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JANUARY 2013

Few if any could haveimagined that the first snow-mobile Derby run on DollarLake 50 years ago wouldevolve into the most premiersnowmobile racing spectaclein the world, but visionaries inEagle River made it happen.

What began as a novelSunday afternoon rally and acasual racing atmosphere atthe infancy of recreationalsnowmobiling soon turnedinto a highly competitive, pro-fessional race for the topdrivers from the United Statesand Canada.

Since the first Derby inFebruary of 1964, snowmo-bile racing has undergonedramatic changes in machin-ery, race tracks, sponsorshipand spectator support. Andwhile the snowmobile indus-try has had its ups anddowns, it has been no waver-ing fact that the Eagle RiverWorld Championship Snow-mobile Derby is the “grand-daddy of them all.”

Not only do the top driversfrom throughout the UnitedState and Canada set theirsights on Eagle River eachJanuary, but manufacturers,sponsors, spectators and themedia have focused on theDerby as the major snowmo-bile racing event of the yearfor the past 50 years.

Today, the race is billed asthe AMSOIL World Champi-onship Snowmobile Derby due

to the sponsorship of theAMSOIL company. However,that hasn’t changed the pres-tige of winning at Eagle River.

But the Derby had a hum-ble beginning on Dollar Lake

near Chanticleer Inn east ofEagle River. Chanticleer Innowner John Alward, his wife,Betty, and Walter Goldswor-thy of Three Lakes decided thewinter economy needed aboost.

With the help of the EagleRiver Rotary Club, they coor-dinated a one-day racingschedule that included anobstacle course, cross-countryrace and 1-mile runs againstthe clock in heats of fivemachines. The Eagle RiverLions Club ran the concessionstand for about 1,000 specta-tors who showed up to watchthe first Derby.

The classes were dividedinto under 9-horsepower andover 9-horsepower. The win-ner of the over 9-horsepowerclass was 13-year-old StanHayes of Crandon, driving a16-horsepower Polaris. Hayesis now billed as the first worldchampion, even though theterm World ChampionshipDerby didn’t surface until1966.

John Alward, Goldsworthy

and the Eagle River LionsClub also coordinated the1965 Derby on Dollar Lake,billed as the National Derby.An estimated 5,000 spectatorswatched as George Gensler ofThree Lakes recorded thefastest time in the cross-coun-try portion of the race and wasnamed the overall championon an Evinrude.

Big changes occurred in1966, when the race site wasmoved by the Lions Club fromDollar Lake to the existingsite north of Eagle River. Builtthere were a 4.2-mile cross-country course near PleasureIsland Road and a quarter-mile oval in a natural bowl.Drivers qualified for the WorldChampionship race on thecross-country course, with thefinal consisting of 10 lapsaround the snow-covered oval.Steve Ave of Hurley capturedthe first official world champi-on title aboard a Ski-Doo.

It also was in 1966 that theWisconsin Legislature certi-

Pioneering rally on Dollar Lakebecomes world’s top snomo race

___________BY GARY RIDDERBUSCH

NEWS-REVIEW EDITOR___________

The Eagle River Derby has survived 50 years of snowmobile development, weath-er challenges and a varying economy. Today, thousands of fans attend the AMSOIL

World Championship Snowmobile Derby to watch the best racers from the UnitedStates and Canada compete for the title. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTOS

The most notable snow-mobile racing event in theworld will return to EagleRiver Jan. 17-20 as the 50thannual AMSOIL WorldChampion ship SnowmobileDerby will take centerstage.

About 30,000 spectatorsare expected to attend,along with hundreds of rac-ers for four days of racingaction and festivities tied tothe 50th anniversary of theevent.

AMSOIL Derby Trackowner Chuck Decker saidofficials are gearing up foran exciting four days at themost famous track in snow-mobiling.

The festivities willinclude a full race scheduleon the ice oval and on theSno-Cross course, includingthe popular Parts UnlimitedFriday Night Thunder.There also will be visits bypast champions and Derby

royalty.Decker said the 2013

anniversary Derby will have29 of the 34 past worldchampions returning to“meet and greet” their fans.

“And 25 to 30 of theiractual winning sleds ordetailed replicas will behere to be seen both on dis-play and on the racetrackthat made them famous,”said Decker.

Some of the fan favoritescommitted to returninginclude Mike Trapp, JacquesVilleneuve, Bobby Donahue,Dave Wahl and Decker, whowas himself a world champi-on in 1987.

“Never again in your life-time will a list of names thisfamous in snowmobile rac-ing be in one place and atone time,” said Decker. “Somake your plans and comeout and see these great

Biggest spectacle in snowmobile racingto celebrate 50th anniversary Jan. 17-20Past champs, queens to returnfor 2013 Eagle River Derby



The AMSOIL World Championship Snowmoible Derby hasevolved into the grandest show in snowmobile racing with the

addition of Sno-Cross racing and Parts Unlimited Friday NightThunder under the lights. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTO

The Derby got new life after the race and track were purchasedby the Decker family in 1985.

This was a scene at the Eagle River Derby in the late 1960s,when dozens of manufacturers were building snowmobiles. To PIONEERS, Pg. 3

To SPECTACLE, Pg. 4

AMSOILWorld Championship

2013

EAGLE RIVER, WI 54521

NEWS-REVIEW

50th DerbyVILAS COUNTY

2 JANUARY 2013 VILAS COUNTY NEWS-REVIEW/THE THREE LAKES NEWS

CONGRATULATIONS

50 YEARS

OF THE

MOST EXCITING SNOWMOBILE RACE

IN THE WORLDTHANK YOU TO THE

Eagle River Lions Club AND THE

Decker Family

VILAS COUNTY NEWS-REVIEW/THE THREE LAKES NEWS JANUARY 2013 3

Pioneers:biggest race in snowmobiling reaches 50th year

50TH ANNIVERSARY DERBY

FROM PAGE 1fied for Eagle River thetrademarked slogan, “EagleRiver, Snowmobile Capital ofthe World.”

Following the growth ofthe first three derbies, the1967 Derby brought nationalmedia coverage, including avisit from ABC’s Peter Jen-nings. Under the guidance ofthe Lions Club, the Derbyalso attracted photographersfrom a wide cross-section ofnational magazines such asLife, Newsweek and Saga.

The next year, 1968, theDerby was boosted by cover-age from ABC’s Wide Worldof Sports. Promoters added asnowmobile jumping contestto spice up the one-day showfor fans. However, jumpingsnowmobiles from ramps wasquickly considered too risky,and was dropped as a Derbyevent. Steve Ave became thefirst two-time winner thatyear.

The main focus of the Der-by shifted from cross-countryand Oval to just Oval in 1970and Eagle River was now rec-ognized by everyone in thesport as the top race of theseason, attracting 50,000spectators. For the first time,the race was won by a Cana-dian driver, Yvon Duhamel ofValcourt, Quebec, reachingspeeds of well over 70 mpharound the oval on a Ski-doo.

The next five years sawdramatic changes in snow-mobile racing, with changesin race technology, trackdevelopment and the size ofthe purses being offered. Factory teams were commonand the event attractedcelebrities from all walks oflife hoping to gain mediaattention by attending theEagle River World Champi-onship Snowmobile Derby.

In January of 1971, inwhat some call the greatestrace ever at the Derby, MikeTrapp of nearby Woodruffpassed Duhamel on the lastlap to win the world champi-on title. Trapp became thefirst to win back-to-backtitles with a repeat perfor-mance in 1972 in a final racerun Sunday instead of Satur-day.

It was the first time forclosed-circuit TV on the Der-

by grounds for spectators,trackside heaters and bleach-ers to seat about 7,500 spec-tators. It also marked thefirst time that Eagle Riversuffered tragedy, when a 6-year-old boy, Kris Petersen,died of injuries receivedwhen a riderless snowmobilecrashed through the fence inthe north turn and landed onspectators. Four others alsowere injured and rushed toEagle River Memorial Hospi-tal.

With more than 500machines and 69 races torun, including new women’sand juniors’ classes, the Der-by became a five-day eventfor drivers and spectators.

Derby officials faced theirfirst serious crisis in 1973 —unseasonably warm weatherand poor track conditions.Racing was canceled for sev-eral days in an effort to savethe oval for Sunday’s finals.Officials made the decision tohaul in 100 truckloads ofsawdust to save the Derby.

The Derby took on anoth-er new look in 1974 as theLions Club revamped theone-third mile oval to a one-half mile oval and installedtwo large VIP and press trail-ers on the west bank of thetrack.

The energy crisis put adamper on the sport through-out the 1975 season, but arecord number of entriesshowed up at the Derby. Andby 1979, a record-high purseof $11,100 was presented tothe top finishers.

The 1980 race was thestart of an illustrious careerfor Jacques Villeneuve ofQuebec. He used his hard-charging style to run away

with the 1980 title and estab-lish himself as one of the pre-mier drivers in the sport.

Mother Nature sent bittercold and high winds to EagleRiver for the 1982 Derby,Temperatures of 40 belowzero, with windchill factorsapproaching 80 below zero,kept the crowd down andmade it miserable for driversand mechanics. Villeneuvewon his second title, this timeon a new Ski-doo twin-trackmachine.

Derby fans were treated toSno-Cross racing in 1983, asa course complete with jumpsand hairpin turns was carvedinside the infield.

Villeneuve took time outfrom his Indy car career toreturn to the Derby in 1986.Racing for the Vessair Racingteam, the confident French-Canadian became the firstdriver to win the Derby titlethree times.

Eagle River moved intoyet another new era in 1986,when Richard and AudreyDecker purchased the trackfrom the Lions Club andCoors was brought on as amajor sponsor. After severalyears of declining crowds,numbers were up again in1986 with an estimated10,000 fans trackside. Whilethe Deckers owned the track,the Lions Club still managedmost aspects of the race. In1987, Chuck Decker of EagleRiver won the first WorldChampionship for TeamDeck er after many years oftrying and plans began forthe Silver Anniversary of theDerby in 1988.

The flamboyant BobbyDonahue of Wisconsin Rap -ids won the 25th anniversaryof the World Championshipin his ninth attempt in a racethat featured a record$50,000 purse. The crowd onSunday was estimated at18,000 people — the largestcrowd of the 1980s.

Richard and Audrey Deck-er sold the Derby Track totheir son, Chuck, in 1989,and under the direction ofthe Decker family, big crowdscontinued to turn out at theDerby Track in the late 1980sand early 1990s. In 1990,Dave Wahl of Greenbush,Minn., won the first of threeWorld Championship titles,the other two coming in 1996and 1997 on his Wahl Specialtwin-track.

In 1994, the first racingunder the lights drew about4,000 spectators and in 1995the Deckers introduced Fri-day Night Thunder to theDerby program, completewith fireworks, rock music,Oval and Sno-Cross racing.Also in 1994, the Derby Tracktook on a new look with sixsuites in three buildings onthe south end of the trackand, in 1996, a three-storysuite for sponsors was locat-ed on the north end of theoval.

A new major sponsor, Val -voline, came on board in 1995and Dale Loritz of Green Baywon back-to-back titles, thefirst time that was accom-plished at the Derby in 17years.

Sno-Cross racing with big-ger jumps and more mogulswas added to the regularDerby mix in 1997, bringingmore entries and additionalraces to the schedule.

The Derby saw anotherchange in 1998, as the World

Championship class debutedthe new Champ 440 classwith single-track sleds. Thenew design was developed toallow more snowmobile raceenthusiasts to get involved inprofessional Oval racing. Inaddition, two new buildingswere constructed at the Der-by Track, the Hot Seatsbuilding for spectators andthe Expo Hall, both on thewest side of the track.

In 2002, a new racer cameon the scene by the name ofP.J. Wanderscheid of SaukCentre, Minn., The 18-year-old won his first race on anArctic Cat and went on towin a back-to-back title in2003 and then won champi-onships in 2006 and 2011. Heis the only Derby racer to winfour World Championships.

More tragedy struck theDerby Track in 2002 and2003, as Pro Stock Oval racerEd DeVault of Cottage Grovedied as a result of a crash in2002 and Phillip “Flip” Mer-win of Wausau was killed in acrash in a Champ 440 last-chance qualifier race.

While recreational snow-mobile trails were in poorcondition due to poor snowconditions in the early 2000s,

the Derby, under the direc-tion of Decker and track gen-eral manager Todd Achter-berg, provided an economicboost to the Eagle River area.AMSOIL came on board as anew major sponsor.

Brian Bewcyk of Win-nipeg, Manitoba, won back-to-back World Champion -ships in 2008 and 2009. In2008, longtime Derby flag-man Ted Otto officiated overhis last race.

The economy took a down-turn in 2009 through 2011,but the Derby crowdsremained constant between18,000 and 20,000 spectatorsduring the four days of rac-ing. After 17 years, the PartsUnlimited Friday NightThunder show still continuedto be one of the most popularattractions at the Derby. Forrace fans, a JumboTron wasadded to the infield to givefans a first-hand view ofaction on the ice oval.

A midrace champion inthe title race was a newtwist, added in 2010. In addi-tion, the Outlaw 600 classwas introduced in 2012,allowing drivers a chance torace in open cockpit-stylesnowmobiles.

In one of the best races inDerby history in 2012, NickVan Strydonk of Tomahawkpassed Matt Schulz ofWausau in turn four to winthe title race. He won$10,000 from AMSOIL andanother $10,000 from JimmyJohn’s, another new majorsponsor.

With major sponsorshipsfrom AMSOIL and JimmyJohn’s, it was announced theprize purse for the 2013 race,the 50th running of theWorld Championship Snow-mobile Derby, would be arecord $81,600.

All the past championsand former queens have beeninvited back in 2013, addingto the pageantry of the 50thanniversary Eagle River Der-by.

The 50th AMSOIL WorldChampionship SnowmobileDerby is sure to attract all ofthe top drivers from the Unit-ed States and Canada, know-ing that a special place in thesnowmobile racing historybooks will be theirs if theycan capture a World Champi-onship in 2013. And it allstarted with a novel begin-ning on Dollar Lake 50 yearsago.

This is the typical scene prior to the WorldChampionship race, as drivers gather around

the Snow Week Cup for pre-race instructions.—NEWS-REVIEW PHOTOS

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS2013 AMSOIL World Championship

Snowmobile DerbyJan. 17-20, 2013

Thursday, Jan. 177 a.m. Registration opens8 a.m. “Will Call” opens8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Sno Cross/Oval practice8 a.m. Admission gates open8-11 a.m. Breakfast in the

Derby Loft8:30 a.m. Sponsor Ride meets

at Best WesternDerby Inn

9:30 a.m. Hot Seats/CorporateSuites open

3:30 p.m. World Championship Time Trials6 p.m. Outlaw 600 Time Trials6:30 p.m. TLR Champ Heat Races

Friday, Jan. 187 a.m. Registration opens8 a.m “Will Call” opens8 a.m. Admission gates open8-11 a.m. Breakfast in the Derby Loft8:30 a.m. Charity Ride meets at

Best Western Derby Inn8:30 a.m. Sno-Cross practice starts9:30 a.m. Hot Seats/Corporate Suites open

Parts Unlimited Friday Night Thunder6 p.m. Pre-race activities begin6:30 p.m. TLR Cup and Pro Sno-Cross introductions

on track7 p.m. Fireworks, racing follows

Saturday, Jan. 197 a.m. Registration opens8 a.m. “Will Call” opens8 a.m. Admission gates open8-10 a.m. Breakfast in Derby Loft9:30 a.m. Hot Seats/Corporate

Suites open10 a.m. Racing starts1:30 p.m. Top 10 Qualifying starts4-5 p.m. Kitty Cat Junior Novice6 p.m. Ring Presentation

& Hall of Fame Inductees, Derby Loft

Sunday, Jan. 207 a.m. Registration opens8 a.m. “Will Call” opens8 a.m. Admission gates open8-11 a.m. Breakfast in the Derby Loft8:30 a.m. Pro Champ practice starts9 a.m. Sno-Cross practice starts9:30 a.m. Hot Seats/Corporate Suites open10 a.m. Racing starts11 a.m. Pro Open Sno-Cross Last-Chance QualifierNoon Outlaw 600 Final1 p.m. World Championship Last-Chance Qualifier2 p.m. Pro Open Sno-Cross World Championship3 p.m. Running of the 50th AMSOIL World Championship4:30 p.m. Awards Banquet in Expo Hall

Mike Trapp of Woodruff was the first racer to win back-to-backtitles in 1971 and 1972, winning on a Yamaha.

