Vintage SnoPro returns this Friday night, under the lights in Sauk Centre Minnesota. This is a fantastic facility, a great race track and your chance to see some of the very best guys in vintage racing battle it out! It’s just off interstate 94 on Sauk Centre – don’t miss it!

On Saturday, the ORA continues racing in Sauk Centre, there is the big PVR race in Mole Lake, as well as the famous ROLA annual one-lunger 100 race in Detroit Lakes Minnesota. There’s no excuse not to get out there on a sled and watch some racing no matter where you live!

Weather reports for next weekends "Live On Skis" are excellent for the International Falls location! Doc Jim posted some pictures from around the trails on the Bull Sessions.

Just to get you in the SnoPro mood, here’s some awesome photos from back in the day, sent in by Jason Gardner and Justin Sorenson. THANK YOU!

When you love your GPX, you have to take pictures!

Team Army Z’s ready for battle.

The pits, Eagle River. Note Darrell Courtright
in the 76 outfit, and the Kawi Shark!

You just can’t find enough pictures of
t
he revolutionary Skiroule IFS machines!

Profession Stan Hayes pulls one of his Merc’s off the truck.

If you really love your GPX, you go and
win a class at Eagle River with it!

More Eagle River pits Jerry Bunke has a
conversation with Larry Coltom.

Dan KIrts’ Manta SnoPro racer.

Boss Cat II. Need I say more?

Ironwood, Dec. 1974. A familiar

Omdahl sled in the forefront.

Jim Bernat’s 74 650cc machine on the "rack" for some work.

Even though it was over thirty years ago, I remember the December, 1977 Dayco Holiday Spectacular snowmobile race in Alexandria Minnesota like it was yesterday.

I was not even a teenager. I was on the infield most of the day, helping out the race organizers in any way I could. I remember watching a Ski-Doo come out of turn two, and run wide open on the outside edge of the backstretch and disappear right into the woods in turn three.

Moments later, another track worker and a good friend of my family emerged from those woods and threw up.

Wanting to see what had happened, I ran as fast as I could to turn three. An adult stopped me by grabbing my jacket. I don’t remember who it was; but I clearly remember what he said. “You stay down here – got it! You do NOT go up to the top of the track! Do you understand?!” I nodded my head yes and stayed put. He took off and scaled the ice to get to the top of turn three.

As more people headed over and the ambulance began to move, curiosity got the best of me. I ran to the top – and I will never forget what I saw.

Sammy’s sled was sitting there like it was supposed to be there. No dents, no scratches, nothing. People were huddled around Sammy, and there was blood everywhere. People were trying to kick snow over the blood, and one fellow found Sammy’s watch. I knew he was dead.

What I never understood was why the races kept going – a man had just died, and yet they continued to race. It would be many years before I found out that afterwards, the had held a meeting and the drivers decided to continue on, largely because they felt that Sammy would have wanted it that way.

The races continued, and the drives all fought through the rain and sleet. T.J. Patrick won that day, as did Jeff Knell, Jerry Bunke and Doug Hayes, who had a terrific day – winning the coveted Hetteen Cup.

On Sunday, I watched another sled come out of turn two, on almost exactly the same line as Sammy Sessions the day before. Only this time it was an Arctic Cat, with 1976 Hetteen Cup winner Larry Coltom on board.

Larry left the track in almost the exact same spot as Sammy. When I got over the hill this time, I was sick with the thought that Larry Coltom was dead. I saw his sled right away. Unlike Sammy’s, it was pretty badly damaged when it tangled with a tree. But there was no Larry to be found anywhere.

Frantic track workers thought perhaps he was stuck in under snow, or brush. They called his name and searched frantically. But they would never find him there.

Larry had been fortunate enough to miss every obstacle as he went over the edge, and went behind some brush and hay bails. He stood up right away and realized he was fine. Walking through the woods and around the paddock area, he made his way back to the truck. He took off his helmet, and decided right then and there that he had retired from snowmobile racing.

Troy and Susie Lange found these slightly water damaged photos in their home and sent them too me this morning. Seeing Larry’s sled and remembering that I had seen it just moments before that picture was taken brought back a flood of memories of that day.

You can see more of the Dayco race that day with this DVD from the store.

Thanks Troy and Susie for sharing!

My friend Ken Jacobsen sent me a stack of really cool photos last week, and at first, I almost overlooked this one.

This is the ONLY photo I have EVER seen of the 74 Yamaha SnoPro sleds with the hood off – not only that, the heads are off and you can see down the motor. Could this be the only picture that exists of these rare beauties with their shell removed?

Note Polaris driver Stan Hayes doing exactly that! Ed Schubitzke is next to stand working on the sled. Note how crammed in everything is, and how the pipe winds down into the belly pan.

Click to see a larger photo:

Okay, okay! I got the message! These are from the private stash of Dale Neduzak of Time Benders Garage. Some also come from the Canadian Power Toboggan Championship archives in Beausejour Manitoba. All were taken at the historic track on Beausejour.

