Too long since I have contributed to my blog and part of the reason for that is a mild (or major) addiction to an old friend, racing early 70's snowmobiles. Having been heavily involved in such foolishness in the early 70's, when I was in my twenties, I got away from it while going through normal diversions in the form of raising a family, earning a living in the music business and theoretically maturing into adulthood.
Part of that transition covering almost forty years was a move to Pittsburg, New Hampshire (one of the snowmobile capitals of the East), and getting involved in the largest snowmobile club in the East, The Pittsburg Ridge Runners, with its membership reaching its apex at over 4400 strong. My involvement in the club started in 1985 as a member and evolved into eventually serving as Secretary which led to an eight year stretch as vice president. this club was huge in scope with a budget approaching $500,000. a year, with up to sixteen paid groomer drivers to man our fleet of Piston Bully behemoths to keep our 250 mile system smooth on an average of once every twenty four hours. This little club had grown into a small corporation with growing pains keeping up with financing it all, as most other clubs in the state did during a phenomenal spurt in growth over the last couple of decades. No longer could we keep it all together with state "grant in aid", spaghetti suppers, poker runs, steak feeds, raffles etc. Our club had totally outpaced our ability to finance what membership had come to expect of our system.
During the summer of 2007 one of our members, Kevin Lassonde, had suggested that several of the key people in the club meet and discuss the possibility of staging a single Vintage Snowmobile Race in order to test the level of interest people might have in supporting the club financially. We were looking for something different to stimulate interest and possibly raise some cash from something new. The meeting took place at Powder Horn Lodge, with host Steve Kiley, his wife Bonnie, Kevin Lassonde, Keith Landry of A Path Less Traveled, and myself. the meeting covered the myriad of details involved in such a new venture, such as finding a location with sufficient area for a track and parking for lots of vehicles with trailers, investigating permits that might be necessary, talking to Fish and Game officials for permits to allow Vintage Machines to operate in the immediate area without having to register, cost and availability of insurance, touching base with local law enforcement, cost and where to advertise, approaching possible sponsors for start up and banner ads, and trying to guess how many people would show to compete and pay to watch. the more we talked the more insurmountable the list seemed to become.
It was decided to try one race, the weekend after New Year's eve, a traditionally dead weekend in the area, in an effort to help out local businesses build some traffic. All our tasks that were worrisome had been met with nothing but positive support from everyone we approached. We also received an inquiry from Harry Brown, of Diamond Pond area, who on his own had spoken to the Colebrook Ski Bees, to test the idea of making it a two event series, instead of a single venue. That idea also brought the two clubs together in an alliance that proved to be a great partnership with financial and brotherhood benefits that no one anticipated.
That first venue in Pittsburg saw a modest 26 pre '73 single and twin machines show up to compete on a -6 degree morning in a track set up in a mammoth gravel pit with spirited competition with nothing but smiles from competitors and 500 spectators, vowing to make the next race bigger and better. Race two, Colebrook, a balmy +6 degrees, 48 competitors and a crowd that got larger and really into watching the action on a unique track behind Northern Tire. Colebrook was also the home of our first major sponsor, local businessman Guy Laperle of LaPerle's IGA/ Pharmacy. Wow! We were off and running with start up money to get us going and the clubs raised a substantial amount of needed funding.
Season Two: Pittsburg race same location, enhanced track design, refined parking, better sound system, 100 machines to compete, refined rules. The committee had learned how to run these venues more efficiently at every step along the way, and word had gotten out that racing almost forty year old machines around an anything but oval track with no studs in stock condition was relatively inexpensive fun that anyone could get into with a little ingenuity.
Colebrook: 48 competitors in the initial race now had 100 machines compete, on a well prepared track with a larger crowd, partially due to the Easter Seals Ride In happening at the Balsams Grand Hotel, Wilderness Ski Area that same weekend. We were starting to think we had a viable new alternative to help defray funding of the three largest clubs in the state and had found levels of dedication between the clubs that no one thought could happen.
The summer between season one and two brought us the involvement of club and event number three in Errol, The Umbagog Snowmobile Club, and there amazing trail master Lorraine Turner, who singled handed secured permission for a race location, which involved her personally running an excavator to "re-arrange" a massive gravel bank to help the land owner and build a track that was phenomenal in design with high banks and an amphitheater feel to it, making watching the event a real treat. We had our now dedicated following of 100 competitors show to compete for trophies of the day and also decide series points championships that were very close. This venue turned out to be very special in design with separate parking for competitors on a ridge looking down at the action, separate access roads in to spectator parking, vendors displaying snowmobiles and related products, refreshments, advertising banners.
As I mentioned earlier in this blog entry I had been involved in racing this type of machine when they were new and got out of it with the passage of time and the distractions of time and family. I did manage to acquire a 1973 Rupp Nitro 295 twin cylinder machine that had made me "fall off the wagon" with racing withdrawal and I campaigned in the series with enough success to be tied for the points championship coming into this last event of the 09 series. I was lucky enough to win the 295 twin class in Pittsburg and also win the 340 twin class at the same event on the 295 which turned out to be one of the most exciting moments in my 61 years around these rapid relics.
Our series utilizes a LeMans type start, where competitors run to there machines, plug in their safety tether cords, pull start their machines and head for turn one. This diminishes the threat of large pile ups in turn one because the odds of all the dozen or so machines at the line rarely start all at once, stretching the field out from the beginning. I the 340 twin final I was eighth off the line and having a good view of the crowd working their way through turn one I held back, knowing a twenty five lap race is not won on the first lap. Working my way through the field slowly and watching machines bow out with the attrition that comes with age, I found myself in fourth place and moving well as traffic cleaned snow off the inside of the corners. Recognizing that my rubber track had a slight advantage by slowing down and staying way inside as most slid to the outside, suddenly came to the realization I was in third, then second with my friend Kevin Lassonde in front on a Polaris 340 SS. He and I battled back and forth with lots of lead changes in the final laps and with me in the lead with two laps to go I had a lapper spin in front of me, forcing me to react to avoid contact and I laid the Nitro on its left side, seeing Kevin working around me off the track to avoid contact with the pile up. In an instant the thought of losing this great contest crossed my mind but then I came to the realization that my machine was still running, my tether not coming unhooked in the fray. Quickly pushing the machine back upright I took off like a man possessed, knowing it was the last lap. With a hundred yard to the finish I caught my good buddy, passed him and won the second event of the day, feeling like I just took the Indy 500.
The popularity of the Great North Woods Vintage Race Series continues to grow along with the immense feeling of satisfaction and brotherhood between the three clubs who did it all, not sure of the outcome, but took a chance and found something new to enhance the North Country scene. We have since done a non series vintage event at the Wilderness Ski Area in April that was well attended and was an experiment with additional classes and a track that was set along the bottom of the slopes that was a great grand finale for a successful season.
http://www.thegreatnorthwoodssnowmobilerace.com/