With studded tracks and car-bide on the skis, today’s rac-ers can charge hard into thecorners.



Peter “Tripp” Anderson andDr. Thomas Doyle, both ofEagle River, have beeninvolved with the WorldChampionship SnowmobileDerby since its early begin-nings and both have contin-ued their involvement everyyear since then in one capaci-ty or another.

Anderson began workingat the Derby because he likedspending time with his dadand it was exciting to be a partof this winter event.

He worked at the first race,a one-day event on DollarLake that drew approximately100 racers. While organized bythe Rotary Club, the LionsClub handled concessions.

“My dad was a member ofthe Lions Club and I was 12years old. The first couple ofyears I sold soda, dipping myhands into ice cold water topull the bottles out,” he said.

After the Lions Club tookover the event, his father,Peter Anderson Jr., was incharge of driver registration.

“He handled all the driverentries,” he said. “After a fewyears, I began working withhim and I’ve continued withregistration to this day.”

During the first few yearsof the Derby, there was no pre-registration. The drivers regis-tered upon arrival that morn-ing.

A cross-country race wassoon added, running fromRhinelander through ThreeLakes to Eagle River.

“The event grew fast andwe began having the drivers

preregister using paper ap -plications that they mailedin,” he explained.

“The night before the racesstarted, we’d get together andtype up the lists of driversentered in each class and eachrace,” he continued. “This wasall done on manual typewrit-ers and we’d be up late intothe night. That made for somelong days.”

It was not unusual for theregistration group to workuntil 3 a.m., finalizing andtyping the lists and then beback at the track at 6 a.m. toissue driver packets.

As the races took place,results were tabulated, typedon sheets and then sent to thevarious media representativesattending the event.

Following each race, Ander-son’s job was to get the resultsto the press people and alsostaple copies on plywood dis-play boards located aroundthe track.

“As a young kid, someonewould take me on a snowmo-bile so I could deliver pressreleases and the race results,and that was exciting,” Ander-son shared. “By the time I was14 or 15, I was allowed todrive a snowmobile myself todeliver the results and thatwas a great experience.”

In the beginning, most ofthe racers were amateurs. Butas the event developed, theracers became more experi-enced and professional.

In the late 1970s and1980s, Anderson noted therewere fewer classes, but moreracers registering in eachclass.

“Over time that changed asracing has gotten more seri-

ous, more professional andmore expensive. It’s not aninexpensive hobby anymore,”he said. “Vintage races havebrought back some of the ama-teur drivers — at first mostlyolder drivers, but now it drawsa wide range of drivers includ-ing younger racers.”

Anderson’s dad was afounder and involved in theU.S. Snowmobile Association.

“During the glory years, mydad would travel all over thecountry attending weekendraces,” said Anderson. “Therewere weekend races in the dif-ferent divisions and the topracers wanted to have a worldseries of snowmobile racing.”

In 1983, Anderson’s fatherdied and Lions Club memberOle “Bud” Rismon took overhis role, working closely withAnderson and other volun-teers.

Anderson’s work includedissuing pit passes, practicepasses and time schedules toracers, which brought him inclose contact with the drivers.

“The most interesting partwas meeting the racers. Eachyear I look forward to seeingthe drivers,” he shared. “Formany years, it was the sameones and now we are seeingsecond- and third-generationdrivers.”

Registration is now com-pleted online which has madethe preliminary work mucheasier. In addition, when theDecker family bought thebusiness they provided full-time staff to assist with thework. The Deckers recognizedAnderson’s long-term volun-teerism with a White Eagleaward five years ago.

Anderson has continuedwith the Derby throughoutthe years because it is good forthe community and helps localbusinesses.

“I feel it is important to thecommunity, helping business-es particularly in the winter,”he concluded.

Doyle, a member of theEagle River Lions Club, firstbecame involved in the Derbywhen it was the marathoncross-country race fromRhine lander to Eagle River.

His job then was to monitorthe racers and check them inas they came through EagleRiver.

“The funny part was thatwe got dump trucks to dumpsnow on the main street sowhen we expected the racersto show up, they could land onthe snow,” Doyle explained.“The trucks were just carryingthe snow out when we heard asnowmobile come down theback street.

“We weren’t even ready, wewere all sitting there talkingand drinking coffee and get-ting ready to spread snow,” hecontinued. “We didn’t dreamthey would make it that fast.”

When the racers came tothe end of the course, theywould run up and put theirhands on a counter, with theircheck-in marked.

Doyle assisted with thatprocess. After the race ended,the street was plowed for reg-ular traffic.

“In the beginning, prepar-ing the 4.2-mile cross-countryrace through the woods wasimportant, it was our primetarget,” he explained. “Wewould begin in the fall to clearand develop the trail.

“Then someone stuck somefish poles in a small oval andthe people could see thattrack. We saw that we weregoing in the wrong directionwith the cross-country,” hesaid.

As the Derby evolved,Doyle began working withpromotion, serving in 1971 aschairman of the promotioncommittee and he continuedhis work with publicity duringthe ensuing years.

He stayed involved be causehe saw the future for the raceand thought it was somethingspecial for the area.

At that time, there werechampionship races in variousparts of the country and,believing Eagle River’s eventwas the best, there was adesire to make it the primeevent.

With advice from MarkZellich of WSAW TV-7 inWausau, Doyle helped thegroup apply for a copyright forthe name World’s Champi-onship.

“I worked most of the sum-mer on publicity, contactingmagazines and newspapersthroughout the Midwest,” saidDoyle.

Argosy Magazine donatedan Argosy cup for the winner,Bob Satran of Eagle Riverprinted booklets and HelenRadloff designed the snowmo-bile patch.

Doyle and his group pro-moted the race in the Milwau-kee and Chicago areas, work-ing with Bill Hoeft of the Mil-waukee Journal, John Husarof the Chicago Tribune andGlen Miller of the WisconsinState Journal.

“Glen Miller would stay inthe press tent all day and,when he got back, he gave usfront-page coverage,” Doylesaid.

Doyle also contacted theWild World of Sports for cover-age. The publicity caught theattention of television news-man Peter Jennings, who par-ticipated as a racer one year.

“When Peter came, he wastired of eating in restaurants,so Shirley (Doyle’s wife) madelasagna and we had him in fora home-cooked meal,” Doylerecalled.

“It was a challenge eachyear to make the race bigger

and better,” he said. “The trackchanged from snow to icewhich resulted in fasterraces.”

In the early years, therewas a press trailer and, as theDerby grew under the direc-tion of the Eagle River Lions,other improvements includeda VIP trailer, spectator boxesand safety fencing.

“We had the VIP trailer forthe queens and specialguests,” said Doyle. “Gov.Knowles attended as well asBart Starr, Ken Bowman andother Green Bay Packers,along with some Chicago Cubsplayers.”

The group also hostedsnowmobile and equipmentmanufacturers, who would

bring guests as well.“We used to keep hotel

rooms for guests and thepress,” Doyle said. “We held apress party and provided freefood and lodging to help getthe media up here to cover theevent.”

The Derby continued togrow with television race cov-erage by Zellich and WSAWTV-7, all helping to promotethe sport to a wider audience.

“This event was the great-est publicity for Eagle River,bringing thousands to town inwinter when there were noother events running,” Doylenoted. “Many people saw thefuture and believed in thisevent, helping to make itgreat.”

Anderson and Doyle recall early daysof Derby under guidance of Lions Club

___________BY CAROLYN RITTER

SPECIAL TO THE NEWS-REVIEW___________

FROM PAGE 1names.”

All the past Derby Queenshave been invited and willappear with the formerchamps to visit and reminiscewith race fans.

“Opportunities to meetpast and current race driversand queens will be a big partof the weekend with a largeheated VIP tent and anexpanded Expo Hall Loft forsit-down dining,” said Decker.“The Derby Loft also will bethe site of the Saturday nightTop 10 ring presentation,open to all fans.”

As in past years, two of thebiggest events at the 2013AMSOIL World Champion -ship Snowmobile Derby willbe the popular Friday NightThunder and ChampionshipSunday, which offers finals inthe most important andlargest classes.

Drivers will have theirdreams set on coveted tro-phies, prizes and cash awardsvalued at more than$150,000 but, most of all,they will compete for theprestige of winning at EagleRiver.

Jimmy John’s GourmetSandwiches, a past Derbysponsor, has put up $50,000for the winner of the titlerace. But there’s more for thewinner, according to Decker.

“The winner will takehome another $10,000 fromthe AMSOIL Derby Track for

a total of $60,000 to the win-ner,” said Decker.

For race fans, the racingaction will start Thursday,with World Championshiptime trials starting at 3:30p.m., and will conclude withthe title race at 3 p.m. Sun-day. Decker said the race hascontinued for five decades,reinforcing the legitimacy ofthe Derby’s claim as the“world’s greatest snowmobilerace.”

For the third year run-ning, a midway champion willbe declared after 10 laps, thewinner of which will beawarded $5,000 by JimmyJohn’s. Second place will get$3,000 and $1,000 each willgo to the racers in third andfourth place at the pit stop.

Racers will then have ashort period of time to tuneup their sleds before runningthe final 20 laps of the cham-pionship race.

“The leader doesn’t neces-sarily like the mandatory pitstop, but the racer that needsto make a sled adjustment, orthe older rest, might like thebreak,” said Decker.

This year’s Sunday showwill again include an F-16 jetfly-by, popular with the Der-by fans.

Decker said Outlaw 600class, which debuted at theDerby last year, will bereturning at this year’s race.

“Everybody’s waiting tothe return of the Outlaw 600class featuring cockpit-style

sleds,” said Decker. “We areexpecting about 15 sleds com-peting this year.

While the professionalsare racing on the famous iceoval, the Kitty Kat oval forthe youngsters has beenmoved to the northwest cor-ner of the Derby grounds tomake it easier for people towatch, said Decker. The Sno-Cross 120 sleds also will befeatured at times throughoutthe weekend.

The race scheduleSnowmobile race fans

flock to Eagle River for morethan the World Champi-onship in the Champ 440class, according to Decker.There will be both Oval andSno-Cross practice runsThursday starting at 8 a.m.

For the remainder of theweekend, all racing is set tobegin at 10 a.m.

The World Championshiptime trials will again be heldThursday starting at 3:30p.m. to allow more fans thechance to watch the excite-ment.

“We also have Outlaw 600time trials at 6 p.m. Thursdayevening," said Decker.

After that, TLR Cup heatraces will begin. Heat posi-tions will have been deter-mined by the time trials.

Participants in the six-race TLR Cup Series willcompete for a $76,000 cham-pionship payout at the sea-son’s end, all while battling to

be crowned 2013 Derbychampion. In addition, theseries will pay out $4,200 tothe top 10 racers in each race.

Friday will feature a fullday of Sno-Cross and Ovalqualifying. Decker said theschedule will include qualify-ing for Saturday’s finals inmany junior, women’s, ama-teur and semi-pro classes inboth Oval and Sno-Cross.

The day will conclude withthe Parts Unlimited FridayNight Thunder, with preraceactivities beginning at 6 p.m.,including the nationalanthem and fireworks overthe Derby Track.

Featured events willinclude the TLR Sweet Six-teen Pole Position events, theOutlaw 600s and the CarlislePro Open Sno-Cross race.

“We added the Sweet Six-teen qualifying to PartsUnlimited Friday NightThunder four years ago and itwas very popular,” said Deck-er. “The winner of the 16-lapTLR Cup race will movedirectly to the pole positionfor Sunday’s World Champi-onship race.”

Decker said Saturday willbe some of the best racing ofthe week. The day’s actionwill be highlighted by theWorld Championship qualify-ing for the Top 10 starting at1:30 p.m.

“This is what the Derby isall about — the making of anew world champion,” saidDecker.

Racing on ChampionshipSunday will get under waywith finals in both Oval andSno-Cross classes — from thejuniors, all the way throughto the 50th running of theWorld Championship race at3 p.m. Other featured racesSunday will be the Outlaw600 final at 1 p.m., the WorldChampionship last-chancequalifier for two back rowpositions at 1 p.m. and theSno-Cross Pro Open at 2 p.m.

Last year’s world champi-on, Nicholas Van Strydonk ofTomahawk, will be back todefend his title on a Polaris.

“The infield JumboTronwill return to the oval thisyear, displaying race informa-tion and racing action on thebig screen,” said Decker. “Thisyear’s JumboTron will be fourtimes larger than past years.It’s 22 feet tall by 40 feetwide.”

Ticket prices for fans are$15 for Thursday, $30 for Fri-day (including Friday NightThunder), $25 for Saturdayand $30 for Sunday. Anadvance super ticket for $65is available at the Derbyoffice and the Eagle RiverArea Chamber of Commerce& Visitors Center located onRailroad Street.

Decker noted that children10 and younger will be admit-ted free. He said once fanshave been admitted andstamped, they can come andgo from the Derby grounds.There is free parking on the

Derby grounds north of theBig Barn.

Other festivitiesReigning over the festivi-

ties this week will be 2013Derby Queen MichelleSchaets of Phelps. Princessesinclude Miranda Anderson,Autumn Feith, Coty Feithand Samantha Johnston.

They will be seen roamingthe Derby grounds, talking tofans and handing out thechampionship trophies Sun-day.

Decker said other celebri-ties will be at the track,including past world champi-ons, noting that the DerbyWall of Fame is now locatedin the World SnowmobileHeadquarters just north ofthe Derby Track.

Military personnel will beat the event, along with morethan 50 booths in the ExpoHall and outdoors, witheverything from snowmobileaccessories to clothing,according to Decker.

Other nonracing activitieswill include a Celebrity Char-ity Ride Friday for the familyof deceased racers EdDeVault and “Flip” Merwin,the annual Derby hockeygame Saturday night at theEagle River Sports Arenaagainst Mosinee starting at 8p.m., the Saturday night Top10 ring presentation at theExpo Hall Loft at 6 p.m. andthe awards banquet Sundayat 4:30 p.m. at the Loft.

Spectacle:50th Derby to feature F-16 flyby, Outlaw 600 class

Long-time racer registration volunteer “Tripp” Anderson hasbeen at every Derby. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTOS

Eagle River Lions Club member Dr. Tom Doyle helped promotethe Derby for many years.

The Eagle River Lions Club mascot and flag was perched highabove the race board at the Derby Track for many years.



When Dick and AudreyDecker, originally of Marsh-field, decided to purchase theDerby Track in Eagle Riverfrom the local Lions Club backin 1985, it wasn’t for the rea-sons many might imagine.

In fact, the couple had nointerest in organizing whathad become the world’s fore-most race in the growingsport of snowmobiling. TheDerby facility simply hadenough room to operate theDeckers’ burgeoning snow-mobile touring business.

Decker Sno-Venture Tourshad grown too big for its loca-tion in Minocqua, so whenthe Lions Club asked theDeckers to purchase the size-able Derby Track, the coupleseized the opportunity.

“We had some backgroundin the industry with thatbeing our hobby, so the fitwas good,” said Dick. “Had weknown it was going to be thatbig of a job, we would haveprobably said no,” he addedwith a laugh.

Looking back on the Deck-ers’ emergence in the indus-try, if it hadn’t been for a 6-year-old boy by the name ofChuck, the World Champi-onship Snowmobile Derbymight not be celebrating its50th year.

It all started at a Schwinnbicycle dealership in Marsh-field back in 1964, where ayoung Chuck Decker, Dick andAudrey’s youngest son, firstlaid eyes on a snowmobile.

