Park Rapids Race 1976

Post by **#269liquidater** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 1:45 am

Park Rapids was always a long 1 day event. The majority of the trail was woods racing, the course was a little different every year. In 76 there was road racing, woods , lakes, and a little ditch running. Bobby Enns started in the flight ahead of me, Tom Otte was in my flight, If I remember correctly the flights were 2 minutes apart. Tom & I left our flight at the start, we ran hard each trying to get away from each other. Tom would pass me in the big bumps and I would get him on the roads. Tom used to stand up in the real rough stuff, nobody could run with him in those conditions, fortunatly for me the real rough was limited. We hit a road and I was determined to not eat his snow dust any more, it was messing up my goggles, and he was getting under my skin passing me in the big ones. So I said to myself, Otte try and catch me now!!! I ran the Dater up to top speed, (94) it was risky running it that fast because at about 90 the little idler wheels on the skid blew the rubber off. And sure enough thats what happend. I lost my road speed and started burning hyfax. As the race progressed it was more woods trail, I knew I had to catch Bobby and he was good in the woods, I pushed it as hard as I could. I finnaly had him in my sights, but about then the brakes went out, not a good deal in the woods. I was always hard on brakes, especially in the woods. To run super fast thru the trees your either wide open or hard on the brake or sometimes both. To get the sled to turn you get forward as far as possible, brake hard and on the gas and most of the time both levers were being squeezed.
I had to let Bob get away, but it was good to see him win, he earned it, he ran a mistake free race and it was also his birthday. We ended up second a few minutes back. Bobs mechanic was also a great guy, Larry Swanson who was part of my team when Deere hired us. Hubert Fixsen & Larry worked with me since we started, Hubert ended up as my mechanic & Larry went to Bob Enns. Larry is still with JD as an engineer in consumer products. I dont remember how Tom ended up that day.
Brian Nelson

Post by **ICCSF 108** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 4:55 am

As I remember it from way back when...

I really don't remember ever seeing Bobby race in the ruff as he was always way out in front of me so I never got to witness his driving style..

But I do remember getting to see Brian's one time, it was at the Wilmer race, just a week after the "77" Winnipeg. I was running along a fence line & the snow drifts were hard & long from the fence, with If I remember right a plowed field or something on the other side to keep us from not running out of the drifts, I don't really remember what?? I do remember Having the Horse Whip ( Scorpion Bull Whip ) standing on it's tail jumping these drifts for quit a distance & going as fast as I thought I could without getting bucked off

, when all of a sudden out of the corner of my left eye who did I see but Brian tucked way in & low into the handle bars & being as the song says "Growing Part of the Machine" he also seemed to me to be going probably twice as fast as I was, as he was just skipping across the tops of the drifts just like he was driving down a smooth road with the throttle pined to the handle bar

, while I'm in the lower part of the drifts hanging on for dear life while my Horse Whip is bouncing on it's tail like a pogo stick.. I don't remember my exact words, but as some of you know me quit well, it probably was something like

" WTF am I doing here "

so anyway don't let him fool you HE was very very good in the ruff..

As I remember it in Late Jan or early Feb. 1977
Kenny

Post by **WinnipegStPaul9** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 8:40 am

Loved the Park Rapids race and Park Rapids folks. Great memories. DA

pj sportfire · Post by **pj sportfire** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 9:14 am

You guys' are hard-core!

PJ

JDCornFlakes · Post by **JDCornFlakes** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 11:26 am

I love these racing stories from all the racing legends were are blessed to have on this site.

What do yo think guys if Matt took some/all of these race memories and posted them in section so they don't get buried after thread gets older ?

harleysportster · Post by **harleysportster** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 11:40 am

Dave,
There actually is such a section now, called ETD Archive. Matt just needs to move the stories over there.

Post by **dator** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 1:23 pm

The Park Rapids race was always one of my favourite races.After engine trouble in the Winnipeg race my mechanic,Larry Swanson and i spent a lot of time testing with different set ups in the trails and roads around Breezy Point,were we lived.The conditions around Breezy were very much like Park Rapids,so we felt we had a good sled for the race.I started in the 2nd flight when we got to the woods section,i was catching the 1st flight.I passed a lot of sleds in the woods,came to some of the logging roads and old rail beds,heading for the finish,i did'nt see any more sleds. The Dator ran great,90 + on the roads,and super fast in the woods.(Larry did a super on the sled) I got to the finish line first sled in,a min or 2 later here comes Brian.I know he started behind me,so i know he has a fast time,but my time stood up,and Brian came in second.What a great showing for ETD. We olso got a lot of cash!! Bob.

Post by **WinnipegStPaul9** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 2:15 pm

Cash is good!!!!

