9/04/2008
A SNOWMOBILE ADVOCATE IN THE WHITE HOUSE? Although I prefer to keep the site about the fun topic of your favorite rusty old sled, and not about regular, every day stuff like, oh say, politics, I think this needs to be mentioned.
When I first heard the news about Alaska Governor Sarah Palin being nominated as the Republican choice for Vice-president, I like everyone else who follows these things, was taken completely by surprise. I knew nothing about her. Then I heard she was originally from the small town of Wasilla, Alaska. I thought "Mmmm. Who else do I know from Wasilla Alaska?"
None other than last years Vintage SnoPro champ Steve Smith - and the Smith Brothers. So my first phone call that morning was to get poor old Mike out of bed at about 5:00 local time. Proving once again that the theory of six degrees of separation is real, Mike and his family do know Todd and Sarah, and they live just a mile away.
Todd and Sarah both snowmobile, but by all accounts, Todd is a certified sledhead. He rides and he races. He's done some oval ice racing, a lot of cross country racing and he's won Alaska's big race 4 times.
Let's dwell on that for a moment shall we?
The Alaska Irondog race has been going on for many years. Their website lists races all the way back to 1984. It's now a 1,971 mile race is from Wasilla, to Nome to Fairbanks Alaska. Its cold; often the racers are running at 60-70 below zero. Rocks, lakes, open water, and speed conjure up images of the old Winnipeg to St. Paul races. Irondog racers camp right out on the trail or sleep in checkpoints along the way. Prize money has been as high as $50,000 in the race.
Lots of teams come up from the lower 48, but the Alaska boys tend to dominate. Again, Todd Palin has won this race 4 times, each time on an Arctic Cat. Todd's parents own a Polaris dealership in Dillingham Alaska, and have done so for over 15 years.
Sarah is an active snowmobiler. As mayor of Wasilla, she was active in getting a trail through the town of Wasilla so riders could get through without getting into trouble with the law.
Last year, Todd borrowed and old snowmobile suit an old Cat and rode on an old vintage fun run that was a fund raiser for charity. Last years celebrity riders included none other than Rupp superstar Gene Bloom.
More info on the Palin's snowmobile connections as we learn about them. But for now, I'm still reeling that a candidate for Vice-President of the United States of America got this line in hear acceptance speech - talking about husband Todd:
"a proud member of the United Steel Workers' Union ... and world champion snow machine racer."
77 250X OVAL RACING BLIZZARD I've always liked the look of the 77 Ski-Doo Blizzard superstockers, but up until I heard about this sled, I always thought they only came in 440 Superstock regular and Michigan versions.
But there is much more to the story on the 77's. Of course the factory drivers had the IFS version for the SnoPro races, but Ski-Doo made a handful of some super mod leaf spring blizzards for 77 to get the top independent teams a hot ride for the year.
Here's the story on one of those Super-Mod Blizzard leafers. This rarebird, owned by a collector who wishes to remain anonymous, is one of only about 10 ever made, and may be one of the only existing ones - although since this was sent to me, I've now heard there may be a few more out there:
"For the 1977 oval race season, Bombardier manufactured the last series of
its modified, leaf-spring race sled models (all subsequent modified oval
racers would be IFS equipped).
There were actually 4 models produced, with the most common being the 440
super-stock version. However, a limited number of specialized modified
models were also manufactured, those being denoted as "X" racers.
The X
models came in 3 engine sizes-250, 340 and 440.
The 440 X model incorporated the Rotax 440 liquid cooled base engine found
in the super-stock model in a varying, much modified state.
The 340 X
possessed a modified liquid cooled cross-country application Rotax. The 250
X sported an all-new, highly modified 250 cc displacement liquid cooled
engine with rotary-valve induction .
The 250 X model was an extremely limited-build machine, with a total
production number hovering around 10, making it the rarest production race
sled ever produced by Ski-Doo. This very 250 X, was issued to the Deckers with the designated driver being Steve
Decker. The 340 and 440 machine the Deckers had are now lost to history.
Very cool stuff. The 77 Blizzard superstocker is on my list of Doo's I'd like to try driving someday. Thanks to the anonymous contributor who researched the info for me here. Much appreciated.
9/03/2008
THE NEXT GENERATION - OR BABES ON SLEDS? Meet Kendra Kitzman. Born last Friday to Sandy and Kenny Kitzman. As you can see, although she's only a couple of days old, she's already completely at home on an old race sled. Mom, dad and baby are all doing great. Kendra has even let the new mom and dad sleep at night. We just wanted to congratulate the happy couple and welcome Kendra into the extended family of old sled heads!
One 36” X 13” Waconia poster, printed on heavy plastic. Signed by much of the Polaris Royal Family: Bob Eastman, Greg Grahan, Jim Bernat, Greg Hedlund, Herb Howe, Leroy Lindblad, Mike Baker, David Johnson, Ray Monsrud and Andy Wells. THESE ARE 100% ORIGINAL AUTOGRAPHS!
Saturday and Sunday pins from the show – one featuring the 76 TX poster, one featuring Dave Larsen’s award winning 71 795cc 2+1. Two dash plaques, one featuring Bob Eastman in 1973 on his World Championship winning 1973 Starfire and one featuring Doc Jim's 1972 ATX.