“He came walking homeand said, ‘Hey, we gotta getone of those new snowthings,’” said Dick. “I didn’teven know what he was talk-ing about. We went andlooked at it and bought it.”

From there, the family’spassion for sledding onlygrew, according to the Deck-ers. Dick and Audrey, alongwith all four of their sons,soon had snowmobiles. Even-tually, all six members of thefamily were racing.

“Audrey and I both raced,”said Dick. “Once the kids got

married and had wives, theyall raced too.”

At one point, there wereeight people on Team Decker,known then as the DeckerDusters.

“It was Decker Dusters atthe time because Richardwas working for Chrysler,and there was the PlymouthDuster,” said Audrey.

The Deckers were unques-tionably a snowmobiling fam-ily, so their next move wasperhaps unsurprising.

“We went into the snow-mobile business,” said Dick.“We bought out the Marsh-field Ski-Doo dealership, hadaccess to a lot of sleds andcould work on them at theshop. Then we really got intoracing and building the tour-ing business.”

The Deckers organizedweek-long snowmobiling toursthroughout the United Statesand Europe. The most populardestination was Iceland.

By this time the Deckershad moved their operation toMinocqua, where the familyhad a home. The tours got sopopular, they were hostingthem every week.

“We needed more room forpeople to park their vehiclesand trailers,” said Dick. “Wejust didn’t have a big enoughbuilding in Minocqua to runthe tour business. That’swhen the Derby Track wentup for sale in Eagle River.”

The Deckers said theybought the track primarily toaccommodate their snowmo-biling business, taking on theannual Derby race as abyproduct of the transaction.

“We didn’t know it wasthat big of a deal. We hadraced there for years, but mygoodness,” said Dick, trailingoff. “It’s a year-round thingand then some. People ask uswhat we do all summer long.We get ready for winter.”

They may not have knownit at the time, but the Deckerfamily was up for the task.They did what the Eagle RiverLions Club didn’t have enough

time to do: find sponsorship.“I think their biggest prob-

lem was manpower,” saidAudrey. “They all had jobs.You needed to maintain afull-time office to keep itgoing. And what you didn’tget in attendance you had tomake up for in sponsorship.”

The Derby Track has seena lot of changes since theDeckers purchased it in1985. Many of those alter-ations came after 1989, whenthe track was sold to Chuck,the son who served as theDerby’s new visionary.

Where once there were afew mobile homes and noindoor toilets, there now are17 suites, a large Expo Hall,

garages and plenty of barsand food service.

This year, Derby officialsare busy building an indoor,sit-down restaurant over-looking the Expo Hall, whichis expected to be finished intime for the 50th running ofthe Derby.

Today, Dick and Audreystill go to work at the trackevery day. Between promot-ing the tours and keeping thetrack going, they say it’s afull-time job.

“Even vendors are a bigitem,” said Audrey. “We fill upthat Expo Hall with vendorsand displayers. Selling all theads for the program book is abig, big job. We sell sponsor-

ships and get letters off toracers.

“Every time I go to a stockcar race in the summer, Ithink about how easy they’vegot it,” she said, alluding tothe pavement. “It’s a monu-mental task to prepare theDerby Track every season.”

Not to mention Dick andAudrey are still riding sledson tours at ages 81 and 80,respectively. They even planto race during the Derby’sVintage Weekend in theSuper Senior class.

The Deckers also are orga-nizing their sixth annual Mili-tary Appreciation Ride set forJan. 20-21. Participating vet-erans are given free tickets to

the Derby and are treated toan all-expenses paid, 100-mileguided ride through the NorthWoods which includes foodand lodging.

Although the Eagle Riverarea owes much to the Deck-ers for their role in the annu-al World ChampionshipSnowmobile Derby, Dick wasfast to credit the communityfor its vital role in establish-ing the world-famous race.

“It’s really unique for asmall town like Eagle River tohave such a big event that wasstarted by local people,” hesaid. “It’s brought a lot of busi-ness to the area in 50 years.It’s a big shot in the arm, espe-cially if you get good snow.”

A life of snowmobiling

Deckers recount purchase of trackfrom Eagle River Lions Club in 1985

___________BY ANTHONY DREW

NEWS-REVIEW ASST. EDITOR___________

Dick and Audrey Decker’s snowmobiling lifestyle came to its pin-nacle in 1985, when they purchased the Derby Track in Eagle Riv-

er from the Lions Club. They bought the track to house a thrivingsnowmobile touring business. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTOS

Audrey and Dick Decker held a press conference when theypurchased the Derby Track from the Lions Club in 1985.

Happy 50th Anniversaryto the AMSOIL World Championship Derby

Thank you to theDecker Family, EagleRiver Lions Club andall the volunteers whohave made this the bestsnowmobile racing eventin the world.• World-class safety• Competitive prices• Guaranteed price programs• Automatic delivery• 24-hour emergency service• Online and automatic payments• Trained and certified technicians• Dedicated local employees• Customer referral awards• Visa/MasterCard accepted

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Make the switch to AmeriGas!

Following small crowds in the early 1980s, the Eagle River LionsClub sold the famous Derby Track to the Decker family in 1985.

After getting major sponsors such as Coors, the Derby took onnew life in the late 1980s. This was the scene on the back straight.



VICTORY CIRCLE — Showingtheir excitement in victory cir-cle are some of the past cham-pions, including, clockwisefrom top left: three-time champDave Wahl; 25th anniversaryrace winner Bobby Donahue;two-time champ Dale Loritz;the first three-time championJacques Villeneuve; and theonly four-time winner, P.J.Wanderscheid.

—NEWS-REVIEW PHOTOS

The Champions49-YEAR WORLD-TITLE RECORD

’64 STAN HAYES, Crandon, Wis. ................................. Polaris’65 GEORGE GENSLER, Three Lakes, Wis. ............... Evinrude’66 STEVE AVE, Duluth, Minn...................................... Ski-Doo’67 DUANE FRANDSEN, Pembine, Wis....................... Ski-Doo’68 STEVE AVE, Duluth, Minn...................................... Ski-Doo’69 ROGER JANSSEN, Crookston, Minn..................... Arctic Cat’70 YVON DUHAMEL, Valcourt, Quebec...................... Ski-Doo’71 MIKE TRAPP, Woodruff, Wis................................... Yamaha’72 MIKE TRAPP, Woodruff, Wis................................... Yamaha’73 BOB EASTMAN, Roseau, Minn. ............................ Polaris’74 GUILLES VILLENEUVE, Quebec........................... Alouette’75 JIM BERNAT, Roseau, Minn. .................................. Polaris’76 ED SCHUBITZKE, Duluth, Minn. ........................... Yamaha’77 STEVE THORSEN, Fergus Falls, Minn. ................. Polaris’78 STEVE THORSEN, Fergus Falls, Minn. ................. Polaris’79 BOB ELSNER, New London, Wis. ......................... Arctic Cat’80 JACQUES VILLENEUVE, Quebec ......................... Ski-Doo’81 BRAD HULINGS, Thief River, Minn........................ Scorpion’82 JACQUES VILLENEUVE, Quebec ......................... Ski-Doo’83 BRAD HULINGS, Grand Rapids, Mich................... Ski-Doo’84 JIM DIMMERMAN, White Bear Lk., Minn.................. Phantom’85 MICHEL GINGRAS, St. Gregoire, Quebec ............... Ski-Doo’86 JACQUES VILLENEUVE, Quebec ......................... Ski-Doo’87 CHUCK DECKER, Eagle River, Wis....................... Ski-Doo’88 BOBBY DONAHUE, Wis. Rapids, Wis.................... Ski-Doo’89 BRUCE VESSAIR, Ontario..................................... Ski-Doo’90 DAVE WAHL, Greenbush, Minn.............................. Wahl ’91 GREG GOODWIN, Zion, Ill. ................................... Ski-Doo’92 GARY VESSAIR, Honey Harbour, Ontario................ Ski-Doo’93 AL FENHAUS, Wausau, Wis................................... Ski-Doo’94 DALE LORITZ, Green Bay, Wis. ............................. Ski-Doo’95 DALE LORITZ, Green Bay, Wis. ............................. Ski-Doo’96 DAVE WAHL, Greenbush, Minn.............................. Wahl’97 DAVE WAHL, Greenbush, Minn.............................. Ski-Doo’98 TERRY WAHL, Greenbush, Minn. .......................... Ski-Doo’99 MIKE HOULE, Wyoming, Minn............................... Ski-Doo’00 MIKE HOULE, Wyoming, Minn............................... Ski-Doo’01 JEREMY JOHNSTON, Arcola, Sask. ..................... Ski-Doo’02 P.J. WANDERSCHEID, Sauk Centre, Minn................. Arctic Cat’03 P.J. WANDERSCHEID, Sauk Centre, Minn. ............... Arctic Cat’04 LARRY DAY, Lyman, Maine .................................... Arctic Cat’05 GARY MOYLE, Houghton, Mich. ............................ Arctic Cat’06 P.J. WANDERSCHEID, Sauk Centre, Minn. ............... Arctic Cat’07 GARY MOYLE, Houghton, Mich. ............................ Arctic Cat’08 BRIAN BEWCYK, Winnipeg, Manitoba. ................. Ski-Doo’09 BRIAN BEWCYK, Winnipeg, Manitoba. ................. Ski-Doo’10 MATT SCHULZ, Wausau, Wis.. .............................. Polaris’11 P.J. WANDERSCHEID, Sauk Centre, Minn.. ............. Arctic Cat’12 NICK VAN STRYDONK, Tomahawk, Wis................ Polaris

The 50th anniversaryAMSOIL World Champi-onship Snowmobile Derby,set for Jan. 17-20, will fea-ture the event’s richest prize,according to AMSOIL DerbyTrack General Manager ToddAchterberg.

Jimmy John’s GourmetSandwiches, a past Derbysponsor, has put up $50,000for the winner of the titlerace. But there’s more for thewinner, according to Achter-berg.

“The winner will takehome another $10,000 fromthe AMSOIL Derby Track fora total of $60,000 to the win-ner,” he said.

The “Indianapolis 500 ofsnowmobile racing” draws thebest ice oval racers from theUnited States and Canada,and the 50th anniversaryevent will have additionalincentives for racers and fans.

“We feel the 50th anniver-sary of the Eagle River WorldChampionship SnowmobileDerby is truly a historic mile-stone in the sport of snowmo-biling,” said Achterberg.

For the title-event racers,Jimmy John’s also is puttingup another $10,000 for theJimmy John’s Freaky FastChallenge, which will be splitup among the top four driversin the championship race atthe mandatory pit stop cau-tion. The leader at lap 10 ofthe 30-lap feature will pocket$5,000, with second getting$3,000, while third and fourthwill each get $1,000.

The big payday at theAMSOIL World Champi-onship will continue to be

spread out across the top 12finishers when the finalcheckered flag falls and theice dust settles. Achterbergsaid there is an additional$11,600 being paid out by theAMSOIL Derby Track.

Achterberg said the totalpayout of $81,600 for thechampionship race will make

it the richest payout in thehistory of modern day snow-mobile racing.

“We couldn't be happierright now, and are extremelyexcited to welcome JimmyJohn’s Gourmet Sandwichesas an official product sponsorof the AMSOIL World Cham-pionship,” said Achterberg.

With Jimmy John’s toss-ing an extra $50,000 into thepayout, track officials esti-mate the total payout for the50th anniversary Derby willtop $150,000, which includescash payouts, trophies, jack-ets, rings and checkered flags— all recognizing being awinner at Eagle River.

50th Derby to featuregreatest payout ever

The largest trophies and the biggest cash prizesare given to the winners at the World Champi-

onship Snowmobile Derby. This year’s payoutwill top $150,000. —NEWS-REVEIW PHOTO



The AMSOIL World Championship Snowmobile Derby Track sawmany developments under the guidance of Chuck Decker, includ-

ing indoor spectator seating on the west side of the track known asHot Seats and the Derby Expo Hall. The Expo Hall gave vendors a

location to display and sell merchandise and spectators a place towarm up between races. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTOS

If there is one person whoknows a little bit about snow-mobile racing and the historicAMSOIL World Champi-onship Snowmobile Derby, itis Chuck Decker.

The former snowmobileracer who won many titles atthe Derby Track, including aWorld Championship in 1987,is now in charge of keepingthe Derby at the forefront ofsnowmobile racing.

Other than the first eventthat started the Derby on Dol-lar Lake back in 1964, theremay not be a more importantDerby than the 50th anniver-sary of the AMSOIL WorldChampionship set for Jan. 17-20.

“The way I look at it, it’s acommunity deal,” said Decker,who has owned the DerbyTrack since 1989. “It’s some-thing that I kind of inheritedto watch over and make sureit gets done every year. Thereare so many people involved.There is no one person thatcan take care of it. It’s way toobig. That’s why I call it a com-munity deal.”

The Derby has helped putEagle River on the map, some-thing that Decker has person-ally experienced in his motor-sports travels.

“I have traveled all overthe country and the world forracing and so many peoplehave heard about the Derby,”said Decker. “It’s amazingwhat the Derby has createdover the years — that a com-munity could get that kind ofrecognition for an event likethis.”

As a former racer, Deckerknows the prestige a racergains for winning the WorldChampionship.

“Winning at Eagle River isabsolutely the goal of all rac-ers, Oval or Sno-Cross,” saidDecker. “Nobody wants any-thing more than an Eagle Riv-er championship.”

Decker noted that only 11racers won the title more thanonce.

“If you look at the historyof the Derby and some of thedrivers who never won thechampionship, they are someof the best racers in theworld,” said Decker. “They’vewon everywhere else, but theynever won at Eagle River.

There are so many good racerswho never won it.”

Decker said his brother,Allen, is a good example of aracer taking a number of sec-onds at Eagle River but neverwinning the championship.

“He knows how tough itwas,” said Decker about hisbrother. “He won the biggestraces across the country, buthe never won at Eagle River.There are factory drivers whonever got the big one. Theywould trade everyone of theirother victories for that oneWorld Championship at EagleRiver.

Racing at 10Decker first got involved in

snowmobile racing at age 10when his family was living inMinneapolis.

“It was a grass drag race,”Decker remembered. “Thatwinter, my (three) brothersstarted to race a little bit inOvals. I began racing Ovals atabout 12 years old.”

He spent three or fouryears racing in Minneapoliswhile his father was workingfor Chrysler Corp.

“My father then bought outthis local Ski-Doo dealershipback in our hometown ofMarshfield, so we moved backto Marshfield and the boyskept racing in the winters andhe worked,” said Decker.

The Decker racing family,led by his father, Richard, andmother, Audrey, soon weretraveling the snowmobile rac-ing circuit across the Midwestand Canada. They startedracing at the Eagle River Der-by Track back in 1967-’68,when the Eagle River LionsClub ran the event. In addi-tion to Chuck, the racingbrothers at that time includedAllen, Steve and Mike.

“We all worked in the deal-ership during the winters andthe off season, and raced allwinter,” said Decker. “That’sbasically what we did formany, many years.”

Recreational snowmobilingand racing was growing at afast rate in the late 1960s andearly ’70s, with dozens ofsnowmobile manufacturers.

“It was nothing to get to arace and have a 1,000 or 1,200entries,” said Decker. “Therewere so many models and somany people doing it. Thosewere probably some of thetoughest years in racing com-petition wise.”

Purchase trackSnowmobile racing took on

a new twist for Chuck in 1985,when his parents purchasedthe Derby Track from theEagle River Lions Club.

“Maybe the Lions Club wasstruggling a little bit with itdue to a struggling economy,”said Decker. “It was a bigevent for the Lions Club. Someof those guys were probablyworking year- round to get itto happen every year. I’m sureit was a struggle for them.”

The Deckers retired fromthe Ski-doo dealership busi-ness and moved to Minocqua.They were looking for a homebase for their snowmobile tourbusiness and thought the Der-by Track would be the perfectvenue for the business.

“The first few years, theLions would help run the Der-by and my parents would runtheir snowmobile tour busi-ness from the track. That’show it was operated for sever-al years,” said Decker.

