2001 international snowmobile racing hall of fame inductee profile 2 perry schlueter

Perry Schlueter was inducted into the International Snowmobile Racing Hall of Fame on January 18, 2001.

A snowmobile racing original, Perry Schlueter stepped up from local circuit racing in Illinois to the Southern Wisconsin Snowmobile Racing Association grass drag scene in 1976 with a fast fleet of Yamaha SRX grass draggers.

Racing as a family team with his wife, Kathy and sons, Kerry and Brent, he was a consistent champion for a decade, winning virtually every honor accorded these specialized warm weather competitors.

SWDRA mod class Driver of the Year from 1979 to 1983, years when he was also high-point driver in the modified classes, Schlueter was named overall Driver of the Year in 1982 and 1983. Honored as Yamaha Pro Drag Racer, he also set overall fast time at the classic Sno-Barons Hayday in 1981 and remained a force on the grass until his retirement from active racing in 1986.

Schlueter's career took a historic turn after his retirement when he became director of the SWDRA, leading the association to further prominence during the 1990s before expanding its scope with a name change to National Snowmobile Racing Association in 2000. An affable visionary, Schlueter's leadership in grass dragging made him one of the best-known and best-liked personalities in all of snowmobile racing.

Stay tuned for the profile of the last 2001 International Snowmobile Racing Hall of Fame inductee.