SCORPION SETS WORLD'S RECORD

Press Release - January 1977
Grand Rapids, Michigan - A Scorpion Whip 440 covered 1,172 miles in a 24-hour period to break the world's record for snowmobile endurance.  The event started at 1:00PM January 1st and concluded at 1:00PM, January 2nd on Gun Lake south of Grand Rapids. The previous record of 984 miles was set in 1971 by Mercury.
   Scorpion went after the record with two completely stock 440 Whips, the second totaling 1,108 miles.  Twenty eight local snowmobile club members served as drivers, and The United States Snowmobile Association sanctioned the event.
   During the event, the two sleds required a total of two sets of spark plugs, two belts and one set of chain tensioners for replacement parts.

SNOCROSS, STOCK RACING HEATING UP FOR 1984

There was more qualified stock racing and more action in 1984 on the part of at least three sledmakers and they were promising to make 1984 a very good year for snowmobile competition.
   Fifty six horsepower stock racers with high-tech suspension systems from Polaris, Ski-Doo and Yamaha, together with some form of racing program from all three provided more color and intensity on the snocross, sprint and endurance circuits when the new season kicked off in December, 1984.
   Experienced competitors say the best years for racing are those when all or most of the snowmobile factories build new, qualified sleds.  With announced plans from three majors for '84, racing fans had planned on some hot competition and classic track duels to punctuate the '84 season.

ARCTIC ANNOUNCES SPORT VAN WINNER

May 1974 - Thief River Falls, Minn. - Press Release
Grand prize winners in Arctic Enterprises Pre-Freezin' Season Sweepstakes are Mr. and Mrs. Milford Egland of Albert Lea, Minn. Their prize is a Dodge Swinger van.
   Egland is a retired police chief and his wife is a fifth grade school teacher.  They have three children and stated that their favorite past time is weekend camping.

THE 1974 SUZUKI SNOWMOBILE LINE

November 1973 - Forty years ago, the people at Suzuki Motor Corporation said that if you want the most rugged, reliable machine you can drive in the snow, buy a tank.
   But if you want a machine that's rugged, reliable and a lot more reasonable buy a Suzuki.
   They stated that Suzuki makes more 2-cycle engines than anybody in the world and they start easy even when its cold and they run all day without a whimper, even if there hot.
   They also said, a tank has a lot of iron, but a Suzuki snowmobile has an ironclad warranty.

THE 1972 SKI-ZOOM SNOWMOBILE

November 1971 - FOREVER - The New 1972 Ski-Zoom Snowmobile.
   Forever means a rich relationship with styling designed for the most demanding. Ski-Zoom's structure of rust-proof aluminum provides lightweight performance powered by Sachs engines.
   Ski_Zoom is harmoniously together and a snowmobile for the discerning of taste and free of Spirit.
   Ski-Zoom is made in Quebec by Autotechnic Inc.,
Montreal 133, Quebec

SNO-CYCLE FIGHTS HEAD TO HEAD WITH SNOWMOBILE DRAGSTERS

December 1983
Brothers kim and Mark Watzke have been running the Sno-Cycle head to head against snowmobiles in some of the grass drags.
   During the Michigan snowmobile Drag Racing Association championships at Perch Point Conservation Club it was a split in two matches.  The rear tire wide with heavy treads, is made for sand but doesn't get the bite of the ground that well studded snowmobiles can.
   But the Sno-Cycle has the muscle.  The boys toke a 650 Heath motor for the power plant, getting 430 RPM in 300 feet, installed an Arctic Cat clutch and drive train, and Mitchell aluminum wheels.
   We get it running about 80 miles per hour in 300 feet and close to 130 MPH in 600 feet.  We win some drags against snowmobiles and lose some.

NEW PRO RACE CIRCUIT SET

October 1974 - Green Bay, Wisconsin - Press Release
Four companies, including three snowmobile manufacturers and an accessory manufacturer, have thus far committed to a new factory racing circuit for the coming season to replace the defunct SnoPro circuit.
   The new circuit will be called the Professional Drivers Circuit (PDC) and the factory teams participating will follow it on an honor system over a thirteen race schedule according to guidelines established jointly by the factories, the racers, and the United States Snowmobile Association.  (USSA).

THE 1980 SKI-DOO EVEREST L/C

October 1979
What The Blizzard Did For Performance, The Everest L/C Did For Touring.
In the 1980 Everest LC, Ski-Doo offered this Mercedes of the snow.  It had all the civilities that any sophisticated could ever want - oil injection, liquid cooling, step-up seating, full instrumentation and more.
 Most importantly, the Everest benefited from the reinvigorated spirit and pride that was reinforced with 1979 Blizzard series.
   Ski-Doo's Everest L/C had re-arrived.  It was all new. It borrowed from the Blizzard technology  and incorporated all the logic of the original Everest.

ABOUT MYSELF

I would like to tell you a little more about myself.  As I've illustrated in my profile within this blog, my life has been centered around snowmobiles which includes the present time.  I was a Rupp dealer from 1969 thru it's death in 1978.  In 1980, I, along with some help made an attempt to bring Rupp Industries back into existence.  "GO HERE", To read all about this attempt.  In 1984, I moved to South Dakota and went on to expand my snowmobile parts and accessories operation by the name of SnoCat Shack and later was renamed Sport Shack, because of a legal matter.  I sold Sport Shack in 1996 and started a company by the name of Battery Shack and sold over 14,000 batteries in 10 years. "CLICK HERE", To learn more about this business.

THE 1973 JOHNSON GOLDEN GHOST

In the early 1970's,a big worry for the sledmakers was a difficult problem with sound levels that threatened to loom on the legislative horizon.  Johnson reacted to the challenge with the Golden Ghost in 1973, billed as the quietest production snowmobile in the world.  The Ghost was quiet at 73dB.(A), but very heavy.  Those who saw the first demonstrations of The Ghost could easily see the machines excessive weight was not due to the soundproofing, so the machine stood as proof to all that snowmobiles could be built quiet.