2026 Tired Iron Update

Announcing the 21^st Annual Fairbanks Tired Iron!

 

What’s Happening This Year…

This year, the Tired Iron has teamed up with 49th State Motorsports to bring you Snow Drag Races, a Vintage Show-N-Shine, a Parade “FUN” Ride, and a (Closed-Course) Ditchbanger Race, all at the same location, right in town!  And, we’re going to pay out at least $5,000 in cash and prizes to some of our LUCKY participants!  Just bring any 2009 or older snowmachine AND display it at our Show-N-Shine to get a FREE ticket for the drawing!  NOTE:  Every sled you bring AND display at our Show-N-Shine earns a FREE ticket, so bring as many sleds as you can!  Sign up your sleds inside the Event Tent, provided by Alaska Dreams, one of our longest sponsors!

CLICK HERE For The 2026 Tired Iron Overhead Layout

Event Date:  Saturday March 21, 2026

Event Location:  Corner of Helmricks Ave and Herb Miller Blvd (Next to East Fred Meyer on Old Steese Hwy)

Event Time(s):  9 AM – 4 PM

Show-N-Shine Sled Sign-up Times:  9 AM – 11 AM

Parade “FUN” Ride:  11:30 AM – Noon

49th State Motorsports (Closed-Course) Ditchbanger Races:  12:30 PM – 4 PM  (Click Here for more info or to sign up)

Banquet Time:  6 PM – 9 PM

Awards Banquet Location:  Mayan Palace, 3401 Airport Way, Washington Plaza, Fairbanks, AK 99709

CLICK HERE For The Mayan Palace Google Map

CLICK HERE for the Mayan Palace Menu  (Pricing may not be current)

The Return of the Parade (Ride)

This is not a race!  This is a “FUN” ride around a well-groomed track, that will be used later in the day, for the “Ditchbanger” Closed-Course race, hosted by 49^th State Motorsports.  Prior to our “Parade” (Ride), sleds will be pre-grouped, while still in our Show-N-Shine Display Area, to prepare for each group to participate in our Parade Ride, on the Track.  No racing is allowed during this event, but Having Fun is!!

This is a great time to get photos and videos, of your favorites sleds and riders.

When the Parade Ride has concluded, the Tired Iron event(s) will come to a close, and the 49^th State Motorsports Closed-Course “Ditchbanger” races will begin.  These races will include classes for Vintage sleds, and newer sleds too.  For more information about these races, CLICK HERE to go to the 49^th State Motorsports Facebook page.

On-Site Hot Food and Drinks

The Midnight Sun BSA – Scouts will have hot food and drinks available, for purchase, at the Food Court, located in the on-site Event Tent.  Your food purchases help support a great local group!  CLICK HERE to learn more about Scouting

Cash and Awards Banquet

The Awards Banquet will begin at 6:00 PM at the Mayan Palace on Saturday March 21, 2026, and is for all Tired Iron AND 49th State Motorsports participants.  The Mayan Palace is located in the Washington Plaza, 3401 Airport Way, Fairbanks, AK 99709.  The Mayan Palace will have table servers for your food and drink orders.

During the Awards Banquet, we will be drawing and awarding at least $5,000 cash and prizes!

MAKE SURE TO BE THERE!

Click Here for a Blast From Our Past…

 

 

 

All information below this point is for Historical Viewing…

2025 Tired Iron Update

This is Tired Iron’s 20^th Anniversary and we’re doing something special to celebrate!

 

This year, instead of racing vintage snowmachines, we’re going to show and “RIDE” vintage snowmachines.  And we’re going to pay out a total of $20,000 to 20 of those LUCKY participants!  Just bring any 1979 or older snowmachine and 20 bucks to the “Last Great Vintage Ride” on March 22, 2025.

