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8/09/2006
FIRST 2007 RACE SLED
Talk about your never ending race season! I got this picture last April (that's how far behind I am in my updates!), Kris Pecha sent in this photo of the 73 Starfire they will campaign with Josh Pecha driving in 2007. Here's what Kris had to say about the new look to the sled:
"In the first mod-ing of this young 2007 race season, we cut the hood down in January trying to get the sled done for Eagle River and cut to much off. So it was either a hole in the hood or extensions on the side, I just put the new decals on the hood so I really did not want a hole on top the hood, now that the hood and decals are a couple months old I hacked a hole in and lowered the hood as we had intended the sled to be in the first place."
That is one sexy Starfire!
WARROAD TORNADO HITS BEASEJOUR AS WELL
Last Saturday's tornado in the north also spawned a twister the community of Beausejour, Manitoba, just a bit North of Warroad. One woman was killed, and they sustained some tough damage up there as well. No word if the historic race track survived, or of any lost vintage sleds. Our thoughts are with all our friends in the area. Thanks to Dale N. for the update.
YVON POSES FOR CHARITY
Dunlop Motorcycle Tires is offering a series of high-quality collector edition Legends posters, with the net proceeds benefiting injured riders through the Clayton Memorial Foundation. Printed in black and white on heavy 19 x 26 inch art paper, this limited run of ten suitable-for-framing posters immortalizes legendary motorcycle racing champions. They are $29.95 and one features Ski-Doo super hero Yvon Duhamel.
8/08/2006
PHOTOS FROM WARROAD
Murray emailed me a ton of photos of the destruction caused by the tornadoes up in Warroad last Saturday. Below is just 4 of them. Again our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Warroad for a quick recovery. Thankfully, no one was hurt. No word yet on all the vintagesleds up there.
WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE SKIROULE - IS NOT OWNED BY RUDE DOG!
It's official, the world's most expensive Skiroule sold for $30,200.00. I can tell you it was NOT Jay Carsley (AKA "Rude Dog") who actually bought it; 'Old Rude Dog was merely bidding for someone with lame internet access. To quote Jay: "As for the bidding process...I wasn't that nervous the day I got married. My hands shook for an hour afterwards." When your spending that much of someone else's money, yeah it can be scary.
Who is the new owner? Well, I'm not sure he wants his name splattered about, so we'll just keep that under the hat, so to speak, for now. I can tell you it's going to a home where will be loved, cherished and displayed (how about raced?) with the best of them. I think he got a bargain.
One thing's for certain from watching the Bull Sessions and listening to comments and the email I got over this sled; big money=big emotions.
8/07/2006
THOUGHTS ARE IN WARROAD
Hard to imagine a town that is more North then Roseau, but there is a one up on Lake of the Woods called Warroad. It was hit by an F-3 Tornado along a 19 mile path Saturday. Damage is reported as severe, but no one was injured. There's a ton of vintage sled enthusiasts up there, with some very cool old sleds. Not much news is available around the net on the storms, just a blurb here and there. If I find some more details, I'll pass the links along.
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8/02/2006
THAT MUCH CLOSER TO WINTER
Even though much of the country is having a hot summer, it finally cooled down here in Minnesota, and of course, all thoughts turn to sleds.... This weekend is the "Rip-Roarin-ROLA" days, in New York Mills, Minnesota. ROLA is our one-lung racing association and this is their summer get together, where sleds of all stripes and sizes are welcome. News from Alliston, Ontario that one of the Skiroule SnoPros will be on display August 12th at the show. If you have not had the chance to see one of these sleds, don't miss this chance.
Speaking of Skiroule SnoPros... the internet is all a buzz about one of these very rare sleds being for sale on eBay! With 4 days to go, the price is over $18,000 already. My bet? It will go over $30,000, and that is cheap for such an artifact. This one is the 340, originally driven by Gilles, and is signed by brother Jacque "In Gilles memory".
VINTAGE RACERS IN THE NEWS
From way up in Alaska, the Smith Brothers came down to the lower 48 states last year to spend the entire winter racing out of a shed in Thief River Falls. They did a great job on their Arctic Cats - so much so that the local Alaska Newspaper took notice with this full article about the boys. I think it makes for pretty good reading. Click on the picture to see a big enough version to read.
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Edgar Hetteen and JIm Anderson of the Glenwood Vintage Rally Committee pose with the original cup. |
7/31/2006
THE RETURN OF THE HETTEEN CUP
It's official! The Hetteen Cup will be presented at the Glenwood, Minnesota vintage races on February 3rd & 4th.
