2/13/2006
VINTAGE SNOPRO MASTER SERIES POINTS
Here we go.. the points race is really heating up and our last couple of races will tell the tale of the SnoPro master for 2006! Drivers: if your point totals look incorrect, please contact us.

Results from Hayward, WI., February 11th:

340 Free Air Mod: 1st Jacob Goede, 2nd Rick Lutzow, 3rd Mitchell Pankratz, 4th Nathan Feutz, 5th Keith BaDour, 6th Tom Ellifson

440 Free Air Mod: 1st Jay Speery, 2nd Paul Socwell, 3rd Nathan Feucht, 4th Bill Stull, 5th Jacob Goede, 6th Mark Anderson

Open Free Air Mod: 1st Mark Anderson, 2nd Jacob Goede, 3rd Jay Speery, 4th Nathan Feutz, 5th Bill Stull, 6th Marve Salter

250 Liquid Mod: 1st Sean Smith, 2nd Larry Preston

340 Liquid Mod: 1st Jacob Goede, 2nd Nathan Feutz, 3rd Mitchell Pankratz, 4th Bill Stull, 5th Sean Smith, 6th Mike Smith

440 Liquid Mod: 1st Steve Smith, 2nd Jay Speery, 3rd Nathan Feucht, 4th Jacob Goede, 5th Bill Stull

340 IFS: 1st Billy Zawacki, 2nd Bill Stull, 3rd Mike Smith, 4th Sean Smith

440 IFS: 1st Devin Fackrell, 2nd Jay Speery, 3rd Steve Smith, 4th Billy Zawacki, 5th Bill Stull

440 X IFS: 1st Devin Fackrell, 2nd Ken Kitzman, 3rd Billy Zawacki, 4th Steve Smith, 5th Bill S

Point totals:

FREE-AIR TOP 5: (Winner gets a trophy & $500 Courtesy of Microblue Racing )
1. Mark Anderson - Polaris: 20 points
2. Jay Sperry Jr. - Rupp: 16 points
3. Jacob Goede - Polaris: 15 points
4. Rick Lutzow - Mercury: 7 points
5. Bill Stull - Rupp: 6 points
6. Josh Pecha - Polaris: 5 points

LIQUID TOP-5: (Winner gets a trophy & $500 Courtesy of Microblue Racing )
1. Sean Smith - Arctic Cat: 12 points
2. Bill Stull - Rupp: 15 points
3. (tie)Johns Schumacher - Polaris: 8 points
3. (tie) Mark Anderson - Polaris: 8 points
4. (tie) Jay Sperry Jr. - Rupp: 7 points
4. (tie) Steve Smith - Arctic Cat: 7 points
5. (tie) Mike Meagher - Arctic Cat 6 points
5. (tie) Jacob Goede - Polaris: 6 points
6. Nathan Fuetz - ??: 5 points

IFS TOP-5: (Winner gets a trophy & $500 Courtesy of Kuzin's Kustom)
1. Devin Fackrell - Ski-Doo: 19 points
2. (tie) Howard Gifford - Ski-Doo: 8 points
2. (tie) Billy Zawicki - Ski-Doo: 8 points
2. (tie) Bill Stull - Rupp - 8 points
3. (tie) Ken Kitzman - Arctic Cat: 7 points
3. (tie) John Schumacher- Polaris: 7 points
4. Steve Smith - Arctic Cat: 6 points
5. (tie) Duncan Reid - Ski-Doo: 5 points
5. (tie Nathan Westlund - Polaris: 5 points

OVERALL TOP 10: (Winner gets $1,000 and their name on the Hall of Fame Vintage SnoPro cup!)
1. Bill Stull - Rupp: 29 points
2. Mark Anderson - Polaris: 27 points
3. Jay Sperry Jr. - Rupp: 25 points
4. Jacob Goede - Polaris: 21 points
5. Devin Fackrell - Ski-Doo: 19 points
6. Sean Smith - Arctic Cat: 16 points
7. John Schumacher - Polaris: 15 points
8. Steve Smith - Arctic Cat: 13 points
9. Nathan Fuetz - ?? : 9 points
10. (tie) Billy Zawicki - Ski-Doo: 8 points
10. (tie) Howard Gifford - Ski-Doo: 8 points

Starting March 4th & 5th, the CPTC race track in Beausejour, Manitoba will have a special Jerry Bunke memorial race featuring this trophy.

The dates for the 44th Annual Canadian Power Toboggan Championships are March 4th & 5th, 2006. A full slate of Professional, Semi-pro, Junior, Women's and Vintage ice oval racers will be competing on the world's fastest and safest snowmobile race facility.

This year's 44th Annual Canadian Power Toboggan Championships will feature the introduction of the inaugural "Jerry Bunke Memorial Challenge" in the Vintage IFS class. This will feature a points tally for the IFS drivers over the weekend's races. The driver that collects the most points will win the coveted "Jerry Bunke Memorial' award that includes a presentation trophy,$1000.00 cash prize and various other prizes!!!!

Sponsors of the first' JERRY BUNKE MEMORIAL CHALLENGE' incude: Darren Ryback---Ryback Custom Machine, Beausejour, MB. Ernie Matywchuk---Matywchuk Brother's Racing, Thunder Bay,ON. Dale Neduzak---Timebenders Vintage Garage, Beausejour,MB. Keith Relf---Extreme Performance Exhaust, Winnipeg, MB. Tom Hay---Kolor's Autobody Supply, Beausejour,MB. Bill Graves---Graves Insurance, Beausejour,MB. Ken Day---Kenday Racing, Beausejour,MB. Jeff Melnick---Melnick Motors, Beausejour,MB. Karen & Jeff Sobetski---Sobetski Enterprises Polaris,Beausejour,MB. Larry Preston---VintageSleds.com,Elk River,MN.

Sean Smith of Wasilla, Alaska has dominated the liquid 250cc class so far.	Bill "Elvis" Stull warms up in the paddock. Both Bill and Jay Sperry make the mid-mount engines on Rupp's fly around the corners.

2/13/2006
ANOTHER HUGE WEEKEND
VINTAGE SNOPRO MASTER SERIES POINTS RACE TIGHTENS UP!
Our points leader Mark Anderson lost his 340 and 440 to mechanical failure, our second placer runner, Bill StUll didn't have much better luck, but Jay Sperry and Jacob Goede had great days. We could have an entirely new points race! I should have the final results today, and get the points updated in the next day or so.

Many thanks to Jim & Renee Wagner, Paul Socwell and the crew for the GREAT race they ran in Hayward for round #3 of the Vintage SnoPro series! Jim and the gang have a first class facility for the races, complete with a really nice lodge for the awards ceremonies. They even provided flags for the winners, trophys, and put up special "Welcome SnoPro Master Series" banners to greet the racers! It was exciting, close racing, and yet it was so organized and relaxed in the pits, you would have thought we were holding a book fair!

More photos are coming from both Hayward and Wolf Lake. Speaking of Wolf Lake, they even have a guy there that video tapes each race, then brings DVD's of them the following week for sale at $20 each. I got one from 2 weeks ago and they look great. Call Ken Hanson at 310-677-2397 if you are interested in a copy.

IT'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!
RACE #5 WILL BE ON WOLF LAKE IN ALEXANDRIA, MINNESOTA ON FEBRUARY 26th!

Hayward had another race on Sunday, as did Wolf Lake. The classic cruiser fest, near Minoqua, Wisconsin had over 200+ sleds in attendance and was reported to be a great time by everyone who attended.

2/10/2006
SLIGHTLY LESS OF A MYSTERY!
Well...this gets better everyday. In the Bull sessions, we heard from several people that they had seen the movie back in the day - so we know it existed. I got a hold of Richard Bickerton - who wrote the screenplay and shot the movie.

