i500 vs grand 500

Taking seed: A history lesson
The original I-500 began in 1966 as the kick-off event for the 10-day St. Paul Winter Carnival. The first year it attracted 38 entries, but the next five years saw the field swell to over 300. At its peak, 385 racers tried their luck over the grueling 587-mile course from Winnipeg, Manitoba to St. Paul. Past and present race director George Rettner recalls the rise and fall of the original I-500. "The early race was a big money maker for the Carnival," he notes. "Then in the 70s came the energy crunch. At one time there were over 120 manufacturers, but snowmobiling started to drop off. That was the beginning of the end."

In 1980 the race, directed by Rettner, attracted a mere 140 competitors. Despite the low number of entries, he planned for 1981. Lack of snow prevented the race from running its 16th year. Lack of interest prevented the race from running again until 1987.

Rettner explains how the I-500 was reincarnated, "I don't know the motivation, but it came about as a result of conversations among friends who thought it would be nice to get this thing started again. Dick Sand of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, went to the manufacturers to get their support. The event snowballed into what we have today."

Sand asked Rettner to direct the race again and he agreed saying he needed to get his original crew. Rettner says he got 80 percent of the original board, including committee chairmen, to help lead the revival of the I-500. "Those guys saved us because they could tell us what to do based on past experience," he adds.

In its first year the new I-500 experienced a few changes. It ran only two days and went from Thunder Bay, Ontario to Forest Lake, Minnesota. For the second year it went back to a three-day event. Rettner says the race route was revised for two main reasons: if the race progressed from a small town to a large metropolitan area- Thunder Bay to Grand Marais, Grand Marais to Duluth and Duluth to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul- the media coverage would grow accordingly. Snow conditions would also be better and more reliable along the new route. Even with the changes, the race still attracted loyal riders, the biggest share coming from those who participated in the original I-500, says Rettner.

Although the Grand 500 will feature racers like three-time I-500 champion Jack Struthers and two-time I-500 winner Kirk Hibbert, it can't claim to have had Leroy Lindblad, back-to-back winner of the original I-500 in 1970 and 1971, or Dale Cormican, another two-time I-500 champion during its first six years. In other words, because it has never run, the Grand 500 can't yet be recognized for its heroes or finishers like Erv Melvie from Viking, Minnesota, who drove 80 miles on one ski; blew three clutches at various points and replaced them without the aid of a clutch puller; roared around a blind corner and crashed into another snowmobiler (the other guy was uninjured and already out of the race); drove the last 50 miles with no chain case oil (the case being cracked); and sweated out a fuel leak for the last 75 miles.

The Grand 500 can be recognized for its support from the sled makers. The infant history of the Grand 500 began with a few whispers and has grown into a roar. Arctic Cat racing manager, Joey Hallstrom, says he talked with ISOC director, John Daniels at last year's I-500 and encouraged him to consider starting a new 500-mile cross country race and include it in ISOC's circuit.

"I think he realizes the hard work, long hours and money it takes [to do a good 500-mile race]. He sees the need for a good tech crew, good organization and a good race course. He definitely has the hottest thing going with ISOC," he says.

Daniels was also solicited by Ski-Doo and Polaris to organize the Grand 500. After long deliberation he agreed to work on the manufacturers' request. "It took a lot of thought, but we decided to do it if they'd help us (ISOC) pay Duke Hall as public relations director of ISOC and the Grand 500," he says.

ISOC hired Hall- who also coordinated the 32-day Olympic torch run through Minnesota- in May to promote its newest race. The Grand 500 was introduced at snowmobile shows, press conferences and races in the Midwest and in Winnipeg. Ads are being run in half a dozen magazines and on the radio. Hall says he's working with KFAN, a Twin Cities' sports radio show, and hopes to have the Grand 500 featured. The race is also being advertised cooperatively with the Grand Casinos in Hinckley and Mille Lacs, Minnesota. Promotions and posters were presented at ISOC's six Pro Jet Personal Watercraft Sports Tour races.

Hall suggests the ISOC's promotional efforts are relatively large for an organization of its size. "ISOC is doing an excellent job. Most people take several years to grow into this scope of promotion," he says. "This race is easy to promote because there's so much energy in the snowmobile race community…people want to see posters going up and they want things to happen. All the counties that the race is going through recognize the economic benefit snowmobiling brings to their community."

As easy as it was for ISOC's 500 to earn community support, it was almost as easy to earn sponsorship. "Sponsorship response has been considerably more than what I expected," adds Hall. "I truly believe this can be the Indy 500 of snowmobiling. ISOC has the quality to do it and Minnesota has given the support."

As the Grand 500 continues to grow, it seems to have stepped into the spotlight. Manufacturers, racers and driver sponsors feel that this race, under the leadership of the ISOC, is the hottest race around. Brian Musselman, Vice President of Woody's, says the large purse and high possibility of payback makes the new 500 more attractive than the old. "The reputation, at this point, of the I-500 has been bad for the past four years," he claims. "ISOC promoters worked hard to get a lot of money for the racers." Daniels agrees, "The biggest reason the top racers aren't in the I-500 is that it has little payback. Our payback is three or four times what they (I-500) pay out. We have a minimum purse of $200,000."

Officials of the I-500 aren't impressed and dispute the claim about payback. In a letter sent to racers, I-500 race director George Rettner points out that with contingencies the I-500 awarded over $200,000 in prizes last year. The letter also says that in the last eight years over $1.25 million has been given to I-500 racers.