Wheels Of Thunder January 2013 Issue

Vol. 4 Issue 1

JAN/FEB 2013

Page 24

Page 28

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Front Cover Photo by Keith McKenna

Page 2 Find us on Facebook “Wheels of Thunder” January 2013

Special FeaturesLevi LaVallee / Team LaVallee .......................5Next Generation - Andee Nestaval ..............16Going Grassroots...in the snow!...................20The Collector - VW Past and present.............24Legends - Ed Kretz Sr. and Jr. .....................28W.o.W. - Joyce Nordquist Scott ...................52

ReviewsIckler Machine............................................32

Rally’s & ShowsBRRP ..........................................................42ISOC National - Bessemer, MI .....................48ISOC Regional - Elk River, MN.....................49The Jack Race.............................................60

DepartmentsGarage Built ...............................................10Boiling Point................................................12Off The Beaten Path ....................................38ABATE of MN.............................................40Game On!..................................................56

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OWNERPRESIDENT – Scott [email protected]

612-730-3719

OFFICE STAFFAR/AP – Stacy Robinson

763-421-4400OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR/AR – Vince Griffith

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JUNIOR BOSS – Zack Robinson763-421-4400

EDITORIAL STAFFEDITOR/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Betty [email protected]

763-421-4400

Photographers/WritersBILLY BOYLE MIKE BENOY

CEAJA PHILP ERIK TORMOENBRAD COPLAN JENNA OSTERLUND

JOSH MOEN MYLIE LAVOLDKIM NILES JOHN LENTZKOW

ADVERTISING STAFFSALES – Scott Robinson

[email protected] (CJ) Philp

[email protected]

WISCONSIN - Brad [email protected]

715-497-8090IOWA - John Lentzkow

[email protected]

SUBSCRIPTIONS$34.99 - PHONE: 763-421-4400

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All content published herein is owned exclu-sively by Midwest Wheels of Thunder Maga-zine. Reproduction or further disseminationof the content herein is strictly prohibitedwithout the express written authorization ofMidwest Wheels of Thunder Magazine.

www.WheelsofThunder.net Page 3January 2013



There is no doubt why Levi LaVallee has beenlabeled a fan favorite for four consecutiveyears! His competition accomplishments fillpages and easily speak for themselves, but hispersonality, drive and will to continue doingwhat he enjoys is why so many swarm to sup-port him. This Longville, Minnesota native hasnever forgotten his grassroots, and has contin-ued to stay connected with the small town ofabout 180 people. Levi started riding when hewas very small and recalls riding his first 4-wheeler, entertaining himself and his familydoing jumps off an old car hood propped upon blocks. Snowmobiles were just anothercommon thing growing up in the Midwest, butLevi told about how they were able to ridethem everywhere, including school.

Last year he was on The Tonight Show with JayLeno and laughed as he told how after schoolactivity consisted of doing jumps off the snowpiled up around the school yard. With all ofthis riding so early on, racing just came natu-ral to Levi. He placed 2nd at his first snowmo-bile race, which instantly had him hooked onthe speed and adrenaline from competingagainst others. He quickly worked his way upto the Pro level, and with over 16 years of rac-ing under his belt he is still pushing himself tobe at the top of his game.

Since some of the first things Levi did beforeracing were jumps and tricks, there was no sur-prise he was able to take 1st place at the firstfreestyle competition he entered in 2007. Withthat win he was given an invite to compete inFreestyle, Speed & Style as well as Snocross in

the 2008 Winter X Games. There has alwaysbeen a drive in him to see how far he couldpush himself, and he has taken this to an ex-treme. Levi was the first athlete to ever attempta double back flip on a snowmobile, which heshowed the world at Winter X 2009. Freestyle,snocross and distance jumping seem like quitea hand full, but 2009 also brought on new ad-venture for Levi, starting his own race team,Team LaVallee; co-owned by Glenn Kafka.

Being an owner put new and more things onLevi's to-list. "My focus has changed a bit,"says LaVallee, "The business side of runningthe team takes a lot of time and energy. It ismuch more than loading the sleds in the trailerand going to the races. It's scheduling whereand when everyone is going to be, making sureevery detail is covered, working with sponsorson different ideas, making sure the riders areall good, making sure mechanics are happy,and that's just to name a few. It is all somethingI am passionate about and wouldn't want tochange so it doesn't bother me."

New Year's Eve 2010 was to be another mem-orable moment in Levi's career, when he wasto break a distance jump for the Red Bull: NewYear. No Limits. event. The day practices wentgreat and he was able to break the previous 3011/2 ft record set by super star Paul Thacker in2009 at Minnesota's Brainerd InternationalRaceway. Levi landed a massive jump of 361feet. During a night practice his sled had a hic-cup in the carb, ending with a devastatingcrash and cancelling his New Year's attempt.Many would have thought that after such a

huge crash, having suffered broken ribs, punc-tured lungs and pelvic fractures, it would haveput a stop to another attempt and possibly hiscareer. That thought didn't cross Levi's mind.Only 3 months to the day after the accident hewas back on his sled, ready to get back whathe enjoys! His first competition after the acci-dent was Thanksgiving Weekend at the annualACFF National Race held at Spirit Mountain.

Even though his record of 361 feet held, Leviwanted to break it this year by completing alive jump at the 2011 Red Bull: New Year. NoLimits event in San Diego, CA. With RobbieMaddison on his motorcycle, attempting totake back his record, and Levi wanting to breakhis own, this dare devil duo put on a show!

The long awaited record jump attempt for LeviLaVallee was well worth the wait! He didn'tjust break his old jump distance, he managedto leave it in the dust by over 50 feet! Afterhaving to cancel the year prior due to his acci-dent, Levi approached Red Bull and said hewanted to give it another shot. They werequick to respond, and by early spring had cho-sen beautiful San Diego again. The set up wasbeautiful with over 300 feet of water beneathLevi LaVallee and Robbie Maddison. (Robbieunofficially broke the world record for distancejumped on a motorcycle during practice for Sat-urday night's event. He jumped 392 feet duringpractice but during the live event, he came up justshort of the 391 foot record, landing at 378 feet,9 inches.)

Levi LaVallee – Fan Favorite, Record Breaker, Team OwnerLevi LaVallee – Fan Favorite, Record Breaker, Team Owner

Photography byKeith McKenna

Written by Ceaja Philp


Photography byKeith McKenna


They all train year round but come fall theguys move to the Longville and work sideby side preparing for the season. From the

weight room, shop, foam pit, and to thepractice tracks, they work as a true team.LaVallee is proud that his team racessnocross and does freestyle, and plans toalways have a jumper on the team.

The 21st INSS season opener held at SpiritMountain was full of excitement for theteam. LaVallee started off the weekendstrong while working his way into thesemi-finals Friday night in the AMSOILDominator. In the first round, LaVallee wasmatched against Pallin, which wasn't ex-actly how the new teammates had hoped,

but either way Team LaVallee would ad-vance to the next round. The next roundwould again be tough for LaVallee, having

to take on last year's defending ISOCChampion, Tim Tremblay. Moving into thesemi-final around, it was LaVallee againstTucker Hibbert. Hibbert would be the win-ner and advance, but LaVallee wasn't donethere. Still wanting to put on a show forthe fans, he once again did his infamous“back-flip” intro to kick of the races. Thetwo Pro racers would battle to get qualifiedand run in the finals that weekend.

This will be Kyle Pallin's second season asa Pro rider. He has a great reputation forendurance and a never give up attitude,

which he has had since he first started rac-ing at age 12. Team LaVallee is very happyto have Pallin on their side.

As for Jake Scott, he was hoping to startwhere he left off last year at the season fi-nale in Lake Geneva. He took his first na-tional Pro Lite race win there, putting himin 3rd overall for the season. He had quitethe battle at opener this year with over 50Pro Lite riders battling for the finals. Hismix of great holeshots, smooth runninglines, and level headed thinking to makethe right passing maneuvers got Scott to2nd place on the podium Saturday night.

Team LaVallee had afew changes this yearto prepare for. The

addition of Pro rider, 21 year oldKyle Pallin #324 of Ironwood,Michigan and the return of ProLite rider Jake Scott #42 of PortJefferson Station, New York.The other challenge would bethe return of SnowmobileSnoCross and Speed and Styleat the X Games in Aspen thisJanuary. The team is good atlearning, growing and pushingeach other, while doing whatthey enjoy the most.