Already the questions are flying about how the cup will be awarded, but all that still has to be sorted out. Don Chan of the Glenwood Vintage Rally Committee sent in this photo, but at this time, no formal discussions have taken place.
Here's the official info:
Yes, the Hetteen Cup is returning to Central Minnesota! Edgar and Ronn Hetteen have graciously allowed the Glenwood Vintage Snowmobile Rally to feature the Hetteen cup at the Glenwood race in 2007. The Glenwood Vintage Rally Committee traveled to Grand Rapids, MN and met with the Hetteens. They are allowing us to use the Hetteen Cup to promote the sport of snowmobiling and snowmobile racing. The actual Hetteen Cup will be at the Glenwood Rally. The Committee is in the process of getting a replica trophy made, which will be given to the overall winner of the Glenwood race.
This years Glenwood Vintage Snowmobile Rally will be a week earlier than their past events. This is due to a conflict with the Lakeside Ballroom. The 2007 event will be February 3rd and 4th at the new historic Lakeside Ballroom. This is a great facility to view a vintage snowmobile race! The race will feature vintage circuits, SLEDS, Wolf Lake, and VOLS, but all vintage racers are welcome. Saturday will be qualifying races and Sunday will be the finals. More details on the race will be coming soon, which will include information on how the overall winner is determined. Sno-Jet will be the featured sled at the Sunday Vintage Show. This years event is being sponsored by the Glenwood Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Glenwood.
Again, the sport of snowmobiling and snowmobile racing would like to thank the Hetteens for allowing us to bring back the Hetteen Cup! I would also like to thank Allen Theisen and the Classic Sno-Machines Committee. Because of the conflict we had with the ballroom, they have switched dates with Glenwood for one year. Please attend the Classic Sno-Machine rally at Goat Roper’s Bar in Farming, MN on February 10th, 2007. They put on a great show!
For lodging and event information contact the Glenwood Chamber of Commerce at 1-866-634-3636.
I did talk to Bill Infanger of Snowtech (formerly Race & rally) last Friday. He had not seen the last update, but informed me that their office had received a bunch of calls from people wanting to know how the cup was awarded back in the day. Jim Bielke responded to one caller that he would look up the old formula but "If I can't find it, I'll make it up and you'll believe me anyway.." which prompted great laughter.
One of the old Race & Rally's does explain the formula, so it shouldn't be too tough to figure out.
On the Bull Sessions, some were wondering about the race being held at the great facility in Alexandria that once was home to the Hetteen Cup races? No. It is unlikely that will happen.
Where the race will take place is just south of Alexandria Minnesota, in Glenwood. The races are held on the lake there, in front of the newly rebuilt ballroom - which does provide good accommodations for spectators.
Here's a scoop you won't hear anywhere else: The race may be awarding a second very coveted, vintage prize memorial trophy as well to the races best sportsman! More details on this are coming.. but think John Deere, and you'll have a good guess at who's memorial trophy I'm talking about!
All in all, this could make the Glenwood race one of the biggest vintage races of the year. But February is a long way off... or is it? Even with temperatures over the 100 mark.. all we can think of is ice and snow and sleds.
Oh, and where was the trophy all this time? WIth Edgar Hetteen, of course. Edgar and his son Ronn - Ronn now owns the original, but thought it was a dandy idea to keep the cup alive!
You can chat about the Return of the Hetteen Cup on the Bull Sessions.
DANICA'S TANTRUM
I never thought it could come to this....but do we need to re-think Danica Patrick as the queen of vintage snowmobiling? First, she threatens the IRL with leaving to go race NASCAR (a move her former snowmobile racing dad did), then she jumps ship from the team that gave her the chance to race to join up with who? The guys we secretly photographed her having dinner with after Indy last Spring.... Then yesterday, her car falls apart and she has a little hissy fit on the race track.... I don't know guys. Is Danica fit to be Queen? Or am I committing treason against the Queen for even suggesting such a thing?
You can chat about the Queen Danica on the Bull Sessions.
SHARK BAIT
So much news about the 'new" Kawasaki Sharks has been flying around cyberspace, fueled by Rude Dog's recent posting of another picture of the 340 replica. Well here's a scoop for ya Rude Dog: I got to see it in person on Saturday. Yes, this machine so intrigued my curiosity that I had to drive 16 hours (round trip) just to take my own pictures and park my butt on it.
