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For 31 years, three men tamed the snowmobile racing rules world. Just as times and technology change, so does racing. The ISR (International Snowmobile Racing) was purchased by Todd Achterberg and he is using his 13 years of management experience to help oversee sled racing. As the season started,
AmSnow caught up with Achterberg and key players in the business for a mid-term progress report.
What it was, what it is
ISR was formed by Dick Goekey, Thomas Zernia and Olav Aaen. It provides a rules structure for the snowmobile racing bodies, clubs and organizations.
Former General Manager of the AMSOIL Eagle River Derby Track, Achterberg started transitioning ISR by moving the headquarters from West Bend, Wis. to Eagle River, Wis.
“It’s now in a better location being smack dab in the middle of the racing world [at the World Snowmobile Headquarters building],” Aaen said.
By moving the headquarters to Eagle River, Todd was able to work in his hometown and still stay a part of the racing world after leaving the Derby Track.
“I could have run this operation simply out of my house, but I wanted a place with the name on it to give the company a face,” Achterberg said.
In addition to the new sign, the archives going back to 1980 are now available for anyone to come in and look at.
ISR joins the social world
Launched in early September, the website, www.isrracing.com, includes a calendar, racing rules book and guidelines.
“I can’t be at every race going on and that’s why being able to communicate with a website is crucial,” Achterberg said.
He believes around 80% of snocross racers may have never seen the rules. But now, they will be able to better rule themselves with their new knowledge.
“We have been pleasantly surprised. The new website, getting sled classifications out much earlier and easier contact [access] is something that became an issue for us in the past few years,” John Daniels, ISOC’s owner, said.
Achterberg has setup a Facebook account for ISR that he hopes to use more frequently this year, www.facebook.com/InternationalSnowmobileRacingInc. Social media allows quick notifications including meeting locations and times that need to be disseminated quickly. In addition, he is monitoring racing forums and chat rooms to make sure correct information is being conveyed.
Bringing in the aftermarket
“This is where I think the organization has lacked in the past. The aftermarket people are a library of technical expertise. I want to get them more involved in it,” Achterberg said.
The ISR Specialty Manufacturers and Distributors Group (SMDG) was formed in the 1980s. Made up of snowmobile aftermarket companies, its objective was to get input from aftermarket experts on the implementation of snowmobile rules.
Getting the aftermarket involved was rejuvenated this year at Hay Days when Achterberg held a meeting for SMDG. At the meeting discussions on SMDG’s new role in ISR was positively discussed.
“The new ISR ownership and involvement with the aftermarket manufacturers should improve the voting power to keep companies more involved with racing. Past movements were toward a more direct manufacturer racing program. This included requesting that the aftermarket companies invest and market with no means to sell, or market, our products and little means to test the OEM sleds,” said Jason Houle, SMDG member and owner of Straightline Performance.
Mass market appeal
Achterberg plans to use his connections in the sled world, including with ISMA and the aftermarket, to make the organization stronger. His plan for this year is hitting smaller and newer races that lack knowledge or finances of some of the bigger more established races. His experience with the Great Northern Snocross educated him on small race organizations. He has seen a need to clean up safety aspects at local levels too, and he believes past lawsuits could have been prevented with more education.
“Todd will bring new ideas and a new way of thinking when it comes to formulating race rules for the future. He may have to rely on his military experience when dealing with all the race affiliates, especially the manufacturers,” said Tom Lawrence, Ski-Doo’s race coordinator.
While having experience in snocross and ice racing has helped him, Achterberg is reaching out to the grass and asphalt drag racing areas to learn more about that end of the sport. He said this was a strong area of knowledge for the previous owners and he wants to learn more.
“I just want to take what the [founders] had and build on it and move forward,” Achterberg said.