Drum roll please….
We interuppt this story of fabled Arctic Cat racers to bring you the following announcement:
The Board of Directors of the Snowmobile Hall of Fame (SHOF) and Museum are proud to announce the 2008 Inductees. Four distinguished honorees will be enshrined on Saturday, February 9, 2008 at the banquet held at the Whitetail Inn, Hwy 70 W, St. Germain, Wisconsin.
They are ANDY BAKER of Beausejour, Manitoba, CHRISTOPHER TWOMEY of Thief River Falls, MN, C. J. RAMSTAD (p) of Deephaven, MN and CLAYTON NUEMAN (p) of Coon Rapids, MN.
The Induction Banquet is the finale of an exciting weekend and is the concluding event for the 25th annual RIDE WITH THE CHAMPS by Modine HotDawg Garage Heaters. The RIDE is one of the SHOF’s major fund raising events of the year. The RIDE begins at the Whitetail Inn at 7:30 am with registration and breakfast and ends with the autograph session and cocktail party at 6:00 pm with the banquet at 7:00 pm. Friday, February 8, 2008 will be the dedication of the RAMSTAD LIBRARY AND MEDIA CENTER at the SHOF’s new expanded museum building. Watch the web site for detailed information about this event the day before the RIDE WITH THE CHAMPS. For more information, email the Hall of Fame.
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Andy Baker
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Christopher Twomey
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CJ Ramstad
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Clayton Nueman
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Andy Baker
DATE OF INDUCTION: January 9, 2008
CAREER SPAN: 1966 –
BRANDS REPRESENTED: Polaris, Moto-Ski
AGE AT INDUCTION: 51
Beginning his snowmobile racing career in 1966 at age 10 in his hometown of Beausejour, Manitoba, Andy Baker immediately developed a love and dedication for the sport and its people. Baker’s respect and commitment to snowmobile oval racing produced two championship titles, presidency of the Canadian Power Toboggan Championships at Beausejour and annual devotion to the races made famous by his hometown.
Competing with the help of (and alongside) his dad, Baker’s personal racing success began early and focused on regional events around Manitoba. While at the height of his career, Baker succeeded his father as the CPTC President in 1977 and 1978 while simultaneously racing with great success on an independent Moto-Ski distributor team. Baker won the Manitoba championship and wore the #1 bib for 1979 and 1980, before retiring from active competition that year. He has continued to help run the famed Beausejour races every year since and was instrumental in the features that have made the track famous for its speed and safety.
Extremely humble and quick to credit the amazing people of Beausejour for any personal recognition he’s received, Baker’s love of snowmobile racing is surpassed only by his appreciation and respect for the racers, crews and workers who comprise the world of snowmobile racing. A true friend to all in the sport, Baker and his family embody the spirit of dedication and comprise a significant portion of the great “backbone” of snowmobile racing.
Christopher Twomey
DATE OF INDUCTION: January 9, 2008
CAREER SPAN: 1983 –
BRANDS REPRESENTED: Arctic Cat
AGE AT INDUCTION: 59
A business tactician who guided the important business principles at Arctic Cat, Chris Twomey of Thief River Falls, Minn., led the company’s transition from humble reemergence to industry innovator by combining solid management with a work environment that fostered creativity and passion. As President and CEO of Arctic Cat beginning in 1986, Twomey guided the company through more than a decade of unprecedented growth and success.
A leader who clearly understood the importance of answering customers’ desires with progressive product development, Twomey’s close-to-the-customer approach was as natural as it was effective. He backed it up by focusing company resources towards its prized and dedicated engineering department to respond to customers’ expectations. Likewise, his belief that racing could shape the development of industry-leading snowmobiles fueled an unprecedented period of success and race-influenced product development, including the 1990 EXT Special and 1993 ZR series.
Twomey was certain of the need for industry solidarity, which is why he worked aggressively with other industry leaders to create the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association. His leadership and responsibility to the sport coupled with his understanding of land-use politics helped save snowmobile use in West Yellowstone National Park during a tumultuous period beginning in 2000. In a watershed moment, Twomey gave the go-ahead to unveil a prototype Arctic Cat powered by a four-stroke engine, which helped sway government officials to preserve snowmobile operation in the park.
C.J. Ramstad
DATE OF INDUCTION: January 9, 2008
CAREER SPAN: 1969 – 2007
AGE AT INDUCTION: Posthumous
The most influential and prolific writer and photographer in the sport’s history, Clifford John (C.J.) Ramstad set the standard for snowmobile journalism while a creating a historical record that will forever aid and reflect the industry. His tireless involvement at all levels of the sport, from land-use advocacy to club promotion and race history preservation, made him one of the most influential and recognizable figures in all of snowmobiling.
Ramstad began his career in the snowmobile industry in 1969 as a copywriter for Arctic Cat. He later founded Snow Week magazine and would write for and/or edit nearly every snowmobile publication during his career, including Supertrax, Snowmobile, Snow Goer and Minnesota Snowmobiling. He wrote four books about the sport, including “The Collected Works of Pappy,” “Legend: Arctic Cat’s First Four Decades” and “Of Ice and Engines.” In 1983 Ramstad helped conceive and launch the Snowmobile Hall of Fame and served as an invaluable board member for 24 years. He helped introduce and promote the Jeep 500 in 1987, and was a behind-the-scenes force and mentor in innumerable snowmobile racing, industry and club activities during his nearly four decades in the sport.
A legend in every aspect, the Deephaven, Minn., resident embraced every aspect of the sport with excitement and purpose. His tragic death, along with his son J.J., in an automobile accident in May, 2007, at age 62 was a crushing blow to an industry and sport that was so completely influenced by his work. Yet his amazing legacy is a powerful reminder of his unbridled enthusiasm and passion for the sport and people he dearly loved.
Clayton Neuman
DATE OF INDUCTION: January 9, 2008
CAREER SPAN: 1972 – 2002
BRANDS REPRESENTED: Arctic Cat
AGE AT INDUCTION: Posthumous
A creative, innovative engineer from Coon Rapids, Minn., who epitomized the “independent” racer/tuner, Clayton Neuman began his storied career in snowmobile drag racing in 1972 and continued for more than 30 years. He was as passionate about drag racing as he was creative in his engineering approach, combining the two with great success at all levels, including the ISR World Series of Drags, MSDRA and events across North America.
Starting with a 1972 Puma, Neuman’s fascination with high-performance was borne on a 1972 Arctic Cat Puma, which was heavily modified and raced by his younger brother, Lloyd, beginning a long run of the family-based Neuman team. Always searching for higher performance, Clayton ran a series of more powerful machines before building his custom 1977 Z 250, which featured crankcase induction mounted on the front of the engine, revised port designs and other ideas of his own creation. Driven by his son Steve, this machine dominated the 250 Mod class for many years.
In 1990 Clayton built an experimental 800cc, opposed four-cylinder engine that served as a test bed for new ideas and was raced with great success by the Neuman team. Along with brothers Lloyd, Gordon and Frank, he made the Neuman Race Team a household name in snowmobile drag racing, and one whose legacy is more than just winning races, but also a friendly, family-oriented approach and smart, clever sled building. Clayton learned of his induction just weeks before dying of cancer at age 73.