LaVallee has brought on a great group ofsponsors that have continued to stay withthe team. "Mystik Lubricants has beenawesome to work with! The people have

been great to work with and the lubricantsare even better! We have been with Loctitefor quite a while now, and they are whathold us together! Back in the early 90s I got

on a snowmobile for the first time, myDad's Polaris Indy 500. Since that day Ihave rode Polaris' and I plan to forever!Also big hats off to our other sponsors;Parts Unlimited, Arctiva, Fox Shox, EarthInc., Woodys Traction , Unequal Technoli-gies, and all the other sponsors that makethis happen."

Continue to get the latest on the team onFacebook, Team LaVallee or their web sitewww.teamlavallee.com


Stock OriginalThis is where it all started!Stock Original

This is where it all started!

Sound Familiar?Do you have a story of your custom ride? [email protected] and you could be

featured with your ride in the next issue!

Owner/Enthusiast:Tom Schwartz

“I believe there were less than8000 of these produced, so you

won't find one on every corner!”


1968 Honda CB450K1I bought this bike locally for $800 bucks, the guy said hisson bought it in Canada and brought it back with himabout two years earlier, had a title and said it ran. They hadhad it for two years not doing anything with it so decidedselling was a better option.

It had only 8400 miles on it, but it looked like thosemiles where on a lot of dirt roads or trails, and it hadobviously been laid down more than once, on bothsides! The before pictures don't really show how roughthe bike actually was.

I had intentions of restoring it for my wife to learn onbecause it was low, a smaller bike in general, and theprice was right. I took it home and cleaned the tankand carbs, put fresh gas in and the bike ran great!

I knew I had a good low mileage motor to start with,but the bike was in pretty rough shape. It had a thicklayer of dirt, oil, and grease covering the whole under-side of the frame and motor. Both foot pegs had beenbroken off and welded back in place, all the turn sig-nals were either scratched or broken, the bars werebent, fork ears and head light shell too, but I didn't no-tice most of that stuff till I got it home.

I ended up stripping the whole bike down to bare frameand motor. The compression was good so I nevertouched the motor ("I'm a firm believer in "if it isn'tbroke, don't fix it").

With a good power wash to the rolling frame with themotor still in it and some deep detailing to the frameand motor, I started rebuilding the bike, replacing orrebuilding as needed.

Here is a 'mini-list' list of work done to the bike, butI'm sure I forget some.– rebuilt front end with new fork tubes, seals, and oil– new fork ears and head light shell.– new tires and tubes– new handle bars– new switches and grips– new cables– cleaned and sealed the gas tank– rebuilt carbs and petcock– new fuel linesset timing and adjusted valves– synched carbs– new points, condenser, and plugs– painted the frame– new foot pegs and foot peg rubbers– new chain– new chain guard– new clutch plates– new bronze swing arm bushings– new tapered headstock bearings

– new rear shocks– new brake shoes infront, back was good– polished all alu-minum & chrome onthe bike– new turn signals– new head pipesand mufflers– new rear fender– new tank badges

Phew, and here is alist of new or originalparts that took me alot of time to source, and I know I'm forgetting a ton ofsmaller stuff. Most of this was impossible to find in goodoriginal condition, and came from a mix of dealers,EBay, Craigslist, or swap meets...and none of themcame as cheap as I had wished....lol. Original seat, headpipes, correct reproduction mufflers (shipped fromHolland), correct reproduction tank badges, NOS frontfender reflector, NOS handle bars, NOS switches, turnsignals, foot pegs, fork tubes, fork ears and headlightshell, chain guard, rear fender, brake pedal/lever, andnew correct size and tread tires and tubes

It ended up taking me about two years to complete thebike, but well worth it, it's a real head turner!

I know I'll never get my time, labor, or the money Ispent back out of the bike, but everywhere I go peoplewant to talk to me about it and when I show the bikepeople love it.... and to me that really is priceless!

It really was a labor of love, and I'll probably never partwith it. My wife never did get the nerve to get on it andride, so one day I bought a set of clubman bars and barend mirrors and nowit's got a really coolcafe style look to it.Funny thing is, mywife and I still refer toit as 'her' bike.

Like most projects it'snever truly finished.One day in the nearfuture I'd like to put aPamco ignition in it,or maybe a solid stateregulator recti-fier....that'd be cool!



Written by Billy Boyle

“IT’S A MAD, MAD WORLD”My article for January was just about writ-ten and going to the editor when the mostdisgusting thing that could have happenedtook place; I am talking about the SandyHook elementary school shootings. The in-cident was by far the worst of the manycrazy acts of violence that happen in Amer-ica every single week. If you don’t knowmy professional background, I dabble in abunch of areas, one being emergency re-sponse and human behavior. Over the last6 years I have presented to countless indi-viduals and corporations on workplace vi-olence, most directed at the employee whois for whatever reason going off the deepend. For example, I presented to a com-pany in Missouri in 2008; while in the 3day session I mentioned that one of theparticipants was a little on the unstableside. The guy in question was irritated atevery mention of the positive things hiscompany was doing. I voiced my concernto the plant manager, and received this re-sponse, “‘we know it, but we want to makehim feel like one of the team.” I had an un-easy feeling about this guy and I wasproved right. Four months later he walkedinto work armed with a high powered rifle,killing 9 of his co-workers and finallypulling the trigger on himself. The nutcases issue was the 401K plan, now that’s areason to blow everyone away.

My friends this is not a once in a greatwhile thing that happens in the USA; thesedespicable acts of violence happen everysingle week. This summer I did a class andmentioned what we call “the lone wolf’ -the lunatic that is scheming, planning, andfantasizing about death and destruction. Iused the example of the creep from Nor-way who blew up a building killing 9 peo-ple and followed that up with a trip by boatto a Christian youth camp where he killed68 innocent teenagers. One of the classparticipants told me that that’s a once in alifetime incident. That night the dirt bag inAurora took out a good portion of themovie goers at the Batman premier.

It doesn’t take much research to see thatwith acts of multiple murders by guns in

the workplace, malls, large gatherings, andschools, we have a major problem in theUnited States. Knowing what I know, I can-not relax going to ballgames, amusementparks, the Mall of America, any large gath-ering, and traveling by air. I watch every-one as we all should be doing. A mother inMissouri recently reported her son as act-ing strange when he came home with sev-eral recently purchased automatic weaponsand 400 rounds of ammunition. The localauthorities detained him and found outthrough interrogation that his plan of ac-tion was to position himself at the gun caseat the local Wal-Mart and kill as many peo-ple as he could and follow that up with avisit to the theater next door and blow peo-ple away at the premier of “Twilight”.Kudos for this mom. How many of youwould have turned your son or daughterin?

Looking at the caliber of offenders that arethe culprits, how the heck did they get agun their hand to begin with? I recently dida class in Brookfield, Wisconsin specificallyon this topic. Two days later a distraughtscorned husband walked into the beautysalon killing his wife and 4 others. MaybeI am just more aware of the violent situa-

tion than most of public, but I could go onand on with the stories, examples, and tallyof the carnage that happens at the hands ofthese poor people that have been set asideby the human race. The moral of the story- it’s not the guns that are killing our work-ers, friends, family, and now our children,it’s the nuts that manage to find a way topurchase, borrow, or steal a weapon. Howcan we as a society manage the sale of gunsin America?

Many Americans are looking to arm them-selves after the Sandy Hook incident. InMinnesota a self-defense bill has been thetopic of discussion for quite some time.Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton vetoedan explosive self-defense bill, saying thelives of police officers could be at risk if cit-izens are free to use their guns when theyfeel threatened. The governor rejected themeasure, saying Minnesota citizens facingthreats already have the legal authority todefend themselves and their families. Hesaid state law and court decisions "alreadyprovide the authorizations for law-abidingcitizens to use deadly force to defend them-selves or others, either inside or outside oftheir homes, so long as that force consti-tutes 'reasonable force.” The law states that

the deadly force has to be in the home oraround the property.

Breaking news as I write the article anotherwacko decided to start several homes andcars on fire, position himself on a bluff andproceed to pick off the firefighters with ahigh powered rifle as they responded in themiddle of a cold, snowy, December nightThe tally 4 firefighters down, 2 dead. Theshooter already did 17 years in prison forbashing his 90 year old, grandma’s head inwith a hammer. The poor guy was releasedin 1996 but has had a number of docu-mented episodes with the local nuthouse.Here’s another case of classic warningsigns. Older guy, lives with his mother andsister, loves the mom, hates the sister, momdies, loses his mind, kills sister, starts fire,kills the public servants. The question iswhat are the signs to look for? Here are afew classics, loner, bullied, disgruntled em-ployee, financial problems, romanticallyscorned, lives with mom, and 50 cats. Theproblem is I just identified a good portionof the people that just might be yourfriend, family member, co-worker. The pro-fessionals call them the “lone wolf”, toughfor law enforcement to identify, but not sotough if it is a person that is close to YOU!Like the Missouri mom we all need to beon guard for the signs even with a lovedone that is ready to crack. Since the SandyHook shooting all that is talked about islimiting the purchase of weapons or insome cases arming our teachers. GovernorRick Perry went on record and recom-mended that teachers in the state of Texasopenly wear their firearms in school. Here’smy issue - what about the teacher that hasa license to carry and wears that weapon,are they really trained? Training goes be-yond marksmanship. What about the men-

tal side of using a weapon. By mental I amnot talking crazy, I am talking handling thesituation. Are they a hot head? Do theywatch too many CSI or NCIS shows? Thathas also happened in the United States inthe last year as well. Some people, even lawabiding citizens, make bad decisions too.