Mr. Bickerton sounds like a very likeable guy who has been making films all his life. In the late 1960's and early 1970's, he was making a series of documentary movies about athletes who had to over come huge obstacles to be victorious. He wanted to catch the true spirit of competition. He became, at some point, aware of a snowmobile racer named Gordon Shafer who has set a hug goal for himself - in the winter of 1971, Shafer was going to attempt for what, for many, was an impossible dream. Shafer was going to beat the factories at their own game.

Mr. Bickerton got $100,000 to film the movie. He followed Mr. Shafer the whole season. Originally, the title of the film was to be "Shafer". Mr. Bickerton says the footage he shot "really captured the exciting atmosphere around snowmobile racing", adding "Those triple cylinder, alcohol burning machines were fast, so fast I could not believe anyone could have held on to them".

He recalled once sequence where Mr. Shafer left the track, and the sled rolled down a huge hill into the woods. Hours later, they had to call in search and rescue teams, as he had disappeared. Turns out, he had driven around and was trying to find a way back to the track, when he eventually ran out of gas .

He said a portion of the movie was scripted - they added in some dramatic highlights of his girlfriend, and other aspects. When the original film was done, it was two hours in length. They then sent it to Hollywood to try and get a distribution deal. Eventually, the Hollywierdos started editing the film. They didn't like the documentary aspect of it, so the kept most of the dramatic portions and scaled it back to 90 minutes and re-titled it "A Matter of Winning". Mr. Bickerton said he kind of lost interest in it at that point, because it went from documentary to a typical Hollywood production.

It did get distributed. In those days, if a film did not make money in the first few days, it was pulled. That was largely the last he heard of it.

So the big questions: Did he have a copy? Did he have a copy of all the footage that was cut out?

"No, but I can tell you who might...."

Stay tuned!

BIG VINTAGE WEEKEND COMING!
Drag races in Waseca, The SnoPro series continues in Hayward WI tomorrow, races at Wolf Lake in Alexandria on Sunday, ROLA One Lung racers, Glenwood SLEDS race, and shows, shows shows. Check the events page for listings and let's get out there and enjoy the smell of petroleum while we are still legally allowed to!

Original poster from the mystery movie

2/08/2006
A HUGE VINTAGE MYSTERY!
Way back in 2000, I got an email that said "Have you ever found or heard of a movie about snowmobile racing - I think it was called A Matter of Winning. I can't find any reference to it anywhere". I have, in vain, searched high an low for any indication that this movie existed, and tonight, I found it. Actually, Doc Jim found it on the Bull Sessions. LaserGal from Sauk Rapids Minnesota found the poster on eBay (nothing about a copy of the movie!).

So this is proof - the movie did exist. And it looks very interesting. Note the 73 Starfire in the background. Note also the drawing of the Boss Cat 1. Notice the whole poster is drawings... Could it be there never was any actual film?

Once I saw the poster tonight, I did a bunch of searches on different search engines. I searched the title, all the names on the poster. Nothing. Nada. Zip.

So, I put it up to the larger vintagesleds.com readership: Anyone know anything about this movie, the people who made it, or the people in it???

UPDATE: I found references to Richard Bickerton as the producer of a 1978 movie "The Great Brain" - Starring Jimmy Osmand. I also found some refrence to Keith W. Merrill as being very upset about the rating systems of movies.

Can you help? Post something in the Bull Sessions.

2/06/2006
ANOTHER BIG VINTAGE WEEKEND
I keep hearing about the best kept secret in vintage snowmobiling - and I missed it again this past weekend. In Detroit Lakes, Minnesota the annual Lake Park

Josh Pecha leads the 440 Sprint sleds on his 73 340cc Starfire! Josh finished in 2nd at the GIR Raceway.

vintage ride took place. Sleds in the hundreds lined up and took part, with many saying it was the largest vitnage ride they had ever seen, bigger then even the Waconia ride. It's really just a ride - and is totally laid back, relaxed and a ton of fun. Many say it is just like what riding was like back in the old days, and that is what makes great. I don't know if anyone got any photos, but I'd sure like to see that hoard of old sleds.

Racing went on in Alexandria at Wolf lake, with sunshine, good temperatures and a good, smooth race track that was a lot of fun for everyone. One spill in the one-lung class send a rider over the bank, but he was okay.

Next Saturday the SnoPro series resumes in Hayward Wisconsin. We will have new handouts available so everyone can learn more about the series and some of the drivers.

2/01/2006
SNOPRO MASTER SERIES
First of all we got 2 new sponsors: Microblue racing & Kuzin's Kustoms.

The race to be the 2006 SnoPro driver of the year is really heating up! These are the preliminary totals. Drivers: if you spot an error, please email as soon as you can.

This thing is still almost anyones to win - with 3 races left in the series, it could all change on a moments notice. The liquid division is right now a 3 way tie for 1st!!

FREE-AIR TOP 5: (Winner gets a trophy & $500 Courtesy of Microblue Racing )
1. Mark Anderson - Polaris: 14 points
2. Jay Sperry Jr. - Rupp: 10 points
3. Jacob Goede - Polaris: 7 points
4. (tie) Josch Pecha - Polaris: 5 points
4. (tie) Bull Stull - Rupp: 5 Points
5. (tie) Todd Niewolny - Polaris: 4 points
5. (tie) Rick Lutzow - Mercury: 4 points

LIQUID TOP-5: (Winner gets a trophy & $500 Courtesy of Microblue Racing )
1. (tie) Sean Smith - Arctic Cat: 8 points
1. (tie) Johns Schumacher - Polaris: 8 points
1. (tie) Mark Anderson - Polaris: 8 points
2. Bill Stull - Rupp: 7 points
3. Mike Meagher - Arctic Cat 6 points
4. (tie) Jay Sperry Jr. - Rupp: 4 points
4. (tie) Dale Wetor - Polaris: 4 points
5. (tie) Josh Pecha - Polaris: 2 points
5. (tie) Kelly Renken - Viking: 2 points
5. (tie) Tim Turner - Mercury: 2 points
6. (tie) Danny Johnson - Mercury: 2 points
6. (tie) Nathan Westlund - Polaris: 2 points
7. (tie) EVERYONE ELSE

IFS TOP-5: (Winner gets a trophy & $500 Courtesy of Kuzin's Kustom)
1. Devin Fackrell - Ski-Doo: 11 points
2. Howard Gifford - Ski-Doo 8 points
3. Bill Stull - Rupp - 7 points
4. (tie) Duncan Reid - Ski-doo: 5 points
4. (tie) Ken Kitzman - Arctic Cat: 5 points
4. (tie) Nathan Westlund - Polaris: 5 points
5. Norman Lavoie - Ski-Doo: 4 points

OVERALL TOP 10: (Winner gets $1,000 and their name on the Hall of Fame Vintage SnoPro cup!)
1. Mark Anderson - Polaris: 22 points
2. Bill Stull - Rupp: 20 points
3. John Schumacher - Polaris: 15 points
4. Jay Sperry Jr. - Rupp: 14 points
5. Devin Fackrell - Ski-Doo: 11 points
6. (tie) Sean Smith - Arctic Cat: 8 points
6. (tie) Jacob Goede - Polaris: 8 points
6. (tie) Howard Gifford - Ski-Doo: 8 points
7. (tie) Nathan Westlund - Polaris: 7 points
7. (tie) Josh Pecha - Polaris: 7 points
8. (tie) Mike Meagher - Arctic Cat: 6 points
9. (tie) Ken Kitzman - Arctic Cat: 5 points
9. (tie) Kelly Renken - Viking: 5 points
9. (tie) Duncan Reid - Ski-Doo: 5 points
10. (tie) Rick Lutzown - Mercury: 4 points
10. (tie) Todd Neiwolny - Polaris: 4 points
10. (tie) Dale Wetor - Polaris: 4 points

1/31/2006
WHO INVENTED THE SNOWMOBILE PART II
In posting the photo below from Paul Crowe, I said it was peddle powered. Oops. Paul emailed me to let me know it was in fact driven by a small gas engine. It had a shaft drive with bevel gears at the saw blade. It was adapted from common mechancical assembly found on old farm equipment. In the picture, note the gas can on the ice.

