Vintage Decals, Vintage (and Modern) Cross-Country Race

A few weeks ago I received a batch of repro decals -- iconic versions from the orignal Winnipeg I-500 cross-country -- from Steve Dahlen of St. Hilaire, Minn. (first town south of Thief River Falls on Hwy 32).

Steve made my day for two reasons: the amazing decals; and the more concrete news that of a St. Hilaire-area cross-country race this winter for two classes of vintage sleds, plus the Sno Pro 500 racer.

Click to read more.

2011 Arctic Cat 800 Reflash: The Fix is in for Ethanol

If you were one of the owners of a 2011 Arctic Cat sled equipped with the 800 H.O. engine and burned 91 octane fuel, you might have been surprised to occasionally experience “Limp Mode.”

Turns out the problem wasn’t octane. It was ethanol. And now there's a fix.

Click to read about it.

Open House: TA Motorsports in Francis Creek, Wis.

TA Motorsports in Francis Creek, Wis. (just 20 minutes south of Green Bay), is having their Fall Open House from Nov. 3-5th, including a snowmobile show on Saturday.

CLICK HERE to check out their site.

Craig's List-of-the-Week: Nov. 1

ATTENTION: Whomever bought this 1981 El Tigre... the previous owner wants it back.

Actually, he just wants to use it a few times, but just for racing. Seems reasonable.

Mmmkay?

Happy Halloween (Don't Smash these Pumpkins)

Happy Halloween!

(And thanks to Jarred Zimmer of Waterford, Penn., and Bobby Flame from Parts Unknown for sending pix of their pumpkins.)

SHOF Auction: 2012 Arctic Cat F1100 Signed by the Legends

Beginning Nov. 24, you can bid to win a one-of-a-kind 2012 Arctic Cat F1100 Sno Pro that's been autographed by many of the most-legendary Team Arctic racers of all-time.

The proceeds go to the Snowmobile Hall of Fame, and the winner gets a truly remarkable snowmobile.

Click to read the release.

Q&A with Corey Friesen, Senior Graphics Stylist at Arctic Cat

As Senior Graphics Stylist at Arctic Cat, Corey Friesen is the guy responsible for creating the colors and graphic details of Arctic Cat snowmobiles, ATVs and side-by-sides.

Pretty sweet job!

Click to read an interview with him.

Winter's First Wallop!

The largest ever winter storm walloped the east coast this weekend, dropping 2 feet of snow in many areas.

While I’m saddened by the human (and hassle) toll this storm has brought, I’m also grinning from ear-to-ear.

Click to see a couple pix from the Daily Mail.

Arctic Cat Fiscal 2012 2nd QTR Results

It was a good quarter for the company:

Net sales up 17% to $204.8 million on higher sales for all product lines;
Earnings per diluted share up 19% to $1.15 versus $0.97 in prior-year qtr.;
Raising fiscal 2012 sales and earnings guidance to a range of $1.10 to $1.15 EPS, a 57% to 64% increase over fiscal 2011, on expected full-year sales growth of 14% to 17%

Click to read the full-financial release.

ERX Learn-2-Ride Snocross Clinic (Nov. 12)

ERX Motor Park in Elk River, Minn., is hosting a Learn-2-Ride Snocross Clinic on Sat., Nov. 12.

Click for more info.

Lakes Arctic Cat Open House (Forest Lake, Minn.)

Lakes Arctic Cat in Forest Lake, Minn., has an Open House this Sat., Oct. 29.

In addition to sweet deals, Team Arctic greats Jim Dimmerman and Aaron Scheele will be signing autographs and explaining how to stuff a 900 triple into a '78 El Tigre bulkhead.

Click for more info.

8 Pix (and Spec's) of the 2012 Arctic Cat Sno Pro Race Sled

Click to see eight beautiful studio images of the 2012 Arctic Cat Sno Pro 600 Race Sled, as well as full specifications of both the Snocross and Cross-Country versions.

Reminded of the Arctic Cat Flying Tigers

Looking at a recent photo of Aaron Scheele's shop, I was reminded of one of the all-time great Arctic Cat ads: Flying Tigers.

Click to see why.

1973 Arctic Cat Test Crew

Here's a photo of the Arctic Cat test crew from 1973-74 that surfaced this past summer.

Click for a mostly-complete list of names, and to add any more infomation if you have it.

Yes, the Arctic Cat Wildcat Can Fly

Wondering wheather the new Arctic Cat Wildcat ROV can fly, and whether it lands on its feet?

Me too.

See if these pix I shot yesterday answer the questions.

Ische's 1974 Arctic Cat Sno Pro

After yesterday's post showing some of the Ische family's Arctic Cat memorabilia, I realized that I didn't show any pix of Tom, Nancy or Brianna.

So here are some photos of them with their mind-boggling 1974 Sno Pro race sled.

(These images were taken for the "50 Years of the Cat" book.)

Lots More Arctic Cat Memorabilia (Ische Collection)

After thinking I was pretty cool with my new (old) Arctic Cat lighters and ZR 440 toy, I went through some photos of the Ische family's collection taken to produce the "50 Years of the Cat" book.

What I have is few odds and ends. What the Isches have is a collection.

So click to check out just some of their cool Arctic Cat memorabilia.

Scored!: Sweet Arctic Cat Memorabilia

I don't mean to gloat (and it's not like these things are outrageously-rare) but I just got a couple of items I've wanted for a LONG time.

Now... should I play with fire or with a toy snowmobile?

Test-Drive an Arctic Cat Wildcat

This could be you test-driving an Arctic Cat Wildcat, beginning as soon as tomorrow.

Click to check out the Demo Tour schedule.

When Seeing Snowmobiles Was Like Winning the Lottery

Sometimes I forget that there was a time, not too many years ago, when the only viewable information we could get about snowmobiles was either magazines, books and promotional material.

Even Archie Comics were cool if there a snowmobile was involved.

And those few times I stumbled upon snowmobiling on television was like winning the lottery.

Click to read my ramble.