The people who opposed the new bill havesome valid reasons; they argued that thebill could endanger officers by embolden-ing homeowners to "shoot first" into dark-ened yards and garages where officersmight be in pursuit. In the United Sates134 police officers lost their lives last yearwhile in the line of duty. Many of the fatal-ities were from the use of deadly force byhandgun. These are well-trained profes-sionals that go through an extensive train-ing program on the proper handling offirearms and they still continue to be thetarget of the bad guy. What would happento a untrained soccer mom or dad that justhappens to buy firearm? Are we really pro-tecting the law abiding citizens or are weopening a can of worms for open season onanyone that we think is a bad guy? Believeme I am all for taking the bad guy off thestreet, but I can see every scenario wheredeadly force was used as being a long,drawn-out process with the outcome notbeing good for anyone involved. I waspeople watching at the Mall of America inBloomington, Minnesota, and I noticedthere are a whole bunch of people out therethat I would never trust with a weapon. Ihad to ask myself if I would give this losera gun. My answer was short and quick - nofreaking way! I am sure there are capablepeople out there that would play by therules, but I think the majority of peoplewalking the streets may not make the bestdecision.

I have a friend that carries a weapon everysingle day. He’s a blue collar worker, a littlerough around the edges, you know, kind ofthe stereotypical biker. When people no-tice his safely holstered side arm they tendto freak out, but what they don’t know isthat they are in the safest environmentwhile he is in their presence. He is a guythat is cool, calm, collected and would onlyresort to using his weapon as THE last re-sort. He can use the weapon and makethose quick decisions much like some ofour professional law enforcement officers.I can tell you, my friends, he is a minority.The point here is can you, your familymembers, or friends make that on the spotdecision to use deadly force? My frienddidn’t become an expert overnight. It tookyears of training to sharpen the skillsneeded to be an expert marksman, but ashe stated, you have to practice the mentalawareness and decision making everyday.

A couple of other things to think aboutwhen having a weapon in the home - canyou safely keep it out of the hands of thekids that reside there? Kids will find thethings that they cannot have. My very goodfriend from South Boston lost his 12 yearold son Tommy 20 years ago when another12 year old found a pistol in a closet andput a bullet right in his forehead. My friendand his wife have never recovered emo-tionally, and the teen shooter ended upcommitting suicide year later. Are you pre-pared for this scenario? I’m not! In theSandy Hook elementary shooting, AdamLanza’s arsenal came from his first victim,his mother.

Folks, I am a big supporter of deterringcrime, taking the criminals off the street,and protecting my family and yours, butletting every Tom, Dick, or Dirty Harrymake the decision of using deadly force isasking for trouble. I am sure if you ask theparents of the slain Sandy Hook Elemen-tary students you might get the same an-swer. For if Adam Lanza never had thatopportunity to arm himself, the children ofNewtown would have had a long, healthy,and happy life as kids should have. If youcarry a weapon use good judgment foryourself and your family. If you suspect afriend, family member, or neighbor is hav-ing some emotional issues and talkingabout incidents like Sandy Hook,Columbine, Virginia tech, or Aurora, reportit. It’s the right thing to do for everyone in-volved.

The views expressed in The Boiling Point aresolely the opinions and research of Billy Boyleand are not necessarily the view point of the

magazine or its’ creators.



M eet Andee Nestaval a junior at Kennedy returning as aseasoned veteran in the popular Bloomington Kennedychopper class. Andee, lives in Bloomington, and is one of

those seventeen year technician protégé’s. One of the reasons Andeewanted to be in chopper class was because she wanted to learn howevery part inside and out worked, she was also interested in the historyof motorcycles and how they became to be today. Before entering theChopper class Andee would often help her dad and his friends work ontheir bikes. That’s where some of real life learning’s came from.


Andee was first introduced to the chopperclass in her freshman year and according toMr. Baas “Andee is one of the brightest andbest chopper class students I have seen ina long time”. Andee’s specialty is TIGwelding and custom fabrication. Andee’s isenergized and excited about the technicalside of the business, with all the thingsabout chopper fabrication she can now feelcomfortable building bikes with her dad.As Andee puts it “It has always been adream of ours to build bikes, I have fundoing it. I also LOVE welding, I made ametal archway for my mom’s garden out ofrebar and it has metal work on the inside.I like to do metal projects or just work outin the garage all day.”

Andee was inspired by my aunt and dad,,but mostly by her aunt whom has alwaysloved bikes. Her aunt wrote a book Called"Women of the Road". Her aunt loved thatbook, but she passed away awhile ago,Andee said, “I have just wanted to be inde-pendent and go for my dreams just like shedid” We have a picture of me when I wasyounger sitting on her purple soft tail andIt has always driven me to ride bikes. I alsowas inspired from my dad because eversince he was a teen he was into bikes, he

went behind his parents and bought a bikeand stored it at a friends house, he told meto never do that. My dad always said that ifI needed help finding a bike he would helpme find the perfect bike just for me. I havealways looked up to my dad and he has al-ways been supportive of me. Andee re-cently took her motorcycle safety courselast summer and now has her Motorcyclelicense. This basically means she can nowride what she builds.

My family has always supported me inwhat I have wanted to pursue and it has al-ways been things that most girls wouldn'tconsider doing. I've had so many ideas ofthings I have wanted to do or go and I fi-nally feel set on Mechanical engineering. Ihave thought of going to MMI in Arizonaor I wanted to go to Wyotech for motorcy-cle technician. I am focusing on trying toget into the University of St. Thomas ma-joring in the mechanical engineering pro-gram. I have always been determined to gofor my dreams, my dreams are becoming areality and the support I get from my par-ents and Baas I can make those dreamshappen!

Mr. Baas’s class rounds out each student

Andee NestavalThe Kennedy Chopper Class

Spotlight Student

Written by Billy Boyle



with the technical skills with a strong em-phasis math and design. The class intro-duces all the Bloomington KennedyChopper Class students to the educationside of the business, but some seem to

grasp the process better than others. Andeewanted to personally thank Baas for every-thing he has taught me, he has been a greatteacher and I plan to learn more!

I am confident no matter which directionAndee takes with the skills she has ob-tained from Mr. Baas’s class she will defi-

nitely be added to the long list of success-ful Bloomington Kennedy stories. To findout more about the Bloomington KennedyChopper Class and the continued successstories contact Kevin Bass directly at, [email protected].


ERX Motorpark, located just north of Elk River, Min-nesota, started in 2008 with a simple mission. Provide anaffordable option for amateur snocross racing enthusiasts

to try out the sport first-hand, regardless of age or skill level.Little did co-owners Chris Carlson and Todd Plaisted know,their Thursday Night Grassroots Snocross Series would blos-som and grow to the point of capacity within just a few years.The facility offers several class levels from 120cc Pro-Lite forkids as young as 4 years old to the advanced Pro Open classfor experienced snocross racers to get a little extra track timein before the next ISOC regional race.

Photos by Dave Moquin Images

Going Grassroots…in the Snow!


ERX offers race classes for just about every-one! In an effort to keep races fair and fun,the racers are split up by age, skill level andtype of snowmobile. In the 120cc classes,the riders are divided first by skill rangingfrom Pro-Lite to Champ. All Pro and Pro-Lite 120cc classes must be 100% stocksleds – no engine modifications of anykind. Within the Pro and Pro-Lite classes,the riders are also split into groups by age,with the youngest riders between the agesof 4-6 years old racing separate from theolder kids. The next level of classes in-cludeTransition and Junior classes with en-gines ranging from 300cc to 600cc. For theadult classes, each group is divided by typeof sled with Ditchbanger riders competingon stock trail sleds and Vintage class riderson just about anything that’s a leaf springor 1995 or older. And, of course, theSnocross class racers compete with sledsup to 600cc, highly modified specifically

for the snocross track at both novice andpro skill levels.