The Snowmobile Hall of Fame's Loren Anderson, had this to say about the inventor of the snowmobile: "My bet for the first patent for a US snowmobile (if not the world) is 1896, in Crested Butte, CO. According to the patent dated March 24, 1896, Joseph, William and Moses Runnoe (brothers I believe) got a US patent for an improved power sled. That would imply there may have been an earlier model. Do not know that for sure. The 2 1/2 page patent decribes their power sled and patent number 557,085 has 6 drawings."

You can see the patent info at the US patent office web site.

1/30/2006
EAGLE RIVER & FREEPORT
Final results from Eagle River are now available and preliminary results for Freeport are available. Drivers: Please check the Freeport results carefully, email me if you see anything incorrect. It was pretty dark out there and it looks like some numbers may have been transposed.

01/30/2006
OH WHAT A WEEKEND
Starting with the races in Freeport, then two days of Waconia, it was a wet, cold, wild weekend for vintage sleds in Minnesota.

Really, it started Thursday night. A warm front moved into Minnesota, and with it, rain. Lots and lots of rain. By morning, almost all of the snow was gone. I was sure Freeport would be cancelled due to poor ice.

My hat is off to the organizers at Freeport. Despite Mother Nature attempting to kill the whole event, they pushed on and gave a whole bunch of us a place to race. Yes, the track was slushy, yes the poor spectators had to stand a mile away from the track, and yes the announcer had no clue ("Hey who is in the lead? Why it's the guy in first place!") what was going on. But the races went, no one was seriously hurt (Jay Sperry Jr. did take a nasty tumble on his Rupp), and when I could see it, the action was very good.

Mike Smith of Wasilla, Alaska, gets the "never say die" award. Coming on to the race track, he got sprayed from the sled ahead of him with gallons of water. Startled by the cold, he turned a little to the right and was tossed of his slow moving sled - right into a very deep, very cold puddle. Undaunted, he got back on the sled, and went out to race. Within seconds of he race start, he got tangled up with Jacob Goede and was tossed back into the freezing water again. This time his free-air Z was finished, though I suspect Mike would have kept going if he could have.

Outstanding performances in the SnoPro series came from Mark Anderson, Jon Schumacher, Devin Fackrell, Sean Smith and many others. I hope to have the final results later today. Racing went on past 12:00 AM, when I finally went home. Racing resumed on Saturday, with a full slate of SLEDS racing.

Saturday at Waconia, the weather tried as hard as it could to suppress the urge to run rancid fuel through a megaphone - and failed. Even though the ice was declared not safe at Waconia, the parking was rearranged and the swap meet was moved from the lake to what used to be the main parking lot for the ballroom. I never saw so much stuff for TXL's for sale!

Sunday I was back again to get some photos of the sleds on display and several stuck out. A really nice restored triple 440cc Brut, a 69 Arctic Factory racer (serial #1!), a 68 Moto-ski and more. I'll have pictures in a few days.

Whew. That's a whole lot of vintage stuffed into a weekend!

01/27/2006
THE RACE IS ON!
I just spoke to an official from the Freeport I-94 Ice Daze group and the SnoPro Master series races are a go this evening. He said that despite the high temperatures and last nights rain, the Sheriff has declared the lake is safe, so the show will go on. However, the area around the lake and the parking lot will likely be reduced to mud, so be prepared.

If you are going, just head to Freeport Minnesota on Interstate 94 (between St. Cloud and Alexandria), take the exit and follow the signs. Gates open and hot laps start at 4:00, racing in the SnoPro series starts at 7:00 under the lights. See you there!

01/26/2006
WHO INVENTED THE SNOWMOBILE?
There has always been a lot of discussion around the question of who invented the snowmobile. Carl Eliason, David Johnson, Joseph Bombardier amongst others are all credited with the invention, depending on who you ask, what year you are talking about, what style you are referring to, or what book you read.

Now we have this interesting picture. Sent in by Paul Crowe. This shot is of his Grandfather, Joe Danielson. The photo was shot in the 1940's on Lake Washington, near Dassel, Minnesota.

The machine appears to be pedal driven, with a large saw blade between two stabilizing wooden skis for propulsion. A single ski steers the device. Kind of neat huh? I'll bet it worked well on hard pack or ice, but I question its ability to handle deep snow!

Thanks Paul for sending in such a neat photo!

01/24/2006
THE NEW CAT SHOWROOM
So you've got a collection of 30 or so really nice sleds. Now what? I mean where in the heck do you put 30 really nice sleds? Well, if you you are Arctic Cat muscle and race sled collector and restoration guru Andy Avelis, you build the showroom of your dreams.

Yes indeed boys and girls, Andy has out done himself this time and built a new showroom for his outstanding collection of some of the rarest Cat's to claw their way around a race track. Imagine how much fun it must be to have your coffee every morning in this playroom. And to think the room i only 1/2 done! Polished aluminium shelves, a glass wall display & a wet bar are all to be completed soon.

I hope the Arctic Cat marketing department sees this!

Congratulations to Andy and his family. I bet they are having a riot with this. When is that grand opening party?

TODD'S RIDE UPDATE
I made a slight correct to the article about the Elmer sled below. I spoke with Mr. Elmer yesterday and he clarified that his speed record was in Waldheim, not in Winnipeg. He also recalled that the Rotax was a 340cc motor. That's a heck of a fast 340!

FREEPORT VINTAGE SNOPRO MASTER SERIES
There was a little confusion surrounding this weekends race in Freeport, but here it is. Friday night, all the SnoPro classes will run first, starting at 7:00 sharp. There is a $2,000 purse just for those 9 classes. After the SnoPros run, SLEDS racing will run a full slate of classes, and then SLEDS will run a full slate on Saturday with a much larger purse available to the drivers.

WACONIA UPDATE
For those of you making the trek to vintage mecca this weekend - Waconia - only the Saturday drag races have been cancelled due to poor ice conditions. As I understand it, everything else is a go!

Oh yeah, check out his spiffy web site. Aw shucks.

BEVRA IS UNDERWAY!
Here's some great shots from the first race of the BEVRA season in Houghton Lake Michigan. I dig Roger Jordan's 73 and the cool twister - 76 snopro glass with a free-air poking out! Yeah! Read about it at Big Extreme.com

Brian Weiner of Woodridge, IL is this years winner of the Snowmobile Hall of Fame raffle.

St. Germain, WI.............The SNOWMOBILE HALL OF FAME is happy to announce the winner of the grand prize for the 2006 sled raffle. The new Arctic Cat Sabercat 500 was won by Brian Weiner of Woodridge, IL. Brian bought his ticket at the Milwaukee Snowmobile Show. Photo shows local Arctic Cat dealer, Randy Ryden of Hazelhusrst, turning the beautiful red Cat over to Brian.

The raffle is one of several fund raising events held by the non-profit group each year. The next raffle is a cash raffle. Tickets are $100.00 and there will only be 200 printed and sold. The first prize is $7,500.00 cash, 2nd is $1,500.00, 3rd is 500.00, 4th is $300.00 and 5th is $200.00. Tickets go on sale Wednesday, January 25.

Call the Hall of Fame for information at 715 542-4488 or email at hallfame@newnorth.net.

The Snowmobile Hall of Fame operates a year around museum, gift shop and restoration shop at 8481 Hwy 70 W in St. Germain. Some 70 historic aleds are on display including the largest collection of world championship sleds in North America. The museum is open 10-5 Monday-Friday and 10-3 Saturday. Visit the web site for information at www.snowmobilehalloffame.com

December, 1980. Note the outboard shocks, tilted chaincase and Rotax motor.