Two shirts are included: A large Midnight Blue Express T-Shirt, and a large white Waconia Bob Eastman sweater.
Pretty cool stuff for a pretty cool cause!
8/25/2008
FUN AT PRINCETON
By Larry Preston Photos by Bull Session Members Mr. and Mrs. Earlham (AKA Tom and Patty Riley)
Well that was a good time! Started late Thursday with a barbeque on the back of Engineered Graphics truck (thanks for the burger Frank!), with Bill and Jerry from Arctic Restorations Specialties. I haven't laughed that hard in weeks.
Dale Sloper and his F/A Rupp was the talk of the drag races.
This young lady on a Speedway had hearts and sleds racing.
Friday was a little slow as they gates did not officially open until 3:00 PM. The weather held out, all though a very stiff breeze actually wrecked my display pop-up tent. It was cheap and I got what I paid for. But with some slide rails, tie straps and tie downs, we were able to hold connect it to the trailer, problem solved.
Friday night, we all went over to watch the drag racing - and it was really good. "Reverend" Dale Sloper and his F/A Rupp was the talk of the race. Dale's stock 340 (complete with an air-box) cleaned clock on the other stockers, even on the 440's. Dale's success did not come over night. He has been building his tuning skills for years now. By all reports, Dale is more meticulous than a Swiss watch maker. He builds his own test tracks winter and summer and often spends 6-8 hours at a time squeezing every available pony out of his Rupp.
Friday night, Dale's hard work really showed. He won 5 out of 6 classes and it was just a slip of the hand on the throttle that cost him a clean sweep.
Chuck Moser just about won a class on his John Deere, but was edged out by Gary Peterson's Yamaha. Chuck Root brought out a fast Herters, with a fan Kohler motor in it. Chuck put his son Casey on it and won two races.
Then it was time for the mod sleds. Controversy broke out over one sled - a lay down drag sled with a newer Rotax in it. Many in attendance thought it did not meet any criteria for "vintage". But it ran and ran good. Jeff Lausten has a new 650 Yamaha SR that was mighty fast, and put on a good show. Super-Yamaha tuner Dave Delaughter brought out a new sled - a 340 SnoPro Polaris! That took even me by surprise, and I had to ask dave about it. "Well, since I work for Polaris, I thought it was time I built one". They had completed the sled the night before, so Friday was a test and tune for them.
Sweet sleds for sale in the swap included this 72 ATX 335.
HOLY THUNDERJETS! Ever seen so many in one spot??
Paul James once again was riding Dr. Mario's 70 Polaris 800 and looked like he was going to win every race he was in off the line.. but the sled ran out of gear and was beaten just short of the line by a Yamaha and World Champion Fred Smith on his Ski-Doo. Fred was amazing, even for a second place finish. The sled was a little slow off the line, but man o man did it come on!
All in all, this was an extremely fun drag racing event. I was with a group of friends and we all had a great time watching them. Congratulations to the Outlaw Grass Drag crew for a great show.
Saturday was the swap and the late model drags. No question the swap was down a bit. There was open spaces that were not there the year before. But no matter. The weather great and there was deals to be had. I found some very fun stuff, and I saw some very, very nice sleds being taken out all day long on Saturday.
The other big fun for me was all the Bull Sessions members that showed up, stopped by the booth and said hello, including Cruel Paul, Dr. Mario, Pro-X, Winter_Thunder, Jared, Mr. and Mrs. Earlham and many, many more. So many that I couldn't keep track. Thanks everybody for stopping by!
BS Member Pro-X got this excellent condition 80 TXL at a bargain price.
More from the show: This outstanding Grand-Prix turned heads.
Two more show sleds: Nice Moto-Skis.
4 cylinder Yamaha and a Thunderjet at the drags.
8/21/2008
PRINCETON SHOWS UP HIGH ON THE VINTAGESLEDS.COM BUZZ-O-METER® When ever a gig event is coming up, we find we can roughly gauge how big of an event it will be based on the "buzz" all over the web. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being no buzz what so ever and 10 being "it's all anyone is talking about" the Princeton swap, show and drag race is running a solid 8.215, one of the higher buzz rankings so far this year.
The event starts tomorrow (Friday at 3:00 PM) and runs through Sunday. Vintage grass drags will be hot and heavy this year under the lights. Tonights entertainment also features live music from Shane Wyatt, also known as 'the last cowboy'.
Princeton for me is ultimately about the swapping. Tons and tons of rows of stuff for sale. It's great fun.
Vintagesleds.com will have a booth on one of the main isles, near Arctic Restorations and Engineered Graphics. We'll have a lot of the stuff from the online store on sale at special show prices, plus I'm bringing a pile o' stuff out of my garage that I'm sure some one will want to give a good home to.
See you there!
8/19/2008
THE ZEDSHED - ONLY GETTING BETTER... We featured Rich Pederson's Cat collection, display and playhouse here on vintagesleds.com a year or so ago. Rich just sent in this video of the playhouse as it has evolved over the years. From a barn into a very nice display area, shop and hang out, here's the video of the ZedShed Evolution.