By now, you’re probably wondering what ittakes to take a spin for yourself. With the120cc, Ditchbanger and Vintage classes,you don’t need much more than a trailer tohaul your factory stock sled to the track.You’ll also need a few safety gear essentials,including a helmet, eye protection, atekvest and shin & knee guards. This year,ERX has also added an electronic scoringsystem for more accurate racing results.The required transponder is included witha track membership for either a singlenight ($15) or the whole season ($30).

If you just want to watch the action, racesstart at 5:30 pm on Thursday nights for just$10 per person (free for kids 12 andunder). It’s a great place to take the wholefamily for an evening of entertainment.Watching the 4-6 year olds 120cc pro-liteclass puttering around the track is simplyadorable. And, in stark contrast, it’s exhil-arating to watch the snocross pros come offthe jumps and easily clear 10-15 feet ofpure air. If you’re into vintage, there’s al-ways something interesting happening onthe track as those old sleds struggle to keeptheir parts and pieces attached. Last season,the rider who crossed the finish line liter-ally carrying his hood under his arm re-ceived a huge round of applause from thecrowd.

To help make the park a success, ERX of-fers a Learn 2 Ride Snocross Clinic eachDecember where the top pro riders spendan entire day mentoring up to 50 studentswith tips on topics such as character, cor-

Written by Kim“KimmyCat” Niles


nering, moguls and starting line proce-dures. Geared toward 120cc racers andyoung adult racers just getting started, thelessons are open to anyone looking to im-prove their riding skills both on and off thetrack. The Learn 2 Ride program has beena huge success and typically sells out wellbefore the class date.

Students start by walking the track withthe pros where they learn what to look forand how to find the early lines. Youngerriders often get ‘tunnel vision’ where theytend to fall into a pattern of following therider in front of them. The sooner theylearn to look for and take advantage of op-portunities to pass, the better they will doin the sport. As part of the full day of les-sons, the students receive open practicetimes, lunch with the pros, plus autographsand photos with their favorite big nameracers.

The lessons include tips from the pros ondetailed topics such as mental preparation,sponsorship, body positioning at the start-ing line, on corners and through moguls,speed, finding lines, cornering tactics andpre-load tactics. On the starting line, thepros give instruction on pre-start proce-

dures, what to look for while staging at theline, holeshots and what to watch for fromthe flagmen. Watch for details on classes

next year and remember to sign up early!

Riders who aren’t able to attend the Learn2 Ride program can hone their skills dur-ing the frequent open practice times of-fered at ERX. These practices give the lessexperienced riders a chance to get a feel for

the track before race night. With the win-ter we had in Minnesota just last year, therewere more than a few ‘practice’ sessions fortrail sled riders just looking to get an op-portunity to ride!

The season has already started at ERX, butthere are still plenty of opportunities tocatch the action. The remaining 2012-2013season schedule for Thursday Nights andISOC Regional races include these dates:

Grassroots ERX#3 - January 10th

Grassroots ERX #4 - January 24th

Grassroots ERX #5 - February 7th

Grassroots ERX #6 - February 28th

ISOC Minnesota Regional ERX#2 – March1st - 2nd

Can’t make it to the races? Be sure to watchlive on XSAN!! For online registration, de-tails on the Learn 2 Ride program, prac-tice/raceday schedules and the link toXSAN, visit the ERX website at www.erx-motorpark.com. We’ll see you at the track!



Everyone has a passion. Everyone has something that takes up

a large part of their life that pushes them to become a fanatic,

or enthusiast. For everyone reading this magazine, we're all

a bit fanatical about cars, trucks, and motorcycles. Some even take this

passion and turn it into a living. One such person is Tristan Henderson

from Minneapolis who owns Further Performance. Tristan is a specialist

in all things Volkswagen and Audi, and his personal car collection is

proof of that.


Written and photographedby John Krueger


Anytime you visit Further, you can alwaysexpect a rather eclectic mix of Germanmetal. The shop is always a hive of activ-ity whether it's performing routine mainte-nance, or doing full on restorations onclassic Porsches. However, when the shopdoors close for the day, Tristan will eitherstay late, or venture over to his warehouseto turn a wrench on his own. He has al-ways had a love for VWs, especially thevintage air-cooled models, and his collec-tion is made up of some especially cool,and custom VWs. An enthusiast, most def-initely, but Tristan is also about as laid-backof a person as they come, and a good friendwho's always willing to lend a hand whennecessary.

If you haven't noticed by now from thephotos, one of the cars you are looking at isindeed bright green. It's a new car too.The in-your-face color is a stark contrast toTristan, but it certainly suits the car. Abrand-new Golf R is exclusive enough for

many, but Tristan had to take his a fewsteps further (oh hoho, clever pun!) bywrapping it in bright green vinyl. Just asthe sticker says, It Ain't Paint! The 2012 Ris pretty much one of the shop's rolling bill-boards, and the color certainly does a goodjob getting people to look. Of course thecar is much more than a bright vinyl wrapthough. Being a dealer for APR, T's R haspretty much their whole catalog of partsthrown at it, minus their turbo upgradepackage. The intake, down-pipe, 3” ex-haust, and tuning software bump thehorsepower figures up to around 350awhpand equal torque which certainly makesthis one hot hatchback. The stock suspen-sion was replaced in favor of an adjustablecoilover suspension to lower the car and,while the car is currently sitting on thestock wheels, Tristan does have a set ofLamborghini Gallardo wheels for the car aswell (which it did wear for awhile at onepoint). The rest of the car remains as Volk-swagen left it from the factory which is still

a very capable car. Tristan wanted to high-light the R's capabilities of a formidabledaily-driver that can also double as a week-end track toy. The car has made numerous,cross-country road-trips to shows andevents, and one track day under its belt.Keeping the stock turbo makes it great forthe road-course and provides a very large,and usable power-band for the screaming4-banger. This car is a representation ofhow far Volkswagen has come with theirtechnology. The rest of Tristan's collection,however, takes us back to the beginning.

Tristan's air-cooled collection is definitelyunique and equally as cool. I don't know ifit's just something about air-cooled VWs,or if it's just the ones that Tristan owns, butthey do have a special aura about them.

We'll start with my favorite (and probablyT's as well) the '64 Notch-back convertible.If you know air-cooled VWs, you'll proba-bly be scratching your head at the “con-vertible” part, and you should. You see,there's only one other like it, and even stillthat one is probably not as cool as Tristan's.Rat-look, patina, hot-rodded, whatever youwant to call it, this car is Tristan's style.Slammed to the floor and with plenty of at-titude, this '64 Notch certainly demands at-tention wherever it goes. It even soundsmeaner than it looks! The nicely fettledflat-four may not produce the dyno-crush-ing figures that most are used to, but itdoesn't really need to. That's the beautywith these old VWs is you don't need a lotof power to have fun, and I have first-hand


experience with that in the yellow '72Notch pictured. I got to spend a day cruis-ing around in that with Tristan, and for acar with about 70hp, it was an absoluteblast! I don't know what it is about thesecars, but they're just so much fun and haveso much character to them. The '72 is an-other special, diamond-in-the-rough findfor Tristan. In its 40 years on the road, thecar has only had two owners. Yep, that'sright, Tristan is only the second owner ofthe car, and the car is all original! Ofcourse T went through the motor andfreshened things up as well as brought thecar down to a ride-height that's a littlemore suitable to his liking. He does haveplans of putting in a big motor with a turboto really bump up the power, but we'll seewhat pans out. That's the only problem

with having so many toys is you can onlywork on one at a time! The final car hereis the '71 Karmann Ghia coupe which isalso known around the shop as the UFO.Why the UFO? Well as Frank, one of thetechs at Further explains, “no one on theroad knows what it is, and with the wheelssucked in it looks like its floating down theroad.” The narrowed stance, which is atrademark air-cooled mod, is definitely thecenter of attention for this silver Ghia. Thefront beam has been narrowed a total of 5

inches which sucks in the wheels so wellfrom certain angles the car indeed appearsto be floating. The exterior of the car hasbeen restored to near factory conditionwith only the bumpers being shaved forthat ultra-clean look. The interior has beenkept factory fresh too, although a modernhead-unit and stereo add to the creaturecomforts. A freshened-up flat four sits inrear compartment, but soon may be re-moved to make room for a larger, air-cooled motor. It is definitely a treat to seethis car in action on the road. It's superlow stance with the wheels sucked in, andthe smooth, silver body you can really seewhere the car earned its UFO nickname.These three air-cooled VWs each have theirown story and their own character. I thinkthat's what makes them so appealing. Itdoesn't take much to make one of theseyour own, and Tristan here has done thatthree times over. Each of his air-cooled

cars is distinctly different from the other,but if knew Tristan, you would know thatall three belonged to him because of howthey've been modified.