01/19/2006
TODD'S RIDE ON SNOWPOD.COM
Today on Snowpod.com there is a really sexy picture of Todd Elmer's 1980/1981 Polaris RXL. On the SNowpod site, it asked "if anyone knows anything about this sled, please email CJ [Ramstad]". Well, what can I tell CJ about this baby? A whole bunch, since I have to step over it to get to my car!

Above is two pictures given to me by Matt Knochamaus (spelling?) of Roseau, Minnesota. As a young man, he and the then soon to be Polaris racer Troy Pierce went up to watch the 1980/81 season opener in Winnipeg. Matt snapped these photos of Todd's brand new sled.

It is one of 3 Offset RXL's built by Larry Rugland and a couple of other guys at Polaris in the fall of 1980. One went to Todd, one went to Hall of Famer Frans Rosenquist, and one went to either Ron Barnes or TJ Patrick. As of this writing, Todd's and Frans' sleds have been recovered, but the 3rd is still out there somewhere, waiting to be found. Todd, T.J., Ron and Frans were the unnofficial "back door" Polaris race team at the time.

The sled is wider then a standard RXL, and offset to the outside by about 6". It came from Polaris with a Rotax in it - although many in Roseau will still, to this day, deny that. It had the chaincase tipped forward, and the outboard rear shocks were fitted by Mr. Rugland to an RXL suspension. The hood and chassis were painted to match Todd's leathers by John Strand, Todd's buddy from Evansville, Minnesota. Todd also mounted a lube tank under the seat.

Todd was clocked at well over 100 M.P.H. on this sled at the race in Waldheim. Pretty good when you think that just a few weeks ago, Terry Wahl set a new track record in Beausejour at just a bit faster!

2005 Photo

01/18/2006 PART II
THE GREATEST ARCTIC CAT SHOW ROOM
Several years ago I shared the with you the biggest, most comprehensive collection of Arctic Cat muscle and race sleds in the universe. That collection has found a new home that will make your head explode.

Tomorrow (the 20th), you are going to see a preview of the new home of this amazing collection that even makes a collection of old Cat skis look really, really sexy.

Get an oxygen tank, because this will take your breathe away.

Hint? Think what your greatest fantasy Arctic Cat show room might look like...

01/18/2006
HOT ROD!
I don't have a lot of detail on this baby, other then someone has too much snow and too much time on their hands. It came from Betty-Ann Drews, and simply said "Gimli Winter Hotrod!! Some guys just have way too much time and money for toys, Not to mention been out in the snow a weeeee bit more than most should. Lets see the RCMP try catch one of these!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Only in Manitoba."

Here's something to amuse yourself with. Do it. I dare you.

Jacob Goede Photo from Michael Matern	Jim Haug, photo by Jody Haug

01/17/2006
GREAT PHOTOS AND THE HALL OF FAME 2006 RAFFLE WINNERS
A whole new batch of photographers have cropped up, all having a good time shooting vintage sled events. I keep getting all these great photos and I really like picking out the best of the best to share with everyone.

These two are a couple of the best examples. First up is photo of Jacob Goede, just after he got his Loadmaster jacket and hat at the vintage World Championship ceremonies. Taken by Michael Matern, this photo does a great job of capturing everything you need to know about our new World Champion.

Next up is this photo of Jim Huag, taken by his wife Jody last week at Wolf Lake, just prior to Jim's run in the 340 mod class.

So last week was the annual Ride With the Champs for the Hall of Fame, and the induction ceremony for the Hall. Racers Darcy Ewin and Frans Rosenquist were honored, as well as Maine Polaris snowmobile pioneer Earlan B. Campbell, and 79 year old Coley Findlay, who has logged 460,000 miles of riding, on his way to his goal of 500,000.

After the ceremonies, Doug Hayes and Frans Rosenquist swapped racing stories that were priceless to hear first hand. One that I would share is this: If you have seen the 1979 World Championship promotional video of Bobby Elsner's win at Eagle River, then you will remember the scene where "one driver suddenly leaps from the starting line, far ahead of the other drivers". That Polaris driver who had a huge jump at the start of the race was none other then Frans Rosenquist on a special Polaris built, Rotax powered RXL.

Two sleds were made, one for Frans and one for Doug Hayes. During Saturday qualifying, Doug's sled ran like a monster, setting a new track record during time trials. Frans sled, well, did not run so well. However, Doug crashed in a heat race for the World Championship, but Frans qualified, just by the skin of his teeth.

That night, Polaris put both sleds in the trailer, and locked the doors, not even allowing Frans or Doug in the truck. "I don't know what they did in there, but the next day, my sled was so fast I darn near [lost control of my bowels]". Frans went on to say that the it was in no way the sleds fault that he did not win the 79 World's Championship - he just wasn't sure how to drive a sled that fast and with that much power! He speculated, but had no proof that maybe the motor from Dougs was put into his chassis, and the numbers switched. I guess we'll never really know, but what a great story, and it was told very well by Mr. Rosenquist.

And the winner of the Hall of Fame Raffle for a new Arctic Cat? Brian Weiner, of Woodridge, IL. Bernice Johnson St. Germain, WI won a vacation package from the St. Germain Lodge, and Nick Hein Appleton, WI won a package from either the Rustic Manor or Black Bear Lodge, St. Germain, WI. Congratulations to all the winners.

01/16/2006
VINTAGE SNOPRO MASTER SERIES
There has been some confusion and a change to the dates on the Master Series race dates. The official dates are now as follows:
1. January 6, 7 & 8th Eagle River Wisconsin (Completed)
2. January 27th Freeport MN. ($2K Purse)
3. February 11th Hayward WI.
4. Strathcona, MN. February 18th (Payback + Purse)
5. TBD.

There are races this coming weekend at Alexandria (Wolf Lake), Hayward & Thief River falls, but none of these are for points in the series.

ALSO: It's official! We have a $1,000 prize for the overall winner, courtesy of the Snowmobile Hall of Fame and Fuse Cafe Internet. Stay tuned - there will be more!

01/15/2006
P.J. Wanderscheid - 2006 WORLD CHAMPION!
P.J. Wanerscheid joind an elite group of people today - Dave Wahl and Jacque Villeneuve and won the Eagle River World Championship for a 3rd time. P.J. beat out Terry Wahl who led the race for over 23 laps. This marks Arctic Cat's 5th straight win for the title.

Wolf Lake also put on a vintage race today, with everyone having a good time, and some very close races. the track was in excellent condition, and a large number of sleds and a good crowd showed up as well.

01/14/2006
GASTON FERLAND
Another great shot from the vintage weekend at Eagle River.

That is Ski-Doo legend Gaston Ferland on the right - wearing his original 1973 suit.

Gaston was signing autographs all weekend long and posing for pictures.

This photo was taken by Tom Anderson (who sent me, by the way, 164 pictures!) just moments after Gaston signed the hood of Kurt Krueger's 1974 Ski-Doo SnoPro racer.

01/10/2006
THE LEGEND OF EAGLE RIVER
I just don't have enough time to update the photos from Sunday's Vintage World Championship, but I do want to get these three photos up that do a great job of explaining why Eagle River has the reputation it does of being a top-notch race.

The 2006 Vintage Lineup. You can feel the tension in the air.	What Eagle River is all about. Everyone holds their breath as 10 sleds all come in at speed into the famed first corner. Note how closely packed in they are. No one is going to give an inch!	Jacob Goede's proud parents, enjoying the ceremonies afterwards with a few hundred of their closest friends - the other racers and families.