8/12/2008
FIND OF THE DECADE? ONE OF JERRY BUNKE'S 73-75 STARFIRES Mike Honken is quickly becoming Mr. "I found it!" as he's turning up all kinds of interesting finds. The one he sent in today is astonishing.
Jerry Bunke, along with his team mates, got shiny new 73 Starfires to race for the 1973 season. Jerry's dad (who owned the dealership in the home town of Rushford, Minnesota) got Jerry a 295 and a 440. In 1974, they cut the living bejesus out of them, turning them into what they called "ultra-lights'. Bulkhead, steering column... everything had holes drilled in it to lighten the chassis. They even removed the recoils, rope starting them instead, to lose some weight.
In 1975, they raced the same machines, refined a bit more. Jerry won a high point driver award in the central division. That and a resume got him noticed enough by Polaris that by 1976 they hired him to move up to Roseau and become part of the Polaris Professional Race Team. The rest, as they say, is history.
This is clearly Jerry's 295, which was converted to a 340 for 74 and 75. Current owner wants to remain anonymous, and it is NOT FOR SALE. Mike talked him into some photos however to share with all of us... more proof folks...it's still out there....
In fact, this means Jerry's 440 is still out there some where, as is team member Wally Nahrganger's....
8/07/2008
BLACK MAGIC AUCTION Remember "Black magic"? They were the performance/race arm of Arctic Cat for many years. But September 13th, it's all being auctioned off. There's some vintage and antique sleds, a dyno, milling and machining equipment... quite an assortment of snowmobile and motor sports tools and shop items. Auction is Saturday, September 13th in Thief River Falls Minnesota.
As Jeff found it...
As it is today. Note the 79 in the background.
BACK FROM THE SCRAP HEAP
Jeff Karrow can't help himself. He's a racing nut, and a certified Ski-Doo maniac. When he saw a twin tracker laying at a swap meet, all battered, tattered, torn, beaten and near death, he had to save it. Most people looked at it and saw junk, Jeff looked at it and saw a big-eyed puppy that he had to rescue from the pound.
Many, many months and a whole lot of elbow grease later, look how nice he has this baby looking! And she'll be race ready for this year. He'll be running it where ever they will let him, but primarily at Wolf lake near his home town of Alexandria Minnesota. Not only did he get tech sled, he got the history. This sled was originally raced by Dave Wahl, who sold it to Jeremy Johnston, who sold it to Kirby Funk (great racer name or what?) who crashed it at Eagle River. Jeff restored the front end the same way Wahl's ran it. It will be getting a 440 Rotax power-plant very soon.
And if you look close in the photo, you can see Jeff's new 250 IFS he'll be racing at events all over next year. Nice job Jeff!
WELL DRESSED TRAVELER
Bull Session member "Demo" aka Joe Desormeaux, found himself on the wrong end of a camera while heading through an airport recently. Note the spiffy shirt. Now this is how all vintage sledders should travel! Nice!
If you want to get noticed in an airport, this is the way to doo it!
VSCA NATIONALS
Every single report I got back from the VSCA Nationals was that the show was a smashing success, and several said it was so nice and so much fun that the bar had been raised. No way anyone could do it up better.
Next years show location has not yet been announced, but we are eagerly awaiting to find out. Might take awhile.. arrangements have to be made and people contacted and such... but I will be at the next one. I can't believe I missed this one.
SUMMER PROJECTS - TOO MANY?
I do this every spring. I line up a bunch of projects, tear into them, then realize I do not have enough QGT (Quality Garage Time) to invest in getting all the projects done in my lifetime. This year is no different.
However, if you have been following the progress of the 1978 440X Polaris RXL I am restoring, you may know the big hold up has been pipes. Well, Dave Crumb has worked his magic, and the pipes should be getting to me soon - meaning I can wrap that baby up - maybe in time for Princeton? We'll see.
7/30/2008
MEET STEVE SMITH - 2008 VINTAGE SNOPRO CHAMPION! By now you know Steve Smith is the 2008 Vintage SnoPro Champ. His name will go on the Snowmobile Hall of Fame cup and be on display at the new museum in St. Germain Wisconsin for all time.
[Note: Photos removed at photographers request]
To the causal observer, it would seem Steve just got started a year or so ago, and now finds himself on top of the heap. Well, he is on top of the heap, but there is no way you can say Steve just started.
Normally a commercial fisherman from Wasilla Alaska, Steve also spends some time working with the families cement contracting business. He's now 51 years old, and is married to wife Evelyn, and has three kids: Sean, Amanda and Jessica. For fun, Steve and his son Sean like to go dredging for Gold. They dive in rivers and pump up the waters in Alaska. "When you see the gold going up the hose, it's pretty exciting. - It's a bad addiction!" Steve says. They are also avid hunters & fisherman. In fact, they usually only eat what they kill themselves. They have a diet rich in Moose, Caribou and Halibut.
Steve got started in 1973 racing the juniors class on a Sears Sportster. "It was a great sled, I really liked it!" Steve fondly recalls. By 1976, he and his brother Mike moved on to Arctic Cat's, racing a Panther and a Z. They flirted with Arctic Cats as the only brand they would ride, and they started winning races on the sleds in Alaska. In 1976, thier uncle Joe opened up an Arctic dealership right next to the Smith's. The Smith Brothers flirting with Arctic Cat became an all-out love affair.