I'm definitely thankful that Tristan waswilling to share a small bit of his personalcollection with me to share. Without peo-ple like him we wouldn't be able to go backto the beginnings and see where the mod-ern cars have progressed from. It's reallygreat that he embraces both new and old,owning VWs and Audis from all genera-tions. His passion and enthusiasm arewhat the scene is all about, and it's all cap-tured and preserved in his shop and ware-house.


T he battle to be the best-of- thebest in any sport is a positionfought for on a daily basis with

blood, sweat and tears being a truepart of the life lead by those trying toaccomplish it. The Kretz family hasshown this to be true for decades.

EEdd KKrreettzz SSrr..aanndd JJrr..

''IIrroonn MMaann'' vvss MMaacchhiinnee aannddaa CCoonnttiinnuueedd LLeeggaaccyy


Ed Kretz, Sr. was born September 24, 1911,but was not born into a race family. Hespent his early years driving a hay truckfrom El Central to El Monty, California,loading and unloading all the hay by hand.His racing didn't actual get started until hewas 20 years old and came from just see-ing the races from afar at first as he hauledproduce through the valleys in California.He eventually started going to the track asa spectator, creating more and more inter-est as he watched the men try to out ridethe next at top speeds. Ed knew he didn'thave near the finances or equipment manyother racers did, but it didn't stop him frommaking a name for himself quickly. Edused his first motorcycle, a 1930 HarleyDavidson VL as his street and his race ma-chine. What he physically didn't have inheight he made up for with a stocky buildwith shear strength, almost seeming tothrow the motorcycle around the track.

Racer, Floyd Clymer, who was promotingmany of the events in which Kretz com-peted also took notice to his raw talent,finding him a new Indian 45 Scout to race.With his new machine Kretz began win-ning races on a regular basis. In 1936 hewon the 200 mile Savannah, whichprompted Indian to sponsor him $200 permonth plus some travel and other ex-penses. This was a huge deal consideringwhat the country was going through at thattime.

He fully took on a brutal and violent styleof racing for the time, but there was no

other competitor who rode harder andfaster than Kretz Sr. It was his drive, fear-lessness, and amazing talent that made hiscompetitors dislike and respect him all atthe same time, nicknaming him the name'Iron Man'. Kretz raced his Indian war-horse from the coasts of California to thebeaches of Florida.

With his all-in attitude when it came to thedangers at the track, it wouldn't take longfor him to have to face the two loves of hislife....racing and his young pregnant wife,Irene. She watched as many of his friendslost their lives a weekly basis. From severeinjuries to death, she saw enough to knowthey had big decisions to make. A man tornwould get another blessing besides the ex-pected birth of this child, his young wifegave him her blessing to continue chasinghis dream to be the best. Without a doubtthe 30s and 40s would be peppered withthe Kretz name in motorcycle racing, win-ning more championships than anyone elsein history. Big titles would be the Savannah200 mile road race, the Langhorne 100mile and the Laconia Classic. The win hewill forever be remembered for will be hisvictory in the inaugural Daytona 200 in1937, which became the most influentialmotorcycle and car race in American. Heput himself in the history books that dayon his Indian Sport Scout. This was goodbecause even though he lead the race manytimes through the years to follow, he wasnever able to grab that title there again.

Along the way Kretz befriended others leg-ends, such as race car driver/actor James



Dean, and Triumph motorcycle racer/actorSteve McQueen. These men would remainlong time supporters and friends.

Though the years Kretz had earned nineAmerican Motorcycle Association nationalwins, numerous Pacific Coast titles, wasvoted the AMA's Most Popular Rider in1938 and again in 1948, and carried hisnickname ' Iron Man' through his manyyears of success in what was a young man'ssport by the time he retired from racing in1959, at 47 years old. After coming homefrom serving his country in World War II,Kretz opened a motorcycle dealershipwhich he ran until he retired in 1986. Oncehe had retired, he continued to make fre-quent popular appearances at vintage mo-torcycle meets across the country. At the50th running of the Daytona 200 in 1991,

Kretz was the guest of honor and took a lapon the Indian he won the race with in1937.

Ed Kretz, Sr. passed away in January of1996, nearly 60 years after he had wonDaytona and after many years of respectedsuccess.

Ed Kretz, Jr. was born in 1932, during theheat of his father's quest to be the best.From as far back as Ed Jr. can recall therewas a motorcycle in his daily life, whetherit was running errands or spending time atthe track. Ed J. said he only ever had onejob, which started while he was in gram-

mer school. He would head to the shop toclean floors and wash bikes after school.

Ed couldn't wait to follow in his father'sfootsteps and recalls, “I was riding his 'big'old Indian when I was just 10 years old. Ihad to pull up to the curb to get off thebike because my feet couldn’t touch theground.” With Ed Jr.'s continued will toprove his desire to race along side his Dad,he finally got his chance when Sr. finallyasked if he wanted to give it a try at only 16years old. It may have been 1948, but heused the same Indian '45' Scout his fatherhad used in 1937 to win Daytona, and inhonor of Sr., used the same number, 38.

During the 1950s Ed. Jr., joined his Dad onthe national circuit and became a rider ofthe same reputation, taking the fame of theKretz name even further into the recordbooks. He went on through the 50s and

60s atop Indian and Triumph motorcycles,and made great friends with Steve Mc-Queen, Lee Marvin, television star JayLeno, and the world famous racers BobbyHill and Bill Tuman (Indian WreckingCrew). Ed Jr. knows how lucky he was togrow up around some of the most famousracers to date, like Burt Munro, who usedto go into the shop to tinker with his mo-torcycle and later broke the land-speedworld record in 1967. That is a story we


should all be familiar with, making the bigscreen as “The World’s Fastest Indian,”starring Anthony Hopkins.

Ed Kretz Sr. was there to coach Jr throughhis racing career with a good mix of en-couragement, tolerance, acceptance, andgratitude.”He was a pretty good coach,”Kretz said. “He never pressured me intoracing, instead always said that if I wantedto do it, he’d help me get started, but mostof what I would learn would come from ex-perience."

His Dad missed a few racing seasons whileserving in the U.S. Army overseas. He wasstationed for two years in Germany, wherehe was assigned to the motor pool to workon tanks and jeeps, but Jr. continued tocarry on the name while his Dad was away.

When not racing on the national circuit,Kretz did a lot of road racing events on theWest Coast, riding a number of differentbikes. "The Indian was pretty close to myheart, but in 1953 they went out of busi-ness,” explained Kretz. “My Dad took onTriumphs in 1949, but they didn’t get pop-ular until the 1950s. They were easier toride, handled better and they had morehorsepower which we could more to makethem run faster.”

Ketz Jr. continued running the road racingon the west which altimately ended upwith him building a relationship as wellwith racer/actor Steve McQueen. Due tosome movie oligations, McQueen wasn'table to ride for the American team on hisTriumph in the 1965 ISDT (International

Six-Day Trials), a strenous off-road raceheld on the Isle of Man in England. Mc-Queen asked Jr. if he wanted to ride forhim, which he gladly accepted. Sadly itturned out to be 3 days of mud on top ofshale, and the weather was so bad that notone of the Americans was able to finish therace. Jr. ended up crashing and bending upthe front fork so bad on the bike there wasno hope to finish.

Through the years Ed Kretz Jr. has kept themost important pieces of memorabilia fromboth his Father’s racing career and his own.In the small outbuilding behind his homeare several Indians, a few Triumphs and ahalf-dozen other motorcycles that Kretz

still tinkers with from time to time. Perhapsthe most valuable to him and his family isthe original Indian “45� Scout used by EdKretz Sr. when he won Daytona along withthe trophy. Jr. also has his trophy for win-ning Peoria in 1955. There are hundreds ofpictures, many of which are signed andframed.

Kretz Sr. was inducted into the NationalMotorcycle Hall of Fame in the late 80's,and Kretz Jr. was inducted in 2002. An-other honor the two share and is in the his-tory books.

Today, Ed Jr. is grateful to be coming up onhis 60th wedding anniversary with his highschool sweetheart, Elaine this coming Feb-ruary. Their daughter and four grand-daughters plan to be at their side tocelebrate.

There is so much more to the long life ofthe Kretz family that a movie is in theworks. To get the latest information on itsrelease please visit www.kretzmovies.comor on Facebook Kretz Movies.