“That’s really how it allbegan for me,” said Decker. “Iwas helping my mom and dadfrom the beginning, doingground maintenance andhelping build the track, basi-cally doing whatever I could.”

That’s when the Deckerfamily started to bring theDerby to a new level.

“They got Coors on as a bigsponsor, buried every singlewire around the race track,cleaned it all up, enclosed theVIP area and created a track-side motor home parkingarea,” said Decker.

Richard Decker then gotinvolved in building a dogtrack in Kenosha, so ChuckDecker purchased the track in1989.

Facility changesUnder Chuck Decker’s

ownership, the Derby Trackhas seen several significantchanges.

“The first big thing I didwas build the three-story cor-porate suites on the north endof the track,” said Decker.“That was the first big projectI took on. In my motorsportstravels, I saw all these otherracetracks with corporatesuites. I thought, ‘Why can’twe do that in snowmobile rac-ing?’ That was very successful,with Ski-doo, Arctic Cat,Polaris and Yamaha. Wequickly added three more onthe south end. Now there arefive on the south end.”

Decker then began anotherbig project, building interiorspectator seating known asHot Seats on the west side ofthe track. A large Expo Hallwas included in that project.The Expo Hall gave fans aplace to warm up and indoorheated bathrooms. There wasalso plenty of room for vendorsto have booths, selling snow-mobile-related items duringthe Derby.

“We created a big monsternow. Back when we owned thetrack and the Lions Club ranthe race, we could have therace and pretty much justshut the track down the rest ofthe year,” said Decker. “Now itwas at a level where it was amajor motorsports complexwhere there’s more involved.It definitely is a year-roundjob now for five people — justto race two weekends out ofthe year.”

As for the track itself,Decker said it hasn’t changedmuch since 1974.

“We resurfaced it andsmoothed out the cornersbecause today’s racers reallywant a smooth track,” saidDecker.

Decker said another bigstep at the Derby Track wasadding Sno-Cross racing tothe race offerings.

“It was started here withmy parents back in the mid1980s,” said Decker. “Therewere only a couple of tracksdoing it at the time. It wasquickly picked up by the EagleRiver Derby. So that was theforefront of Sno-Cross racingthat turned into the mogulsand jumps that fans find pop-ular today.”

As for the track lighting,Decker said he was racingsnowmobiles under the lightsat a horse track in Peterbor-ough, Ontario, and tried thesame thing in Eagle Riverwith portable lights.

“I thought it was kind ofneat, so we brought that backto Eagle River,” said Decker.“It was so successful that weadded permanent lights andstarted Friday Night Thunder.Today, Friday Night Thunderis copied by race tracks allover. If they have lights, theytry to get a night show inbecause it’s really successful.”

Decker said watching rac-ing at night is completely dif-ferent for the fans.

“It actually shows the truespeed of the sleds,” said Deck-er. “For the racers, it is actual-ly safer. The drivers wouldactually race at night time.They have better visibility atnight; they can see betterthrough the snow dust. It’ssomething about the lights.It’s dark above and racers canfocus on the lighter track.”

Meanwhile, Sno-Crossinterest continued to grow andthe track has changed withthe times with larger andmore jumps. The entire Sno-Cross course is held within theoval, compared to the earlyyears when part of the ovalwas used for the Sno-Crosscourse.

“We make our own snowbecause Sno-Cross racers hate

racing on parking lot snowbecause it has a lot of dirt andsalt in it,” said Decker. “Theirsleds are very expensive andits hard on them. If you wantthe best teams in Sno-Crossracing, you have to have madesnow.”

When it comes to makingthe ice for the oval track,Decker said the goal is a solid10 to 12 inches in the corners.

“If we start with 12, we aredown to 4, if we start with 10,we are down to 2,” said Deck-er. “Usually, we can make itthrough four days of racingwithout hitting any dirt. TheVintage Weekend a week priorto the Derby uses a lot of icebecause there are so manyentries. If the weather is right,we can bring back another 2 to4 inches before we start theDerby.”

Decker said the DerbyTrack crew creates a brand-new racetrack after VintageWeekend.

“It’s shaved off and rewa-tered every night throughoutthe week,” said Decker.

Sponsors, volunteersAs the 50th running of the

Derby nears, Decker admitsthe event could not continuewithout major sponsors andcommunity volunteers. Overthe years, some of those keysponsors have included Coors,Valvoline, AMSOIL and PartsUnlimited.

“Those two things are real-ly, really important now. Justlike any other major motor-sports complex, they areimportant for the event. Thelevel we operate on, the costits takes to produce a racecould never be done just onthe gate fees. It would be total-ly impossible,” said Decker.“You need those two ingredi-ents to financially put on arace of this size.”

It takes several hundredvolunteers, many of them withties to nonprofit organizations,to help operate the Derby.

“You could never hold arace having to pay that manypeople,” said Decker. “The vol-unteers know how importantthe event is to the communityand love the sport of snowmo-biling. While the volunteers

don’t get paid for their work,their organization gets a dona-tion.”

Decker said tens of thou-sands of dollars have beenpaid out to service organiza-tions in the areas.

“It’s worked really well,”said Decker.

Planning for the 2013 Der-by started the day after the2012 race, according to Deck-er.

“That’s when things arefresh in the minds of the work-ers, from people who work theticket and food booths to thepaddock area gate guards,”said Decker.

Within a couple of monthsof the race, track managerTodd Achterberg is talking tothe sponsors and maintenanceprojects are prioritized.

Achterberg has been gener-al manager at the DerbyTrack for about 10 years, han-dling the day-to-day opera-tions of the facility.

“He’s a snowmobile fanat-ic and a great people person.I saw the value in him and itdidn’t take him long to learnthe ropes. Now he is wellknown throughout the snow-mobiling industry,” saidDecker.

Future of racingDespite a sour economy,

Decker said he sees a brightfuture in snowmobile racingand continued growth at theDerby Track.

“I really do see a future. It’shard numberwise being at thelowest number of racers inyears, but we are climbing bytwo to five to six every yearand some of the Vintage guysare crossing over to the moremodern stuff,” said Decker.“Racing is never going to goaway. Our job is to keep theshow the best it is and make itmore than just a race.”

Decker said the 50thanniversary of the race ishelping build momentum forthe future of racing.

“So many people are com-ing this year because it’s the50th. Some said they haven’tbeen here for 10 years, butthey are coming back. I thinkyou are going to see a renewedinterest in racing. It could just

Decker keeps Eagle River Derbyat forefront of snowmobile racing



Chuck Decker purchased the Derby Track fromhis parents in 1989, and made many changes to

the facility, including making snow for the Sno-Cross course.

Chuck Decker, the racer, was all smiles after winning a WorldChampionship title in 1987.



The AMSOIL Derby Track is the most well-known racetrack in snowmobiling.

Racing under the lights came to the Derby Track in the 1990s, featuring Friday Night Thunder.

Dick Decker displays the spoils of the World Championship Snowmobile Derby.

New technology brought the helmet cam to the Derby.

Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson attended the Derby. Skydivers at the Derby.

Longtime flagman Ted Otto, ready for another race.

The Derby celebrated the millenium with fireworks.

The Klement’s Sausages race for the Derby fans.

While the fans come to watch the best snowmobile racers inthe United States and Canada compete for world titles, theyalso come for the pageantry that goes along with the AMSOILWorld Championship Snowmobile Derby. Plans for the 50thanniversary include fireworks during Friday Night Thunder andan F-16 flyby Sunday afternoon. All the extras make it thegreatest show in snowmobile racing.


A Derby F-16 flyby.

World Derby extrasmake it best in racing



Eight snowmobile-relatedgroups or organizations callthe World Snowmobile Head-quarters in Eagle River theirhome.

The large facility, whichopened in 2006, is locatedjust north of the AMSOILWorld Championship Snow-mobile Derby Track on High-way 45 North.

“With the eight differentgroups and organizations ondisplay, the headquartersgives them all a physicalpresence they did not have,”said Tom Anderson, presi-dent of the World Snowmo-bile Headquarters.

Of course, the WorldChampionship SnowmobileDerby is an important part ofthe headquarters.

The largest photo collec-tion of past Derby racingaction is on display at theheadquarters with more than250 photographs of the Derbystarting in 1964, up to thepresent.

Opened last year, theEugene Radloff Galleryshowcases the people of theDerby — fans, racers, pitcrews and workers. The pho-to display starts with SparkyMeyer on the hill climb por-

tion of the first Derby andworks its way through 1992.Group photos of the startingfield in the World Champi-onship are numerous.

Found stashed in boxes ina storage shed at the DerbyTrack are priceless photosfrom many past Derby races.Some are a bit faded, butthey still bring back memo-ries of the racers and peoplewho made the Derby possi-ble.

More than two dozen sledsthat raced at the Derby areon display. Some were classwinners and some won theprestigious World Champi-onship race. The displaychanges every six months toinclude new racers.

From single-track sleds ofthe 1970s to the sleek twin-trackers of the 1980s and ’90sto the low-slung rocket sledsof today’s models, the head-quarters is a premier show-case for Derby sled history.

Every year since it openedin 2006, the World Snowmo-bile Headquarters hasexpanded to showcase a newgroup, organization or snow-mobile-related program. Thisyear is no different.

With the cooperation ofthe Derby Track, the newlydeveloped snowmobile refer-ence library will serve as afacility to authenticate rac-ing snowmobiles that areclaimed to have raced or wonat the Derby. The headquar-ters has acquired the entryform records starting from1964, the very first year ofthe Derby on Dollar Lake.

Entry forms includeengine number, chassis num-ber, identification of carbs,dimensions, engine size andmore — all the informationneeded to verify if a sled isauthentic and had raced atthe Derby. Included are thesignatures of the drivers,many of whom have died, sothose too can be verified.

Also included in the newlibrary will be a collection of

most of the national snowmo-bile magazines ever printed,some stage magazines, presskits from the manufacturersand other printed pieces fromthe past.

People can visit the head-quarter’s large gift shop tofind a dozen or more bookstracing the history of snow-mobile racing over the years.Also found are cups, mugs,caps, jackets, T-shirts andother clothing items relatedto snowmobiling.

Other goupsAnother display at the

headquarters is the presti-gious International Snowmo-bile Hall of Fame that recog-nizes the recreational side ofthe sport with 92 inductees’plaques on display, each fea-turing a photo of the snow-mobile enthusiast.

Two exceptional snowmo-bile museums at the head-quarters feature the AntiqueSnowmobile Club of Americaand the Vintage SnowmobileClub with more than 80 clas-sic and vintage sleds on dis-play.

Representing the Iron DogBrigade’s 130 members is a

display of their history, theirmajor events and currentmembership.

Founded in Eagle Riverback in 1986, the Women onSnow have their special dis-play area with informationon past and upcoming rides.

The Thirsty Dogs has hun-dreds of members, whosedues have contributed morethan $44,000 to charity since1985.

Reflecting the tremendouscontributions to the safe andenjoyable trail systems sled-ders enjoy is the Internation-

al Groomer of the Year pro-gram sponsored by ArcticCat. One special club is hon-ored each year with theInternational SnowmobileClub of the Year recognition.

Located just one doornorth of the Derby Track in along red building, the head-quarters is open from 10 a.m.to 4 p.m. Mondays throughSaturdays from mid-Decem-ber to mid-March and frommid-May through mid-Octo-ber. Admission is free.

For more information, call(715) 479-2186 or visit world-snowmombilehq.com.

From the single-track sleds of the 1970s to the twin-trackers of the1990s, the World Snowmobile Headquarters is a premier show-

case for Derby sled history. There also are hundreds of photos ofDerby action. —Contributed Photos

Derby fans can view 50 years of racingat the World Snowmobile Headquarters

Some of the top prizes insnowmobiling are on display.



In 1966, a big crowd turned out to watch Derby cross-country racers hit the finish line in downtown Eagle River.

Derby spectators and an official watch a race on the high-banked oval covered with snow.

A torchlight parade through Eagle River.

Wide World of Sports filmed the 1968 Derby.

Early snowmobiles came in all shapes and styles.

Queens smiled for the photographer in 1969.

Lions Club member Jim Sergent introduced queens to the Derby media. Mark Zellich of TV-7 interviewed 1973 winner Bob Eastman.

The Eagle River Derby cross-country course in 1968 featured several bridges.

The AMSOIL World Champi-onship Snowmobile Derbyhas experienced manychanges over the years,from racing through down-town Eagle River to compet-ing on snow and woodchips.The Eagle River Lions Clubguided the Derby for manyyears, promoting the event’sattractions, including ademanding cross-countryrace complete with bridges.Once the event grew by thelate 1960s, the event attract-ed media from across theMidwest. Many queens,large trophies and big cashprizes added to thepageantry.—NEWS-REVIEW PHOTOS

Early scenesof the Derby



Serving You Since 1951

RE-ENACTMENT OF

1ST SNOWMOBILE DERBY

Dollar Lake

Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013

PONDHOCKEY

HOME OFHOME OF

FEB. 8, 9, 10, 2013

The Alwards

715-479-4486

www.chanticleerinn.comPIT STOP #12 ON SNOWMOBILE TRAIL 10 EAST

3 Miles East of Eagle River off Hwy. 70

Room Reservations1-800-752-9193

MOTEL & SUITESVILLAS & CONDOSWITH FIREPLACES

(some with hot tubs)

Congratulationson 50 Years!Come out and visit our

fireside lounge & restaurant.

“Snowmobile? What’s asnowmobile?” Those were thewords from John Alward, co-owner of Chanticleer Inn withhis wife, Betty, to SparkyMeyer, Arctic Cat snowmobiledealer, in November 1963.

John had seen thesemachines on a trailer inEagle River and askedSparky to demonstrate themat Chanticleer Inn. Sparkyobliged. John bought the Arc-tic Cat 100 and 450E on thespot! These would groomChanticleer’s ski hill on Dol-lar Lake.

A short time later, whiletalking to Betty and WaltGoldsworthy, friend and free-lance writer from ThreeLakes, John decided to have aderby of snowmobile owners.The thought was to bring peo-ple to Eagle River and

ChanAMSOIL ticleer Inn tohelp the winter tourism sea-son.

History was made Feb. 9,1964, as the “World’s FirstSnowmobile Derby” was heldon Dollar Lake. This inaugu-ral event was sponsored bythe Eagle River Rotary Club.The judging committee wasU.S. Forest Service personnel.

There were 73 entries andthe events consisted of elimi-nation races, log roping, wom-en’s races, balloon races, crosscountry, weight pulling con-test, speed races and freerides for children.

This was to be an after-noon of family fun. Crowdswere estimated well over1,000 people. John originallythought maybe 100 wouldshow up.

The winner was 13-year-

old Stan Hayes from Cran-don, who had never driven asnowmobile before.

Feb. 6 and 7, 1965, was thesecond annual SnowmobileDerby on Dollar Lake, spon-sored by the Eagle RiverLions Club. This event wasbigger and attended by morepeople. Estimates were wellover 2,000 people.

The racing was up anddown the ski hill, through thewoods and across the parkinglot and back to the lake. Thewinner was George Genslerfrom Three Lakes.

From 1966 to the present,the races have been held atthe current location. Manychanges have occurred overthe years. The Eagle RiverLions Club ran the Derbywith volunteers until 1985,when the Decker family pur-chased the facility. The Deck-ers continue the tradition,along with the help of volun-teers. What a fabulous eventfor Eagle River!

Fifty years of racing,bringing hundreds of thou-sands of people to town. Con-gratulations Eagle River! Andthanks to all the drivers,sponsors and volunteers whohave made this event the“granddaddy of all snowmo-bile races!”

Valdi Stefanson, presidentof the Antique SnowmobileClub of America, announcedthat the organization’s 2013winter meeting will be held inEagle River at ChanticleerInn to celebrate the 50thanniversary of the Derby. Thedates are Feb. 1-3, 2013.

This will be a full weekendof celebrating the 50 years ofEagle River’s snowmobile his-tory. The public is welcome toenjoy a re-enactment of thefirst Derby. This will be achance to see those pioneerrace sleds the way they raced50 years ago.