01/09/2006
VINTAGE SNOPRO SERIES UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
The final results are not in from Eagle River, so these are unofficial until Eagle River posts final results. There are a lot of ties - don't worry, that will change after the next race. Take a good look at the list - there are some very familiar names from the past! Congratulations to all the drivers - it was a great show!

Your leaders in the Vintage SnoPro Master Series are:

Free-Air Division:
1. Mark Anderson - (Polaris) - 8 Points
2. (Tie) Josh Pescha - (Polaris) - 7 points
2. (Tie) Jean Lesieur - (Chapperal) - 7 Points
3. Jay Sperry Jr. (Rupp) - 6 points
4. Todd Niewolny (Polaris) - 5 points
5. Jacob Goede (Polaris) - 4 points
6. Derek DeLisle (Yamaha) 3 points
7. (Tie) Thomas Elifson (Ski-Doo) 2points
7. (Tie) Kelly renken (Viking) 2 Points
7. (Tie) Luek Weir (Alouette) 2 points
7. (Tie) Alexander Lavelle (Chapperal) 2 points
8. All other drivers - 1 point each.

Liquid Division:
1. (Tie) Mark Anderson (Polaris) 4 points
1. (Tie) Jay Sperry Jr. (Rupp) 4 points
1. (Tie) Sean Smith (Arctic Cat) 4 points
2. (Tie) Jean Lesieur (Chapperal) 3 points
2. (Tie) Mike Meagher (Arctic Cat) 3 points
2. (Tie) Bill Stull (Rupp) 3 points
3. (Tie) Josh Pecha (Polaris) 2 points
3. (Tie) Tim Turner (Merc) 2 points
4. All other drivers - 1 point each.

IFS DIVISION:
1. Howard Gifford (Ski-Doo) 8 points
2. (Tie) Duncan Reid (Ski-Doo) 5 points
2. (Tie) Devin Fackrell (Ski-Doo) 5 points
2. (Tie) Donald Dubord (Moto-Ski) 5 points
3. Guy Montiminy (Ski-Doo) 4 points
4. (Tie) Chuck Decker (Ski-Doo) 3 points
5. (Tie) Billy Zawacki (Ski-Doo) 2 points
5. (Tie) Shawn Jennings (Ski-Doo) 2 points
6. All other drivers - 1 point

OVERALL TOP 6:
1. (Tie) Mark Anderson (Polaris) 8 points
1. (Tie) Howard Gifford (Ski-Doo) 8 points
2. (Tie) Josh Pecha (Polaris) 7 points
2. (Tie) Jean Lesieur (Chapperal) 7 points
3. Jay Sperry Jr. (Rupp) 6 points
4. (Tie) Todd Niewolny (Polaris) 5 points
4. (Tie) Dunacn Reid (Ski-Doo) 5 points
4. (Tie) Donald Dubord (Ski-Doo) 5 points
4. (Tie) Devin Fackrell (Ski-Doo) 5 points
5. (Tie) Jacon Goede (Polaris) 4 points
5. (Tie) Sean Smith (Arctic Cat) 4 points
6. (Tie) Chuck Decker (Ski-Doo) 3 points
6. (Tie) Bill Stull (Rupp) 3 points
6. (Tie) Dale Wetor (Polaris) 3 points
6. (Tie) Mike Meagher (Arctic Cat) 3 points
6. (Tie) Derek DeLisle (Yamaha) 3 points

01/09/2006
JACOB GOEDE NEW WORLD CHAMPION!
Jacob Goede capped off a great weekend of racing by becoming the 2006 Vintage World Champion at the Historic Eagle River Track yesterday afteroon. 21 year old Jacob and his 73 Starfire fought a 10 lap battle with Mark Anderson's Starfire to hold him off only on the last lap. Both were followed by Fast Freddy Smith's Ski-Doo the whole way. The race had several restarts due to accidents, however no one was injured.

It was rumored late in the day that Goede's braked failed around the third lap, and that he actually won with no brakes - if this is true, it's amazing. Not having breaks on a sled that fast on that track would take a monster of a driver to control. It was great fun watching how excited Jacob's dad was, as well as Jacob's reaction to the flury of TV cameras, photographers, and well-wishers that gathered around him after the race.

More results (and pictures!), including the points totals for the Vintage SnoPro Master Series coming later today.

St. Germain Wisconsin - the new sign on the entrance to the Hall of Fame.

01/06/2006
PULL THE TRIGGER, THIS IS IT!
For the next two weeks, all eyes in the vintage world are on two little towns in Northern Wisconsin. Starting tonight, over 400 vintage racers are in Eagle River, everyone of them a champion for the year of planning, tweaking and preparing for this weekend. But only one will be "WORLD CHAMPION" on Sunday afternoon. I'm heading there to take photos on Sunday and enjoy some of the best racing you'll see anywhere in the world. I would have yanked my little 250 up, but alas, I couldn't find the time to switch her to a rubber track. If you can find some way to get there - do it. I'll be in the center with a gaggle of cameras around my neck, having a great time.

You know there was a pretty big controversy about the switch to rubber tracks. With over 400 enteries, it sure doesn't sound like it kept many racers away!

Next week it's the Vintage Ride with the Champs to benefit the Snowmobile Hall of Fame. I hope to see about 300 of my closest friends there on their vintage sleds having a great time with some of the all time greats of the sport, and to see Darcy Ewing and Frans Rosenquist gain their place in the Hall.

To get you in the mood for some vintage fun, I've added some new vintage photographs for all of us to drool over. First of all, I've added 1 photo to Mick Fesko's 1975 World Series photos - it's the cover of the race program.

Next up, Tom Anderson sent in 3 intriguing photos from the 1976 Eagle River Race. Thank you very much Tom!

Finally, I've added some 1979 photos from Ray Graf. Like many of you and myself, Ray Graf was a Midnight Blue Express junkie. In 1979 when Polaris pulled the plug on the time factory racing, Ray stayed with Brad Hulings and Steve Thorsen when they went to Scorpion. So Ray got some sweet, sweet pictures of not only the Scorpion SnoPros, but the Ski-Doo's and Cat's as well. Way to go Ray!

Last but not least - a new feature. Original autographed pictures. First up, back in the day autographs from Stan Hayes, Sammy Sessions (the RUPP years!), Doug Hayes, Jim Dimmerman and many more.

01/04/2006
LET'S RIDE
It's winter again! So what better way to celebrate then to get out and ride your vintage sled! Pictured here is the lovely and talented Julie, who will some day make an honest man out of Wally of Maine, also known as Commander Waldo of the Sky Blue Express. Waldo owns several vintage Polaris sleds, including this 1971 Polaris 2+1. That looks like fun.

We got more snow here last week, and the ditches were full of riders mostly on them new-fangled machines. It is always nice to see people out enjoying themselves on sleds - no matter what year they are.

STRATHCONA RACE
Last weekend, Jim Haug and I packed up our little racers and headed towards the home land of Polaris and Arctic Cat - Northern Minnesota. A little town of 29 people, called Strathcona, sits in between Roseau and Thief River Falls. It is home to a very historic race track - right across the street from the boyhood home of Larry Coltom. It is also the home track for the S.L.E.D.S vintage racing organization.

The track was as smooth as a babies bottom, and race directors Danny D and Doug Holverson did a nice job of mixing up the classes and getting the races running in quick order. There was some darn fun races to watch. There was the usual suspects winning races and some real nice surprises as well.

I have to tell the tale of the Smith Brothers. Mike, Steve and Sean moved into a large, cold shop early in December. I was there when they unloaded a few snopros, Z's, SRX's and a ton of old parts. There goal was to have a bunch of vintage race sleds ready to go before first ice, and to have a champ sled ready as well. I looked at the pile of parts and sleds and thought to myself that they faced an insurmountable task. From my perspective (remember I really know diddley about getting a sled to really run), I thought they were looking at months of work to get just one sled ready.