Man did it feel nice! When you see it with the hood off, and you are looking at the original motor, it really does have a ghost like quality feel to it that made me feel just like I did at the track in Alexandria in December of 1976, staring at the Sharks and wondering if they could beat the Midnight Blue Express.
How close is it to the original? I don't know that you could get one any closer. In fact, I doubt it. Here's the thing: In the giant stack of photos I have of the Shark's one thing is clear: All the sleds are different. Some had Thunderjet Tunnels. Some did not. Some had the tanks in front. Some did not. The steering column was different on several.. this list goes on and one. Bottom line, they were all custom built race sleds, to a degree.
On this one, you can take a stack of photos, look at the photo, then the sled and go "AHA! THAT AIN'T RIGHT!" Until you look at the next photo of the same sled taken a week later and have to say "Oh yeah, yes, that is correct".
There is no question this thing is stunning. It was done, very, very well. That, I have to say, despite what the person who did this fantastic work thinks of me. ;-)
You can chat about the Kawasaki Sharks on the Bull Sessions.
7/27/2006
THE RETURN OF THE HETTEEN CUP?
I got a couple of phone calls tonight that should rock the vintage racing world... It seems the original Hetteen Cup, won at the big race in Alexandria, Minnesota by such greats as Larry Rugland, Larry Coltom, Brad Hulings, Doug Hayes and yes, Jim Dimmerman is back! Yes, the original has been found!
Here's the kicker: Next year, one very lucky individual will walk away as the 2007 Hetteen cup winner racing a vintage sled. I can't give out details just yet, but I think this race could easily turn into one of the biggest of 2007. More details are forthcoming as they become available.
Like I'm going to be able to sleep tonight...
7/24/2006
JIM DIMMERMAN - ONE FAST CAT PART III
The final installment of my interview with Jim Dimmerman covers
all sorts of stuff, like dealing with the death of competitors, to what kind of stuff he kept, to the real story behind Team Arctic and their love affair with rental cars - hehehehehe.
As a bonus - Jim has started to answer questions from all of you on the Bull Sessions! This marks the first time on vintagesleds.com that a pro driver from the era has joined directly into the conversation! Arctic engine builder Greg Spaulding joined in as well, prompting comments like this one from 'Shewelt': "Thanks for sharing in the VINTAGE postings Jim & Greg. It means more than you know.....It's like going to the driving range & running into Jack Nicklaus, or Mario Andretti at AUTOZONE".
I couldn't have said it better. If you'd like to see more of Jim's postings, go to the Bull Sessions, click on Vintage Racing and then there are two topics about Jim - signed in as HBWC84.
I'd like to thank Jim for the time he put into this, and for jumping in feet first!
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Snow Week photo of Jim after his big win at Hales Corner. |
 7/21/2006
SNOPRO 2 BOOK IS NOW SHIPPING
Hot off the presses is Snowtech (formerly known as Race & Rally) Magazine's new book "Best of SnoPro 2", number III in a series of books from that group.
For those of us into the old sleds, it just seems we cannot get enough pictures, stories or information on the old days of racing and snowmobiling. The new book will feed your need for vintage speed for months to come. It is full of stunning color and black and white photos from the end of 1978 through the winter of 1982. It really chronicles the end of an era in big time snowmobile racing with pin point accuracy. It's like going to the races back then and watching it all over again; First, no Polaris and Yamaha racing team. But Hulings and Thorsen made up for it with the Scorpions. The following year, the factory teams all shrink, there are less sleds racing, the crowd has diminished and am I seeing things? Are the sleds actually going slower? Yes. All the motors had been limited in horsepower. By 1981, the crowds got smaller again.
This book contains some stuff that is very different from the first two books: Namely big coverage of the introduction of Slo-Cross, a full story on the Kawasaki Tournament of Champions, a special section on the magnificent speed machines of the time (I think one family now owns all of these sleds?), and full length stories on the great drivers of the time - Elsner, Thorsen, Hulings, Allen Decker and many more. Over 200 pages and over 400 photos!
Plus there are tons of pictures of Todd Elmer's 1980-81 SnoPro sled. Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.
FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT PRE-ORDERED: YOUR COPY WILL BE ARRIVING WITHIN A DAY OR TWO!
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Vernon Boyd's '69 Challenger 300 |
7/19/2006
THE CHALLENGING CHALLENGER
Vintage sled enthusiast Vernon Boyd took on this Challenger - and lived to tell the tale!