In 1979, they got accepted to go to the race school at Arctic Cat and could buy a new 1980 Arctic IFS SnoPro. They flew down for the week long training school and stayed a but longer to test the sled at the season opener in Grand Forks North Dakota in December of 1979. They had one 340 Super mod. Steve would run the sled in 340 Super Mod, Mike would run it in 440. First heat Steve found himself lined up next Steve Thorsen, Jim Dimmerman and a host of other top-notch racers. Steve got the hole shot and led the race until turn three, where he blew a belt. They had to get the sled crated up and on an airplane that day, so Mike never got to run the sled in the lower 48. Instead, Mike and Steve raced the sled all season in Alaska.
Steve finished the 1980 season #1 in Alaska, brother Mike finished 2nd.
In 1980 and 81, Steve and Mike came down to race three races in the lower 48. That was all they could afford. So they drove a 1960 Ford 2.5 ton farm truck all the way from Alaska with three sleds on the back. Two 1980 IFS sleds and the 77 440 Z. The first race was in Winnipeg Manitoba on a track complete with 10 foot high concrete walls! Steve made it through the round robin formats into the semi-finals. Mike crashed. They moved on to Aberdeen South Dakota. After the races there they really got to know some of the big name racers of the time - Hulings, Thorsen, Elsner, Elmer, Dimmerman and thier buddy, Rick Krump. Steve came in 12th but still got $600 - the most they had ever won oval racing! Steve ran the 77 Z in Mod 3, making it to the final, led it until the last lap when the spyder on his Comet clutch gave out and flipped his belt. Steve was forced to watch everyone fly by. They didn't make it to the last of the three races, due to a family emergency back home.
When they got home, they cleaned house in Alaska at the first race. But in January of 1981 in Soldotna Alaska, fate had different plans for Steve. Coming out of turn two, he pegged his 440 Z wide open. Charging hard into corner three after building speed the whole way, the throttle stuck. Steve struck a 2' high steel guard post at about 90 miles per hour. The force of the hit sent him flying way up in the air and came down 75 feet from the track - on his face! The force was so hard it blew the full face helmet right off his head, causing extensive damage to his face - 17 teeth got knocked out, broke his jaw in three places - and then the Z came down on his right leg. The sled was completely destroyed. Steve spent the next two months in the hospital where they had to drill holes in his skull to bolt in rods that would hold his face in place while it healed.
He was also unable to walk for over a year. The sled had crushed his foot and ankle to nothing more than dust. The therapy started after a year and slowly but surely, he learned to walk all over again.
"I didn't think I would never get on a sled again" he said. The oval racing was over for them, but in the next few years, brother Mike ran a few cross-countries. In 1988, they started an oval series in Alaska and Mike wanted to race. Steve agreed, reluctantly. "It took a long time to build up my nerve." Steve would race, but you could see he was backing off in the corners, not the fearless, hard-charging monster he had been in the past.
But his new found nerve would soon be put on indefinite hold. By 1992, racing had all but died in Alaska, so Steve and Mike re-started the USSA Alaska division, but two years later the politics just wore them down, and Mike stepped out. Steve and his Sean kept racing Alaska Enduros all the way up until 2001. Again Politics raised its ugly head, and Steve and Sean quit then as well. It seemed like racing was all over for Steve and the Smith Brothers.
But what's the old saying? You can take the boy away from the races, but you can't take the racer away from the boy?
Brother Mike had heard about all the vintage racing going on in the lower 48 from reading this website in 2005. He decided to make a trip down to the Hall of Fame Classic Sled Roundup that year and see what all the fuss was about. Mike looked at Mark Anderson' sleds and Bill Stull's, and all the beautifully restored machines - in particular the Z's and the EXT's - these were always Steve and Mike's favorite sleds.
Mike got the bug and infected not only Steve, but Steve's son Sean. Before they knew it, they were packed and loaded with parts, sleds and tools from Alaska, on the road to Thief River Falls, Minnesota. They had two U-hauls full of sleds, parts and tools. They were Cat guys, so where else would they want to stay in the lower 48? "It was exciting when we came down. A big adventure. Not much to do in Alaska during the winter, so this just seemed like the most fun we could have." Fortunately for Steve his wife was very understanding and gave her her blessing to the "adventure".
That first year they lived and worked out of the shop - a tradition that would carry on the next year as well. The first year, they ran only the 250, 340 and 440 77 Z's they had dug up and got ready.
Steve ran just the 440 - affectionately known as "The Widow Maker" the first year. It was with that motor (and a different chassis) that Steve had crashed with in 1981. "It was always a good, strong motor, from day one." Steve said. Bad memories aside, the motor showed real promise the first year out. "All we needed to do was stay on top of the jetting, and that motor would just sing." In Sauk Centre last year, Steve had a nasty flip on the sled that sent him and Jay Sperry into the bales - hard.