The 2013 version will fol-low the same path the initial1964 race used. This, as fanswill remember, used the sur-face of Dollar Lake and alsohad those early machines hillclimbing on the ski hill justoff the lake. There will be vin-tage sled displays and foodand beverage concessions.

Put it on your calendar fora fun weekend in the Snow-mobile Capital of the World.

First Derby heldon Dollar Lake

___________BY JAKE ALWARD

OWNER OF CHANTICLEER INN___________

Jake Alward, current ownerof Chanticleer Inn, has pre-sented championship tro-phies at the Derby.

The Antique Snowmo-bile Club of America willhold its 2013 winter meet-ing at Chanticleer Inn inEagle River Feb. 1-3, 2013,to celebrate the 50thanniversary of theAMSOIL World Champi-onship Snowmobile Derby.

A re-enactment of thefirst Derby will take placeon Dollar Lake Saturday,Feb. 2. Events will includeOval racing, the obstaclecourse and a hill climb.These three events willfeature one class of snow-mobiles built in 1966 andearlier and another classof machines built in 1967and 1968.

There will be trophiesawarded for first, secondand third place in each

event for each class. MillerBeer of the Northwoodswill provide all the tro-phies, as it did in 1964 and1965. Additionally, theDerby Track will providetrophies for People’sChoice and Best of Showcategories.

The Rotary Club willprovide the food and runthe concession stand. TheRotary was involved in thefirst and second derbies.

Chanticleer Inn will bethe host site and theAntique Snowmobile Clubof America will again bethe official organizer andwill run all the events.

Admission and parkingare free of charge and allare welcome.

Derby re-enactmentscheduled Feb. 2

The hill climb was one of three events at the first Eagle RiverDerby at Dollar Lake in 1964.

While Eagle River is hometo the AMSOIL World Cham-pionship Snowmobile Derbyand is known as the Snowmo-bile Capital of the World, near-by Sayner in central VilasCounty is the birthplace of themodern snowmobile.

The community and countystill carries on the snowmobil-ing spirit that inventor CarlEliason began in 1924.

Eliason met the needs ofnorthern Wisconsin for amachine-powered way to getaround in the deep wintersnow. He succeeded in thewake of many attempts beforehim.

In 1924, the member of apioneer Sayner-Star Lakefamily mounted a smallengine on a tobogganequipped with skis under thefront part and a continuoustread under the rear. Hepatented the snow sled in1927 and manufactured 40 ofthem.

Upon receiving an order for200 machines from Finland,Eliason sold the patent. Thesnowmobile industry took off,with the U.S. government buy-ing 300 for military use.

Not surprisingly, the inven-tion of the Eliason snowmobileled to the development of oth-er snowmobile brands in the1950s and ’60s. The popularityof the machines eventually ledto the first Snowmobile Derbyin Eagle River in 1964.

Forty-nine years later, the50th anniversary of the WorldChampionship SnowmobileDerby will showcase the color-ful history of the snowmobile,both on the trail and on thetrack.

Eliason died in December

1979, at the age of 80, and hisfuneral procession was fitting-ly a parade of snowmobiles.

Many of the early daysnowmobiles, including theEliason original snowmobile,can be seen at the Vilas Coun-ty Historical Museum inSayner.

Today, there are some 2million snowmobiles in NorthAmerica — a snow machinedeveloped in Sayner just 15miles from the AMSOILWorld Championship Snow-mobile Derby Track.

Eliason snowmobile started sportthat evolved into Eagle River Derby

This Eliason production prototype snowmobile is on display atthe Vilas County Museum in Sayner. —Contributed Photo

FIRST DERBY — TheAMSOIL World Cham -pionship SnowmobileDerby got its start onDollar Lake in 1964.The first event featuredsnowmobilers compet-ing in an Oval race onthe lake, an obstaclecourse and a hill climb(above). The winner ofthe first event was 13-year-old Stan Hayes(right) of Crandon.More than 1,000 peo-ple attended the firstDerby, including sever-al queens (below) try-ing out those newmachines called snow-mobiles.



Congratulations to founders John Alward, Walter Goldsworthy and Sparky Meyer,the Eagle River Rotary, the Eagle River Lions and the Decker Family

Visit the Hall of Fame’stribute to 50 years of the

Derby, now open dailyjust down the road

in St. Germain.

Bobby Donahue’s 25th Anniversary Victory sled.Doug Hayes’ 1976 Merc, Jim Bernat’s winning 1975 WC Polarisand two of Mike Trapp’s winning Derby sleds from 1973 and 1971.

Hwy. 70 West at Sled World Blvd., St. Germain, WI [email protected] www.snowmobilehalloffame.com

Jim Dimmerman’s 1984 winning sled, the Phantom. Championship flags, trophies in exhibit.

Best WesternDERBY INNPLUS

We Salutethe Derby Track

and the dedicated volunteerson the

50TH AMSOIL World ChampionshipSnowmobile Derby

Toll-Free Reservations:

1-888-499-0403

1800 Hwy. 45 North • Eagle River, WI 54521(715) 479-1600 • Fax: (715) 479-1143

Website: www.DerbyInn.comEmail: [email protected]

THANK YOU!We tip our hats to theEagle River Lions Club,the Decker Family andthe volunteers on50 years of the bestsnowmobile racing anywhere!

FIND WHAT YOU NEED AT

Hwy. 45 N., Eagle River 715-479-6408 www.lampertyards.com

Visa, MasterCard & Discoverare considered cash.



While there have beenhundreds of snowmobile rac-ers competing for the EagleRiver World Championshipin the 49-year history of theevent, P.J. Wanderscheid ofSauk Centre, Minn., is theonly four-time winner.

Wanderscheid won theprestigious race for the firsttime in 2002 at the age of 18,won his second title in 2003for back-to-back wins,claimed a third champi-onship in 2006 and drove hisway into the record bookswith a fourth victory in 2011.All of his victories have comeon an Arctic Cat machine.

The 29-year-old racer islooking forward to the 50thanniversary World Champi-onship in 2013. The followingare 10 questions Wander-scheid answered about hisstoried racing career andwinning at the Eagle RiverDerby.

Q: You shocked thesnowmobile racing worldin 2002 by winning theWorld Championship asan 18-year-old. How wereyou able to accomplishsuch a feat at such ayoung age?

A: We came to that racewith just the expectation ofjust trying to qualify. Wewere as shocked as anyonethat we won that race. Thething that set me apart fromracers at the time was ourphysical fit aspect in racing.Until I came onto the scene, Iwas told racers paced them-selves for the 25-lap race. Idid not know any better andwent wide open from lap one.I was able to do that becauseI trained myself to ride likethat. That aspect, along witha great sled, enabled us towin that race.

Q: There aren’t manyback-to-back winners atthe Derby. Mike Trapp didit in 1971 and ’72, SteveThorsen in 1977 and ’78,Dale Loritz in 1994 and’95, Dave Wahl in 1996 and’97, Mike Houle in 1999and 2000, Brian Bewcykin 2008 and ’09, and your-self in 2003 and ’04. Howdifficult is it to repeat atEagle River?

A: It is difficult to win thatrace one time and to do itback to back is not any easierto accomplish. It is reallysomething special to win thatrace back to back. It’s really apart of history — that’s thecool part.

Q: In 2006, you wonyour third title, puttingyou with the ranks ofJacques Villeneuve andDave Wahl, two racinggreats at Eagle River.How does it feel to beplaced among those twoas the most successfulracers at the Derby?

A: It is a goal that Ialways wanted to accomplish.To grow up watching theseguys and now to be put in thesame rankings of those twoguys was really a specialmoment that I will not soonforget.

Q: You became the firstfour-time winner of theDerby in 2011. How spe-cial was that moment?

A: Like the previous ques-tion, it was also a goal ofmine. When you tie thegreats in your sport, you can’thelp but want to go one stepfurther and outdo them andgo to a league of your own.That is exactly what weaccomplished and it reallyhas not totally sunk in whatwe have accomplished. EagleRiver is a hard race to winonce and its absolutely amaz-ing we have won the eventfour times.

Q: Each year, 25 to 35racers from the UnitedStates and Canadaattempt to win the EagleRiver Derby. Why is it sodifficult to come out ontop?

A: Each one of the racerswho come to Eagle River iscapable of winning that race.Not only do you have to be onyour game to win the race,but you also have to havesome luck to be the winner onSunday.

Q: Fans probably pic-ture you racing on a KittyCat snowmobile at ayoung age. How did youget started in snowmobileracing and at what age?What eventually got youto the World Champi-onship Derby in EagleRiver?

A: I drove Kitty Cats as a

kid, but did not competitivelyrace until I was 11. At thatage, I started racing in radarruns, and from there I wenton to ice and grass drags. At14, I started racing Ovals inJunior classes, from there tothe Sport class, Semipro andat 18 to Pro class, and therest is history.

Q: There are so manyyounger racers who getinvolved in Sno-Cross rac-ing. What made you getinvolved in Oval racing?

A: At the time when I gotinto Oval racing, there weresponsored racers at the fami-ly dealership who raced Ovalsleds, and Sno-Cross was notreally around at that time. Igot a chance to ride thosesleds and just fell in lovewith it. I think I would alsoenjoy Sno-Cross since I aminvolved in ATV motocross inthe summer, but Oval racingis what I grew up with.

Q: Parents, the pit crew,sponsors and fans areimportant to all racers.Who influences and sup-ports you the most whenit comes to snowmobileracing?

A: For me, it’s all aboutfamily. My three older broth-ers build my race sled fromthe ground up. They are withme every weekend at theraces. My mom and dad werealso a part of racing growingup. Actually, my dad racedArctic Cats in the 1970s, so Iguess you could say it’s in myblood. My wife also supportsme in my racing, so thatmakes life easier. I have somuch support from peopleand racing, so I am very for-tunate.

Q: There have beensome great races at theDerby in recent years.When looking back atyour four Derby wins,

which stands out as themost special and why?

A: I don’t know if one isbetter than the next. If I hadto guess, it would be in 2011because we made historybeing the only four-time win-ner. But definitely none ofthem were bad!

Q: This is the 50thanniversary of the Derby,with a huge prize purse.What are your racinggoals for this year and thefuture?

A: Our goal every week-end is to win. We are goinginto Eagle River with theplan to make history. Themoney would be great, but inall honesty, we want to be thefirst five-time winner! It isour goal and we’re not sure ifwe will accomplish it, but weare going to give it 110%. Nomatter what happens, no onecan ever take away the fourwins we have.

Professional racer P.J. Wanderscheid puts upfour fingers for the photographers in Victory Cir-

cle after winning his fourth World Championshipin 2011. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTOS

P.J. Wanderscheid displays his hard-charging style in a cornerduring Friday Night Thunder.

Four-time champion Wanderscheidtalks about winning at Eagle River



SPILLS AND THRILLS — Most races at the AMSOIL WorldChampionship Snowmobile Derby are completed without inci-dent, but like any professional motorsport, there are accidents atthe most famous track in snowmobiling racing. Some spills cap-tured by photographers include, clockwise from upper left, dis-mounting from a sled on the ice oval; crashing into the protec-tive hay bales; helmet meeting ice durling a rollover; up and overon the Sno-Cross course; and trying to prevent a rollover.




The AMSOIL WorldChampionship SnowmobileDerby in Eagle River has acolorful history, ranging fromthe race’s beginning on DollarLake in 1964 to the renownedevent that will celebrate its50th anniversary this year.

From the champions andqueens to the changes insnowmobiles and the develop-ment of the track and race bythe Eagle River Lions Cluband Decker family, the EagleRiver Derby continues to bethe “Indianapolis 500 ofsnowmobile racing.”

The following is a year-by-year look at the Derby.

1964 — The Eagle RiverLions Club held an eventbilled as “The World’s FirstSnowmobile Derby” on DollarLake headquartered at Chan-ticleer Inn. Miss WisconsinBarbara Bonville and VilasCounty Queen Ruth Stewartof Lac du Flambeau were inattendance along with thou-sands of spectators as nearly100 registered snowmobilerstook the track. The winner ofthe main event was StanHayes of Crandon riding aPolaris.

1965 — The Eagle RiverSnowmobile Derby soaredinto prominence across theMidwest in its second year, asEagle River, Three Lakes andRhinelander all hosted a por-tion of a 35-mile cross-coun-try marathon snowmobilerace which finished at Chan-ticleer Inn. Events in allthree communities kicked offthe Derby celebration. GeorgeGensler won the Argosy Mag-azine Trophy title race infront of a crowd that topped5,000. Wisconsin Gov. WarrenKnowles attended the eventalong with Miss Vilas CountyLauralee Alward.

1966 — The Lions Clubestablished a new 4.2-milecourse on the grounds ofPleasure Island north ofEagle River in the Derby’sthird year. Rudy Spiessserved as course chairman.Steve Ave of Hurley won thetitle race and also took sec-ond place in the 42-milemarathon race spanning

three communities. Ave’sstarting rope detached beforethe start of the title race, buthe was able to get his sledstarted in the five minutesgiven to him by officials.There were approximately10,000 attendees and nearly200 drivers. The DerbyQueen was Sue Merril of St.Germain.

1967 — Eagle River wasin the national spotlight dur-ing the fourth running of theSnowmobile Derby. Peter Jen-nings of ABC covered theevent and also raced, whilecamera crews from Life andNewsweek, along with 20newspapers and 16 televisionstations, documented theraces. Nearly 20,000 specta-tors attended the redesigned4.2-mile course over theweekend. Duane Frandsen ofPembine won the champi-onship and $3,000 in cashrewards were presented todrivers. Among celebrityattendees were Derby QueenCarole Fricke, Miss Wiscon-sin Candy Hinz and Wiscon-sin Gov. Jack Olson.

1968 — The weekendcrowd topped 20,000 for thefifth Snowmobile Derby.Steve Ave of Duluth, Minn.,won the championship titleafter taking first place in thefinal 16-lap race on PleasureIsland’s quarter-mile oval.There was $5,000 in cashprizes for Derby racers. TheLions Club added three sharpdips to the speed obstaclecourse, along with a 30-footMonza Wall with a cloverleafturn. Green Bay Packersplayers Bart Starr, RayNitschke and Fuzzy Thurstonwere in attendance. EagleRiver Derby Queen SuzanneMietus reigned over the fes-tivities, while Alice in Dairy-land Kristin Williams alsowas in attendance.

1969 — A frantic snowremoval project took placethe week prior to the fifthrunning of the Lions Club’sEagle River Snowmobile Der-by after the North Woods wasdeluged by a record-breakingsnowfall. An estimated35,000 attendees gathered atPleasure Island to watch 500drivers compete for the topprize. Roger Janssen ofCrookston, Minn., won thetitle, Russ Davis of Saynerwon first in the Class B stock

race and Kent Pitlik of EagleRiver won the Class D event.Major improvements weremade at the track, includingthe construction of a 10-milespeed obstacle course, cyclonefences, terracing, course con-touring, a new building withan underground communica-tion system installed and anew press mobile unit. TwoOntario reporters made a600-mile snowmobile trip toattend the Derby. Reigningover the races was DerbyQueen Cindy Chart.

1970 — Subzero tempera-tures broke just in time forthe sixth annual SnowmobileDerby, which featuredapproximately 35,000 atten-dees the Sunday of the titlerace. Yvonne Duhamel of Val-court, Quebec, won the cham-pionship on a Ski-Doo, withDuane Eck of Driggs, Idaho,coming in second on a Ski-Doo and Jim Bernat ofRoseau, Minn., finishingthird on a Polaris. DerbyQueen Donna Lapp of Phelpsreigned over the festivities,which included a torchlightparade through Eagle Riverwith 2,500 luminarias and125 snowmobile drivers.Celebrities throughout theweekend included Peter Jen-nings of ABC, Miss WisconsinCindi Anne Morgan, andPackers players Bart Starr,Lionel Aldridge, Ken Bow-man, Jim Weatherwax andDoug Hart.