By Vernon Macht, Boyd, Minnesota
I bought this sled for $50 from a guy in Duluth, Minnesota, off of Ebay back in 2002. It took me two years to completely restore it because I took every bolt and part off of it and did it right.
The sled was not in too bad of shape—there weren't any dents, rust or hood damage. I had the seat recovered. The biggest challenge was finding headlight covers and a windshield, until I found out about Cannon Classic Sleds Jeff Haugen—a guy in Minnesota that reproduces many different vintage & antique snowmobile windshields and headlight covers. Luckily, he had a windshield, windshield lower black trim and headlight covers.
The decals were made by a local shop. They took pictures of the old decals and copied them out on a computer and matched them perfectly.
The motor needed the points cleaned and set and a carburetor kit. It runs excellent. The only driving it gets is from my trailer to shows. I take it to the show in Waconia, Minnesota and Millbank, South Dakota, and pull it to parades and car shows.
I enjoy fixing up the old sleds but it gets kind of expensive so I do a little at a time. The biggest cost of restoring is the body work and painting. I get them professionally painted because I feel I can't paint well enough.
I have also restored a 1971 Johnson Rampage. My dad's first sled was a Johnson so that is why I am into them. I have 10 Johnson sleds that all run. I picked this sled because I have never seen one fixed up at vintage sled shows and this sled was only made in the year 1969. It is the only sled that Johnson did not use their OMC engine, but used a single cylinder JLO 300.
Thank Vernon for the story and the information!
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71 Mustang by Scott Hebert. |
7/17/2006
MUSTANG MUSCLE!
Scott Hebert sent in this fantastic story and information on his favorite sled: The 1971 Mustang. I just had to share it:
In 1971 Polaris made 2 Mustangs out of their line up, a 488 and a 398 with the numbers on the hood. Pictured is a 398 Fuji twin fan. It has a 20 inch rubber track with double cogged drivers with the drift skipper suspension( para rail). The only year with this track. Not a speedy sled(35-40) but sure does ride nice. On the back is the polaris lunch box that is molded to fit the gas tank and mounts on the back bumper with a ring that goes around the gas cap. The lunch box was available as an assecessiory only in 1971. Something else unieq about this sled is the seat has a raised back section like a 2 up seat for the person riding on the back and there is also a storage compartment under the seat. This sled was really made with the family aspect in mind.
The sled in the picture is 100% original and has nothing painted. It was purchased in Canada, north of Regina, Saskatchewan in a small town called Melfort. It came from the son of a Polaris dealer who now owns the dealership and wanted to sell the sled which had been in the family since it was new. 1973 was the last year polaris made a mustang but 1971 was the begining of the end for the red, white and blue which Polaris was known for. This was the very first sled i had bought after my father in law had given my kids his 70 TX.
Thanks Scott! Great story!
7/12/2006
JIM DIMMERMAN - ONE FAST CAT, PART II
In the second installment of my interview with Jim Dimmerman - Jim reveals where he has been hiding all these years. He gives up the secret details on his big 84 World Championship win and the machine, known as "The Phantom". It's the Cat that propelled him from dead last off the line into the winners circle!
Plus I ask the number one question from vintage racers: Would Jim be willing to help me setup my Cat SnoPro?
Part II is now online!
7/10/2006
ISR RACING RULES AVAILABLE NOW!
Normally, You'd have to buy the ISR books for a couple of bucks to get a copy of the official rules. But since this is the first year of Vintage racing rules in the ISR book, you can download them here (in PDF form) for free. Remember: Your local race association or track may not be adhering exactly to these rules - they have been established to be a guideline for all tracks, promoters and associations to use at their discretion UNLESS they are using the ISR insurance - then these rules are required. At present, the only two races I know that are running ISR insurance and thus the exact rules are Eagle River and Beausejour.
Contact your track or association to see what will be any different. Download the PDF here.
THER'S ONLY ABOUT 5 MONTHS TILL ICE!
7/8/2006
JIM DIMMERMAN - ONE FAST CAT
One day a couple of years back, I was walking through the Snowmobile Hall of Fame with founder Loren Anderson. On the floor was a 1978 Arctic Cat SnoPro hood with Jim Dimmerman's name on it. Of course my first question was "Is that really one of Jim's hoods" and the second question was "Where did Dimmerman go?" Loren told me, and it was later confirmed by some other notable vintage sled people - Jim had a dealership, sold it, then he just sort of "disappeared" - no one had heard from him since.
After hearing that, imagine my surprise when I got an email with no name on it other then "Has Been 84 World's Champion". Of course there could be only one 1984 World's Champion - and that was none other then Jim Dimmerman.