The next year the team added a 295 and a 440 EXT. By the start of this past year, they had added one 340, 440 and 650 EXT to the line-up, making the largest line-up out there of any team, and making the Smith Brothers look a lot like Team Arctic racing of years gone by. Building all those sleds really was a team effort, and they did have a lot of help around the lower 48, all of whom they thank on their website. "Sean and I worked mostly on the handling, and we fabricated most of the stuff that needed to be made. Mike made sure we had what we needed, and worked on the jetting and clutching, and Adam kept all the studs and carbides sharp, as well as being the all around helper guy." Steve said.
This years series started at Rock Rapids, Iowa. Steve won the 440 free-air class on a sled that was hitting the ice for the first time. "The 77 Z 440 was still having some handling problems" he said, "We found out later that 30 years of abuse and my having wrecked it a several times had left the bulkhead a little too flexible, and we had to reinforce it a lot."
The first guy Steve started to keep an eye out for was Bill Stull and his fleet of Rupps. "He's always competitive. And those sleds looked really good at Rock Rapids."
Moving on to Ironwood, Steve remembers the race fondly. "Great track, great people, great race." He said. Steve was leading a heat with the 440 Z when the radiator cap blew off into his face, then bounced back under the hood, where he found it later. Steve did okay that day with the 440 free-air, and even took a 3rd in the Adema cup race.
Moving on to Eagle River, Steve was just as complimentary about that race as he was Ironwood. "Eagle River speaks for itself. It's just a great race." Steve took a 2nd behind Mark Anderson in the 440 class, and placed way back in 6th on his free-air.
In Sauk Centre on a Friday night, Steve found the track so fast, smooth and to his liking. Steve turned up the wick, winning the 440 liquid class, and the 440 free-air, and placed very well in the open class.
Moving on to Mole Lake, Steve again found the track and the people running the race to be absolutely top-notch. "The people there just went the farthest to make the racers feel special for the effort. We really appreciated it." Steve walked away with a win in 440 liquid super-mod, 2nd in free-air, and a 3rd in the 650 class. Money-wise, it was one of the best weekends ever for the Smith Brothers Racing team.
At the last SnoPro race of the year in Wisconsin, Steve again won 440 liquid, got a 2nd in free-air 440. And here's where it got interesting for the SnoPro series points. Up until this day, Steve's son Sean had led in points. But the rule state that if you run all the races in the series, one has to be thrown out, making it possible for every race team to miss one race in the season without getting penalized. No matter how they added it up, throwing out one for Steve, Sean, Mike and Adam put Steve on top. Steve was happy to win, but also very disappointed that his son Sean did not win.
No matter. The Smith Brothers and their Cats dominated the Vintage SnoPro series this year. Steve took the #1 spot, son Sean came in 2nd, Mike took 3rd and Adam locked up 6th place overall.
Make no mistake, moving across a continent for several months out of the year is expensive and logistically difficult no matter how many penny's you pinch. The past couple of years of building sleds and racing non-stop has had an impact on the team, to say the least. So the question is: Will Steve and the team be back for 2008?
"Truth is, we don't know. The economy in Alaska (and elsewhere) appears to be tough and getting tougher. We may have to sit home and maybe look at 2010 instead."
When the passion for racing is in your blood the way the Steve and the team have been infected, my guess is we'll soon see their Alaskan Cats scratching their way to the top again soon.
I don't think they can resist.
7/28/2008
NATIONAL CHAMPION PHOTOS Bull Sessions member 'oldsled' posted these pictures of Dan Lewallen's National Championship winning 73 Chaparral SSII. So until we get some photos from the show in Coeur d'Alene last weekend, these will do! Nice sled! And congratulations again to Dan!
7/27/2008
WE HAVE A NEW NATIONAL CHAMPION "Well, we have a new 3rd Annual VSCA Champion. It is a 1973 Chaparral SSII owned by Dan Lewallen from Winona, Kansas. Dan traveled 1312 to attend this show and he is one happy person right now! Once again the voting was very close , with Dan edging ou about five others by one point.
Congrats Dan!!
Mike and Judy Meagher"
7/26/2008
THE VSCA NATIONALS - FIRST PHOTOS! Mike Maegher from the VSCA sent in the very first photos - looks like great weather and some really great stuff that showed up! I don't have any more information on the machines pictured.. hopefully that will come later.
Cats - old and new.
Outstanding Moto-Ski Collection
Good lookin' indoor display.
Weather looks great!
Never uncrated Merc 76 Twister!
Yes, it's real.
Boss Cat. Oh yeah.
Could this be the actual sled Meryl Schroeder beat the factory teams on in 71???
Original condition 73 racer!
7/25/2008 PART II
EARLY REPORT FROM THE VSCA NATIONALS Just got off the phone with Mike from the VSCA. The weather is beautiful for the show. Thy have a huge indoor display area, but it's so nice out that many people are choosing to display out doors! They have a backdrop of the mountains. Nice.
Early (unofficial) report is 195 registered sleds so far. Wow.
Boss Cat II is there, with some original Scorpion Squadron sleds, and a stunning 'daddler.
Pictures coming soon!
7/25/2008
WHO WILL BE THE NEXT VSCA NATIONAL CHAMPION? We should know in a day or two! Stay tuned, we'll try and update as quick as we can from the national show this weekend in Cor d'Alene, Idaho. Good luck to everyone and have a great time!