Post by **JRC ETD** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 5:22 pm

Bob, Gerald Karpick, Brian are good in the woods! Bob made close to 10k that day! Biggest 1 day payback. JRC

sparcat · Post by **sparcat** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 7:44 pm

I just want to say thanks for all of you guys, that share those experiences. They are all priceless to you, and to us!

JoeRainville · Post by **JoeRainville** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 9:40 pm

Brian, Bob and Jon,

Thank you all for sharing your racing history with us collectors. It was your achievments and dedication that helped to make the Deere CC race sleds as popular and endearing as they are to us. Great to hear "the rest of the story" after watching the video's a zillion times.

Bob, wow, 10K to win. I guess it really does pay to be the best!

I know Deere made video's from 74-76, but did they, or anyone else make 77-79 I-500 or ICCSF videos? I have most of the Deere ones on DVD, the 67 Polaris I-500 video, and the Cat 76 I-500 Video, but I have never seen anything newer than 76.

Thank you,
-Joe Rainville

Post by **dator** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 9:46 pm

ICCSF 108 wrote:As I remember it from way back when... I really don't remember ever seeing Bobby race in the ruff as he was always way out in front of me so I never got to witness his driving style..
But I do remember getting to see Brian's one time, it was at the Wilmer race, just a week after the "77" Winnipeg. I was running along a fence line & the snow drifts were hard & long from the fence, with If I remember right a plowed field or something on the other side to keep us from not running out of the drifts, I don't really remember what?? I do remember Having the Horse Whip ( Scorpion Bull Whip ) standing on it's tail jumping these drifts for quit a distance & going as fast as I thought I could without getting bucked off , when all of a sudden out of the corner of my left eye who did I see but Brian tucked way in & low into the handle bars & being as the song says "Growing Part of the Machine" he also seemed to me to be going probably twice as fast as I was, as he was just skipping across the tops of the drifts just like he was driving down a smooth road with the throttle pined to the handle bar , while I'm in the lower part of the drifts hanging on for dear life while my Horse Whip is bouncing on it's tail like a pogo stick.. I don't remember my exact words, but as some of you know me quit well, it probably was something like " WTF am I doing here " so anyway don't let him fool you HE was very very good in the ruff..
As I remember it in Late Jan or early Feb. 1977
Kenny

Hi Kenny,i remember the 77 Willmar race very well.After a not so good Winnipeg race,i was looking forward to a good race.Steve Tabor my mechanic,had my sled running real good.I started in a later heat,Brian Nelson(now with team Arctic) started in one of the early heats,so i knew if i could catch him i would be in good shape.The course was quite technical,with plowed fields,wood sections,lakes,some ditches and roads.I knew i was having a good race,no one had passed me,and i had passed a lot of sleds in front of me.I could'nt see Brian so i knew he was also having a fast race.I was 2nd or rd sled in.Brian was the first sled in.I thought he was the winner,but when all the times were calculated,i won by 32 seconds,over Brian.Thats how close things can get. Next week it's on to Sauk Center.

Post by **#269liquidater** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 11:34 pm

One reason Hubert & I left JD after the 76 season is we did not think Deere would be competitive on a year old machine. We were wrong, with the up grades the Dater was an excellent XC racer, better than the 77 CCcat. The 77 CCCat had an extremly peaky engine, the ski shocks did not work at all, the carbs were in the air box, so any moisture would plug the jets and the clutches were junk. Hubert & I went to Roger Skime toward the end of 77 and told him what we thought about there sled. He told us if we thought we could do better to go ahead and gave us the job to build the 78 Cat racer. Looking back Hubert & I would have had a better season staying on the Deere for 77. Hubert & I have talked about what if we had stayed at Deere a number of times. We made the change and did the best with what we had. As the years went by we were involved with many sled projects at Arctic. The ZR that came out in 93 was the most rewarding. Some day I will tell the ZR story, it takes time!!! As for Bob winning at Willmar, I dont remember much about that race, it was my hometown, so I probably wanted to forget it. Bobby & Larry Swanson made a good team, Larry was an excellent mechanic & mentor and Bob was at the peak of his carer. In those days when you beat 200 other sleds over 200 miles you earned it, most were happy just to finish an event.
Brian Nelson

Danzig · Post by **Danzig** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 11:40 pm

Brian-

Were you also possibly tied in the release of the 93' Thundercats?

Post by **SKNOWCAT** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 12:04 am

Brian, you were right about being disapointed about Bobby running you down. If I remember correctly you were being interviewed for the win by Lyle Haseltine in the announcers booth when Bobby came into to take the win. I have to refresh Bobbys memmory on the trail sled that he met on the race course head on and crushed the front member. That happened the next week at Sauk Centre which He won also by a small margin after that incident. Bobby won 3 of the 11 races we ran that year. That was the ICCSF record until Gerard topped that. Any race that I was ever involved in that my sled finished ahead of the Nelson/Fixen sled was an accomplishment, you guys were always tough competition and later to be teamates at Cat.
Steve T.