God bless the Internet.
In that first email, Jim was just curios after reading over vintagesleds.com, why was there all this interest in the old SnoPro machines and the old races?
We swapped emails for a few months rather sporadically, and eventually we got to chatting on the phone about all the old Cat racers and Jim's career. He started out on a Polaris, got noticed on the Merc Snow-twisters, then really got noticed racing 19776 Z's for Team Frustration. So much so that by 1978 he was asked to be a full time professional racer for none other then Team Arctic.
It turned out to be a lot of fun talking with Jim, but I couldn't help feeling like the thousands of people reading this site would like to talk to him as well; so last year, I asked you all for what questions you would like to as him. The response was amazing. Literally hundreds of questions came in. I was able to boil it down to the best ones. I asked Jim if we could get together over coffee or lunch and go over them. Imagine my surprise when he said "sure".
So what follows is a conversation that took nearly a year to take place - a little here, a little there and one long lunch in June of 2006. Without further adieu, part one of "Jim Dimmerman: One Fast Cat".
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Dimmerman makes his move
on Dave Wahl. |
7/07/06
VINTAGE PHOTOS - EAGLE RIVER, 1984
Jeff Steinke sent in 5 rare, never before seen of the competition at Eagle River in 1984. It was the last year a single tracker would win the race for many, many years. There are some great photos of this event in C.J. Ramstad's "Of Ice and Engines", but these are photos from different angles - very cool - and thank you Jeff!
Speaking of Jim Dimmerman - don't miss tomorrow's update: Part one of my interview with the 84 World's Champ - the first interview Jim has done since exiting the snowmobile business some years back!
7/05/06
82 EL TIGRE PROTOTYPE!
By Tom Rowland
Central MN.
These are some pictures of my 1982 El Tigre prototype.
Some back ground....I first learned of this particular sled back in 1991, I then lost track of it. I tracked it down again in 2003 and this time got it purchased. I am the 4th owner of this since it was sold on the Arctic Enterprises liquidation auction back in the early 80's. It has been a "daily driver" for each of the previous owners. It has over 6000 miles on the odometer!
At one point after the original engine had broken down, this sled even had a (cough) Polaris fan-cooled engine in it. Miraculously, the sled owner had the forsight to save the entire original engine, mounts, exhaust, etc; even though the crank was broken. After purchasing it, I had the original crank rebuilt and put the entire package back in the sled.
After great debate, I did have the hood refinished. For the most part, as much of the sled as possible has been left as original so as to try to preserve as much of the historical accuracy as possible. This 1982 was an "engineering" sled and not a picture/display model. Thus, it has the 1981 Tigre seat and not the 82 style as in some of the show pictures that exist today. This sled is serial numbered as a 1981 model. A fellow collector in MI has an 82 like this that is only 2 VIN numbers apart from mine, the sleds are nearly identicle in every way.
There are many things that make this proto unique..The 500 l/c engine has a "sand cast" lower end so as to accept the oil pump. Arctic had never yet offered an oil injected El Tigre at the time this was being developed. As a matter of fact, it was the 1986 model year before they actually did offer an oil injected Tigre. This also has an experimental oil tank over the driven clutch, a production sled never used this design.
This sled also has a never-produced dash/console that was being developed, it is a slightly "flatter" design. The hood is a design that never made it to production either, even though some of the 1986 models have some similarities. This sled uses a "nosecone", these had not previously been on a production Arctic. The belly pan on this model was destined to be redisigned and produced of TPR rubber. The belly pan on this proto looks as if it may be an 80 Panther pan that was widened out to serve as a starting point for further production.
Various holes in the side of the tunnel lead me to believe that different skid frames may have been in this sled at some point. Even though it was still a leaf springer, I think that Arctic would have been onto something big had they been able to release this model.
Thanks Tom!
7/03/06
A TINY SLED WITH A BIG HEART!
By Justin Frederick
West Concord, MN
 This snowmobile is a 1970 Polaris TX400 Playmate. It was produced for only one year. There were two different versions of this sled. There is the sled you see in the picture, and then there was the Polaris Playmate Racer, they are both almost identical to each other. The Polaris Playmate pictured is just the typical trail version with a large engine that the factory built for the public.