1971 — A severe snow-storm of near blizzard pro-portions shocked the NorthWoods during the week lead-ing up to the Derby, as snow-removal crews struggled todeal with the aftermath inpreparation of the races. Themaximum field of 500 driverscompeted for cash prizestotaling $20,000, the largestamount to date. Mike Trappof Woodruff won the titlerace, with his cousin WayneTrapp finishing second andYvonne Duhamel of Valcourt,Quebec, taking third. Celebri-ty attendees included MissWisconsin Linda Johnsonand Green Bay Packer DougHart.

1972 — A runaway snow-mobile with a stuck throttlecrashed through the cyclonefence on the north turn,killing 6-year-old Kris Peter-son of Minneapolis, Minn., atthe ninth running of the Der-by. A memorial fund was setup in Peterson’s name thesame day and saw an imme-diate outpouring of dona-tions. The Hodag race becameexclusively Rhinelander-based after growing in popu-larity. Racers from Japan,Sweden, Germany, Finland,Austria and Canada madeappearances at the Derby.Mike Trapp of Woodruff wonhis second straight title rid-ing a Yamaha, with GastonFerland of Ville Varnier, Que-bec, finishing second on aSki-Doo and Ed Schubitzke ofDuluth, Minn., taking thirdon a Ski-Doo. Derby Queenwas Susan Satran of EagleRiver. Celebrity attendeesincluded Miss WisconsinPatricia Ann Jacobs, DougHart and Jim Carter of thePackers, and race car driverBobby Unser.

1973 — Thawing weatherforced the cancellation ofWednesday and Thursdayqualifiers in the 10thanniversary of the Eagle Riv-

er Snowmobile Derby. A cara-van of trucks carried 100loads of sawdust to the trackin an effort to prevent furtherthawing and salvage the one-third mile oval at PleasureIsland. The effort provedworthwhile, as estimates con-cluded there were more than50,000 people in town overthe weekend for the event,with more than 37,000 pre-sent the final day. Bob East-man of Roseau, Minn., wonthe title race in his seventhattempt, riding a Polaris.Mike Trapp of Woodruff tooksecond on a Ski-Doo and JimAdema of Belmont, Mich.,took third on a Sno Jet. MissAmerica Terry AnneMeeuwsen of De Pere was atthe Derby, along with QueenJill Ritzer of Eagle River. TheMassey-Ferguson Red Nitessnowmobile team demon-strated jumps and maneu-vers. A new facility for thehandicapped was constructedalongside the racetrack.

1974 — Despite drizzlingrain and worries over apotential fuel shortage inVilas County, more than20,000 spectators witnessedGilles Villeneuve ofBethierville, Quebec, win theWorld’s Championship Snow-mobile Derby title race on anAlouette sled streamlined forracing. Taking second wasStan Hayes of Crandon on a

Polaris, while third went toJim Bernat of Roseau, Minn.There were nearly $30,000 incash prizes for racers. Theoval track was rebuilt andenlarged to one-half mile forthe 11th running of the Der-by. Meanwhile, new food andconcession stands wereinstalled at the track, alongwith mobile home viewingareas and an improved sound

system. Celebrity attendeesincluded Miss WisconsinJudy Hieke and Derby QueenMelinda McIntosh, a seniorat Eagle River High School.

1975 — A record crowd ofnearly 40,000 people attend-ed the World ChampionshipSnowmobile Derby for Sun-day’s main event, according

50 years of Derby historyA year-by-year look at the Eagle River World Championship


AND ANTHONY DREW___________

Snowmobile racing in Eagle River got its start onDollar Lake in 1964, and by 1966 the Eagle Riv-

er Lions Club took over the race and moved it toPleasure Island. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTOS

Snowmobile race fans were able to get a closeview of the action from the snow-covered banks

of the Eagle River Derby Track in 1968, watch-ing two Ski-Doo racers on the oval.

A 35-mile cross-country race betweenRhinelander, Three Lakes and Eagle River was

added to the Derby in 1965, with the finish indowntown Eagle River.

This was an aerial view of the 1968 Eagle RiverDerby, with hundreds of cars parked north of the

track. An estimated 20,000 people attended thefifth annual event.

The winner of the 1969 Derby was Roger Janssen of Crook-ston, Minn., who was congratulated by a queen.

The winner of the second Eagle River Derby in 1965 wasGeorge Gensler of Three Lakes

To HISTORY, Pg. 15



History: factory-sponsored teams became popular in ’70s, ’80sFROM PAGE 14to estimates. Cash prizes forracers totaled nearly $27,000as Jim Bernat of Roseau,Minn., took first on a Polaris,Don Omdahl of Roseau tooksecond on a Polaris and StanHayes of Fond du Lac tookthird riding a Mercury. AllenDecker of Marshfield, whosefamily would later acquirethe Derby Track, took firstplace in the Mod Stock titlerace on a Ski-Doo. The DerbyQueen was Lana Barclay.

1976 — Touted as thesafest World ChampionshipSnowmobile Derby to date, noserious injuries or brokenbones were reported in the13th running of the event,which boasted a full field ofracers. Racing for his share ofa $30,625 purse, Ed Schub-itzke of Duluth, Minn., tookfirst place in the title raceriding a Yamaha. Coming insecond was Bob Elsner ofNew London on an ArcticCat, followed by Dave Thomp-son of Thief River Falls,Minn., on an Arctic Cat. Alsoqualifying for the title racewas famed race car driverDick Trickle, whose sledcrashed on the 12th lap, send-ing him into the fence. ArcticCat snowmobiles swept allbut one of the top three fin-ishes in the four fastest class-es. Celebrity attendees includ-ed Derby Queen Chris Doyleof Eagle River and Miss Wis-consin Marilyn Sembell.

1977 — Factory-sponsoredteams were in the spotlightfor the 14th annual Derby,with Polaris sleds leading thefield. Polaris factory team-mates Steve Thorsen and Jer-ry Bunke of Roseau, Minn.,took first and second place inthe championship race,respectively. Ed Schubitzke ofDuluth, Minn., took third rid-ing a Ski-Doo. Team Decker ofMarshfield won two of thethree Mod Stock classes in1977, as Richard and AllenDecker each got wins, ridinga Moto-Ski and Ski-Doo. Thecrowd was in the range of17,000 people Sunday as rac-ers battled for a grand prizeof more than $8,000 for firstplace in the championship.Two-time Indy 500 winnerJohnny Rutheford was pre-sent, along with Derby QueenJodi Jorgeson of Eagle River.

1978 — Eagle River wasgraced with moderate tem-peratures for all three days ofracing in the 15th Derby,although there were morecrashes than normal. Amongthose was a riderless sled

launching off an embankmentat more than 50 mph and col-liding with the Eagle Riverambulance during a champi-onship heat race. The Polaristeam sled was operated byBrad Hulings of Roseau,Minn. Only three sleds fin-ished the 15-lap title race, asSteve Thorsen of FergusFalls, Minn., won first placeand $6,100 riding a Polaris,Morio Ito of Hokkaido, Japan,took second on a Yamaha, andTodd Elmer of Evansville,Minn., took third on a Polaris.Among the attendees wereWisconsin Gov. MartinSchreiber, Miss WisconsinJennifer Woychik and DerbyQueen Janlee Numrich.

1979 — Meyer Productsand Ski-Doo jointly sponsoreda one-half hour Derby pro-gram which aired across thestate in promotion of theevent. Paul Page, NBC’s voiceof the Indianapolis automo-bile races, covered the 16thannual Derby. Also in atten-dance were Janet Guthrie,the only woman to qualify inthe Indy 500 at that point,and Derby Queen LindaBetchey. Subzero weathergave way just in time for theweekend racing action. BobElsner of New London aver-aged 94 mph, setting a newtrack record to win the titlerace on an Arctic Cat. He wona 1979 four-wheel drive Jeepwith a Meyer plow for agrand prize. Bobby Donahueof Wisconsin Rapids won sec-ond on a Ski-Doo and JimDimmerman of Thief RiverFalls, Minn., finished thirdriding an Arctic Cat.

1980 — Snowmobileinventor Carl Eliason ofSayner died at age 80 in theweeks preceeding the 17thSnowmobile Derby. The eventitself was graced with mildweather and sunshine, and687 entries — the most todate — were registered forracing. There were roughly24,000 attendees Sundaywith 40,000 people tallied forthe three-day event. JacquesVilleneuve of Quebec won thetitle race after taking advicefrom his brother, Gilles, the1974 winner, who said, “Keepit at full throttle, that’s all.”He registered the first cham-pionship win for Ski-Doosince 1970. Coming in secondwas Brad Hulings of Crosby,Minn., riding a Scorpion,while third place went to JeffBiddiscombe of Spokane,Wash., on a Scorpion. ChuckDecker of Marshfield, now theowner of the Derby Track,took sixth in the race. The

Decker family racers alsoswept all three classes of theSuper Stock division. Celebri-ty attendees included Inter-national Rose Queen JulieForan and Derby Queen Mar-garet Burke.

1981 — A weekend crowdof 30,000 people was treatedto 39-degrees and clear-blueskies for the 18th running ofthe Snowmobile Derby. Atten-dees shed their winter jacketsto watch Brad Hulings ofThief River Falls, Minn.,sweep all five heats withfirst-place finishes on his wayto winning the title race Sun-day on a Scorpion. Bob Elsnerof New London took secondon an Arctic Cat and KevinKimball of Waterford tookthird on a Scorpion. DerbyQueen Polly Hansen reignedover the event. The 200-lapPro-Enduro race also madeits debut in 1981, netting$25,000 in cash prizes.

1982 — Attendance fell toits lowest point in years asthe “Siberian Blizzard”brought in the coldest tem-peratures in the history of theWorld Championship Snow-mobile Derby. Only about10,000 people attended overthe weekend. A harsh windbrought the wind chill factorto 80 below zero Saturday,while the mercury fell to 42below zero Sunday for thechampionship race. Rick Has-son of Conover, whose truckwould not start, braved thecold and rode his sledthrough woodland trails nearthe Wisconsin River, arrivingto the track just in time torace. Jacques Villeneuve ofQuebec won the title race rid-ing a Ski-Doo, followed byBobby Donahue of WisconsinRapids on a special sled andJim Dimmerman of WhiteBear Lake, Minn., on a Phan-tom. The Derby Queen wasAllison Maurice.

1983 — Ideal weathernearly doubled the amount ofattendees from the previousyear, as more than 20,000spectators were at the Derbyfor its 20th anniversary. Sno-Cross made its debut, withrace organizers modeling theclass after motocross raceswith jumps, hairpin turnsand banked curves. Brad Hul-ings of Crosby, Minn., lappedat least five drivers on hisway to the championship win.He rode a Ski-Doo andearned $13,625 for the victo-ry. Jacques Villeneuve of Que-bec finished second on a Ski-Doo and Jim Dimmerman ofLake Villa, Ill., won third on aPhantom. Jim Wergin of

Rhinelander earned his sec-ond straight Driver of theYear Cup after placing in sixstock events, including fourfirst-place finishes. Amy Kau-zlaric reigned as DerbyQueen.

1984 — Frigid weatherthreatened the 21st runningof the Derby, but broke intime for the peak races. Morethan 15,000 fans were inattendance as drivers compet-ed for their share of $50,000in cash prizes, including$25,500 for the feature race— the largest in the world forany single racing event atthat point. Jim Dimmermanof White Bear Lake, Minn.,came from behind, passingnine sleds to win the event ona Phantom. Taking secondwas Gary Vessair of HoneyHarbor, Ontario, on a Ski-Doo. Peter Vandolder ofAnnan, Ontario, took thirdplace riding a Ski-Doo. Chuckand Allen Decker of Marsh-field took fourth and fifthplaces, respectively, ridingSki-Doos. Wisconsin Gov.Tony Earl was in attendance,along with Derby QueenJamy Rickard.

1985 — Eagle River offi-cially became the SnowmobileCapital of the World the daythe 22nd World Champi-onship Snowmobile Derbykicked off. The “Alberta Clip-per” cold wave brought subze-ro temperatures to the area,and Derby attendance fell to10,000 spectators and 200drivers. Two snowmobilersfrom Maine embarked on an11-day journey to the Derbygrounds, saying they got lostaround 20 times and had toknock on doors, sometimes atmidnight, to get directions.Michel Gingras of St. Gregory,Quebec, became the fifthCanadian to win the titlerace. He rode a Ski-Doo. GaryVessair of Honey Harbour,Ontario, took second on a Ski-Doo and Jeff Ludwig ofKaukauna took third on aLudwig Special. Reigningover the races was DerbyQueen Eileen McNeil. MissWisconsin Kathy Watson alsowas in attingence.

1986 — Dick and AudreyDecker were new owners ofthe World ChampionshipSnowmobile Derby and theDerby Track, although theEagle River Lions Club stillput on the event. Ski-Doo rac-ers debuted twin-track sleds,sparking debates over whichtype of snowmobile wouldperform better in the titlerace. The racing oval waspure ice for the first time in10 years, requiring no saw-dust as a supplement. TheDerby saw the largest crowdin years as 10,000 spectatorswere on hand Sunday to wit-ness Jacques Villeneuve of St.Cuthbert, Quebec, win thechampionship riding a Ski-Doo twin track. Bobby Don-ahue of Wisconsin Rapidstook second riding a DoubleVision and Allen Decker ofMarshfield won third place ona Ski-Doo. Auto racers AlUnser, Bobby Unser and AlUnser Jr. were named grandmarshals of the event, andShawn Gremban was theDerby Queen.

1987 — Moderate temper-atures and a barrage of pro-motion attracted 20,000 spec-tators to what was billed asthe Coors World Champi-onship Snowmobile Derby.Ski-Doo sleds swept the topeight places in the title race.Chuck Decker of Eagle Riverwon the championship, fol-lowed by Bruce Vessair ofHoney Harbour, Ontario, andJeff Ludwig of Freedom.Numerous celebrities were inattendance, including DerbyQueen Sarah Siegmeier, MissWisconsin Mara Nesemann,

Packers player Ron Hall-strom, Milwaukee Brewersplayer Pete Yukovich, race cardriver Dick Trickle, Gov. Tom-my Thompson and grandmarshals Al Unser, BobbyUnser and Al Unser Jr.

1988 — The SilverAnniversary of the CoorsWorld Championship Snow-mobile Derby attracted anestimated 18,000 people forthe championship race and atotal of 30,000 spectators forthe three-day weekend of rac-ing. The flamboyant BobbyDonahue of Wisconsin Rapidswon the title in his ninthattempt on a Ski-Doo twintrack. He won a new Chevro-let pick-up truck and plowvalued at $25,000 for his vic-tory in the 25-lap race. A totalof $50,000 went to the win-ners in the title race. AllenDecker of Eagle River placedsecond and Don Lilly ofProspect, N.Y., was third.Queen for the 25th Derbywas Jennifer Maurer of EagleRiver. Other Derby celebritiesincluded former MilwaukeeBrewers pitcher PeteVokovich, Green Bay Packerslineman Ron Hallstrom andstock car racer Dick Trickle.It was a perfect anniversaryDerby, with high tempera-tures near 30 degrees allthree days.

1989 — The combinationof mild weather, a revivingsnowmobile industry andgood snowmobile trailsbrought an estimated 20,000to the Old Style World Cham-pionship Snowmobile Derby.Bruce Vessair of Honey Har-bour, Ontario, won the titlerace and collected $10,000. Itwas his second attempt atwinning the race on a Ski-Doo twin track. David Wahl ofGreenbush, Minn., was sec-ond and three-time winnerJacques Villeneuve of St.Cuthbert, Quebec, was third.Derby Queen for the eventwas Kathy Egan.

1990 — Despite mild Jan-uary weather, the Eagle RiverWorld Championship Snow-mobile Derby attracted anestimated 25,000 fans, withabout 12,000 watching the27th running of the title race.David Wahl of Greenbush,Minn., set a new track recordin time trials on a Wahl Spe-cial sled and went on to winthe championship race. Hewon $10,000 for the title raceand another $5,000 for set-ting the speed record. Wahlbroke his left ankle during aheat race Friday, but still beatsecond-place finisher AllenDecker and thir d-place finish-

Queens have always been a big part of thepageantry of the Derby. This was a group shot of

Derby Queens who attended the 25th anniver-sary of the Derby in 1988.