NEXT WEEK: MEET YOUR NEW SNOPRO CHAMP STEVE SMITH
Each year we do an in-depth story on the winner of the vintage SnoPro series. Mark Anderson won it 2 times on his Polaris's and Jay Sperry on his Rupps were the first two guys to make it to the top. This year, Arctic Cat driver Steve Smith of Wasilla Alasaka came out #1. Early next week, you'll be reading a pretty amazing story of a guy who has been chasing a big title in the lower 48 since the late 1970's. One really bad accident should have, and nearly ended his racing efforts. But slowly and surely he came back - to finally triumph this past season as the #1 driver in vintage racing.
7/24/2008
NASA BUILDS A SNOWMOBILE It looks amazing like a Canadian built Yamaha MX-Z. But it's remote controlled and designed to help study the climate on the polar ice sheets. Perhaps a remote control snowmobile will contribute to the demise of the global warming scam? Maybe. But this little guys is pretty cool. It was built by a Georgia Tech engineer named Ayanna Howard. If they don't help with any scientific data, at least the scientists "could have a bitchin’ time racing the bots over the ice".
What is it about snowmobiles that makes people want to automatically race them?
ST. GERMAIN REVISITED
John Jantsch sent in a ton of photos from the show last spring. If your dreaming of the VSCA Nationals or are just checking the site from your hotel room, here's a few shots to get you in the show mood.
CStef's pride & joy - Gerard Karpik's Cross-country racer.
Leon's factory race Yamahas
Survivor 74 Suzuki SnoPro
Possibly the nicest Chappy collection anywhere.
Don Omdahl autographed hood.
Doug Hayes and I go over the details of Omdahl's 74 440.
Another survivor: This one made the whole race in the 67 Winnipeg to St. Paul race.
7/23/2008
ON ROUTE TO THE VSCA NATIONALS? Talked to several people on the way out to the Vintage Nationals show this weekend in Coer d'Alene Idaho. Some were flying today, some have been driving for a couple of days already - all are pretty excited to be on the way to such a great place for a show.
They've got some really neat stuff on the way to the show. Did you know they will have and original 74 650cc Cat SnoPro on display? It's true, and this will be one of the first times it has ever been out in public. They will also be un crating a brand new 1976 250 Merc Sno-Twister! Probably the only chance any of us will get to see what one of those looked like from the factory. The Boss cat II will be there, first time it has been out West in decades. I also caught some rumors of some very rare sleds making the trip.
The VSCA (Mike and Judy) as well as the guys from Arctic Restorations are on the way as well. Just 15 minutes from the show, you can also visit the new Museum of Vintage Snowmobiles. Sounds like one heck of a fun weekend, and I think I'm getting depressed that I couldn't make it!
I do have a contact with a phone and an Internet connection - so maybe we can get some pictures very quickly from the show.
BARN FRESH!
Mike Honken sent in this photo. Mike's brother Matt (also known as the "Superior One") and Bruce Faldet got these sleds out of a barn in Central Wisconsin. It's always a good day when you can bring home some new goodies! It's Johnson and three Cats. Congratulations on the find guys!
KEITH HUBER RIP
Keith Huber was killed in a farm accident May 29th while restoring his original farm in Galva, Illinois. I know I'm really late on this announcement, but I thought better late than never. Keith built a lot of the early Chapparal snowmobiles. One of his earliest prototype Chapparal's in the collection at the Snowmobile Hall of Fame in St. Germain Wisconsin. You can read much more about Keith and some of his accomplishments here.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM ALEXANDER
Okay, I'm really late on this as well. Scott Carmen sent in these cool photos from the Alexander show, way back in May of this year already. Scott, Larry Brandow and Jay Sutton loaded up Larry's "Stretch Catty" to bring to the show when they heard some very special guests were to be in attendance.
They were not disappointed! Pictured from front to back is of the original Widow Maker race team, back together again for the first time in 35 years! Evert B. Regal is driving the Catty, (he was the motor builder). Next is Ritchie Sharp, Chip Elwood and Kenny Young. Missing is Fay Parmley. I gotta ask - who made the great sign?
The second photo is our pal Forrest Hess. Scott caught him heading east with his "Live On Skis" Ski-Whiz and his dad.
Thanks Scott for sending in the photos and info - great stuff!
7/16/2008
TV ADS FOR VSCA NATIONALS! This will get you fired up. Enjoy.
7/15/2008
NEED A CHEAP COVER FOR YOUR SLEDS IN THE SUMMER? We all know what an expense sled covers can be. Even el-cheapo thin garage covers from a sled catalog these days are going for over 50 bucks.
Being stuck cleaning six months of dust and bug debris off the sleds when you decide to go to a summer show at the last minute can be a deal breaker.
I'm passing along this tip as I think a lot of people don't know about this one. I grew tired of the wasps in our storage building having a mud slinging party all over my old Cat's as summer progresses. The occasional over spray stain was another pain.
After reading all the choices in the big time parts books and being disappointed at the high cost, I was walking through WALMART and stumbled across their camouflage big ATV covers for 28 bucks! I looked at the dimensions, and figured, "What the heck." I bought one. For sleds up to the size of an old leaf spring Panther, these things are slick!