This little sled had the engine options of 294cc (300TX) 398cc (400TX) and a rare option of a 432cc (also considered a 400TX) free air. This sled actually has larger cc's than that. It is close to 500cc's and it is a little twin. It is running the stock TX series clutches and Mikuni carbs on it. This sled new had the option of the stock Polaris trail pipe, or for those people who did not mind going deaf in their right ear could get them with the twin fish pipes with stingers. This machine has those twin pipes, and yes my right ear is a little more deaf than usual now....but for a great reason!
If you look at the picture you can see it really resembles the stock 70-71 Polaris TX's, only smaller. It has small ski's on the front, a smaller version of its big brothers tank in the rear, but it has the same size hood on it and gauge pod with the headlight in it. The handlebars on this sled are also a smaller width than the normal TX series, with it's smaller version of the dash and a little utility box also.
For those of you who swear you have seen this little sled somewhere, I bought it from Ed Webb's auction, that is why you see the number on the windshield of the sled. The sled was on e-bay three different times. I wanted the sled EXTREMELY bad, I have always wanted one since I knew they existed, I could not afford it due to the fact I was in a career change; it almost broke my heart the first time it sold on e-bay, and I did not get it. The first time it sold for over $4k, but the auction winner did not pick it up due to personal issues. Back on the shelf it went. The second time it sold for a little more than $3k, but this auction winner did not like the condition of the track (it is weather-checked) so back on the shelf it goes - again. It sold the third time for a little under $3k to me, and I loved it even more when I saw it in person. I took it home and made it run great not caring the condition of the track or what it looked like. I was soooo proud to own this machine that I have always wanted. I cleaned it up and got it running and went out and rode it around a little then parked it next to its big brother in the garage...the 71 TX.
 In 1970 Polaris also made the Playmate TX 300&400 Racer. The trail TX had small ski's little handle-bars and a steel tunnel and a dash panel. The TX Racer had the normal TX ski's on it, it also had the typical TX handle-bars that were bigger, and it had no dash panel. It did have a belt guard on it though. The tunnels on these fine little machines were aluminum, the engines in these machines had the "performance" enhanced Fuji's in them with larger ports and running HD40B tilly's on the engines. These sleds came from the factory with fish pipes on them. Both sleds had the 12" track on them that was cleated and both had the wide front end with the typical TX hood on them.
Polaris in 1970 was out to beat the competition. They had a playmate in 1969 and a good race sled also, but in 1970 they wanted to dominate. So they decided to build this outstanding little machine with a huge engine. At first this was a superb idea, a little machine, with tons of Fuji power, but out on the track this was a different story. What happens when all that power is applied to a little 12" track? Total mayhem and one hell of a wild ride! The Playmates did o.k. but they got more injuries and wipe outs then checkered flags and the Playmate Racer was never to be built again.
I will be bringing this little TX400 Playmate to shows to ride around. I barely fit on the machine, but it is the funnest little sled in the world to run around on. If you happen to see me, stop and say hi and take this one of a kind machine for a ride for yourself and just see how much fun it really is.
Oh, and be sure to bring an ear plug for your right ear!
THANKS JUSTIN!
6/29/06
NOTHIN' RUNS LIKE A DEERE!
By Grant Nelson
I’m not a big John Deere supporter. It could be my perspective is mere sour grapes born of the fact I can’t afford their shade of green. There is however, one small exception when I really do like ‘Deere products.
In 1975 my brother, David, was working in Fordville, North Dakota for Casement Implement. Casement was a John Deere dealer and had a new product to sell, the snowmobile. The Horicon Works (part of John Deere) began development of Deere’s first snowmobile in 1969 followed by the first production model in 1971. The first models were the 300 and 400 (my parents purchased a 300) and were followed in 1972 by the JDX4, JDX8 and 600. The 1971 snowmobile line also introduced a new marketing phrase, “nothin’ runs like a Deere. “ It’s seems a little crazy that a huge agricultural company would produce recreational vehicles, but consider that John Deere already had a network for dealers, parts and service departments that needed Winter work and the concept gains sanity.
 Brother Dave drove both a JDX8 and a 295S racing model in the North Dakota in Langdon, Grafton and during Hatton Days. Dave trained by driving from our place in Viking to Fordville. John Deere later began “Enduro Team Deere” to champion their snowmobiles on the racing circuit. Going to school at Viking (Minnesota) Elementary, one of our holidays was to load the school into buses and watch the International 500 snowmobile race. In my class of 28 there were twelve Arctic Cat fans, eight Polaris fans, four Ski-Doo supporters, three pulling for Moto-Ski and me. In 1976, Brian Nelson won the I-500 on a John Deere Liquidator and brought me vindication for those years of teasing I suffered by those with no vision. Brian Nelson immediately gained status with me formerly reserved for Alan Page of the Minnesota Vikings. Brian currently conducts tours in Montana and Idaho from his home base in Spicer, Minnesota and was inducted into the Snowmobile Hall of Fame in 2000.