Thank you Ed Kretz Jr for spending timesharing your stories with me in Sturgis andbeing there to share in a large part of IndianMotorcycles history with Bill Tuman andBobby Hill (Indian Wrecking Crew). Youare true legends and to have shared timewith all of you was an honor. -Ceaja

The holidays have come and gone and thecold has set in. Many garage stoves arebeing fired up and projects being workedon. You have made your list and checkedit twice....now what? You know what youwould like or what you need to have tocomplete your project, but struggle tryingto find it. Maybe it's your hot rod and youwant it ready for the first spring car show,maybe you are going finish your custombike in time for the Donnie Smith Show, ormaybe your sled took quite the beatingfrom you last year and needs some im-provements to make it better and strongerso you don't end up on the side of the ditchor trail. No matter your project or con-cerns, Contact Ickler Machine Company inSt. Cloud, Minnesota to have it created orrepaired once and for all.

'This company has been around forever!'Sounds like an over exaggerated conversa-tion, but in truth....when I'm talking aboutIckler Company, it's not! It is almost un-heard of when you talk about small busi-

nesses in the Midwest to see them lastthrough the ups and downs of the econ-omy and changing times. Ickler Companyhas had years of non-stop innovative own-ers/employees with attention to craftsman-ship, detail, professionalism, and highquality products. Stay with me on thisstory because it has a lot of successful yearsand ideas filled with twists and turns, leav-ing you wanting to know about the nextproduct they will create. There is so muchmore behind the scenes...let your imagina-tion and creativity run wild! As currentgeneral manager Mark Held said best, "Ifsomeone brings us an idea, we don't say noor we can't do it. We all like the challengeand creative part of what we do." Fromminor repairs to custom wheels...what aspectrum! With that in mind, take a closerlook at how Ickler Company became suchan icon in their industry.

The story begins in the early 1930s withElmer Siebert, Seibert Machine, doingwork out of his garage for Pan Motor Com-

pany of St. Cloud, Minnesota. He designedand manufactured their wrist pins, whichis a short tubular piece of steel with thickwalls. It handles the stress from the forceslammed upon from the piston top to theconnecting rod, making it an extremely im-portant part of any race engine or per-formance vehicle.

In the mid 1930s another innovative en-trepreneur, Fred Ickler designed and man-ufactured the Hilger Wood Floor Sander,which was a huge success with its per-formance, cost and durability.

In the 1940s Elmer purchased Ickler Com-pany, merging it with Seibert Machine. Atthat time Ickler was producing products forthe government for the war effort. Once


Ickler Machine Company With the Change of Seasons


the war had ended, Seibert again movedon to another idea. He had always lovedto ice fish, so thoughts of how to make itmore comfortable and appealing were onthe design board. He designed an ice fishhouse stove and folding ice skimmer,which is the 'scoop' used to remove thepieces of ice after drilling the hole, andthe ice that builds up on the surface whilefishing.

The 1950s brought a design partner,Claire Lantz to Siebert and they broughtforward a bifocal lens grinder, which tookIckler to begin manufacturing optical lensgrinding machines. As you can imag-ine...things were becoming very busy,which lead to the welcoming addition ofDick Speiring, who became their generalmanager. They also needed to find a newlocation to handle their growth, which iswhere the shop remains now.

The 1960s were full of changes again.They were expanding their optical businessto other local firms, busy designing andbuilding room-sized ovens that were usedto temper the optical lenses, and the adop-tion of the St Cloud Bearing firm. Thebearing sales are still a large part of Ickler'sbusiness.

In the 1970s the needs for the optical in-dustry were changing, and Ickler decidedto move on to dairy equipment. They tookon the manufacturing of homogenizerblocks.

The 1980s brought on some unexpectedchanges for Ickler Company. It had seenamazing success and creations fromElmer Seibert until his passing in 1981.This was an important time for Dick Speir-ing to continue managing and making surethe company remained enthusiastic aboutgrowth and quality to their current lines,as well as new things coming through thedoor. He did this successfully all the wayto his last day with the company. The 80salso brought Todd McGonagle, Elmer Seib-ert's grandson. He joined Ickler as its man-ager and continues to keep the familytradition running in full force.

In the 1990s came about a time of excite-ment and security. Things were changingvery fast and Ickler knew they needed tokeep up. They brought on automated ma-chinery, which allowed them to keep their

continued supply for dairy parts going, andalso the ability to manufacture one of akind job shop projects. Ickler was able tobring more ideas to life with some of theequipment added during this time.

Now, with all of this your head may bespinning. One thing to remember is howmany years they have progressed and keptup with the times, which is extremely im-portant in any industry. Having innova-tion, craftsmanship, quality, and theirlongevity of success in today's world canassure you they will be there for manymore years to come.

Ickler has all the things offered by a tradi-



tional machine shop, welding shop andmanufacturing operation. They offermore than the norm with custom fabrica-tion to prototype manufacturing that isdelivered throughout North America andInternationally. They are able to cut,shape and modify anything made ofmetal.

Their specialties include homogenizerpumps and parts, manufacturing, repair,and the Ickler Belt Sander. Ickler's manu-facturing is top notch with their in-houseCNC mill and lathe, and CAD and engi-neering services. They take on the big taskof repair, whether it is industrial, agricul-tural, residential, boat propellers andskegs, snowmobile cranks, or mowerdecks. Don't forget, they also do retailsales on bearings, oil seals, sheet metal,and cut-to-size stainless steel, aluminum,and brass.

The motorsports world has become a reg-ular piece for Ickler with the addition of afew new 'motorheads' in the shop. Theyhave built things such as custom front

suspension systems to one-of-a-kind mo-torcycle wheels. Taking on the youthfuland innovative ideas from their staff andyou will again keep Ickler on top for de-sign, fabrication, and manufacturing. TheStomperTech ATRV is just another exam-ple of that. The idea was brought to thetable and Ickler was there to assist. It is anoff-road ice fishing, camping, hunting, andrescue vehicle, featuring a Weber 750cc en-gine and strong Wasteland PerformanceCVT transmission. Underneath is theircustom designed chassis built strong butlight, making the total gross vehicle weightunder 2000lbs.

Bring your ideas to them and watch as theyturn it from a vision to reality!


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Winter is now upon us and rather than stayin our warm homes, I have come up withsome great ideas for you and the family todo. Most of us would be snowmobiling orice fishing, but that’s not enough. Thegreat thing about living in Wisconsin andMinnesota is that we are blessed with somebeautiful country and some great skiing.Around the Twin Cities area we have fourgreat ski hills. One of those is Afton Alpsin Hastings; Afton Alps has a 350 ft verticaldrop, 49 ski runs and the longest run is3,000 ft. Next is Buck Hill in Burnsville,which has 310 ft vertical drop, and 16 skiruns, the longest of which is 1,250 ft. Thefinal one, Wild Mountain, is in Taylor Fallsand has a 300 ft vertical drop, 25 ski runsand the longest here is 5,000 ft. In Wis-consin we have Trollhaugen, which is lo-cated in Dresser and has a 260 ft drop and22 ski runs; the longest run is 2,500 ft.Keep in mind most all of these ski hills willhave an area for ski boarding and tubingbut if it’s just tubing you want to do, thenhead over to Hudson Wisconsin and visitthe Badland’s Sno Park. Here you will find

five different slopes with four tow ropes, soyou can get back to the top of the hillsooner. At Badlands they brag about hav-ing one of the longest tubing runs in thearea – 1,300 ft long. This will be great funfor you and the buddies or the family. Toget the greatest thrill and fun, tie the tubestogether and hang on.

If downhill skiing doesn’t do it for you,

then I have to recommend cross countryskiing. I myself also enjoy this activity; it’sperhaps the most peaceful, and offers youthe best workout for your entire body andmind. Imagine yourself skiing through thewoods and all you see is nature. Birds andwildlife, beautiful scenery, and best of allsilence, the quiet outdoors. Another greatthing about cross country skiing is that youcan go at your own pace and stop whenyou need to. Wisconsin and Minnesotahave a large abundance of cross county skitrails. Minnesota is said to have over 100trails and in Wisconsin there are 65 trailsin the 10 Northwest counties of the state.In and around the Twin Cities you can find25 cross country ski trails and if you’relooking for the longest ski trail, then headup to the Gunflint Trails on the NorthShore. The cross country ski trails are forboth the novice and the veteran; you willfind them marked easy going, intermediateand expert. Remember that most ski trailsdo require you to have a trail pass. Then,after a day of cross country skiing, head tothe cabin or lodge and relax by the fire withyour favorite beverage.

