed “a big sponsor” so she can return to the sport again next season.

“I finished third last year and it wasn’t good enough to pick up a big enough sponsor, like Ski-Doo, although they do give me a discount at this point.”

During the work week, McQuestion keeps a rigorous schedule, including two hours of practice and an hour of workout and conditioning every day.

She stressed that, due to the expense of the sport, her sponsors have made it possible for her to compete nationally: Michigan Cat, AIS Equipment, Arctive, Woodys and Track n’ Trail Marine.

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