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Snocross Races Return; Williamstown Man Rides for His Brother

East Coast Snocross returns to North Adams this weekend with bigger purses and more activities.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Chad Luczynski knows cold.

The former professional snowmobile racer and Winter X Games participant would rather see a forecast like last year's heading into this weekend's second annual East Coast Snocross event at its new course dubbed "The River's Edge" at The Range on Curran Highway.

"I'm kind of bumming," Luczynski said on Thursday. "Last year, it was 40, 50 degrees.

Not that he hasn't raced in temperatures in the 45-below zone before.

"[The cold] is a little bit of a problem. When you're racing, you tend to wear light gloves and light clothing so you can move around more."

But racing will keep him warm as he take to the track again this year in honor of his late brother, Matt Luczynski.

"I'm basically racing in the name of my brother," Luczynski said, noting that Matt won a bronze medal at the X Games.

But he does feel sorry for "the people who work the track and have to stand around all day in that stuff."

"That stuff" will include seasonal temperatures and snow on Saturday but a high of 8 with winds up to 35 mph on Sunday, the second of two full days of racing.

North Adams is the sixth of nine stops on the ECS circuit.

Gates open at 9 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday with finals contested each day shortly after 3:30 p.m. Admission is $15 per day for adults or $25 for a weekend pass. Children under 7 are admitted free with a paying adult. Pit passes for the weekend are an additional $10.

Points and prize money will be on the line in the Pro and Pro Lite divisions, and racing will include competition in the Sport, Women's, Junior and Trail classes as well as a 120cc program for children aged 6 to 10.

Some $2,000 has been added to the Pro and Pro Lite purses and pro riders will battle for an additional $600 per day ($300 to win, $200 for second and $100 for third), while Pro Lite racers will go ski­-to-­ski for an extra $400 ($200 to win, $125 for second and $75 for third). Organizers are sure this boost in purses will ignite plenty of intense competition in North Adams; on the other side, ticket prices were reduced to make the event more afford

The event was considered a rousing success last year but now, with new local ownership under Kurt Gagne of Clarksburg, organizers say it will be even better with a focus not only on challenging racing but on entertainment.

Both participation and spectators are expected to top last year's event — despite the  frigid cold. Organizers say better access for the crowds was considered when laying out the course. There will also be a warming tent and plenty of hot cocoa and beer, and local food vendors including Mingo's Sports Bar & Grill, to help beat the chill.

Industry and local vendors will also be represented, such as Carr Hardware and South Side Sales and Service, as well as booths for non-profits like Pop Cares. Lucky spectators may also get a chance to ride the course with one of the racers.

Spectator Information • Racer check-in 7-7:30 a.m. • Spectators gates open at 9 a.m.; finals conclude by 4 • $15 per adult each day, $25 weekend; children 7 & younger free; weekend pit passes $10 • Autograph sessions at 2 both days • No alcohol may be brought in to the site; food and beverages will be available. • Bring your snowmobile to participate; 120 cc sled rentals • More information: East Coast Snocross' Facebook page • Daily schedule

The pros may be fun to watch — and they bring in lots of fans — but the event will also offer local riders like Luczynski a chance to compete. They, too, are expected to bring their own cheering sections.

Luczynski won his share of purses in the eight years he competed on a sled in the winter and a four-wheeler in the summer.

He gave up that life about eight years ago, a decision that was driven by the danger that accompanies the excitement of racing.

"I was never seriously injured like everyone else [in the sport]," Luczynski said. "... It was a hard choice, and I definitely miss it every day."

Luczynski, who lives in Williamstown, was glad the ECS initiated an event last year, giving him the opportunity to get back on the course.

It also gave him a chance to race for Matt, also a retired professional snowmobiler, who died in November 2012 at age 28.

"Last year, I raced for him, and it turned out really good. My cousin set up a booth at the race, and we had T-shirts that we were were selling to support a scholarship in Matt's name. The announcer said a few words about him when I went out on the course."

And on that course, Chad Luczynski scored a third-place finish in Saturday's Plus 25 division, a fourth-place finish in the same division on Sunday and a second place in the 30 Stock Pro Am.

"I'm out there for the fun of it," he said. "I'm still competitive by nature, but I'm just out there for the fun of it and to honor my brother.

"I kind of want to make this an annual thing, to do a race every year for my brother. It's something  I needed to do personally.

"I needed that competitiveness back in my life. It's been a rough few years ... getting on the track, you kind of forget about everything else."

North Adams Hopes to Transform Y Into Community Recreation Center

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
05:19AM / Thursday, May 02, 2024

Mayor Jennifer Macksey updates members of the former YMCA on the status of the roof project and plans for reopening. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city has plans to keep the former YMCA as a community center.

 

"The city of North Adams is very committed to having a recreation center not only for our youth but our young at heart," Mayor Jennifer Macksey said to the applause of some 50 or more YMCA members on Wednesday. "So we are really working hard and making sure we can have all those touch points."

 

The fate of the facility attached to Brayton School has been in limbo since the closure of the pool last year because of structural issues and the departure of the Berkshire Family YMCA in March.

 

The mayor said the city will run some programming over the summer until an operator can be found to take over the facility. It will also need a new name. 

 

"The YMCA, as you know, has departed from our facilities and will not return to our facility in the form that we had," she said to the crowd in Council Chambers. "And that's been mostly a decision on their part. The city of North Adams wanted to really keep our relationship with the Y, certainly, but they wanted to be a Y without borders, and we're going a different direction."

 

The pool was closed in March 2023 after the roof failed a structural inspection. Kyle Lamb, owner of Geary Builders, the contractor on the roof project, said the condition of the laminated beams was far worse than expected. 

 

"When we first went into the Y to do an inspection, we certainly found a lot more than we anticipated. The beams were actually rotted themselves on the bottom where they have to sit on the walls structurally," he said. "The beams actually, from the weight of snow and other things, actually crushed themselves eight to 11 inches. They were actually falling apart. ...