Well, the dug in and worked around the clock for the whole month. Because on December 31st, they showed up with a 250 Z, a 440 Z, a free-air and a champ sled - one they bought from two time world champion P.J. Wanderscheid. All the sleds were ready (if missing a few decals) and a couple of them, the 440 Z in particular - was running very strong. It was really nice to see. I stand amazed at how much work they did in such a short period of time.

Devin Fackrell's Ski-Doo reminded me of the SnoPros I watched as a kid. That thing is so fast you can get dizzy watching it go in circles. The Poirier Boys brought up a small fleet of sleds and had a great time. John Schumacher had a great day, but finally had to stop after running so many classes that he could no longer feel his left arm!

ON TO EAGLE RIVER
There is a definite silence around vintage racing right now as everyone prepares for the big Eagle River race this weekend. I've heard the track is in great shape, they have over 400 entries, and some old school big time racers will be back this year on vintage hardware. It's the first race of the Vintage SnoPro Master Series, and drivers just need to be signed up in the correct classes to enter.

12/29/2005
STRATHCONA IS ON
Looks like if you want to see some racing this weekend, you'll have to make the trip to Strathcona, Minnesota. Wolf Lake and Hayward both cancelled due to poor ice. The guys up at SLEDS said everyone is welcome, they are doing a $10 entry fee for non-sleds members and it should be a very good time.

I got my new Snow week magazine today. Great cover of Terry Wahl. Great editorial by Colby Johnson, who is in line to become the Patron Saint of Vintage Snowmobiles, should Danica get out of control. I really look forward to getting that magazine. The one big bummer? Pretty much no mention of the vintage races at Beausejour, or anywhere else, except for a blurb on a one-lung incident. What's up with that?

12/28/2005
NEW FEATURES
In a never ending quest to build a better vintage sled web site, I've made some significant changes over the last few days. First there is a new classifieds section - you no longer need to register to post an ad. Very soon, it will have a very simple way to add nice photos. Tonight, I turned on whole new Events section. Again, you no longer need sign on to add an event.

Enjoy!

12/24/2005
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM 1975
Mick Fesko sends along these pictures for everyone on this Christmas Eve day. Photos from the 1975 World Series. It was a very, very dirty race. No pun intended.

Have a great Christmas and lets all rest up before the big winter season og '06 gets underway!

12/23/2005
SEEK AND YE SHALL FIND...
A few weeks back I posted Kurt Andrews 73 Starfire sprint machine. I jokingly asked if there were more on the way.. lo and behold, Kvon Cole sent in photos of his custom built 1977 Z Ice drag sled. Pretty darn cool looking Mr. Cole. Is that on it's way to the Waconia Drags?

Speaking of Waconia... big news in the form of some the biggest Eastern collectors are on the way West for the big event. Rumor has it that 3 of the biggest name collectors from the East Coast will be making the trek across country, sleds in tow! This is a once in a lifetime chance for most of us in the Midwest to see some of the rarest sleds that normally prowl about at only eastern shows. I can't wait!

Oh, who is coming you ask? Well I'm not at liberty to say just yet, but I'll drop some hints on the sleds. Saturday at Waconia is a special tribute to all kinds of "twin track" sleds. One of the rarest may be coming. Hint: It's black. Also some very rare SnoPros originally driven by two brothers.

Speaking of East and West shows - what does everyone think of the show announced in the latest issue of the VSCA? Each year they want to have a "World Championship" vintage show, and have it be a traveling show in the East, in canada, out West, just so everyone gets a chance each year. The first show they are suggesting will be in a really, really great in door facility in Thief River Falls, where one sled will be crowned the champion until next year. I think this is GREAT idea that sounds like a lot of fun!

12/22/2005
TRICKY DICK'S GAS SHORTAGE
Altough one could argue Jimmy Carter was one of the worst Presidents of the United States ever, it was in fact Nixon who presided over the 1974 gas shortage, not Carter as I mentioned in yesterdays post. Thanks to the Jimmy Carter supporter out there that pointed out my mistake.

Kurt Krueger of ProVintage Performance will be piloting this 74 SnoPro at Eagle River this winter!

12/21/2005
HOLY SNOPRO!
Kurt Krueger has done it again! He's becoming a one-man Bombardier factory race team and historian, all wrapped up in one package.

Today Kurt sent in his entry for the 340 SnoPro class - this BEAUTIFUL reproduction 1974 Ski-Doo SnoPro 340! It should be the only one of it's kind at the famed Eagle River track, January 6th, 7th and 8th.

I don't know about you, but for me, this is, without question, the sexiest damn Ski-Doo ever built. Unfortunately, they never saw the light of day much back in 1974. Today, one original hood is owned by Mike Trapp (at the Snowmobile Hall of Fame) and Yvon DuHamel owns the only original 74 SnoPro - a 650cc machine he's has had ever since it was built.

There is a bit of controversy over why Ski-Doo never raced these sweet looking monsters back in 1974. The official line was that it was because of Jimmy Carter's gas shortages. Others have speculated that there was some real issues with the sleds. We'll probably never know the real reason. According to Mike Trapp, the sleds were tested, tested hard and he was very ready to go SnoPro racing.

So instead of racing, Yvon and Mike took the 650's to different parts of the country and did some Public Relations. Ski-Doo was never really represented in the first ever SnoPro series. Although the series was very popular with the fans, I'm sure more then a few of us were disappointed that Ski-Doo was not there.

So that begs the question. Can Kurt and his new sled make up for Ski-Doo's lost year of racing??? Will we get to see some 74 Polaris, Cat and now Ski-doos on the track, together for the first time? Has anyone cloned a 74 Yamaha?

I have to stop thinking about it. My mind will explode. Folks, we are one BIG step closer to those who were lucky enough to see and original SnoPro race to re-live the experience, and for those of us who never saw one, to witness some of the best racing of all time.

Way to go KURT!

12/20/2005
BOGUS 2ND CHANCE!
Have you bid on Ed Webb's sleds on eBay? Have you been notified that you can buy the item because the auction winner did not pay up? BE CAREFUL! These are all bogus! If you send money - you'll get nothing!

An 'Elite' Elite. Serial #001!

12/19/2005
NEW RAREBIRD - 73 SKI-DOO ELITE #001!
Rick Stockey is the proud owner of our first consumer Rarebird. This baby is a 1973 Ski-Doo Elite, with the distinction of being the very first one ever made. That's right - serial number 1!

Rick bought in Northfield, Minnesota in 1999 or 2000. It was part of a deal with the previous owner that included a car. Rick and the previous owner were well aware of the rarity of such a sled, and so both enjoyed a darn good trade.

It has had minor touch ups done to it, but is still in original condition. This original Elite is powered by a 28 horse 440 fan cooled motor with Tillotsen carbs. it has two Olympic tracks, is 103' long, 44" wide and weighs in at a smokin' 682 pounds.

In 2003 Ski-Doo requested that Rick bring the sled to the Earl Brown Center, just North of the Twin Cities, for special display featuring Ricks #1 sled, and the prototype it was made from. It was a special day Rick will never forget. "It was just really neat that they [Ski-Doo] called me and asked to have it brought up for the show. It was a lot of fun".

Rick has driven the sled several times and very much enjoys the ride. "It has a top speed of about 45 miles per hour. It rides very nice on the trail and is big enough to bring a buddy and some beverages. It's a strange ride also, because you feel like you are in a little car riding in the ditch!"

All good things must come to and end and Rick says his time with the Elite has reached a milestone. "I've had it for almost 7 years, I've certainly enjoyed owning such a rare sled, but it does take up a lot of room, and I'll beet some one else at this point would really love to have it". So after an "Elite" relationship, Rick is letting her go to a new home.