The John Deere snowmobile meant freedom for me. I loved the farm but a little distance makes you appreciate what you love. I could only drive around the section but there was enough snow so I could drive anywhere on that 640 acres. Nights spent on an inland sea of snow fired my imagination and taught me how your perspective changes and mind clears without the rattle of life and work. Starting a snowmobile before advanced electronic ignitions required determination and commitment but great reward awaited those efforts. I remember topping out the speedometer at 45 miles per hour on a long stretch of field road. Today you would be left behind at that speed.
My wife and I don’t own a snowmobile today although we both have a snowcatting history. Lisa’s family made long rides with campfires and food but today we stay close to the farm. The reality of the situation is that after moving snow and feeding cattle I’d rather ride our corn stove than a snowmobile. But I still have some pictures, some memories and that great day in 1976 with Brian, the Liquidator and twenty-seven dumbfounded classmates.
(Writer's note. I found that John Deere 300 in my dad's shed and just about have it ready to go. I also have a complete John Deere JDX-8 that needs some attention before it can hit the trail!)
Thanks Grant - great story!
SOMETHING DIMMERMAN THIS WAY COMES!
Yesterday, I got to have lunch with none other then Arctic racing legend Jim Dimmerman. Oh how I wish you all could have been there to hear the stories! But wait! Since I can type faster then I can drive a 250, I took it all down. In the next couple of days I will start unleashing the story. You won't want to miss this!
SHARK BITES
No more details on the Sharks yet. I will share what I can as I learn it! Dang I want to drive one!
6/28/06
SHARK BITE!
More spy photos. Wow. It looks damn good!
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All I can say is wow! |
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More wow - and look at the other sleds in this garage! |
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It just keeps getting better! Check out the twin tracker in the back. Mmmm. |
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Good lord that is Sexy, Sexy, Sexy! |
?????? I have no idea. The photo just showed up in my inbox today????
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Yamaha Superstar Mario Ito in 1978 on his SSR - photo recentlyfound by Tom Anderson who has been going through "Dad's old racing photos". More to come - THANKS TOM! |
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Yes that is a NOS 650 Crank.... Extra hoods, and other misc. parts... |
Just some of the parts I took home , 650 Cyl / Heads, Ported and Polished.... 7000 rpm custom race clutch... Rings, and Rings and .... |
6/22/06
IT'S STILL OUT THERE!
Frank Sadlon took the family to visit some friends that were camping in central Wisconsin last Friday, and they also went to pick some strawberry's..... along the way Frank decided on a whim to stop at a garage sale, and while walking around sniffing for a hint of 2 cycle, Frank discovered a pile of sleds and parts behind the guys garage, neatly covered and in great condition..... to his surprise a 72 TX Starfire, 71 TX Racer, and a bunch of parts for a 650 Engine, 650 Crank, some NOS stuff and more.
Turns out the guy used to race for some local dealer ( according to his wife) the husband ill, and in a nursing home she tells him. She asks Frank if he wanted the sleds and parts, otherwise they were going to the dump! Of course Frank said yes !! Frank will have to go with a trailer and pick up the rest this week, she also says there is stuff in the attic above the garage (she's not sure what it is, and I am sure Frank couldn't sleep thinking about it) and in a barn ( the 650 starfire hiding?) also she said to take all his trophies as she was getting ready to take them to the dump also!! Sooooo..... just goes to say you never know when and where you will find the "Stuff" , But you have to keep looking.......
..... And this was found with no secret connections, no secret clubs or societies, or any affiliation to Larry or Doc Jim, or VintageSleds.com.... lol.......
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1975 World Champion. |
6/22/06
JIM BERNAT RETIRES
It's been some months now, but long time racing legend and engineer Jim Bernat has officially retired from Polaris. Combined with the retirement of Bob Eastman before him, just a handful of the Polaris legends still remain working at the Roseau home of the Starfire Kids.
What follows is just a few quotes about Jim from friends, racers and fans. Enjoy.
Hanging in my office is a picture Jim signed in 1975, when I was a snot nosed little kid hanging around the Polaris race truck. I show it off every chance I can! I've had the pleasure of speaking with Jim at several vintage shows, and he is every bit as nice as you have heard. I learned more about what went into those race sleds in a 5 minute conversation with Jim then I could have learned in a lifetime of restoring them. They don't call him Smilin' Jim for nothing!