Before racing on ice became the norm in themid-1980s, Derby officials would place a combi-

nation of snow and sawdust on the oval in the1970s. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTOS

Overcoming a frigid Derby in 1984, Jim Dimmerman of WhiteBear Lake, Minn., took the title.

Steve Thorsen of Fergus Falls, Minn., won his second straightWorld Championship title in 1978.

The Decker family added Sno-Cross racinginside the ice oval to the Derby race schedule in

the late 1980s. The Sno-Cross course includedpart of the ice oval in the early years.

To HISTORY, Pg. 16



History:Sno-Cross, Friday Night Thunder heighten programFROM PAGE 15er Bruce Vessair in the titlerace Sunday. Celebritiesattending the Derby includedDerby Queen Becky Slizews-ki, Gov. Tommy Thompson,Miss Wisconsin Lynn Marie,Indy 500 announcer PaulPaige and Indy racer BobbyUnser.

1991 — As thousands ofrace fans attended the 28thannual World ChampionshipSnowmobile Derby, many peo-ple were preoccupied with thePersian Gulf Crisis events asthe U.S.-led allied forcesbegan a massive air attackagainst Iraq. But the Derbywent on, with an estimated20,000 people attending theevent. Greg Goodwin of Zion,Ill., won the race, his first vic-tory in nine attempts, on aSki-Doo twin track. He won$10,000. Second place went toDale Loritz of Green Bay andthird went to Gary Vessair.Tonya Langley was DerbyQueen. Other celebritiesincluded the Unser racingfamily and Miss Wisconsin-USA Kimberly Totdahl.

1992 — Two days of frigidcold followed by a day of snowdidn’t stop more than 20,000spectators from attending the29th annual Valvoline WorldChampionship SnowmobileDerby. Wind chills were 30 to

50 below zero Saturday.Though Chuck Decker turnedin the fastest time in qualify-ing, Gary Vessair of HoneyHarbour, Ontario, became thesixth Canadian to win therace on his Ski-Doo twintrack. He led all 25 laps towin $10,000 and the covetedtitle of world champion. Deck-er finished second and GregGoodwin of Zion, Ill., wasthird. Hillary Long was DerbyQueen. Among the celebritiesat the Derby was NationalHockey League star CraigLudwig of Eagle River.

1993 — Three days of niceweather and the pageantry ofthe 30th anniversary WorldChampionship SnowmobileDerby attracted about 20,000spectators to Eagle River.While Allen Decker of EagleRiver set the fastest timequalifying, Al Fenhaus ofWausau surprised the racingworld with a victory in thetitle race on a Ski-Doo twintrack, winning $12,000.Teammate Greg Goodwin ofZion, Ill., was second and KrisVandolder of Owen Sound,Ontario, was third. DerbyQueen was Laura Kaiser. Theanniversary race was attend-ed by Gov. Tommy Thompson,along with four-time Indychamp Rick Mears.

1994 — For the first timesince the early 1980s, cold

weather had a major impacton the Derby as attendancedropped to about 12,000 spec-tators. The mercury dipped to20 below zero Friday, Satur-day and Sunday mornings.The cold prompted DerbyTrack officials to considermoving the race to a Febru-ary date in the future. DaleLoritz of Green Bay passedGary Vessair in the final turnin one of the most excitingraces ever run at Eagle River.Vessair finished second andDave Wahl finished third.There were several new Der-by highlights. The first Derbyracing under the lights drewabout 4,000 spectators foradditional racing Fridaynight. In addition, a newscene at the Derby Trackwere six new suites in threebuildings on the south end ofthe track for sponsors andspectators. Derby Queen wasDana Miller.

1995 — During a wintermarred by a lack of snow, the32nd annual Valvoline WorldChampionship SnowmobileDerby gave an economic boostto the area with 20,000 fans.An expanded Friday NightThunder show under thelights with fireworks, rockmusic and racing drew anestimated 8,000 fans. DaleLoritz led all 25 laps and wonthe title race for the secondstraight year on a Ski-Dootwin track Sunday afternoon.It was the first time in 17years that there was a repeatwinner. He won $10,000. Sec-ond place went to Jeff Ludwigof Freedom and Jacques Vil-leneuve, a three-time winner,took third. For the first timeat the Derby Track, DebraNancde and Jon Pederson ofMichigan exchanged mar-riage vows at the start/finishline in front of 7,000 fans.Derby Queen was Bobbie JoBrock.

1996 — Despite a Thurs-day night snowstorm andtemperatures that dipped to20 below zero Friday night,about 20,000 fans attendedthe 33rd World Champi-onship Snowmobile Derby.Dave Wahl of Greenbush,

Minn., won the title race forthe second time, winning$15,000 on his sled, a WahlSpecial. Dale Loritz placedsecond and racing rookieJeremy Johnson of Carlyle,Saskatchewan, placed third.A total of $125,000 in cashand prizes were paid out tothe top finishers Derby week-end — proof that it remains aworld-class event. Wahlbecame the sixth racer to winthe championship twice.Another three-story suite wasadded for fans and sponsorson the north end of the track.Derby Queen was RachelDrayna.

1997 — In what was billedas the best Derby in fouryears, more than 20,000 peo-ple attended the 34th run-ning of the Valvoline WorldChampionship SnowmobileDerby. Among the highlights

of the weekend were Sno-Cross racing inside the iceoval, a fireworks display dur-ing Friday Night Thunderand the Northern Lights AirShow. The first Sno-Crossraces were billed as “stadiummotocross on ice and snow.”Defending champion DaveWahl of Greenbush, Minn.,won his third world title inthe final year of racing For-mula I twin-track sleds onthe ice oval. Wahl won$10,000. Dale Loritz finishedsecond and Bruce Vessairthird. In a sneak preview ofthe 1998 title race class, TerryWahl of Greenbush, Minn.,won the Champ 440 race.Sherry Jahnz was DerbyQueen.

1998 — A new title classand expanded Sno-Cross rac-ing inside the ice oval helpeddraw an estimated 20,000

people to the 35th anniver-sary of the Valvoline WorldChampionship SnowmobileDerby. Terry Wahl of Green-bush, Minn., won his firsttitle race in the new Champ440 class on a Ski-Doo. Hewon $10,500. Jacques Vil-leneuve took second and MikeHoule of Wyoming, Minn.,was third. Among the celebri-ties at the Derby were Gov.Tommy Thompson, 44-yearEagle River Mayor Donald“Pike” Dyer and Derby QueenEmily LaFriske. A new indoorviewing stand on the westside of the Derby track wasunveiled, with warm indoorseating for about 500 specta-tors, bringing the total indoorseating to about 2,000 specta-tors. In addition, an ExpoHall was added at the trackfor indoor display areas,

To HISTORY, Pg. 17

Gary Vessair of Honey Harbour, Ontario, wavedto the crowd after winning the 1992 champi-

onship on his Ski-Doo twin-track. The queenwas Hillary Long. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTO

Indy 500 announcer Paul Paige and racer Bobby Unser haveattended many Eagle River derbies the past two decades.



History:race schedule expands with more than 600 entriesFROM PAGE 16indoor restrooms and conces-sions. Derby registration vol-unteer Bud Rismon was pre-sented an Eagle Award for 35years of volunteer work at theDerby. In addition, the VilasCounty News-Review waspresented an Eagle Award foroutstanding coverage of theWorld Championship Snow-mobile Derby.

1999 — Despite a snow-storm that dropped nearly afoot of snow on Eagle RiverFriday and Saturday, an esti-mated 20,000 people attendedthe 36th annual ValvolineWorld Championship Snow-mobile Derby. Single-trackveteran Mike Houle ofWyoming, Minn., won thetitle race in his second try ona Ski-Doo. He won the 25-lapfeature race and $10,000 fromthe Derby and $5,000 in con-tingency money from Bom-bardier, the makers of Ski-Doo sleds. Dale Loritz fin-ished second and Jacques Vil-leneuve third. Meanwhile, inthe Stock classes, ChadRamesh of Land O’ Lakestook five first-place finishes,winning more than $10,000.The Sno-Cross events wereexpanded to 12 Pro and SemiPro classes. Derby Queen wasAmy Welzien.

2000 — The 37th annualValvoline World Champi-onship Snowmobile Derbywas ranked as among thebest for the four-day event,including two full days ofSno-Cross racing as the popu-lar event was expanded to 23classes. On the ice oval, MikeHoule won his secondstraight world championshipon a Ski-Doo. He was theeighth racer to win two ormore titles. His victory wonhim a Victory motorcycle val-ued at $16,000. Second placewent to Terry Wahl and thirdto Jacques Villeneuve. Lead-ing up to the Derby, track offi-cials and state leaders dis-cussed the possibility ofbringing pari-mutuel bettingto the Derby Track. Reigningover the festivities was DerbyQueen Janlee Alward.

2001 — An expanded rac-ing schedule, with more than600 entries in Oval and Sno-Cross classes, helped attract20,000 people to the 38thannual World ChampionshipSnowmobile Derby. Aftercrashes took out four of thefive fastest sleds, JeremyJohnston of Arcola, Sas katch -ewan, won the title race on aSki-Doo. Chris Hortness ofBienffait, Saskatchewan, wassecond and Jason Looker ofWeyauwega was third. Sixracers did not finish the racedue to accidents or mechani-

cal failure. Johnston won$10,000, along with $3,000 incontingency money from Ski-Doo. Derby Queen was JulieMunz.

2002 — A poor season forwinter recreation didn’t hurtthe grandest event in snow-mobile racing as an estimated25,000 spectators watch edfour days of racing at the39th annual World Champi-onship Snowmobile Derby.P.J. Wanderscheid, 18, of SaukCentre, Minn., surprised raceofficials when he qualified forthe Top 10 Saturday and thenhe shocked the 10,000 racefans Sunday with the moststunning Cinderella victory inthe race. He won a Victorymotorcycle valued at $15,000.The win gave Arctic Cat itsfirst championship in 23years. Second place went toJeremy Johnston of Arcola,Sas katch ewan, and thirdwent to Jeff Ludwig of Free-dom. With an expanded Sno-Cross program, total entriesfor the weekend climbed tomore than 1,000. The finals inOval racing Sunday weremarred by a serious crashinvolving racer Ed DeVault ofCottage Grove. DeVault wasdriving his Arctic Cat in thePro Stock 440 F/C class whenhe crashed into the outsidewall coming out of turn four.DeVault was taken by ambu-lance to Eagle River Memori-al Hospital, stabilized andthen flown by Spirit ofMarshfield helicopter to St.Joseph’s Hospital in Marsh-field. DeVault, who sustainedsevere head injuries, diedNov. 14, 2002. Celebrities atthe Derby included DerbyQueen Brittany Krueger andGov. Scott McCallum.

2003 — The Eagle Rivereconomy, hurt by a snowdrought, got a boost from the40th anniversary WorldChampionship SnowmobileDerby as an estimated 30,000attended four days of racing.P.J. Wanderscheid ducked lowin the third turn of lap 23,grabbed the lead and held onto win his second straighttitle on an Arctic Cat in the25-lap feature race thatincluded two restarts. Wan-derscheid, who won $10,000,became the sixth racer to winback-to-back titles, puttinghis name with the likes ofMike Trapp, Steve Thorsen,Dale Loritz, Dave Wahl andMike Houle. Second placewent to Philip Moulton ofGoshen, N.H., and third wentto Jeff Ludwig of Freedom.Tucker Hibbert of Goodridge,Minn., thrilled Sno-Cross fansby sweeping the Pro events.The weekend was marred byan accident on the ice ovalthat killed racer Phillip “Flip”

Merwin, 28, of Wausau Satur-day during the Champ 440last-chance qualifying race.Witnesses said Merwin hadcompleted turn four and washeading down the frontstraight when his sled sud-denly veered right, sendinghim into a wall of wood andposts. Merwin was remem-bered Sunday afternoonbefore the world champi-onship event, as a crowd of10,000 watched his pit crewand sponsors slowly pull hisracing trailer on a reverse laparound the oval. Celebritiesat the Derby included DerbyQueen Jessica Pollack andWisconsin Tourism SecretaryKevin Shibilski.

2004 — It was a thirdstraight winter without muchsnow, but an estimated30,000 people attended the41st annual Derby. Larry Dayof Lyman, Maine, who led for22 laps, lost the lead to P.J.Wanderscheid. But Day madeup five sled lengths in thefinal turn as Wanderscheidwent low and got caught upin lap traffic. Day went highand passed Wanderscheid inturn four for the win on hisArctic Cat and the first-placeprize of $10,000. Wander-scheid finished second andJeff Ludwig of Freedom wasthird. The high-flying ProSno-Cross racers from theWorld Snowmobile Associa-tion put on a hard-chargingshow for fans, with D.J. Eck-strom of Aurora, Minn., win-ning the Sno-Cross Pro Openworld title. Derby Queen Car-men Williquette reigned overthe festivities.

2005 — Subzero tempera-tures resulted in attendanceat the 42nd annual Derbybeing down about 30%. Windchills for Friday Night Thun-der were down to 40 belowzero. Track officials estimat-ed about 20,000 peopleattended the four days of rac-ing. Gary Moyle of Houghton,Mich, won the championship.In an exciting finish, Moyleducked low between cornersone and two on lap 24 to slippast the favored Terry Wahlto give Arctic Cat its fourthstraight victory. Moyle won$10,000. Wahl finished secondand Dan Fenhaus of Wausauwas third. Josh Zelinski ofBath, Mich., won the Sno-Cross Open title. Despite thecold weather Friday night,Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle wason hand to present DerbyTrack owner Chuck Deckerthe Putting Wisconsin on theMap Award, the state’s high-est honor given for promotinga single significant tourism

event or travel destination inWisconsin. Saturday’s race-day festivities were highlight-ed by an F-16 flyby. DerbyQueen was Sarah Besish.

2006 — Boosted by ahuge Friday Night Thundercrowd, the 43rd annual Valvo-line World ChampionshipSnowmobile Derby attractedabout 25,000 fans. P.J. Wan-derscheid of Sauk Centre,Minn., became a three-timechampion on his Arctic Cat,catching Terry Wahl at theend of lap 23 and going on forthe win. He won a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Secondplace went to Wahl and thirdto Mark Mondus of Hudson.Trevor John of Cross Lake,Minn., won the Sno-Cross ProOpen title. For the first timeat the Derby, Jimmy Blazeperformed a back flip on asnowmobile Friday night infront of 10,000 fans. Celebri-ties at the Derby includedstock car racer Dick Trickle,Indy 500 champion BobbyUnser, NASCAR racer TimSauter and Derby QueenSara Watts.

2007 — Poor trail condi-tions didn’t stop an estimated32,000 people from attendingthe 43rd annual AMSOILWorld Championship Snow-mobile Derby. Gary Moylewon his second straight titleon an Arctic Cat. He passedCanadian Brian Bewcyk onturn four of the eighth lapand in the final 17 laps,nobody could catch him. Hewon $10,000. Dustin Wahl ofGreenbush, Minn., finishedsecond and Matthew Schulzof Wausau was third. A flybyof two F-16s thrilled fansSunday afternoon. Jeff Lud-wig of Freedom announcedhis retirement, but won theTop Gun Shootout in Champ440 Friday night, taking the“fastest man on ice” honors.Chris Kafka of Stratford wonthe Sno-Cross Pro OpenWorld Championship. DerbyQueen was Nicole Musial.Other celebrities includedstock car legend Dick Trickleand NASCAR racer RickBickle.

