AmSnow.com is now SnoWest.com
On RacingRacing is Skime's passion and walking into his office is proof. Skime's walls are plastered with autographed slicks, race team photos, articles, and artwork from every decade of Team Arctic Racing. One striking photo hanging high on his wall bears the caption "To my hero, Roger" and is autographed "7c Blair Morgan."
From a product development and testing prospective, Skime believes racing is a must. It could be argued that he was the very first Team Arctic racer, travelling with Hetteen to Dollar Lake in Wisconsin in 1964 to win the under 9 horsepower class on an Arctic Cat 100D amid a sea of Ski-Doos. "They said I had alcohol in my gas tank," Skime chuckles, "They didn't like to get beat!"
Skime still remembers racing an early Arctic Cat in Roseau in 1965. "Between the fairgrounds and the river, which isn't very far, I fell off 15 times," Skime says with a hearty laugh. "I went right back to Thief River Falls and started working on the Panther," which Skime calls "an awesome sled!" He reminds me that from about 1967 to 1972 the Panther was the sled to beat.
Skime's favorite form of racing? "I like all types of racing, but cross country really trips my trigger," he says. Skime feels that cross country mirrors consumer riding habits the best and he's glad it's making a comeback.
He's not afraid to voice his opinion about the salaries being paid to professional snocross racers. "(Professional) Racing should be fun, racing should pay the bills," Skime says. He fears, however, that racers are turning into hired guns like a lot of other sports and it's taking the grassroots out of the sport.
It's hard to deny that Arctic Cat has had, arguably, the most impressive list of riders in snowmobile racing history. I couldn't resist asking Skime to name the most talented Team Arctic racer, past or present. "To me, in order to answer that, the person would have to be talented in more than one area of racing" Skime responds. The only logical choice, in Skime's opinion, is Kirk Hibbert. Hibbert would excel in almost all facets of snowmobile racing, including the development side. "That man understands the vehicle better than anyone I know," Skime says.
Skime is often seen at weekend cross country and snocross races. "No one is making me go," Skime admits. He just can't bear to stay away.
Skime is such a competitor, that when he was younger he used to ride a sled to work every day in winter. Every night he'd ride the 55 miles home to his farm and keep track of how long it took. He would arrive home, look at his time and try to figure out how to go faster the next day. And to keep up with Skime on a snowmobile is, in Kirk Hibbert's words, "a handful." "That man can ride a sled," Hibbert admits.