This is the first entry into a new catagory of Rarebirds - Rare consumer sleds. We are still working on the criteria for what qualifies as a rare consumer (non race sled). But anything that was first off the line, I think, certainly qualifies.

Nathan Wesltund on his 77 leads them through the 4th corner at the 05/06 SLEDS season opener at Strathcona.	Jim Haug #78 and yours truly #77 testing the 77's out the weekend before. Photo taken after I rolled it.

STRATHCONA OPENER
I heard all good things about the SLEDS season opener in Strathcona, Minnesota last weekend. The drivers I talked to said it was a top-notch event, with great ice, great fun and good times. Keep checking the SLEDS web site for results. I'm sure they will have them up soon!

12/17/2005
WOLF LAKE OPENER CANCELLED
Scott Tillman posted around 12:00 today that the ice needs more time on the lake before it is safe to race & plow. Last week's snow proved to be too much. Oh well, I guess that means more time for me to keep re-measuring my toe-in. ;-)

12/16/2005
VINTAGE SNOPRO SERIES
Registration for the series this year will be really, really easy. Here's how it works. If you enter to race at Eagle River, Freeport or Hayward and register for a SnoPro designated class, you are entered in the series. It's that easy. At Eagle River, the classes to watch for the SnoPro Series are:

Darrell goes for a ride on his newly restored K-80.	Mom is not so lucky.

12/13/2005 PART II
MA IN THE SLED
From the inbox:
"Hey there, not really sure who is getting this, may have added a few by mistake. :) Here is the latest restortion projects. The Polaris is a 1964 K-80. runs great. Has a John Deere garden tractor motor so it has electric start and an alternator for lights. Needs a little work for finalization, wiring etc, the tag a long sled, was repainted earlier this year. That is ma in the sled, she is such a good sport, :).

PS both the sled and Ma made the trip to billy's bar for a victory beer. :)"

Thanks Darrell - and I hope Ma's tailbone survived the ride!

12/13/2005
TOE-IN. IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.
Wolf Lake had an "open house" this past weekend for anyone that wanted to come up and test their race sleds. The Poirier Boys showed up

The Poirer Boys new triple Rotax "Beast".

with a small army of sleds, including one really original Jag, and a new Ski-Doo triple they hope will help them beat the Johnson. More on this baby later.

Last years IFS SnoPro champ, Devin Fackrell was there testing his 78 440 Ski-Doo, as was Kenny Kitzman on his Champ sled. The VSCA even came out for some photos.

We (Jim Haug and I) brought both 77 Polaris SnoPros up to test. Jim's 340 needed small adjustments and minor tweaking, but was running pretty good. I was supposed to just run my 250 for a couple of laps and see if any bolts rattled loose. It felt pretty good, so I went into a corner hard. The next thing I knew, my head hit the ice and I was staring at the pretty gray sky. I had been making jokes all morning about "I'm just going to go roll it over once and scratch the paint just to get it out of the way" and lo and behold, my "wish" came true.

I'm okay (just sore) and the sled just lost some gelcoat, spark plugs and has a host of new cracks. Later we learned I had about 1" of "toe-in" and my ski pressure was way too much, causing the back end to break loose, and the carbide to dig in and flip me. Randy Sims, the Gulbransons, Devin and Jim all pitched in to help me get the skis and suspension setup, and I was back in the saddle and feeling much better by the end of the day.

Lesson learned, I will not repeat the same mistake twice. I assure you. Thanks to everyone that called and emailed to see if I was okay!

Next weekend is the Strathcona opener on Saturday, and Wolf Lake's opening weekend on Sunday. The trails are open, the weathers cold, the Hall of Fame is getting the new building... life is good.

Featured in the new video by "The Darkness" - SLEDS!

12/08/2005
ROCK -N-ROLL AND SLEDS!
Is there anything that goes together better? There was a time when nothing tripped my trigger like a well done rock song, except maybe riding my 73 Starfire.

I used to love it when I came home and no one was home. I would literally crank my older brothers fancy new stereo up to the point that my ears would bleed. Note to brother Doc Jim: I can now confess it was likely me, or Van Halen that blew up your speakers. Actually I think I recall that it was the last tremelo sweep from Eddie Van Halen's "Eruption" that made smoke come out of the right speaker. Of course I blamed my other brother. That's what brothers do.

Anyway, I liked listening to that stereo really loud. At those volumes, it just worked best to play some nasty, guitar heavy arena rock. AC/DC, Thin Lizzy, Aerosmith, Van Halen, Nazareth, Sweet, Queen and the like.

What I loved the most about it was that at those volumes (when no one was looking) I just had to run around the house and jump off all the furniture and the walls. I'm quite sure that had anyone caught me, I would have been committed on the spot, or my parents would have thought an exorcism was in order.

I've found only three bands that can get my blood boiling like that again. Jellyfish, Rammstein (just one of their albums) and now... "The Darkness". The vocals of Queen, the guitars of AC/DC, and the senseless, good for nothing but a good time lyrics of David lee Roth. This band is just plain good 'ol "I wanna smash something" fun. In fact I'm listening to their new album as I write this, and I can't get the grin off my face.

But their new video for the album "One Way Ticket to Hell... And back" sealed the deal. It features the band members riding sleds. Okay, I know they aren't vintage, but hey - they are sleds, and they actually made this the first interesting music video I've seen since, uh, forever.

I didn't find a link directly to the video anywhere, but you can see it on Apple iTunes, if you have iTunes or an iPod.

12/05/2005
A NEW RACE SEASON HAS BEGUN!
And what an opener it was in Beausejour, Manitoba this past weekend! Duncan Reid on his 78 Ski-doo had a very good couple of days, winning all 4 vintage IFS class races. Aaron Johnson, who did not get to race much at all last year due to a bad car accident was back with a vengeance, winning one, and taking a second in another with his 340 Starfire.

Jeff Steenerson also took one with his 73 440. I guess one could assume that Jeff Steenerson is Bruce Rosentredder's competition eh? By Sunday, however, Bruce turned it around and won two classes, with Steenerson right behind him.

Craig Machart and Norm Chura split wins in the Relic Class on Saturday and Sunday.

In the late models, Terry Wahl won both Pro Champ 440 and Pro Formula 600. Shane Peterson won a couple in semi-pro.

Looks like a great year ahead! See all the results on the CPTC web site!

12/01/2005
NEW TRAFFIC RECORD
The little 'ol vintagesleds.com site set a new record for traffic in November of 2004, the highest total amount of unique visitors since prior to 2004. It's been gaining steadily over the fall, but November took a huge leap. Visitors from the U.S. made up the bulk of the visitors, but Canada and the European Union are closing in, gaining visitors every month. Very fun. Thanks!

11/30/2005 SLEDS IN A MALL! If you didn't see this on retrosno - it's a picture from Martin Lesage of the RCMAQ of The RCMAQ vintage display at a shopping mall in Quebec city earlier in November. How cool is that?

Another Secret Race Shop Photo.... 11/21/2005 PART II ANOTHER SPY PHOTO Looks like an 80 Cat SnoPro and another SnoPro type chassis in the works. The sender of this spy photo didn't send much for specifics, but it sure looks like some interesting race stuff. I wonder if it will be ready for this weekends race in Beausejour?

One of the early Beausejour winners. Photo courtesy of the CPTC Archive.

11/21/2005
WELCOME WINTER!
We got snow from North Dakota into Wisconsin and all points between! It's a lovely thing. I'm starting to really enjoy listening to the non-sledding mortal people whine, complain and get depressed over the snow. Somehow it enhances my enjoyment of it. I know it's probably not good to take joy in others suffering, but I don't think they are really suffering. They just haven't found the joy of trying to get your sled started at 30 below yet.

Speaking of getting your sled going, check out the forum on "You might be a sled neck if..." in the Bull Sessions. You guys are some funny, funny people. One of my favorites (because I've done it too many times!) "If you have ever advertised on the internet for a rare sled part and then found one in your own basement, you might be a sledneck." from JLOpower.