2008 — With the windchill factor hitting 35 belowzero, about 30,000 peopleattended the 45th annualevent. Canada’s Brian Bew-cyk of Winnipeg, Manitoba,got the hole shot from thepole position and led for 24 ofthe 25 laps on his Ski-Doo.He only lost the lead for onelap during lap 18. He won$10,000 from the Derby andanother $10,000 in tools fromSnap-On Tools. Gary Moylefinished second and Dan Fen-haus third. Chris Oatman,the voice of the Derby formore than a decade, calledhis final World ChampionshipSunday afternoon and long-time Eagle River Derby flag-man Ted Otto announced theDerby would be his lastevent. The legendary USSAflagman had been flaggingEagle River racers since1975. Yuji Nakazawa ofMinocqua won the Sno-CrossWorld Championship. Derbyfans also paid tribute to Sgt.Tyler Joseph Kritz, an EagleRiver native who lost his lifeJune 3, 2007, on his secondtour of duty in Iraq. He died28 days short of his 22ndbirthday. Rebecca Jensenreigned over the WorldChampionship SnowmobileDerby.

2009 — Two days of frigidtemperatures and a strug-gling economy affected Derbyattendance as an estimated18,000 people watched four

days of racing at the 46thannual World ChampionshipSnowmobile Derby. BrianBewcyk of Winnipeg, Manito-ba, joined an elite list of ice-oval racing greats, getting thehole shot from his pole posi-tion and never trailing for 25laps, to win his second-straight world title on a Ski-Doo. Bewcyk received$10,000, a Snap-On tool chestand $2,500 from JimmyJohn’s. Second place went toDan Fenhaus of Wausau andthird to Dustin Wahl ofGreenbush, Minn. Chris Kaf-ka of Stratford won the Sno-Cross Pro Open title. Derbyfestivities included an F-16flyby and a salute to the mili-tary. Derby Queen was Jen-nifer Kennedy.

2010 — While the econo-my was on the downturn,mild winter weather helpeddraw about 20,000 to the47th running of the AMSOILWorld Championship Snow-mobile Derby. For the firsttime in several years, fansdidn’t have to endure subzerotemperatures for the Derby.Matt Schulz of Wausau led all25 laps to win the title raceon a Polaris. It was the firsttime a Polaris won the eventsince 1978. He won $10,000and another $10,000 fromJimmy John’s. Second placewent to P.J. Wanderscheidand third went to MalcolmChartier of Marine City,Mich. Darrin Mees of St.Cloud, Minn., won the Sno-Cross Pro Open class. DerbyQueen was Courtney Weber.

2011 — Despite a pooreconomy nationwide, about20,000 people attended the48th annual AMSOIL WorldChampionship SnowmobileDerby. P.J. Wanderscheidbecame the first four-timewinner of the race, passingformer champ Gary Moyle inthe final lap. It was the firsttitle race under a new splitformat where racers put in 15laps, had a mandatory pit forfive minutes on the frontstraight, and then finish with15 laps. Moyle led at thehalfway point. Jacques Vil-leneuve of St. Cuthbert, Que-bec, the senior racer on thecircuit, finished third afterstarting in the second row.

Ross Martin of Kansasvillewon the Sno-Cross Pro Opentitle. After 17 years, the PartsUnlimited Friday Night .erprogram continued to be oneof the most popular attrac-tions at the Derby, featuringfireworks, motorcycle racesand the Sweet Sixteen PolePosition event where the win-ner went to the pole in Sun-day’s championship race andwas able to sit out Saturday’sbrutal qualifying races. Aspart of a military salute Der-by weekend, each day, a dif-ferent branch of the militarywas recognized and displayedthe colors prior to racing. Inaddition, a KC 135 refuelerjet flew over the Derbygrounds Sunday. DerbyQueen Andrea Sergentreigned over the festivities.

2012 — Thousands ofspectators converged onEagle River for the 49th run-ning of the AMSOIL WorldChampionship SnowmobileDerby. Cold weather Fridaynight and poor road condi-tions Sunday limited theoverall attendance to about18,000 fans. Nicholas VanStrydonk of Tomahawkpassed Matt Schulz ofWausau in turn four of thefinal lap to win the title raceon a Polaris. Schulz led for 29laps in the 30-lap race,including at lap 10 during themandatory pit stop. For VanStrydonk, it was his first Der-by win. He won $10,000 fromAMSOIL and $10,000 fromJimmy John’s. Schulz finishedsecond and Dustin Wahl wasthird. Some of the other high-lights of the Derby includedthe introduction of the Out-law 600 class sleds, featuringthe racer sitting in a cockpit-style machine, a salute to mil-itary personnel Friday nightand the marriage of Scott andJessica Farr on the track. Thehighlight of Friday NightThunder was the introductionof the TLR Cup Sweet Six-teen pole position race won byBrandon Johnson of Green-bush, Minn. Inside the iceoval, Tim Tremblay of St.Cloud, Minn., won the Sno-Cross Pro Open event. Reign-ing over the festivities wasDerby Queen VictoriaPerkins.

The Parts Unlimited Friday Night Thunder continues to be one ofthe most popular activities for fans at the AMSOIL World Champi-

onship Snowmobile Derby. The night show attracts 8,000 to10,000 people each year. —NEWS-REVIEW PHOTOS

Hard-charging Sno-Cross racers have their ownWorld Championship at the Eagle River Derby

in the Pro Open class, competing for big cashprizes and trophies.

First-time Derby winner Nick Van Strydonk of Tomahawk andDerby Queen Victoria Perkins posed for photographers.

Flagman Ted Otto interviewed veteran racer and three-timechamp Jacques Villeneuve prior to the title race in 2007.



As the World Champi-onship Snowmobile Derbychecks off its 50th year inEagle River, another well-known snowmobiling estab-lishment will hit a majormilestone this season.

The Snowmobile Hall ofFame and Museum in St.Germain will observe its 30thyear preserving snowmobil-ing history and paying trib-ute to the sport’s luminaries.

The concept for the Hall ofFame came about in 1982when Loren Anderson, now ofMinocqua, questioned why noone was keeping track of theexciting history of snowmo-bile racing.

While trail riding withMike Trapp and C.J. Ram-stad in 1983, Andersonbrought up the subject.

Trapp is a two-time Derbyworld champion, Andersonsecured the No. 1 spot in Openand 650 classes and Ramstadsaid he had an extensive pho-to library detailing the historyof racing.

“Before that day’s ridingwas over, we decided that amuseum and a Hall of Fameshould be created to honorthe race drivers and to dis-play their unique and excit-ing sleds,” said Anderson.

They held their first orga-

nizational meeting that yearin Minocqua, and by the fol-lowing year, they had orga-nized the first Ride With TheChamps leaving from Bosac-ki’s Boathouse, which servedto raise funds for the futureSnowmobile Hall of Fameand Museum.

Riders from throughoutthe Midwest spent an entireday Jan. 27, 1984, riding withthe first celebrity guests,including Steve Ave, AllenDecker, Mike Decker, JimDimmerman, Bobby Don-ahue, Bob Eastman, BobElsner and Mike Trapp.

In the mid 1980s, theSnowmobile Hall of Fameand Museum was incorporat-ed and received tax-exemptstatus as a 501(c)(3).

The tradition of Ride WithThe Champs continued in thefollowing years, as famed rac-er Al Unser Jr. joined theranks in 1987. Then head-quartered in Eagle River,participants again spent theday riding through scenicarea trails.

The Hall of Fame held itsfirst induction ceremony 25years ago in Eagle River. By1989, the Hall had opened itsfirst museum at a rentedspace, also in Eagle River.

The next 11 years saw the

establishment relocatedthree times, as the Hall spenttime in Minocqua before find-ing its way to two differentlocations in St. Germain.

The Hall of Fame andMuseum moved one moretime in 2008, when organiz-ers held a grand opening fortheir very own facility onSled World Boulevard in St.Germain.

Today, the museum dis-plays more than 60 historicsleds, while featuringexhibits of photos and memo-rabilia commemorating thesport of snowmobile racing.

Open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.Thursdays and Fridays, andfrom 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Satur-days, the hall is located at8481 Highway 70 W., just one

mile west of the St. GermainChamber of Commerce office,at Sled World Boulevard.Museum hours increase afterthe trails open (call ahead).

In the winter, the museumis accessible by snowmobiletrails that run along High-way 70 near the facility.

“All operations are in onelocation — on the beautiful20-acre Hall of Fame cam-pus,” said Anderson. “The newWarning Gallery has added5,000 feet of exhibit space.”

Visitors can look at theexhibits and read the excit-ing histories of more than 40inductees into the Hall ofFame. Videos of famous andhistoric races also play in themini theater.

Sleds of some of the Hall

of Famers are on display.Many makes of snowmobileshave been donated to theHall, ranging from Polaris,Arctic Cat, Yamaha and Ski-Doo to Moto-Ski, Chaparral,Bolens and Ariens. Clothingworn by racers through theyears is also on display.

“Stop in and see historicrace sleds, trophies, clothingand the Ramstad photo col-lection,” said Anderson.“Championship sleds on dis-play include Oval, enduro,hill climb, cross-country,water cross, Sno-Cross anddrag sleds raced by champi-onship drivers such asKarpik, Wicht, Musselman,Coltom, Hayes, Elsner,Solem, Bernat, Fransen, Nel-son, Bender, Maki, Hibbert,

Morgan and Vincent.”The Hall will hold its 30th

annual Ride With TheChamps Saturday, Feb. 16,2013, starting and ending atWhitetail Inn in St. Germain.The 2013 Hall of Fameinductees will be honoredthat evening.

Memberships to the Hallare available as follows: indi-vidual annual, $25; individu-al life, $500; business annual,$100; and business life,$1,000.

For information on theSnowmobile Hall of Fameand Museum in St. Germainor to make a donation to thenew building, contact Ander-son at (715) 542-4488 or visitthe museum website at snow-mobilehalloffame.com.

Snomo Hall of Fame in St. Germaincelebrates 30 years since inception

___________BY ANTHONY DREW

NEWS-REVIEW ASST. EDITOR___________

Displays at the Snowmobile Hall of Fame and Museum in St. Ger-main document the past 50 years of racing at the Snowmobile

Derby. First initiated in 1983, the Hall of Fame and Museum willcelebrate its 30th anniversary. —Contributed Photos

Historic racing snowmobiles are displayed in the museum,including some driven by championship drivers.

Thousands of race fansconverge on the AMSOILWorld ChampionshipSnowmobile Derby Trackin Eagle River each Jan-uary to watch the greatestrace in snowmobiling.They come to watch theraces, meet old friendsand take in the pageantryof the Derby. While thereis great action on thetrack, watching the Derbyfans is a spectacle in itself.Many make a trip to theDerby an annual event.

—NEWS-REVIEWPHOTOS

Derby fansmake race

Being at the Derby is priceless for these fans on top of a motorhome. Photographing and cheering on a favorite racer.

Donning crazy head gear on the AMSOIL Derby Track bank.Tossing Jimmy John’s sandwiches to the fans.


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Open 7 days a week to serve you606 E. Wall, Eagle River

715-479-4496

STIHLPAINTS & STAINS

CRAFTSMAN TOOLS

Congratulationson 50 Years!

We salute theEagle River RotaryClub, Lions Club,Decker familyand all thevolunteerswho made this50-year runpossible.

JulyWine/Cheese

TastingParty

Rotary…Dedicated

to Fellowshipand Community Service

Dedicatedto Fellowship

and Community Service

Salute!The Eagle River Rotary Club, the foundingorgani zation and coordinator of the firstWorld Championship Snowmobile Derbyon Dollar Lake, with the help of the lateJohn Alward, a Rotarian, salutes the EagleRiver Lions Club, the Decker Family andthe volunteers for carrying the torch for-ward to reach 50 years.

Hats off to the oldest, grandestsnowmobile racing event in history!

Founded June 1928

www.eagleriverrotary.com

Meetings at noonMondays at

Eagle River Inn

EAGLE RIVERROTARY CLUBEAGLE RIVERROTARY CLUB

HOSPITALMinistry Eagle River Memorial Hospital

201 Hospital Road, Eagle River

715.479.7411

CLINICMinistry Medical Group

930 East Wall Street, Eagle River

715.477.3000

ministryhealth.org

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Pit Stop#25

SPECIAL DINING MENU AND DRINK SPECIALS

Many snowmobile groups or organizations did not have a physical presence until the “HQ” was opened in 2006. Now, eight worthy groups can call the HQ home and showcase their program in this large facility next to the Derby Track on Hwy 45 North.

“Our eight different groups call the Headquarters home and showcase their snowmobile related pro-grams in this one facility. They now have a physical presence that they did not have in the past,” said Tom Anderson, president of the World Snowmobile Headquarters.

The most impressive display is the prestigious International Snowmobile Hall of Fame that hon-ors and recognizes the recreational side of the sport with 92 inductee’s photo plaques on display. These are the true pioneers, developers, volun-teers, journalists, industry, inventors, adventurers, promoters, trail and program developers who built and continue to keep the sport active and viable. Theirs is a great heritage and the HQ is proud to present them to the snowmobile community and to honor them.

With the cooperation and sponsorship of the Derby Track, the World Championship Derby Hall of Famewith their photo plaques on display. At this year’s

-tend the gala celebration at the 50th Anniversary of this most famous race.

Along another wall is the Radloff Derby Gallery featuring a huge display of Derby photos starting

-tion highlights the faces of racers, and crews as they competed for the title of “World Champion”.

Two exceptional snowmobile museums feature the Antique Snowmobile Club of America and the Vintage Snowmobile Club with over 80 clas-sic and vintage sleds on display. They are rotated frequently to keep the display new and interesting.

Representing the Iron Dog Brigade’s -bers is a display of their history, their major events and current membership.

Wom-en on Snow have their special display area with info on past and upcoming rides.

Thirsty Dogs count hundreds of members who’s dues have contributed over $44,000 to charity

only has one rule: “There ain’t no rules.” Join up at the “HQ”.

safe and enjoyable trail systems we all enjoy is the International Groomer of the Year program spon-sored by Arctic Cat. This year’s winner was Jerry Emery of Aitkin, MN.

Keeping our trail system funded and intact are the thousands of clubs in the snowbelt. We honor one special club each year with the International Snowmobile Club of the Year recognition. This year’s winner was the Osgoode Carleton club from Ottawa, Ontario.

Then there is the large Gift Shop with hundreds of snowmobiler oriented specialty items including books, magazines, DVDs, photos, cups, t-shirts, jackets, clothing and tapes. Just in is a large collec-tion of snowmobile jewelry donated to the HQ with many items selling for under $5.

-mobile fans who come to see the history of the sport and trace the development of the machines that made it winter’s number one pastime.

“We have 7,500 square feet of displays and there is something for everyone who stops in,” said Bob Mendlesky, the HQ’s administrator and former mechanic for Doug Hayes of the famous Mercury SnoTwister race team. “A common remark is, ‘That

-mobile. Wish I would have kept it,’ “ he added.

The HQ is next door to the Derby Track and wel-comes you with free admission.

Hours at the HQ are Monday through Saturday

March and from mid-May through mid-October. www.

worldsnowmobilehq.com.

1521 North Railroad Street One door North of Derby Track

(715) 479-2186www.worldsnowmobilehq.com

World Snowmobile “HQ” is Home to Eight Groups

The huge gift shop counts over two dozen reference and history books on snowmobiling. Also available are numerous hats, caps, mugs, cups, jewelry and other snowmobile related gift items.

is guarded by the photo plaques of the 92 inductees into the International Snowmobile Hall of Fame. These are the people who

worked so hard to develop, promote and maintain the recreational

Every September the International Snowmobile Hall of Fame -

ducted. Shown here with his son, Brian, and grandson, Ben. Fred

Unlimited Corporation.

The newly formed Eagle River World Championship Snowmobile Derby Hall of Fame showcases the plaques of the winning drivers

special ceremony during the celebration of the 50th Derby.

The HQ has 7,500 square feet of pure snowmobile history behind its many doors. The long red building located just north of the

eight different snowmobile related groups, organizations and the rich history of the sport and the Derby Track.

honors those pioneers who worked so hard to develop, grow and maintain the sport of recreational snowmobiling. Their photos

Recalling a bit of their racing history are Bob Eastman and Roger Janssen at the weekend activities during their induction into the


special project award - january 2013

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