s We've received a lot of great racing info from the glory days of snowmobiles,
much of which from the racers themselves. Thank you to everyone who sent
these great pieces of history.
Gary Phelps' Racing Photos
Gary was kind enough to scan and send these pictures of his cross country racing days.
Gary recalled that the photographer who got this shot was sitting down in a ditch out of sight.
What you see is Gary turning to avoid hitting him.
Starting Line
This is 20 year old (at the time) Keith Bylin. It was taken Jan.19th, 1976, near
Lake Osakis during the Winnipeg - St. Paul. Read more about it below.
"Number 42 Liquidator started the I-500 in St. Paul with about 175 miles, its
second engine and several engine and chassis updates. As even with today's
race sleds, the Liquidator was a very high maintenance. Notice in the
picture just under the bottom of the front bumper from the far left side to
the center, is a strip of gray tape. Clutch and belt heating was a problem
so a kit was produced by Deere that ducted fresh air to the drive clutch.
This worked great unless one was in deep snow conditions, as the duct would
fill with snow and cause the drive belt to slip. Since we are on the
subject of gray tape and heat, also notice the vertical strips of gray tape
on the radiator. Deere instructed us to remove the thermostat and control
the engine temperature by blocking sections of the radiator. Tabs were left
on the tape as "tear offs" if engine temp started to rise. This by the way
worked quite well. A rubber strap, just if front of the headlight and down
both sides, was used as an additional hood hold down. Sponsor's name
painted on the hood and on the yellow strip on each side. A Union Carbide
decal was placed on the sides too. They were the official oil supplier for
the race (mix in those days). On the back bumper were at least two drive
belts were taped in case the one under the hood was not enough. Last but
not least notice the one piece John Deere "wet look" suit and the two sets
of goggles on the helmet. Two sets of eye protection was required as part
of the race rules those days, as after a crash many drivers would lose or
break one set and end up with severe frostbite. Number 42 crossed the
finish line outside of Winnipeg in the middle of the pack. Out of 385
sled that started the "1976" I-500, 60 sleds total finished with 12 John
Deere Liquidator's, Liquifire's and one 340/S in that group." - Keith
Two more images of another of Keith's sleds, a 340/S.
The next images are of Ken Heins (ICCSF 108) racing his Liquidator and Cross Country.
Brian Nelson racing the I-500.
Brian Nelson and Hubert Fixsen with the I-500 Trophy.
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