Race Time ?

[lwb140]

Let me know when he finishes plz!

[skoalmint]

Will Do!!!

[skoalmint]

Well Dustin just texted,Still waiting Wade

[skoalmint]

Dustin Just sent text that Wade Finished,Congratulations Wade WAy to go Bud.Brock

[lwb140]

Just talked to Wade, finished in one piece. whoot whoot!!!

[DeereKid9]

Yeah Wade. Hoosier Pride.

[HoosierDeereMan]

Way to go Wade! Congratulations!

Troy

[80spitfire]

Congratulations Wade! You done us proud!

[WinnipegStPaul9]

Congrats Wade!! Good finish!!

DA

[kenwaters]

Congrats to Wade, I think Brian Hitt crossed the finish for a second time (I bet he is the only one to do that)

Congratulations to all of the racers, to finish is not nearly as important as starting (I know)

[nick80lf]

Congrats fellas!!!

[jdrob]

Congrats to all the racers ! Wade you are Awesome Man ! Great Job Finishing

[JDT]

Wade even got some air when he crossed the finish line.

He was(and is) one happy camper.

JDJR had an extra coolant drain plug in his pocket but no fuel pump. I bet he has one next year.
Joe did hit a boulder in the ditch and he was not the only one to nail it.
I am sure it was buried in the snow when the staked out the course but when you run over the same snow with all those track spinning late models you tend to bring things to the surface.

I did not talk to Chris before I headed home but I was told he took a crash landing and was pretty sore when his steering broke.
His Yammy sure was nice. A race official asked him at the line up what museum he stole it from.

Congrats to all the Vintage drivers that left the start line. Congrats to all that finished.
This is the toughest snowmobile race in the country, for both men and machine.
Thank you to Brian Nelson for keeping the dream alive.

There was an L-fire that was about 500 ft from the finish line and it stopped. Don't know who it was or why it stopped.
An Offical buzzed out there and gave him a ride in.

Saw an old Polaris come in with a broken slide rail and a huge section of track missing.
One Eltigre ran the final leg on one ski. That is 60 miles of leaning left. He deserves an award for that extra effort.
Another CAT came in with the tunnel dragging on the ground. Broke all the spings when he went airborne.

Several sleds ran out of gas on the course. Some finished, others did not.
New sleds melted motors, shreaded tracks and died from problems that can't be fixed trailside.
They have been doing it in the 500 for 47 years. Why espect it not to happen on a 35 year old machine?


True, Radio coverage left something to be desired. But they are profit driven and apparently have forgotten why the I-500 today is what it is.
It was the sleds of yesteryear that built the following and the prestige competing in, let alone finishing, this race.

But when the shadow of their radio tower falls across the Cat plant you would think the owner/manager of the station would notice the all those old black and green sleds lined up at the start line and maybe direct the annoucers not to poke fun at "them old men on the antiques".

But the attrition levels are just as high for late model sleds. Although the vintage sleds may not be as fast as the opens and mods and whatevers that factory sponsership may offer up, they don't need to be. Vintage competes in it's own class. And the only thing a driver competes against is his boby, his ride and the clock.

Once again it is triumph of man and machine against the most brutal course they can come up with. If it was easy everyone would do it.

[JDT]

Paul you asked who came into the fuel stop on a vinatge sled first.
It was a tie. A TXL and a CC Tigre walked them in side by side.

There was one yellow sled in the 46 Vintage entrees. DNF.
Two Pacific Rim models. DNF's.
Two Sleds from Omaha. Both finished!!
The rest of the field was CC and 5/6000 Tiggers, assorted TX's (C's and L's) and L-fires.
About half of them saw the checked flag.

[WinnipegStPaul9]

Great information Todd!!! Thank you for a "first hand" report.

DA