Event Date:   Saturday March 22, 2025

Location:      Corner of Helmricks Ave and Herb Miller Blvd (Next to East Fred Meyer on Old Steese Hwy)

Event Time: 9 AM – 3 PM

Sled Sign-up Times:  9 AM – Noon

Awards Banquet Location:  Westmark Hotel, The Northern Latitudes Room

Banquet Time:  6 PM – 9 PM (Cash Drawing – 7:00 PM – 7:30 PM)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

General Rules

To be eligible to receive ONE ticket to the CASH drawing, you must pay an entry fee of $20, to enter a snow machine, of a model year of 1979 or older, into our Show-N-Shine.  That entry allows you to display your sled in our Show-N-Shine (SNS) display area.  You will also receive a coupon for a LUNCH MEAL TICKET for a free burger (or) 2 hot dogs/bag of chips/beverage, redeemable at the Food Court, (courtesy of the Midnight Sun BSA – Boy Scouts) located in the on-site Event Tent.

PLEASE NOTE:  You may enter more than ONE (1) sled into our SNS.  Regardless of how many sleds you enter, you will only be charged ONE Entry Fee of $20.  Also, regardless of how many sleds you enter, you will only be eligible to receive ONE drawing ticket (per person entering) to the CASH drawing.

To enter your sled(s), just go to the Ticket Handlers Table inside the Event Tent (between the hours of 9 AM – Noon) for the appropriate paperwork.  At the time of your Entry, you will receive an important receipt (to keep with you), a Lunch Meal Ticket, a Waiver Form, and a Sled Display Informational Form (to be displayed on each sled you wish to show), along with ONE ticket to the CASH drawing.

After entering, you will be able to offload your sled(s) and see TI Staff, in the SNS display area, for appropriate sled staging.

In addition to the ONE drawing ticket you receive when entering a sled in the SNS, ONE (additional) ticket will be awarded to each entrant that completes two (2) PARADE LAPS (Single File) on our small Parade Track (approximately 1/4 mile long). These PARADE LAPS will be organized in groups of “similar” sled sizes and are intended to give spectators, etc. the opportunity to get good photos and videos of what we’ve named the “LAST TIRED IRON VINTAGE RIDE”.

As a way to honor our past Tired Iron Champions, all former Tired Iron “Champions” will receive ONE “Honorary” ticket to the CASH drawing each (regardless of how many times they were champions).  Qualifying Champions are the “Classic” and the “Wet Iron” 1^st place winners… specifically, the same names that went on the large “Fairbanks Tired Iron Champions” trophy.

Our Final Parade (Ride)

Prior to our “Parade” (Ride), sleds will be pre-grouped, (Groups A,B,C,D,etc.) while still in our Show-N-Shine Display Area, to prepare for each group to participate in our (Single File) Parade, of 2 laps, around the Parade Track.

We ask that there be NO PASSING during this Parade event, to allow for unobstructed access by spectators who will be taking photos and videos, and to ensure that the Parade is a safe event.

At approximate 1:00 PM, we will be calling the various Groups of sleds to enter the Parade Track, where they will be lined up by TI Staff.  Once ready, they will receive a green flag to begin the Parade.  The sled in the “Pole” position (Inside – Left) will start, and the sled to their right will fall in behind them, and so on, until that row has emptied.  The row behind will follow, in the same manner, beginning with its inside-left sled, and repeating the process, until all sleds have been started.  After their 2 laps have been completed, they will exit the Parade Track, returning to the Show-N-Shine Display area.

Shortly after a Group has completed their Parade Laps, they will be able to return to the Ticket Handlers Table inside the Event Tent to receive their final CASH drawing ticket.

When the Parade Ride has concluded, the event will come to a close, and the Awards Banquet will begin at 6:00 PM at the Westmark Hotel.

Cash and Awards Banquet

For those who wish to book a room at the Westmark, the Tired Iron has negotiated a special “Tired Iron” room rate of $109 plus tax, per night.  Standard Check-In time is 3:00 p.m. Standard Check-Out time is 11:00 a.m.  Rate is valid for 2 nights prior to check-in and 2 nights after check-out, subject to availability (so make your reservations early!).  24-hour notice is required for all individual cancellations.  Breakfast is included.  To receive this rate, you must book your reservation online at www.hollandamericahotels.com using the Tired Iron  Group Code:  TI2025 (Case Sensitive)

Make sure to add the 2025 Tired Iron’s “LAST TIRED IRON VINTAGE RIDE” to your calendar.  Don’t miss your chance to CASH in on getting paid to ride your snowmachine!  We’ll see you there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2024 Tired Iron Update

Thanks for Stopping By!