A big rubber band sewn in around the edge means you can slap one on like a baggy fitted bed sheet in about 30 seconds. The camo pattern hides grease and errant summer over spray well. No metal hooks to catch in the washer if you decide to clean it up.
They are fairly heavy and waterproof too and have their own sewn on storage pouch. Wally World even puts these on sale for around 20 bucks sometimes if they get overstocked. You can pull the excess down to the floor and for real short sleds you can even cover the skis with it!
The inside has a bit of a fuzzy finish so it won't scratch paint. The "Real Tree" camo ones are also thicker than the plain black ones they sell, for about the same price.
Feel free to pass this tip on, but quietly or the marketing mavens may raise the price!
7/14/2008 RARE MEMOROBILIA
Jerry McGee sent in some very rare memorabilia he recently acquired. These are all original - not reproduction images. They were once owned by Jim Dimmerman, who can attest to the authenticity.
Pretty cool stuff Jerry!
Original water color painting of the reproduction seen on many ads, t-shirts and posters. Note the musical note that indicates the motor "singing". This is not a one piece painting - it's has multiple levels and layers.
Original water color that was reproduced and given to dealerships.
Rare photo from showing Coltom, Elsner and Thompson running 1-2-3, most likely shot in West Yellowstone, and most likely a staged photo.
1980 original photos of Jim Dimmerman and Steve Thorsen in Alexandria, Minnesota, and Jim Dimmerman in 1978.
7/11/2008 TWISTED UP FOR 2009 RACING The father and sone team of Wayne and Colt Dellandrea of Kincardine Ontario have been working for about two years to put together a 1976 Sno-twister with all the coolest stuff for vintage racing. Last month, they had it all ready for ice. Now comes the hard part.... staring at it in the garage for months until there is enough ice some where to start testing.
It's a super-mod, and you can tell the boys have done their home work. With a rubber track, a modified 79 SnoPro suspension, a "Pop-A-Top" racing engine, Jaws pipes, and some very trick looking skis, I think this will be one to look out for next year. The team does plan on racing Eagle River this year.
Thanks to Wayne for sending in the nice photos - its a great looking sled!
7/05/2008 GAS PRICES MAKE GODZILLA MAD If there's anything that could set Godzilla off on a wild, city-smashing ramage, it's high gas prices. He posted this photo in the Bull Sessions as a warning to us all.
7/04/2008 HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY While it may be hot and your stuffed with barbeque burgers, I'll bet your sneaking off to a computer every once and awhile to check the web aren't you? Well, just for you, here's some photos from last winter that should cool you down. These were emailed in last March from Dan Vander Ark. These are all from the vintage rally just outside of Duluth Minnesota last winter, most taken near the Cloquet River Inn. My thanks to Dan for sending them in and being patient waiting for me to share them!
Enjoy.
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7/01/2008 2008 SLIDESHOW AND A NOTE FROM FORREST. Hasn't 2008 been great for vintage sledders so far? And to think, winter is just 5-6 months away.
Last year at Live on Skis, all the attendees were fortunate enough to meet Forrest Hess. A remarkable young man who is fighting some tough physical challenges. Forrest just graduated from High School, and he's looking forward to doing a lot more sledding. But I think he captured a lot of what vintage sledding is really about with this post on the Bull Sessions, written shortly after his graduation ceremony:
Eight years ago, I would have never thought that this day would come. The day that one chapter of the book is closed, and another opens wide.
Eight years ago, staring with my young eyes at something that would change my life. A snowmobile! This sled happened to be a 1979 AC Jag 3000 F/C, that I bought with my own money. I worked everyday for a whole summer to pay my mom back. An amount that I can now make in a 40 hour week. That machine was everything to me. My parents initially thought that my grades would suffer because of it. On the contrary, they improved. It was something to aim towards. Something that was my drive, my release.
Since that warm April day back in 2000, a lot has changed. My mind and body have matured and I have learned lessons that are invaluable. Doctors have told me things that I thought I would never make it through. However, I knew that I still had my snowmobile. Through everything, I still had it. As my collection has expanded and contracted, it has still been my anchor.
Two years ago, after coming out of surgery, the first question was, "when can I ride". Naturally I was told to wait two weeks. That is when something else amazing occurred, I became a member here. Since then, the same scenario has reoccurred. The highpoint of my life so far has been LOS 2008, without a doubt. Snowmobiles again have saved me. Life is 95% a mental game, you have to keep focused to win.
Never have I let some stupid disease stop me, or rule my life. I looked out ahead, with a burning passion. And to quote the keynote speaker at today's commencement ceremony, "if you never get carried away with something, you should be carried out". What a wonderful quote that is about life and our passion for different things. To bring this ramble to a close, I will say this. Life has taken it's course on me. Sometimes the weight has been too much to handle. But, the light at the end, my beacon, has been my sleds. Always there for me, never rejecting me. A safe haven.
So, I thank you all as I embark on a new journey. For holding me in place, and showing me the importance of life is greater that what is initially visible. Thank you so much.
