4 inches

Post by **JRC ETD** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 8:48 pm

Just remembering.......30 years ago we went 560 miles on 4 inches of travel, today they go 100 feet on 10 inches of travel, we went 12 hours, they go 12 minutes. The shock had to go somewhere with only 4 inches....speaking with Brian the other night and we were commenting that often on any given day we would hit so hard that you would black out, the recoil through your arms from the recoil of the bars into your shoulders and neck was so intense your vision would blur for a second.....and this was without crashing......drainage ditchs, swamps were the worse. Then after the front is totally of of shape in the air sidesways you land the last end of the suspension of the second "woop" compressing the sled through your knees, hip sockets, and finally the spine, the sled lands on it's left ski and shoots the third recoil compresson through your left wrist as your second and third finger are braking on the KH handle. This repeats it's self in multiple seconds in a ditch at high speeds.......especially the lead sleds on any given day. Brian just has a knee replaced, everything on most of the CC guys takes about a while to move each morning.......took a pair I guess, also takes a pair to fly 100 ft....in the end all relative and right! JRC PS Millacs Lake was real nasty....most crashes there would leave a mark, and not buff out!!!!!

Post by **WinnipegStPaul9** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 9:14 pm

Jon, for me it was mostly knees but shoulders as well. I'd almost bet you were more relaxed than I was and the tension of holding on, braking, accelerating, banging right then left took a terrible toll on my knees and shoulders. All of which have been operated on but .......no replacements. Wouldn't trade it for a minute but knew then as now that it would take a toll on the body someday. You are absolutely right about the momentary black vision and feeling the pain work its way up the spine on landing. NOT COMPLAINING! Don

Danzig · Post by **Danzig** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 10:45 pm

Jon-
Your post sounds a little like the jaunt today that I took North of route 71.

:blink:

Almost got the wind knocked out of me coming off the 3 foot woopty doo's in the ditch.

Post by **dator** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 1:55 am

Jon:My arms hurt just thinking about racing like that again.The new sleds we ride today are easy on the body.After the HOF,maybe you can come to the great white north and we'll ride a couple of 08 REVS:Bob

RSplash40 · Post by **RSplash40** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 2:29 am

Growing up I had a 72 Yamaha Sm292..great size sled for a kid. I look back it now and am amazed I got where I was going on it at times but the weight of the sled made it really light and easy to move with a kid on it. I remember bottoming out as I got older on it and that hurt. It was no where near the impact you had while racing..but it made you wake up for sure.

Post by **JRC ETD** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 9:35 am

Paul.....I remember the boogie wheel racing also.......ouch! Bob would enjoy the Rev's....how much snow is there!

Hfounder · Post by **Hfounder** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 9:58 am

Amen brother.....the good old days we call that now. Nothing good about them except the friends and freindships we all made around the sport.

Got to go back to the house, forgot to take my pain meds before I came over to the office ! ! Eagle River crash on cross-country qualifying...1972....did me in. Destroyed my new 800 Blizzard......that hurts even more ! ! !

Loren

Post by **JRC ETD** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:00 am

Bob.....remember hitting the plowed roads to the fish houses on Mille Lacs every mile if you could see them at 85MPH....now baby...... you couldn't buff out those landings and they would leave a mark! Never seen so much junk on the race course after the first 30 miles......a snowmobile debris field! Hade to be carefull not to hit or run over all the parts and drivers laying on the lake! Thats a race that chattered the fillings in your teeth for 2 days. Prayed for the sun to shine weeks before that race to see those darn roads.....total whiteout if there was no sun, a Lquidator on that lake race without sun was like racing a bulldozer with handlebars at 90MPH blindfolded......bones are whispering to me just thinking about it! Had to have a girlfriend hidden in the background (so Al wouldn't blow a main seal) to recover with after that one.....I guess that was actually standard operating procedure and removed from the option column in 77! As I recall there were a couple of other teamates that opted to include that in the 24 hr. training commitment.......vaulting the Liquidator seat in the weight room everyday started to pay dividends.....especially when Al had the heat turned up to 90 and we used Brian's practice sled in to lift, vault and expire over every day at 9:30am. Bob, remember Al's secretary.....Jolene! That would be year 77 buddy!