Fairbanks Tired Iron proudly announces its sponsorship of the 19^th Annual “Johnny Martin Memorial” Tired Iron Snowmobile Weekend Extravaganza, to be hosted by Alaska Vintage Sleds.

We dedicate our 19^th season to John Martin, and have named it the “Johnny Martin Memorial Tired Iron Snowmobile Weekend Extravaganza”, in his honor. On January 17, 2024, we lost Johnny Martin, a snow machine icon in Fairbanks and a great Fairbanks Tired Iron supporter and volunteer. Johnny Martin, has raced snow machines from the 1960’s well into the 2000’s. His race career included World Class races like the “Midnight Sun 600”, a race described by Time Magazine as clearly the “Coldest and Crudest” snowmobile race in the world. In another race, described as one of the World’s Toughest Downhill Ski races, and an exciting Snowmobile Race, all in one, the “Arctic Man”, Johnny and his teammate posted two wins over the many years they participated. He was a “Master” snowmobile mechanic, with an exceptional talent for clutch tuning. He was the “Go To” man for track preparation and trail grooming, racking up countless hours of volunteer work over many, many years.

In 2023, Johnny was awarded the Tired Iron’s “Volunteer of the Decade” award, for his invaluable dedication to the Tired Iron, from its inception. Many, many, thanks to Johnny and his wife Pat (both members of the Fairbanks Tired Iron) for all of their support over the years! We’ll surely miss him at the Start Line with his enthusiastic waving of those Green and Checkered Flags!

This year’s events will be held on March 16th and 17th at 3671 Lakeview Drive, which is the location of the Fairbanks Snowmobile Fun Lions Clubhouse. For 2024, once again, we’ve teamed up with Alaska Vintage Sleds to host the 19th Annual Tired Iron. A GREAT BIG shout out to Richard, Kurt, and the Petersons, for stepping up and putting in the time it takes to make these events possible! Get ready to experience some real “Vintage Style” snow machine fun, which is our most basic commitment to the “Tired Iron” experience: Having FUN!! True, our official mission is to: “Educate the public, document and preserve the history of snow machining and snow machine racing”, so what better way to achieve that goal than to encourage people to restore those old sleds and bring them out to show them off!

Tired Iron will, once again, be awarding $CASH$ prizes for the various Show-N-Shine category winners. Whether its the Closed Course Race, the Drag Races, the Oval Racing, or the Show-N-Shine, we think you’re going to like what’s in store for 2024. Bottom line is… it should FUN, and a good time for all. Don’t Forget… Everyone should plan to enter at least one sled in our Vintage Sled Show-N-Shine. Bring your spiffed up sled(s) to our vintage outdoor showroom and you’ll have a chance to win some individual class $CASH$ AND the “Random Drawing” for all Show participants! AND, BEST OF ALL… IT’S TOTALLY FREE TO ENTER THE SHOW-N-SHINE!

Sign up your sled(s) by printing out the entry form below  and emailing it to kurthough@gmail.com (one form for each sled you are entering please) or you can sign up on Sat March 16th, between 9:00 AM and 10:00 AM, at the event location (3671 Lakeview Drive).  All sleds must be parked by 12:30 PM, so judging can begin.  Good Luck!

Click Here to Download 2024  Show-N-Shine Entry Form

 

For current information on this year’s events, and how to sign up, please use the link below, to go to the Alaska Vintage Sleds Facebook page: CLICK HERE

 

For your historical browsing enjoyment…

We are keeping previous year’s historical information on our website for browsing, but keep in mind, all information, beyond this page, on our site is for HISTORICAL AND EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION ONLY. For information related to the 2023 events, use the Alaska Vintage Sled Facebook Link above.