If the quiet isn’t what you’re looking for,then head to the lake. Family and friends

Written by Brad Coplan



Off the Beaten Path Winter Family Fun!

will have a great time watching ATVs, mo-torcycles or even cars racing on the ice.There are a lot of different places to go andsee this, and one that comes to mind is atCameron Lake by Erstine, Minnesota.Here you can watch cars and ATVs travelaround on an oval ice racing track. Youwill witness several different heats andclasses, and enjoy both males and femalescompeting for the white and black check-ered flag. While watching the ATVs youwill see many spills, the operators of theATVs clinging onto the ATV handlebars, orsimply just letting go with the hope theywill fall away from the path of the othercompetitors. Just like with the motorcrossbikes on the ice, the ATVs are allowed to

run with studded tires. This allows theATV to better grip the ice, which also givesthem speed and handling around corners.

Now the cars are also allowed studded tiresbut only on the drive tires. Here they runa class of front wheel drive vehicles and aclass of rear wheel drive vehicles. And yesthere is a big difference. To make this sportmore exciting at this track, drivers are al-lowed riders in their vehicle. Drivers areallowed up to four people in their vehicle,the driver and three others. The only stip-ulation is that the driver and his passengersmust wear seatbelts. Helmets are recom-mended but are not mandatory. If it’sspeed, the crashing of the cars, or just theexcitement of the race you’re looking for,

then this is the sport for you and the fam-ily to watch.

One other event that needs mentioning isthe Red Bull Crashed Ice Racing. Thisevent is new to our area, and it’s back foronly the second time. This event is held inSt. Paul on Selby Avenue by the Cathedral,and will be held around the 26th of Janu-ary. This is a downhill race that occurswith over 200 racers and matches them upwith four skaters in each event. They racedown a handmade course that’s over 1,640feet in length with a blanket of ice for theskaters to compete on. Here they willreach speeds of up to and over 43 mph.The top two racers in each heat advance inthe competition until they reach the finalfour. The St. Paul race is one of five for thechampionship. The other four races areheld in Canada, Switzerland, and theNetherlands. This is indeed a great eventfor Minnesota and its residents, so getdown there and watch this thrilling show.

Hopefully now you have some new ideasto keep you busy over the long winter.Have a great Holiday Season.


What is ABATE University? ABATE U is ABATE of Minnesota’s an-nual conference, held at the Holiday Inn, Alexandria, MN, April 19through 21 2013, to enlighten and educate motorcyclists aboutABATE’s mission and provide safety and legislative informationthat is important to all motorcyclists.

This year we welcome back our good friend Slider Gilmore for aneye opening and informative special presentation. Slider has beeninducted into the Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame, the NationalMotorcycle Hall of Fame and the American Motorcyclist Associa-tion Hall of Fame to honor his work presenting Two WheelTrauma and Accident Scene Management classes to thousands ofbikers worldwide. In appreciation for improving the image of mo-torcycling, the National Coalition of Motorcyclists awarded Sliderthe Silver Spoke Award. Slider’s first motorcycle ride in 1960 ig-nited an obsession with riding on the open road and a lifestylededicated to hard work, family and helping others. For nearly 25years he served as a volunteer EMT and CPR instructor and pro-vided support for EMT’s suffering from critical incident stress.Slider is a gifted teacher whose mix of humor, positivity and in-

spiration comes shining through to every member of the audience.You will not be disappointed!

The ABATE University Guest Speaker Luncheon is always a bighit with excellent food and informative speakers. It will surely bethe "can't miss" event again this year. There will also be a Satur-day evening social with live music and a fabulous auction. Andfour (Yes Four) new motorcycles (two Harleys and two Victorys)will be given away at Saturday night's ABATE U Raffle. The hotelwill sell out fast - Select and reserve your room now by contactingMarilyn at [email protected] by February 1st.

ABATE University is open to everyone and the seminars are free.All you pay for are your hotel room and the Guest Speaker Lunch-eon (and your raffle ticket of course!) ABATE U is a weekendevent filled with education, camaraderie and fun. Come learn,meet new people and find out what we are all about.

See you there!

Mack Backlund

ANNOUNCING ABATE UNIVERSITY 2013

Snocross kicks off at Buffalo River Race Park onJanuary 26th and 27th with ISOC (InternationalSeries of Champions) Regionals. Racing starts at

9:00 a.m. both days. Learning a lesson from last year’sraces, take my advice and get there early if you want aprime indoor second floor window seat to watch from.

LACK OF SNOW CAN’T STOP A TRUE SLED-HEAD…What Mother Nature has not delivered (as of yet), man will make…let the races begin!


When BRRP hosted the ISOC Nationalslast winter, race fans arrived in droves forthe three-day event, which won the 2012ISOC Snocross series “Event of the Year.”Not only did 9,000 sled-heads show up inperson, over 28,000 people from all overthe world viewed the streamed races on theISOC website. Fans of all ages filled thevenue to cheer on racers as they attackedthe course flying over jumps, careeningaround corners and speeding throughstraight-aways in search of the checkeredflag.

It was hard to believe the ISOC Nationalswas the first snocross event to be held atthe venue. Owner Kevin Nathe and histeam labored for months getting a 185’ by

30’ two story addition ready. They addedheating and cooling, a 6,800 square foot“racer mall” to house vendor booths, asponsor area and indoor seating for spec-tators. Two older VIP booths were also re-modeled and two new ones added. Newinfield poles and track lighting put the fin-ishing touches on a world-class snocrosstrack just in time for race day.

BRRP will again host the National ISOCrace, the AMSOIL Championship Snocross(ACS) Fargo National on March 8-9. TheACS is the featured national racing serieswithin ISOC Racing. If the event is any-thing like last year, you will not want tomiss this! Look forward to some greatsnocross racing from local semi-pro andnational pro racers. This event draws localfavorites like Tucker Hibbert, ChristianBrothers Racing, Boss Racing and others, aswell as racers from across the U.S. andCanada.

This national event will also host a MNISOC Regional non-points race on the10th, which will allow anyone who hasn’tqualified for the Affiliate Showdown an op-portunity to do so. The top three riders inthe Showdown classes at this event will getan invite to the Showdown at Lake Geneva.Example: if the winner in the 120 6-7 classis already invited to the Showdown, thenext place finisher will get the invite andso on.

For all races and events, Director of Salesand Marketing, Brad Rivers suggests book-ing your VIP seats and suites now. The in-door bleacher seating has been divided intogeneral admission and VIP areas this yearand is already sold out of VIP seats for the

Written by Mylie Lavold

LACK OF SNOW CAN’T STOP A TRUE SLED-HEAD…What Mother Nature has not delivered (as of yet), man will make…let the races begin!



January races. Rivers says there are still alimited number of heated VIP suites avail-able but they won’t last long.

The Racer Mall will be in full swing againthis season, including the debut of BRRPclothing and swag. Last season the RacerMall had a plethora of goods to choose

from, everything from snow boots to lin-gerie…it will be interesting to see if some-one tops “Sled Bitch” panties this year!New this year is the mini-donut booth (Ican already smell them!). I also heard arumor that ISOC is bringing in a 2 storyBuild a Bar to rival the one MichelobGolden set up last year.

There are still sponsorship opportunitiesavailable for those wanting to get somegood advertising for their businesses. Thenewest motor head themed restaurant inFargo, “Quaker Steak and Lube” has al-ready partnered with BRRP. Stop by theirlocation off I-94 and 45th street and askhow to win tickets to the 2013 snocrossraces at BRRP.

Tickets for the Fargo National are availableon the ISOC website. ISOC Regional tick-ets can be purchased at Mister Money lo-cations in Fargo, West Fargo andJamestown or at the BRRP gate.

Out of town race fans can get discountrates at the Days Inn West Acres, the offi-cial host hotel for the 2013 snocross sea-son.

For race park details and event informationvisit www.buffaloriverracing.com.

For advertising, VIP suites or Racer Mall(vendor) information, contact Director ofSales and Marketing: Brad Rivers, [email protected] / 701-306-1509



It’s about tech and trail...... and spending timewith people who embrace the snowmobilelifestyle.

Each week host Meisha Johnson, former racerPaul Mack and tech expert Jeff Fisher steer youto some of the world’s greatest places toride.....with some of the world’s greatest riders.

"Sledhead 24-7" will check out cutting edgegear and gadgets and ride the latest modelsleds from the major manufactures.

We’ll test the limits of snowmobile perform-ance through a series of ambitious builds atSpeedwerx.

But "Sledhead 24-7 " will always be about folkslike you, the riders, the clubs, and families whocan’t wait to get out on the trail.

From the Firecat, to the Pro Cross chassis, Arc-tic Cat has made big changes in the past decadeand the test riders at " Sledhead 24-7" ride, rateand review.

If you own a Ski-Doo, learn about StraightlinePerformance and find out about the HeartBreaker, a dyno room that hides no secrets.