Dean Larson sent in a whole pile of these really great photos from the 1979 I-500 Winnipeg to St. Paul Race. Note how many brands are well represented, from Scorpion, to Ski-Doo, Cat, Polaris and Kawasaki. If you can’t get enough and want to read some GREAT cross-country stories, I encourage your to read through this thread on Bull Sessions. It contains some more great photos and great stories from a lot of the great people who lived the experience that I’m sure you’ll be reading it contstantly like I have been.

Enjoy! And if your in Princeton this weekend, please stop by and say hello! We’ll have some surprises in the tent for visitors!

Here’s just a couple of quick cool photos from Mark Anderson’s private stash. Both were taken in the pits at Ironwood, Michigan, December of 1976.

Note the super sexy 77 440 leafer Polaris SnoPro in the background of both. Hard to decide if that, the Cat or the IFS Doo is cooler looking!

Bobby Elsner getting psyched up before a race.

I’ll let the photos do the talking… these were all shot by Vintage SnoPro Champ Mark Anderson’s dad way back in the day. Good thing he was there and good with a camera. My thanks to Mark for sharing.

1977 Ski-Doo SnoPro racers.
Note Jon Berard in the ARMY leathers.
Do you know who he is talking to?

Abraham’s Twister trailer. Click on the photo
to see the special prayer on the back.

1977 Pabst Racing.
Drivers Jeff May and John Wiesner.

Al Sterns on his hot rod Yamaha. I got a
chance to talk with Al at Eagle River last year.
Man has this guy got great racing stories!

340 77 Kawasaki SnoPro. Note the tunnel –
has to be a Sno*Jet tunnel don’t you think?

Lined up and ready to race in Ironwood, Michigan.

One of the first photos of the 1977 Kawasaki’s
when they made their debut in International
Falls Minnesota in December of 1976.

That’s a very young Mark Anderson on his
first 1973 Polaris Starfire. He owns this one
to this day. Mark went on to be a two-time
Vintage SnoPro champ driving three special
73 Starfires that he hand built.

It’s hot outside… approaching 100 degrees with humidity so thick you can feel it splitting as you walk through. What better way to cool off than with a few random pictures from yesterday and today of old race sleds?

Click on any photo to see a larger version.

First up is this starting line photo from the race in Boonville, New York last winter. This was sent in by Marcel Fontaine, who does outstanding updates on all the Eastern racing every year.

Next one was sent in by Greg Karbowski. The sled is owned by Pat Erskine, a major support of vintage racing in Michigan. Note the all-too-true bumper sticker on the rear end.

These shots were sent in by someone who wants to remain anonymous. This is the full line up of the Decker Racing team’s Ski-Doos heading into 1982. Note the giant garage wall of extra race motors. Care to take a guess on the value of those today?

If you were a race fan back in the day, you’ll recall the name Jon Berard as having been a race driver – most notably for the ARMY race team. Jon has recently gotten into this whole vintage thing, and started digging through his old pictures. I should mention he is a photographer now. Good thing he had the camera back then, because these are some rare shots. My thanks to Jon for sending them in.

First up is this photo of Bob Elsner shortly befor he became part of the Arctic Cat factroy team. This shot was taken after winning the big race in Shawano, Wisconsin and $1,000!

The guy about to go off the track is Hollas Zockie (badly mispelled?) #10, a great racer from Oskosh Wi. Note the crude looking Blizzard behind him. Possibly at Neenah Wisconsin.

The big accident at the Milwaukee Mile in I believe, 1974. So many sleds were totaled in that one accident! It was huge – yet this is one of very few pictures of the twisted wreckage and carnage from that day. Jon dropped off a couple more that can be seen at the Hall of Fame in St. Germain.

This lovely lady is Jon’s wife. She was racing right along side him. Behind her is Dick Bahr, who worked his motor magic for the Hayes boys for most of thier career, including Stan Haye’s 74 SnoPro championship, and for both Stan and Doug at Mercury. One of the kids on the right is none other than Al Fenhaus who would go on to be an Eagle River champ.

Side note: When Al was 11 years old, he helped Bobby Donahue pull an all nighter fixing his stock 338 Yamaha after Bobby totaled it in turn one. Yamaha flew up a tub from Chicago to Eagle River and they worked all night, had the sled ready to go by 8:00 AM.

When Al was about 7 or 8 his Dad (Elroy Jr.) had him break in his 340 mod Polaris in the back yard. When Al was 12, John Dittbrender (USSA champion 1976) had Al break in his 340 liquid stock Merc. Al and Jon would race up and down the corn field breaking in the sleds. He had the 340, Jon had a 440. Jon says that little schiester would pass him in the corners with a non studded 340. Very talented individual.

That’s Sno*Jet great Jim Adeam, about to put a whoopn’ on that poor Snow-Twister.