Sleds !!!

[Scott Gilmore]

What would YOU buy if you were buying NEW this yaer ?? Scott

[DoktorC]

Nytro RTX....

[H.WOOD187]

If I was to spend the money on a new sled for this season, I would be buying a REV-XP. They are really light compared to everything else this year. And I have always bought Arctic Cats, but I'm really impressed with the new Doo's. But if I could buy ANY sled, it would be the new Arctic Cat 600 Sno-Pro sx/cc sled (bacically unobtainable, only to selected racers).
Hollywood.

[HM2USMC]

Scott, please e mail me for pics, and they will show you why the 800 REV.
Doc
docknewton@aim.com

[Scott Gilmore]

I just bought a new MXZ TNT, it'll be the the first Ski Doo I've ever owned. They claim a weight of less than 400 lbs & from everything I've read it sounds like it'll be a blast to ride on the trails up here in Michigan & for $7500 a bargain too. We'll see. I'm looking for something for my wife also, she's a novice rider maybe something like the MZX550X ? Scott

[fijjity]

Nytro RTX....

For me this is my pick also. I have ridden Cats for 20 years and had a couple doos.. Yamaha has always been my favorite-then i took a ride on one of these....Amazing

[Hydrovector]

Rev-XP 800-R GSX
I would keep my current Rev 500SS GSX.
Come on snow!!!!

[rjdubiel]

since i spend my $$ on the vking and the rebuild, i think this may be the first winter in years without a sled but who knows, if we get some snow around mn and wi i will probly jump on the tried and true f6/f7. would like to ride a doo someday but i dont know anyone who has a nice new one. my buddy races cc on a cat and he put in for one of the new 600 snopro and he didnt get one!! most of the first 300 were for the snocross guys, there is talk on some of the boards that a late build may happen so that more of the cc racers can get them. would love to see one up close. i know the 07 cc 600 racers edition sled sucked balls with the diamond drive. to a point i think sleds are getting to what color do you like best, not really a brand anymore

[Wolverine]

All the new sleds are good. One brand might be a bit better in one aspect than another and visa-versa, but non are bad. Lots of brand loyalty out there. My family owns at least one of each brand and they are all excellent sleds with each one having its own likeable and could-be-better qualities. Just buy her what she likes.

[KG4]

Even if i could afford a new one i wouldnt.They are so overpriced its rediculious.I like the old school sleds.I love the raider twin track and i would never sell mine.I love to pull into a group of guys with new sleds and they all come over to my raider and check it out and all give me thumbs up.The 98-2002 Mach Zs where frikin awesome.I had a hopped up 98 800 triple/triple mach z and that thing would rip your arms off it pulled so hard.

[Gilles1]

anybody into vintage race sleds??? here is one i sold last year.. i had 30 vintage racers

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r...DSC01603-1.jpg

[Gilles1]

here is a write up about them.. i had the 250 and the 340..


<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=center><TD class=logobg align=middle width=130 height=100> </TD><TD class=headerbg vAlign=center align=middle width="100%"> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=divbg width="100%" colSpan=2></TD></TR><TR><TD class=navbg vAlign=top width=130 height=500 rowSpan=2>
<TABLE cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Home Page</TD></TR><TR><TD>Bush Whackin ' 1</TD></TR><TR><TD>Bush Whackin' 2</TD></TR><TR><TD>Bush Whackin' 3</TD></TR><TR><TD>Bush Whackin' 4</TD></TR><TR><TD>Your Sled Here 1</TD></TR><TR><TD>Your Sled Here 2</TD></TR><TR><TD>Your Sled Here 3</TD></TR><TR><TD>Your Sled Here 4</TD></TR><TR><TD>Your Sled Here 5</TD></TR><TR><TD>Your Sled Here 6</TD></TR><TR><TD>Your Sled Here 7</TD></TR><TR><TD>Before & After</TD></TR><TR><TD>The Garage Chronicles</TD></TR><TR><TD>Boa Ski B.A.R. Feature</TD></TR><TR><TD>Retro- Rarities Gallery</TD></TR><TR><TD>The RetroSno.com collection</TD></TR><TR><TD>Dale F. Carsley Vintage Photo Album</TD></TR><TR><TD>Vintage Sno Pro Images</TD></TR><TR><TD>1972 Booneville NY Speed Run photos</TD></TR><TR><TD>'76 Skiroule Sno Pro Feature </TD></TR><TR><TD>Hey Rude Dog ! </TD></TR><TR><TD>Jahnke Family Photo Album</TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD>Remember When......</TD></TR><TR><TD>Young Guns</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> </TD><TD class=assetbg vAlign=top align=middle width="100%"><TABLE width="70%"><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>'76 Skiroule Sno Pro Feature </TD></TR><TR><TD class=divbg></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <TABLE cellPadding=5 width="100%" align=center><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>The journey of the '76 Skiroule Sno Pro racers

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Updated 9/17/06
Since the story below was first written some significant changes have taken place.
The Skiroule 250 Sno Pro is now in the Jerry McGee collection.
The image below was taken at the Saranc NY show in the summer of '06

The 340 Skiroule is now owned by my good friend "Skiroule Pete" Purych of Ontario. I've added the story of our trip to get the sled below.
Below on this page ,following these updates ,is the original article on the restoration of 2 of the rarest sleds on the planet.