With true sincerity, Forrest Hess (See you at LOS 2009)
Here's quick little slideshow.. photos from events in 2007-2008 including Waconia, Hall of Fame Classic Sled Reunion, Rock Rapids Race, Sauk Centre race, Eagle River Race, LIve on skis 2008, Ironwood race, Jon Carlson's collection, Hall of Fame grand opening, 2008 Ride with the Champs, Bemidji races and more. Thanks to Brandon Johnson for a lot of the really great photos.
6/26/2008 RACING SEASON UNDER WAY? If your a racer, no doubt your already planning for next season. In the racing section, I've posted the new rules for Wolf Lake and PVR, as well as started putting the schedule together for all the available races next year. To ad or edit the listings of the race schedule, please email me. My intention is to just get all the races for 2008-2009 in one spot so people can see how the dates are filling up. There's already a lot of choices!
6/18/2008 SLED INSURANCE. FINALLY IT'S AVAILABLE! In the last 5-10 years, we've seen the values on some vintage sleds climb higher than anyone ever dreamed. So when you have one or more of these high-buck sleds, just how do you get it insured?
Way back when I got some of the first sleds in my collection, I was asking this very question. At the time, they were all just tucked away in a garage that could have been broken into, or worse, caught fire. I often wondered what would happen if crashed with my trailer, or the sleds were stolen from the trailer.
It was never the money I lost sleep over. It was the time I put into them that would be gone.
Vanished. Wasted. Gone. That often kept me up at night.
So I called my insurance company that does my house, car and some other insurance for me. They couldn't touch it with a stick, saying only I could raise the amount of coverage for belongings in the garage but that anything with a motor would not count. No help there.
So I checked in with Loyds of London, known for insuring, well, anything, including celebrity body parts. Nope. Wouldn't come near it. Next I went to Haggerty Insurance, known for their coverage of rare collector cars, boats and more. Surely they could help? Well, I did find someone there who was really, really interested in it. They called me several times, sometimes with many people on the other end, to ask questions. One person there was very keen on starting a new program for snowmobiles. Months later, he called with the bad news: "We just don't know enough about them."
So for the longest time, I just got the extra coverage for personal belongings. Until this spring, that is.
Enter Travellers Insurance. Turns out one of their underwriters is a vintage sled collector himself. He started calling me and several other people in the vintage sled hobby and found out there was a definite needs for some insurance.
I'm happy to tell you that you can now get the insurance through the Empire Company.
Highlights of the policies are:
Stated Value valuation, which is the Limit of Insurance shown in the declaration provided by you.
Loading and Unloading of a snowmobile onto a trailer.
Coverage for the snowmobile while it is being restored.
Off-Premise coverage for the snowmobile while it is at a show, exhibition or a museum.
Transit coverage while snowmobile(s) is being transported.
Parts in Transit.
Parts while they are at other locations being repaired, serviced or refurbished.
Books, manuals and memorabilia.
Coverage for snowmobile while being restored
Loading and Unloading of a snowmobile onto a trailer
Off-Premises coverage for the snowmobile while it is at a show
Fire, Theft and Wind are a few of the standard perils covered offered
Basic policy premium is $250.00, covering $20,000 worth of your snowmobile collection
If you have a public museum, we can insure your Fine Arts, including Snowmobiles and Snowmobile Memorabilia
Note that appraisals are required on any sled valued over $15,000. Contact us here at Vintagesleds.com, and we can help you with that.
I got my collection insured through them, and the process was as easy as could be. Well worth the money!
A CHAPARRAL LOVE STORY - FINDING A 72 WITH LESS THAN 10 MILE SON IT! This story was submitted by Vern Harrison - thanks for sharing Vern!
I live in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, and I found this sled in a garage in our beautiful city. I worked with a guy, and we got to talking about old sleds and I mentioned the ones I had old at the farm near Quill Lake, Saskatchewan.
This was about seven years ago. He then told me about the one in his dads garage. It was a 1972 Chaparral that his dad had won in a cigarette contest years ago. He said his dad never drove it he he had taken it for a ride when he was in grade 11, about 1974. His first time on a snow machine, went over an approach pretty fast, scared the crap out of himself, and put the sled back in the garage, and it never seen daylight again.
Last fall he asked me if I was interested in the sled because the garage was falling down and he had no place for it. I gladly bought it and this is what it looks like, after giving it a good wash. It has no more than 10 miles on it, runs good, after changing the brittle gas lines, looks like new with hardly a mark on it.
I thought some of the viewers might be interested. Out at Quill Lake I have a 1968 snowcruiser, 1968 ski-doo, 1970 wheel horse, and a 1974 JDX4 special. I have ridden them all and they are fun to drive.
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Although I prefer to keep the site about the fun topic of your favorite rusty old sled, and not about regular, every day stuff like, oh say, politics, I think this needs to be mentioned. 
And if you look close in the photo, you can see Jeff's new 250 IFS he'll be racing at events all over next year. Nice job Jeff!
NEXT WEEK: MEET YOUR NEW SNOPRO CHAMP STEVE SMITH
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Last year at 
I live in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, and I found this sled in a garage in our beautiful city. I worked with a guy, and we got to talking about old sleds and I mentioned the ones I had old at the farm near Quill Lake, Saskatchewan.