This is the story of Jr. Pederson and his 1972 John Deere 500. Jr. was the first to race a Deere in the Winnipeg to St. Paul International-500 cross country race in '72 at the age of 39, one year before the official factory team came together in '73. Jr.'s mechanic was Bernie Johnson, who was employed by Jr. since 1956, at Pederson Implement in Hatton, North Dakota. They were racing as independents in the '72 I-500, but did have some guidance from Mr. Robert Carlson, who was the Senior Vice President of John Deere and founder of the snowmobile program.
The race that year included 320 snowmobiles, of which Jr.'s #226 finished a solid 42ed place. It took him 19 hours, 44 minutes, and 39 seconds to cross the finish line on Phalen Lake in St. Paul, MN. They received a prize of $62 for their efforts.
The machine has some simple modifications including a rear Arctic Cat auxiliary fuel tank and Polaris seat to make it fit. Below are pictures that Jr. has allowed us to use. The black and white images were professionally taken for Deere's promotions, and the others (except for the first) were during a race. More images on page 2.
The information and pictures published here were obtained by Chuck Moser, through a direct meeting with Jr. Pederson.
Page 2