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It was just a sled purchase for Pete's sake ...
Originally posted on 9/6/06
Things got pretty hectic around here earlier this month following the sale of a particular Skiroule to a friend of mine.
I'm sure many of you already know , but for those who might not , my buddy " Skiroule Pete" is the proud owner of a 1976 Skiroule Sno Pro. I had the good fortune to go along on the trip to pick up the sled and bring it back to the RetroSno .com showroom.
Here's a few pics from our road trip.

This is what you look like when you arrive to pick up your " new " sled.

First pic of Pete with his sled.
It's imperative that one gets all the information as to the proper care of a Skiroule I.F.S.

Lesson 1

Lesson 2

Ready to load 'er up .

Loaded up and ready to head back to Maine.
One last look from Scott......
**********
An uneventful trip back " home" had us unloading the Skiroule late at night.
The next day gave me the opportunity to take some "Ego pics" with the Sno Pro in our showroom.


Of course the usual posing went on...

Skiroule Pete..Still smiling....

Yours Truly taking a turn...
The last time I got to sit on a Skiroule Sno Pro was at the Paul Bunyan Open in Bangor , Maine in 1976...That time it was Jacques' 250....Just after he had smacked all 3 Team Arctic drivers in the 250 Super Mod...I was 12 then...
One last close up.

The transaction involving this sled caused quite a stir in the hobby. A lot of people had a lot to say about the whole thing and a few had a lot to say and knew nothing about the individuals directly involved . A handful that spouted off probably could'nt find their own butt with both hands and a road map.
Here's the final word gang....
The pics above are the result of one man waiting nearly 2 decades for this moment. Those years were filled with nothing but hard work. That's how he got to this point.
I was fortunate enough to get asked to help out and go along for the ride. In that process I witnessed my closest friend ,( More of an adopted family member , really) , realize his dream.
It was a wonderful thing to be a part of.
Many thanks to Skiroule Pete for letting us have the sled for display for a while and to our many fellow vintage enthusiasts that didn't get caught up in the petty behavior.
Congratulations " Brother Pete" !!!
You deserve it !!!!

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The Skiroule Sno Pro's

A lot of noise has always been made about the 1977 Polaris Sno Pro sleds being the first appearance of an independent front suspension in professional snowmobile racing. While alot of credit is due to the team from Roseau , a much more accurate description of the impact of the '77 Polaris Sno-Pro sleds & the subsequent RXL's would be that they exhibited the first instance of domination of an IFS sled in oval racing.
The automotive type IFS had been around snowmobile racing for quite some time before Polaris perfected it. Chaparral brought out IFS in it's 1972 & 1973 factory Mod racers & the Villeneuve brothers had an IFS on the 1974 Alouette twin track Sno-Pro sleds. It should come as no surprise that the first truly effective IFS set up came from the Villeneuve camp.
In the fall of 1975 , the new owners of Skiroule Ltee., HMK Group. , decided to re-introduce the brand to professional snowmobile racing & who better to lead the team than Gilles & Jacques Villeneuve ?
Along with race director Peter Hill , the Villeneuve brothers put together a classic underdog team that would go on to set the "big factories" on their ass on more than one occasion.

1976 Skiroule magazine advertisement.

The first strike by the Skiroule team came on the week end of January 24-25 , 1976 at Lancaster , NH. Gilles Villeneuve made a clean sweep of all Super Mod classes at the 12th Annual International Grand Prix Kilkenny Cup races.
Younger brother Jacques took the reins the following week-end at the Paul Bunyan International Open in Bangor , Maine by passing all 3 Team Arctic drivers in turns 1 & 2 to win the Super Mod 250 class. Skiroule had it's first major Sno-Pro win !
Februaury of 1976 brought more accolades to the Skiroule Sno-Pro team as Gilles won 6 of the 8 Sno Pro events held that week end in Quebec City & Montreal. The 1976 season wrapped up with Gilles finishing 3rd overall in the Sno-Pro points standing.
Hopes were running high for the 1977 model year with Skiroule's wins in the '76 Sno Pro races & rumors of a liquid cooled Laser consumer model being in the works, but it was not to be. Skiroule's owners , HMK Group, used the company for a cash cow , went bankrupt and production ceased in the spring of 1977. The Skiroule Sno-Pro racers were sold off during the liquidation of assets , Gilles Villeneuve went on to further his Formula I auto racing career and Jacques would show up on the Kawasaki Sno Pro for the 1977 season.
That brings us to the story at hand. It 's fortunate for us that the Skiroule Sno Pro sleds survived. It is known that some of the Skiroule's saw oval action in 1977 with the Cote Racing Team out of Ontario. I don't know how many of the racers were purchased at auction by the late Fern Cote , but the unofficial story is that it was more than one and the sleds were sold off following Fern's passing.
After spending time in the hands of various race teams on a number of different race venues , the existing Skiroule Sno-Pro's were acquired by the father & son team of Doug & Scott McLlwain.
(shown below)

( www.rtxdoug.com )

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Currently the Jacques 340 Skiroules resides at Image Enterprises in Eagle River , WI .
Image Enterprises owner , Bob Kloiber , purchased this one from Scott McLlwain.

