Blindfolded side-by-side racers find their way on Thompson Falls course

Thompson Falls Clark Ford Valley Elks Lodge #2757 sponsored the second annual Blindfold Side-by-Side event on a sweltering hot Saturday, this past weekend.

Side-by-side enthusiasts braved the heat and their driving skills while blindfolded along a hazard filled and winding course. Alongside the blindfolded driver, sat a wide-eyed and sometimes very loud open-eyed navigator,

This was a timed event testing how both vehicle occupants could communicate their instructions.

Traveling along the hay bale and tree infested course required that both driver and navigator work well together, and how well the blindfolded driver interpreted those instructions. Contributing to the chaos, the audience put in their two cents by yelling your other right or your other left. The race course expanded in size as the contestants lost their way along the winding course.

The score was based on time and the team with the shortest time won.

Norena Edgecombe from Thompson Falls was the official timekeeper with Vikki Born registering each of the five teams. The quality of the instructions from the navigator to the driver made for a penalty free lap.

Penalty points of 15 seconds were added to their time when the side-by-side left the course. Ten penalty points were added when the frustrated navigator grabbed the steering wheel in desperation, to avoid a quickly approaching tree or ha ybale. Five penalty points were added to their time if the driver had to back up after not avoiding that tree or hay bale. Winners were chosen based on the best cumulative scores with two heats driven for each team.

This year, five teams took to the field, down from 30 during last year’s side-by-side total entries.

A divers’ meeting was held to allow drivers to walk the track in anticipation of a penalty free run. The walk did not seem to have helped much when one took into consideration the amount of laughter from the crowd during each team run.

Starting flagger David Mitchell instructed team one to head to the starting line in preparation for the heat start. Mitchell drops the flag, and the race was on — kind of. Team one was off to an awfully slow and an unsure start, feeling their way along the course.

Mitchell commented, “We don’t need a stopwatch, we need a calendar!”

Team two was a mother son pair. April Phillips was unsure of her son, 15-year-old Benjamin Grant’s driving abilities. He had just received a learner’s permit. Grant proved his worth with the only penalty-free run during the day as a driver. However, mom’s driving abilities were a bit less perfect.

Grant said, “Mom just wouldn’t listen to me!”

Phillips came back with, “It is a lot easier to be the navigator than the driver.”

Phillips said they would be back next year.

First place went to Marty Whitten and Tony Smith of Thompson Falls. They received a trophy and certificate for two steak dinners at the Clark Fork Valley Elks Lodge.

Second place was April Phillips and son, Benjamin Grant of Thompson Falls. They received a trophy and a certificate for two fish dinners at the Clark Fork Valley Elks Lodge.

Third place was the Sonny and Jeri team, Sonny Zuniga of Denver Colorado, and Jeri Miller of Thompson Falls. They earned a trophy and gift certificates to the Wayside in Trout Creek.

The Spirit Award went to Jobe Zuniga and Janne Bethke of Lynwood, Washington. They earned trophies and gift certificates to The Wild Coyote. The Turtle Award, honoring safety on the track, goes to Brian and Mary Jorgensen with a gift certificate for each from the Naughty Pine in Trout Creek.

The event included several vendors offering food, knife sharpening, ice cones and a bounce house for the kids. A silent auction offering thirty-one items from artwork to woodworking equipment took place inside the Elks Lodge. Also, inside the lodge, a raffle took place offering items from Thompson Falls Napa, Harlow Bison Ranch, Sanders County Feed and M&M Liquors. The event brought in over three thousand dollars this year that will be used to help various organizations in Sanders County.