RACING STARTS THIS WEEKEND
That's right folks! The season opener in Beausejour is this weekend. It's only an hour or so north of the border - just about 10 hours north of the Twin Cities in Minnesota. A small price to pay to watch some of the finest vintage and late model racing on one of the fastest tracks in the world. If this track could talk... it holds every bit of history as does the famed track at Eagle River.

This years event features the first race of the (late model) Oval Challenge. Between the Beausejour, Eagle River and Valcourt tracks, where the Pro Stock 600 and Pro Champ 440 drivers have a crack at winning $22,500. Also, the Formula 500 class has it's debut - evenly matched Polaris 500 Indy's with very little modifications.

In the vintage classes, watch for Bruce Rosentredder to get beat by all those guys who are his competition.

Check out the CPTC web site for all the very latest. Thanks to Dale for all the great photos!

Just a couple of weeks until the Wolf Lake Opener, December 18th. Will we have ice?

VINTAGE RIDES
What big vintage rides are you planning on this winter? The three big ones I don't want to miss are in Detroit Lakes Minnesota, Waconia Minnesota and the really big one at The Hall of Fame in St. Germain Wisconsin. There must be some other big rides coming up? What are you planning on riding this year? Me? I got another Centurion lined up. This one doesn't look like hell. Hope it goes like hell - but we'll find out!

John drinks an unknown beverage from his trophy...	Realizes it was NOT Kool-Aid like Danny said it was...
..But is still happy to give...	...And receive kisses from his adoring fans...

11/21/2005
KING SCHUMACHER
SLEDS high point driver of the year, Polaris driver John Schumacher may have had a little too much fun at the SLEDS banquet this past weekend. As these photos show, John was really, really, really happy to be high point driver of the year. He was crowned at the SLEDS banquet in Middle River, Minnesota on Saturday night. Obviously a great time was had by all, and when the banquet was finished, the whole celebration moved to Randy "Little Man" Cwikla's, uh shop. You have to see Randy's shop to believe it. He literally has a log cabin, complete with a bar, kitchen, living room and sleeping quarters inside of his shop!

So what does a bunch of wild and crazy vintage guys do at a celebration? Why fire up an 800cc Starfire of course!! (MPG MOVIE, 6.5 MEGS)

11/16/2005
RETRO CHAMP!
This is cool! Kurt Andrews sent this one in - it's his "new" Sprint 500 sled to run at the Hayward oval this year. Could this be the start of a trend in making the sprint sleds look retro?

You have to love the use of the bubble windshield here. But I have to wonder about where his decals are going to go? That big decal on the top of a 73 starfire.. Should he truncate it and cut it off at the windshield?

Or maybe have it go up and over the windshield? What about maybe putting some 74 SnoPro style pinstripes on the side?

This is too much fun. Let's see... What else could be made into a sprint sled? How about a 72 Blizzard! Or a 77 Z? We have to have an Alouette and a Thunderjet sprint sled. Maybe we could talk the guy with the Kawasaki Shark hoods into building one?

There is no end to it. How about a King Kat sprinter?

11/14/2005
TREASURE FOUND AGAIN!
Kurt and Joann Krueger have come up with another spectacular sled. This time a very original condition Moto-Ski SR 340. Note the seat in the background. Kurt and Joann are now just the third owner of this sled. It had been owned by the same party since 1976.

Kurt says the sled will stay 100% original, with the exception of painting the skis that have started to rust a bit. The motor has good compression & spark. The only thing missing is some original hand grips. If you can help Kurt with that, please email him directly. I'm sure Kurt will bring it to a few shows in the coming months, and then the sled will likely be on display at the Snowmobile Hall of Fame.

Speaking of the Hall Of Fame... Loren Anderson tells me construction is booking along nicely on the new building and we may well see the very first walls soon. Bounce over to the Hall of Fame site and watch the progress!

1977 Polaris Clones nearly ready to race.

11/13/2005
MORE SPY PHOTOS
He's at it again... The little creep that took secret photos of the Team Johnson race shop and the Piorier Boys race shop has struck again. This time the little creep managed to sneak into a super-secret facility in Southern Minnesota and shot a photo of these two 1977 Polaris SnoPro clones.

Can't tell much about the sleds from this photo, except the front one is a 250 (SM I decal on the back), and the other has what appears to be either and RXL 340 motor, or a TXL motor.

I can tell you both are dead sexy. ;-)

11/9/2005
IS SNOCROSS DEAD?
Over on the Snow Week racing forums, there is renewed speculation that Sno Cross racing, if not dead, is dying a slow death. Earlier this year, the dominant Sno Cross racing association, the WSA was converted to the WPSA. It was widely rumored that this change was in response to declining revenues, race attendance and interest. According to their official press release, it was changed "to reflect the companies expanded vision". Uh huh. Yeah. You can read the official press release here. Note to the WSA web master: Splash pages, and splash pages that make you watch a video are very, very dead. ;-)

Is it true that Snocross is dying? I know I saw at least one televised event last year that made one thing clear: There was no one in the stands. Just a small crowd of family & friends near the starting line. I also know that every time I try to watch snocross, I'm bored to tears. But I watch anyway, because at least it's machines that somewhat resemble snowmobiles. But the action in Snocross is painfully slow. He who gets to the first corner first, usually wins. I can't tell any difference in speed from the small classes to the open classes. All the sleds look the same, and all of them have so many decals on them that I can barely tell what brand they are. Worst of all: Snocross sounds really lame. The thundering of open pipes is a big part of the over all experience of watching a race. Listening to a bunch of stock piped sleds is, well boring. So if it is dead, does this mean good things for Cross-country, ovals and enduros? Clearly vintage racing is on the rise. Could pro ovals be pro ovals become a much bigger deal in the near future? I'm betting yes. Why? The races I watched last year were every bit as exciting and heart pounding as any form of auto racing. Once people really get to see it, I'm sure they'll be as hooked.

I'm already looking forward to this years World Championship, and I'm hoping to make it to the Beausejour opener. Then on to Wolf lake, Hayward and several points in between. If we start getting some bigger crowds at these oval events... who knows what could happen?

11/8/2005
VINTAGE TREASURE
Ray Graf sent in this original 1978 Autograph he got from the big time racers in 1978. From team Arctic Jim Dimmerman, and Bob Elsner, From Bombardier Allen Decker, and what looks like Tim Bender's autograph followed by Steve Thorsen from Polaris.

What great fun - thanks for sharing Ray. Ray also sent in some photos AND VIDEO that I hope we can share real soon.

11/8/2005 A GIFT FROM SWEDEN Lars Wangerud emailed me from my favorite European country (Sweden) to share this photo he got from Team Arctic when they came over to go racing in 1978. He believes he got this photo from he races in Ostersund, Sweden. Now my only question is if Bangon will ever send my my 1980 Cat SnoPro... Bangon are you listening? Lars could you go poke him with a stick? ;-) There's a detailed story about SnoPro's trip to Sweden in some of the old Race & Rally's and some of the old SnoTrack magazines. You can also read about it in the best of Snopro, Volume II. This is a great example of a classic race team photo. Matching hats, jackets and haircuts.

SNOW!
They've got warnings of up to 5" in Northern Minnesota tonight. Those lcuky, lucky, luck Sunz a britches... So what do my Metropolitan Twin Cities weather forcasters have to say about it? "Oh no! Not SNOW!".

BULL SESSIONS
Get in there and check out the Bull Sessions. Doc Jim has total control over the forums, and has even volunteered to help you get the picture of your choice up to represent you, if you have trouble doing it on your own. Doc Jim changed the color scheme (Don't blame me!) to yellow because he thought that would help get some of our Ski-Doo buddies to feel more at home.