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The Gilles 250 is in the Bombardier Museum

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The Jacques 440 is owned by Doug & Scott McLlwain

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The Gilles' 440 Skiroule is also owned by the McLlwain's and is currently awaiting restoration.

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The restoration of Gilles Villeneuve's 340 was undertaken by owner Scott Clarkson of Chichester , NH. This is the sled we will follow on it's road back to life. the other skiroule that appears here , the Jacques 250 , is owned by Scott's buddy , Rob Young .Scott is known here in the Northeast as a guy who does'nt make much hullabaloo about what he's working on. Scott likes to spend time caring for a small but pristine collection of race sleds , spending time with his family snowmobiling , and working with his young son restoring snowmobiles & classic muscle cars.
If you spend even a couple of hours at Scott & Wanda Clarkson's home , you will experience what this hobby is all about....
The people !!
Now for the story on Scott's Skiroule Sno Pro.
Scott started with no more than a barley salvagable, torn up chassis.


Factory stampings in 5 locations identified the chassis as that of Gilles' 340



A staggering number of components needed to be fabricated & re-created for the little Skiroule.

The slide suspension skid frame

The fuel tank

The hood
Months of labor started to bring things together.








The true test of Scott & Rob's restoration skills came the last week-end in January at the races in Canaan , NH. Jacques villeneuve was racing that day so the guys loaded up the little Skiroules & headed out in hope to get Jacques to check them out.

Jacques poses with the sleds.

The signing of the hoods !

Jacques with Scott's wife Wanda.

Gilles 340 /w/ Jacques autograph.
" In Gilles memory"
How cool is that ??

The following pics were taken during a visit to the Clarkson abode a month before the sled's premiere at the NHSMA 2005 show.

This sled looks so good it makes you hurt !

<CENTER></CENTER><CENTER> </CENTER><CENTER>Scott Clarkson wins theNHSMA 2005 Peoples Choice trophy with his newly restored 1976 Skiroule IFS Sno-Pro. </CENTER><CENTER> </CENTER><CENTER><CENTER></CENTER><CENTER> </CENTER><CENTER>Another shot of the Clarkson owned '76 Skiroule Sno-Pro.</CENTER><CENTER> </CENTER><CENTER> </CENTER><CENTER> </CENTER><CENTER>

<CENTER>As you can see , Scott & Rob have done a stellar job restoring & preserving 2 priceless pieces of snowmobile racing history. Thank you to them both for allowing the story to be told here.</CENTER>
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</CENTER></CENTER>

Images from Rob Young's restoration of the Jacques Villeneuve 1976 Skiroule Sno Pro

Could you start with any less of a sled ??

Just plain depressing ...


The reconstruction starts..

Bare bones

Damn ,,those pipes look good !

It's looking better all the time !!!
( Nice hat , Rob)

We'll have this sucker running in no time !

Polish,,Polish




Anybody recognize that green hood in the background ??

Looking alot like a race sled...

Damn !...I know this thing fits.....

Just plain sexy !

A true friend is one that will help you indulge you passion !
Say nothing about getting stuck with sanding a hood !


Serious progress showing up now !



Welcome to 1976 !

Diligence has it's rewards .

It looks mean just sitting there !

Horsepower by Kohler .

Wanna go play ??

The Jacques 250 in all it's glory.



Obviously this brief overview can in no way truly represent the hundreds of hours of labor it took to bring life back to these sleds.
Thank you to Scott & Rob for sharing their journey back to the 1976 Sno Pro season.

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[KG4]

anybody into vintage race sleds??? here is one i sold last year.. i had 30 vintage racers

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r...DSC01603-1.jpg

Very Sweet,I would take that anyday over any new one on the market.We are into vintage big time.

[Gilles1]

thank you... i have sold off a fair amount of my vintage racers.. but still have enough to keep be busy..

what you got for vintage????

[Blizz]

Gilles that Skiroule was amazing. And old Jacko is a class act. Hard to see the green hood in the back it wouldn't be a real or repro of the all illusive shark would it? that 77 SS is sweet also. Got any other pics of your collection past or present. When i was a teenager i was lucky enough to race one of the Scorpion Sno Pros that a friend of the family had not sure if it was one of the original 7 though.