For more than 2 decades, Straightline Perform-

ance in Forest Lake Minnesota, has been craft-ing the “ how to “ for speed.

Today StraightLine is a worldwide performanceshop, but had humble beginnings in founderJason Houle's garage.

StraightLine creates upgrades for just about allpower sports machines. Today Jason shares 3ways to quickly improve your Ski-Doo, startingwith StraightLine’s exclusive exhaust kit, fuelprogrammer and clutch kit, which are easy,quick ways to upgrade your Ski-Doo.

Snocross super star Robbie Malinowski, racesthe pro circuit on a StraightLine enhanced Ski-Doo, Robbie's proud to race w/ StraightLine.

"If you haven't been to Jackson Hole, you'remissing out. " Sledhead 24-7 " hangs out andhas some fun at the World Championship Hill-climbs.

"The Jackson Hole Hillclimbs are a favorite ofevery snowmobiler." "Jeff Fischer shows us thequickest way down the mountain."

This is just a little of what we have going on,you can catch Sledhead 24-7 Sunday nights onFox Sports North and Fox Sports Wisconsin.

Tune in each week www.Sledhead24-7.com.

SledHead 24/7 TV Show airing on FSN-MN & FSN-WI

Sledhead 24-7 can be seen Sunday nights at 10pm on FSN

Welcome to the wintery world of “Sledhead 24-7”

http://www.sledhead24-7.com/Airtimes/


ISOC BESSEMER NATIONAL Dec 7-8 2012


ISOC ERX Regional Dec 15-16 2012




WoW


Joyce NordquistScott

Time to Rejoice!


Joyce went in with a positive attitude shewould be in, out, and on her way for theday. As the exam was in process she couldsense from the nurse there was somethingnot looking right. The nurse politely ex-cused herself and came back in with a doc-tor to view the images. He asked Joycewho her primary care provider was said hewould like to have him come in to talk. Bynow Joyce was starting to feel uncomfort-able, realizing there must be somethingwrong.

After what seemed like forever, her doctor,Dr.Americo Fraboni came in and took herby the hand. The next words she heardstill ring in her ears today, "Joyce, you havebreast cancer. There is a very large tumorin your right side and there is no time towait." She recalls feeling like her worldhave fallen and the room was spinning.

The very next week she was scheduledwith Dr. Bruce Cunningham at the Uni-versity of Minnesota for her biopsy, con-sultation, and to schedule her choice ofsurgeries. They discussed her options andthree weeks later she had a mastectomy ofher right breast, along with seventeenlymph nodes that had to be removed fromher right arm. Surgery done, first phase ofreconstruction, and a Jackson-Pratt drainwas used to assist her in the healingprocess. Only three weeks had passed sincethe surgery and Joyce was feeling like arock star, excited to go in for her first fill tomove forward with the reconstructionprocess. Things seemed to go great andher attitude was all positive with a forwardmotion.

This was until about a week beforeThanksgiving and for a woman who wasnever sick, she told her husband she was-n't feeling very well. With a phone call tothe hospital and some discussion theythought maybe she had the flu, howeverthe symptoms seemed to be getting worseand on Thanksgiving day her temperaturespiked to 103°. Living in Princeton, MN atthe time and over an hour drive to the hos-pital they wanted to make sure she wasn'tdealing with just a bad cold before makingthe trip in. With another phone call andexplanation of what had been happening,she was told from the surgeon to get to theemergency room immediately. Once hertemp fell below 103, they sent her home,which would only last a few hours beforethey knew it was something more andrushed back in that night. Her doctor toldthe staff on strict orders Joyce neededstrong antibiotics. To make things worse,during the night no one notice her vein hascollapsed. She recalls the fear she felt whenshe saw a pastor had even been called in.

With Dr. Cunningham there in the morn-ing giving direct orders under his watchthey were able to pull Joyce through, andfound out it was a horrible staph infectioncausing so many issues. From that momenton she would good through hell for almostthe next year battling repeated staph infec-tions, start and stopped sessions of chemotherapy due to them, with a total of six sur-geries.

During all of the treatments and hospitalvisits she was so happy to have receivedthe call from the Pink Ribbon Riders®(PRR). Joyce and her family had always

P acked daily scheduleswith showings, meet-ings, closings, work-

outs, family and householdchoirs; Joyce Scott was awoman on the go from sun upto sun down. For over tenyears Joyce ran a successfulreal estate company out of ElkRiver, Minnesota. She has al-ways been full of energy andloves to socialize. Joyce's 45thbirthday was approaching andshe was happy to be having aparty to celebrate. She hadalso just had her annual examto which her doctor remindedher she hadn't had a mammo-gram in four years, so theyshould schedule that too. Withno family history of breast can-cer, no signs of issues andsomeone full of energy and ex-ercised regularly she felt that iswould be a piece of cake andset the appointment a few daysafter her party.


been big snowmobile people and wereamazed at the how easy and quickly PRRresponded with full support. This wasquite a tough time on her and her family, soto find an organization locally that was sogracious and sincere meant so much tothem.

Once she started down a clean path theymade the decision they had been throughenough and the land they had purchasedfor a future retirement home would be-come 'home' sooner than planned. Thesedays you can find Joyce 5 years clean ofcancer and living in their home in Finland,MN where they can ride their sleds rightfrom their yard. She is also very busy help-ing support many breast cancers eventsand found a career. Joyce was so excitedto tell me of how she had loved realty butalways believed having a true passion wasthe key to success. With the help she had

been given she knew something inside herwanted to do the same. She went back toschool and became an occupational thera-pist who now works with Veterans. Shelaughed telling me how she celebrated her

50th birthday and feels like life had justbegan for her!

Joyce would like to express her love andgratitude to everyone who helped heralong the way, and welcomes you to cometake part in any of the Pink Ribbon Riderevents. You will for sure see her at the Min-nesota PRR ride in January along with herstep son, Zac Scott who is an avid snow-mobiler and was so moved by what thePRR do that he became one of thespokespersons for the PRR ride in Min-nesota


BESTOF THE

MIDWEST!Opportunities for

business whoqualify for ‘The

Best of the Midwest’ are now available!

CallScott Robinson612-730-3719

G reetings once again Wheel’ers! We are getting asexcited as you for the snow to fly! Yes, GameON!TV is excited to see you again and this issue of

Wheels of Thunder continues to excite race fans with it'sinteresting stories and magnificent pictures. GameON!TV is growing and reaching so many of you with oursports programming and now we are expanding to theDakota's and western Minnesota via MidCo Sports Net-work. As you know, GameON! loves sports, from the va-riety of professional, college & high school sports to allthe outdoor events that dot our regional landscape.GameON's partnership with Wheels of Thunder is strongand just like you, we also enjoy the most comprehensiverace magazine and website to be found! Wheels ofThunder magazine gets it and gets you the latest infor-mation, amazing pictures and all those terrific stories tothe most passionate motorsports fans in the country!

Looking ahead, there's special moments ahead forGameON! We recently taped our 100th broadcast andnow we're putting emphasis on our social media reach.Every week GameON! comes to you in crystal clear fullHigh Definition and we have just launched our first APP(it's free to for Apple & Android phones). The newGameON! TV app puts our show at your fingertips andwe're now offering a weekly PODCAST available @ ourshow website www.GameOnTvMN.com. It's full of bitsand pieces of sports from the region and what's ahead onour weekly TV show. GameON! still serves as the lead-in to the award winning FOX NFL pre game show onFOX's MY29 here in the Twin Cities during the NFL Sea-son.

GameON! does what no other TV sports interview show(in the region) does. We offer a diverse and entertaininghalf hour of TV as we bring you the most visible andpopular Minnesota sports figures. From the exciting sea-son that the new look Vikings are enjoying, the newWolves season underway, the NHL Wild, the Twins andwe visit with the Lacrosse Swarm. There's NASCAR andwe're all over your favorite drivers now that snow racingapproaches. GameON! just featured championship racer

Levi LaVallee and we'll be all over the SnoCross racingseason and Xtreme sports that touch all seasons!

This show is interactive so we'd love to hear from you!Please visit our Facebook site (friend us @ GameON onfacebook), our website @ www.gameontvmn.com and24/7on twitter #gameontvmn. You are always welcometo visit our live tapings and each week we list guests andupdates on the GameON! website as well as our Face-book site. Get upclose and personal with us!! We alsopartner with the one of the largest Vikings fan sites inthe world, www.PurplePride.org. I've said it before andI'm saying it again! Get off the couch and get yourGameON! Be a part of the exciting effort we're puttingon! Here's to fall and the coming winter sports seasonahead. Hope to see you at an upcoming GameON! tap-ing!!





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Wheels Of Thunder January 2013 Issue

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