I had an amazing time at the St. Germain Hall of Fame show last Sunday. After attending the wedding of my nephew Brandon and newest family member Abby on Saturday, I headed home to catch a few Z’s before getting up and making the drive to St. Germain on Sunday morning. Leaving by 6:00 AM, I was there by 11:00 AM.
It must be said that the weather was outstanding. I’m sure that had something to do with it – but the crowds were the largest I’ve ever seen at the show. There was more sleds than ever. And the swap… the swap was HUGE! And then there was the sleds. Lots of them, and they were all absolutely top-notch.
I noticed everyone there was in a great mood. Smiles everywhere and laughing from everyone. Lots of people had gotten there the night before and were maybe suffering a tad from the partying, but they were still in a good mood. I finally got to meet some of the outstanding people from the Bull Sessions – Lowtekrednek, Mr. Squirrel, Snowmoboyle, just to name a few. Plus I got to see many of the guys and gals off the Bull Sessions whose posts I enjoy reading every single day – GHenry, Earlham (who was very quick to post some fantastic pictures from the show), Demo and many more.
Here’s just a few sleds that stood out to me.
T.J. Henriksen’s Hornet. I’ve seen this sled a couple of times, but it still never ceases to stop me in my tracks. It’s just neat. I got to ask T.J. about the sled. “It’s not something I can bring to Live on Skis.” He said. “Even though they advertised it as being able to go 40 or 45 mph, it only goes about 15!” None the less, it’s such an oddball sled and so far out of the ordinary that people have to stop, look and appreciate it. I’m sure there are not many of these around, and this one is in very, very nice condition.
I like race sleds, and 1975 race sleds hold a special fascination for me as I saw them all roll on to the race track in Alexandria, Minnesota in December of 1974. I became, and remain a huge race fan from that day forward. Leon Koch is quickly building one of the most outstanding collection of Yamaha race sleds anywhere. This year he brought out one of the surviving 75’s: Wayne Trapp’s 340. Wayne and Lynn got the sleds from Yamaha for 1975, but turned to Jefferson Meats to for sponsorship to cover expenses. They also provided a truck for the team to race out of. They were paid $50 a day back then, plus they got to split the winnings – a great deal for all involved. Fast forward to a few years ago when a buddy calls Leon and says “We found a GPX, but it’s strange.” Leon went out to take a look at it, and it did not take more than a few minutes to figure out he was on to something big. If you looked at the hood just right, you could see where it used to say “Driver Wayne Trapp” as well as the “S-MOD II”. Leon tried to buy it on the spot, but it would be a couple more years before he would get it.
On Sunday, Wayne made it to the show, as did Lynn’s son, and Mike Trapp. Wayne even brought Leon a couple of his old original race helmets, seen here in this photo. Wayne and his wife Heidi, and Lynn’s son all seemed to be pleased that a piece of their history was preserved for generations to come. And I would like to congratulate Leon as well for recognizing the history in all his sleds, and making it available for all of us to enjoy!
Going right back to 1975, Paul James’1975 Cat 650 Charlie Lofton sled was a big hit at the show as well. It was the first time a genuine Cat 75 race sleds showed up at the Hall of Fame show, and Paul’s workmanship on restoring the sled, as well as his tenacious tracking down of parts paid off. He won not only his class, but also “Best Arctic Cat”, and award given out to give thanks to the shows major sponsor. Paul found the original bulkhead for this sled at this very same show, just two years ago. This is another machine I saw at Alexandria in 1974, they Day Charlie took a pretty nasty tumble off the sled and started thinking about putting his race career behind him. Last weekend at the VSCA show, both Jerry McGee’s and Paul’s sleds sat side by side and it was a trip to see. Dave Thompson came over and went through the sleds and even signed Jerry’s hood.
I confess the picture I took of the entry form on this sled did not turn out – so I really don’t know who owns it or exactly what it is. But like a ton of other sleds out there that day, I really liked it and appreciated the work someone did on it. That’s the tough thing about a show like this – so many great sleds, so little time to track down and talk to the owners and learn more about the really nice ones. So whoever owns this baby – nice job!
Moving on up to 1976, we have Bill Stull’s 1976 Rupp SnoPro. Yes, a 76 Rupp SnoPro. Never heard of one? That’s okay not many people have. In one magazine from late in 1975, there is a paragraph about Rupp building just a few special lightweight Rupp’s to give to some drivers. BIll confirmed this by talking to the person mentioned in the story – Clarence Harms, who was the race director for Rupp at the time. Bill has known him for years, and was able to confirm the sled with him. Clarence said they only made a couple – they were too expensive. The leaf springs are fiberglass monoleaf with magnesium eyelets in the back and the front slider of the ski. The rear suspension is has magnesium slide rails, and other normally have been steel are aluminum on this sled including an aluminum bulkhead and brake disk. The hood mold is different, allowing for air to be forced into the airbox for the carbs. The sled weighs just 332 lbs! The sled was in Michigan it’s whole life, until Bill got it in 2004.
Moving on to 1977, we have Brad Warning’s 1977 Kawasaki Shark. Built from a real motor and in the IFS version, this is the first time this has been at the show. It looked amazing. They really did a nice job on this baby. You may recall Brad had a leaf spring version and a version with an airplane engine in it at previous shows – but this is is the first IFS version. Now we all need to convince Brad that someone has to race one of these. Next time you see Brad, be sure and ask him when we are going to see one on the track again.
Finally – our 2009 SnoPro winner, Mike Smith. Mike made the trip all the way from Alaska to collect his trophy and get a drink out of the Hall of Fame cup that now bears his name as the winner, along with last year winner – his brother Steve. Also pictures is Kenny Kitzman in the middle and son Adam (who finished second overall) on the left. Congratulations to all the drivers who placed this year!
So that’s my St. Germain story… what will yours be next year?
Then might I suggest that you head on up to Eagle River WIsconsin this weekend for the Reunion, show, swap and drag race at the historic Derby Track. Not only will you get to see some good old iron, you’ll get to see the two hummers right off the restoration table of Kurt Krueger and Pro Vintage Performance. I don’t know about you, but I have a soft spot for Moto-Ski Bullets. This one was literally finished up Wednesday night at 10:00 after Kurt got in a whole lot of Quality Garage Time (QGT) on it.
The next sled is a 1991 Ski-Doo twin tracker, serial number 14, with an NOS set of glass. It once belonged Chuck Villenueve (no relation to Jacques I am told). It has a 340 sand cast RAVE Rotax in it, has the high-curve ignition in it that Kurt was sorely tempted to borrow for racing but refrained!
From September 19th to November 29th of 2009, you can see a special display at Chisolm Minnesota’s Minnesota Discovery Center entitled Iron Dogs: Snowmobiling in Minnesota is a homegrown exhibit celebrating one of our favorite pastimes. The press release says visitors will get to know the entrepreneurs, engineers, explorers and individuals who created and grew Minnesota’s connection to snowmobiling.
Even visitors who see snowmobiles and wonder what all the fuss is about will find something of interest in Iron Dogs, which includes a full slate of programming and related events, from the VIP gallery opening September 18, to guest speakers, a snowmobile safety course and folk arts demonstrations. Exhibit programming includes the film Trailblazers, a two-part look at snowmobile manufacturing in Minnesota.
It seems more than a few people were interested in seeing how a couple of dedicated Cat guys from Sarah Palin’s home town would stack up against the rest. 