If you would like to add your voice, please email me and I'll put them up.
Congratulations Jim and we all hope to see you around!
6/18/06
HOT AUCTION ACTION
Ever been sitting at your house and thought "I know I'm missing something good. I just know it"? Well yesterday, most of us did miss something good! An auction near Brainerd Minnesota had King-Kats, Thunderjets, Speedways, an Allouette SUper, One of Dimmerman's old race sleds, RXL engines.... you name it for desirable old sleds, and this auction had one. Here's the kicker: Most of it went pretty darn cheap!
Check out some of the photos & prices on the VSCA web site!
HALL OF FAME NOMINATIONS
Your local club, state association or race group needs to get going for the 2007 Hall of Fame induction process. If you have people you believe should be in the hall of fame, get them into the Hall of Fame before they June 30th deadline. After screening and approval, the Hall of Fame Board of Directors and some 15 major magazine editors start in the voting process during July-August. The announcement of the inductees are made at the Hall's Ride WIth the Champs event in January. Take a a look at the past inductees page for the caliber of people from both the recreational and racing side of snowmobiling's history, and get your suggestions in!
I can think of a bunch of them: Todd Elmer, Jacques Villenueve, Don Omdahl, Dalton Lissell, Lynn & Wayne Trapp, Jim Dimmerman, there are a lot more I'm sure, deserving of this honor - and you can help!
VIVA LA THUNDER JETS!
Al and Bobby Unsers 1971 Thunderjets get restored right before your very eyes by Jeff Brauer for Bob Weaver Motorsports in New York. These sleds have had a pretty amazing history since 1971, being saved and preserved by VSCA members from Michigan, New Hampshire and now New York. Enjoy as we watch the progress of these amazing sleds as they come back to life!
 6/14/06
MORE VINTAGE PHOTOS
Tom Anderson sent in some more photos from Eagle River, 1976. Featuring the Boss Cat II, and the Gilles on his SnoPro Skiroules. Thanks Tom (sorry for the delay in getting them up!).
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Something Blue This Way Comes... Stay tuned! |
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#84 sponsored by Apple. |
6/12/06
APPLE SPONSORED PISTON CUP CAR
I went to see Pixar's new movie "Cars" last weekend. I've always liked the Pixar movies, but I have to say from the early trailers, this one looked questionable. However, I have never laughed harder through a movie that I can remember. The characters are really, really great in this thing. Larry the Cable Guy's character is perfect ("I'm having more fun then a tornado in a trailer park!"), as is Paul Newman as an old racer that mistankingly thinks everyone forgot him. Kind of reminded me of how some of the really great race sleds of yester year are now being treated with the respect they deserve, instead of sitting in a field rotting.
But here was the really fun part. I went out and did a little vintage sled racing. As a joke, Jim Haug and I adopted Apple as sponsors on our race sleds, putting Applke logos on the hoods. In the movie, it looked like one of the cars (#84, same year Apple introduced the Macintosh) was sponsored by Apple - but it went by too fast, I couldn't really tell.
I found a picture of this morning on FreeMacBlog.com. Go see the movie, I think you'll find it as funny as I did. If you can, bring a little kid. They'll thank you.
BULL SESSIONS CONTEST Remember, the first 10 users of the new Bull Sessions that reach "SnoPro" status get a free Derby Track T-Shirt (sorry, no XXX-FAT sizes left!), a VSCA hat & T-Shirt and a Vintageleds.com "5 Years of Vintage Mayhem" CD-ROM. So far, We have some "Modifieds" running, but no SnoPros yet!.
6/08/06
BULL SESSIONS OPENED
As of 10:00 this morning, the Bull Sessions were closed while we upgraded them. They are now open again. There is good news and bad news with the new Bull Sessions. The good news is that it offers many more controls over spam and nasty posts, plus it seems to be easier to use. The bad news is you will have to register a new account to use it. The good news is no one can post without registering.
FREE STUFF! When you register for the new Bull Sessions, you will be assigned the status of "Powder-Puff". Once you have posted some messages, you will graduate to "Stock-Racer", then to Modified, then to Super-Mod and finally you will be granted the master ranking of "SNOPRO". The first 10 people who get to the status of SNOPRO will get a free Derby Track T-shirt, a vintagesleds.com CD-ROM PLUS some prizes from the VSCA (TBA).
Go get 'em!
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