Post by **JRC ETD** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:06 am

Loren.....Your race history is something to behold.........Guy's you will spend hours at the HOF seeing Loren's race history in both motorsports and sleds.....simply awesome.....I don't believe there is anyone in racing that Loren doesn't know or isn't a friend of his! Real treat starting next Wednesday! Thanks Loren for helping us! Best Jon

JoeRainville · Post by **JoeRainville** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:34 am

Jon, Bob, Loren, Don, etc...!

I have watched the 75-76 Deere CC race videos in amazement of how hard you guys rode the 340/s and Dators with 4" of travel. You had to be nuts to hit 80 mph in ditches in 75 on the 340/s. Claims of Nelson hitting 90+ on a Dator in 76 make me shiver.

At least the 78 CC had a bit more travel and milder 45 hp motor to keep speeds down, but it sounds like you guys hit 75+ on them anyway.

I have been hospitalized 3 times from SnoCross related injurys: one dislocated shoulder (that smarted), torn ACL and MCL in my right knee (also stung a bit) and then getting rolled by another racer who took me out last year and hit me square in chest of my Safe-Jac. God Bless Konope Motorsports. Got the chance to thank him in person amost 2 years back at the HOF show in May of 05.

The worst, and longest lasting injury was from landing for 10+ feet in the air on a double jump. The track was a block of ice due to temps dropping from the 50's to single digits overnight. Blew straight through the 13.5" inches of travel on my 05 Cat 440 SnoPro, set at max stiffness! It was like landing on concrete. I hit the seat hard from standing, felt my back crack from my waist up through my shoulders and neck and lost sight for a second. I never heard of that happening before, ouch. Then unfortunately I was taken out by the rider that put me in the ambulance 1/2 lap later. Girlfriend was not impressed finding me in the Ambulance, nor did she enjoy spending the night in the hospital.

And, our finals only last 7 to 10 laps. Couldn't imagine 599 miles of that on 4" of travel! I guess that what make you guys legends to all of us, and why we treasure our 295/s, 340/s Dators and 78 CC's so much. It's kinding like honoring ETD and your accomplishments in our own way.

Later Liquidator!
-Rainville

B)

Post by **JRC ETD** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 11:20 am

Thanks Joe.....sounds like "casing" that 440 sno-pro was a real treat.....Now about girls and racing......sounds like some of us old guys might be able to help your girlfriend realize the importance of competing on snowmachines, my personal recomendation is Dr. Enns, and I would suggest a few minutes from him around this subject at the HOF.....he comes highly recommended and has a long history of explaining racer's virtues in a sincere and simple way.....in extreme cases I would recommend Dr. Nelson, I am only taking refferals at this time, but could make a exception based on Dr. Enns and Dr. Nelson prognosis, Another expert in this field is Mr. L oren Anderson whom has coached notiables like Brad Hulings through these same waters! Good Luck!

RSplash40 · Post by **RSplash40** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 2:23 pm

Wow...just wow.

Post by **JRC ETD** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 3:45 pm

Many thanks for sharing this.....took alot of courage to come back! Looking forward to seeing you at the HOF.....Best Jon

JoeRainville · Post by **JoeRainville** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 6:38 pm

Rich,

I witnessed the only known death in SnoCross back in 2005. Doug Bellinger, a Pro / Pro-Vet racer overshot the table top at Malone in Jan of 05. He landed out in the mogals, and his chest came down hard on the center of the bars. When they took him away, they just said he had a jaw injury, and the track photographer even had a pic of him crawling off the track.

Unfortuately for Doug and his family, he was bleading out, and died. I was in warm up, next to go out on the track.

When I found out later that day what really happend, I nearly packed up my trailer and quit. To keep my cool when racing, I have two stickers on my hood: "In Memory of Doug Bellinger, # 357" facing down, and facing up toward me is "Wide Open til you see God, then brake". Reminds me not to get too carried away out there.

The last sticker is on the top of the windshield. In small print it says: "The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it's still on the list"

I am still racing at 37, and I accept the risks that go with it to improve the sport for everyone. Better race sleds make better consumer sleds in my opinion. Sort of like what the 340/s did for Deere's line up.

Here's to "...one more time..."

-Rainville

Post by **JRC ETD** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 7:29 pm

Class and Respect!