fred smith wins vintage world championship
Amsnow
Eagle River, Wis. - With a pass in the final turn, Fred Smith scored a dramatic win in the Vintage World Championship here Jan. 13th.
Smith, out of Plymouth, Minn., got under youngster Mitchel Pankratz entering Turn 3 to win his second vintage championship and the American Snowmobiler American Eagle Award trophy that goes to the vintage world champion. Smith won on the same Ski-Doo Blizzard in 2003, but the sled has been reconfigured so that the pipes that exited out the front then, now run under the seat to exit in the rear.
To win, the 52-year-old Smith had to come from the back row, where two extra qualifiers join the field on the day of the race. Smith's sled had nothing but trouble on Saturday, breaking bolts that held on his skis, among other maladies.
His 8-man Bullet Racing crew from Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota, worked much of the night to get the sled ready for Sunday's last qualifying rounds so that Smith could start 12th in the 12-sled race.
Pankratz, racing out of Glidden, Wis., had maintained the lead for the second half of the 10-lap finale, but Smith slowly reeled him in before making the dramatic pass.
Third was Jean Lesieur on a Chaparral.
The 45th Annual World Championship is this coming weekend at the Eagle River Derby Track.
*Photos to come, and watch American Snowmobiler magazine for photos too!