Skip Fenstermaker bought a new Indy 650. His old one has been upgraded
to super-fast. Quick clutches, pipes, etc.
Jim Somers bought a new Wildcat. And Mike Lund took delivery on a fresh
new Mach I.
All three are friends who snowmobile together out of the northern suburbs of St. Paul, Minnesota. Skip may be the most experienced. He served as service and warranty manager for Arctic Enterprises; old Midwestern Cat distributorship. In the "gone fishin" years of Arctic Cat, he switched to Polaris and found he liked the triple cylinder power and performance.
It's been Skip who explored the idea of a "Turkey Shoot." Planned for the day after Thanksgiving- hence the name Turkey Shoot- the adventure includes a long weekend bivouac at a getaway on Minnesota's Lake Superior shore. For this third year Turkey Shoot, Skip and a crew of about 15 made it up to Tofte where they stayed at the Chateau LeVeaux, a rather plush resort complete with pool and hot tub. After all, as with most snowmobilers, there are priorities.
One of the fundamental priorities was snow. Skip has been coming to the area since the late '60s and knows that Finland, Minnesota, and the area around Nine Mile Lake is a unique area for early snow. Like Cable in Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula, this area derives the benefits of early- and late- "lake effect" snows. Post-Thanksgiving 1988 was prime snowmobiling. There was plenty of snow on the trails. The lakes were kind of frozen. Not with lots of ice, but with enough.
Arriving on Friday, Skip and his crew put on a few miles around Nine Mile Lake. This also happens to be home to the Trestle Inn. It's a good place to kick off the season.
On Saturday, the group headed into snow country. During a hearty Trestle Inn breakfast, the crew outlined the plan. Skip had found a lake that was long enough. One hitch. There was open water. If you lost your brakes at the end of the quarter mile, you might have to practice water-skipping. Once at the site, the assemblage of trailers and trucks was drawn up in a tight circle like you might see in an old western. Sleds were unloaded.Final preparations were made.
These guys are enthusiasts. They are also prepared. Out came the electronic
digital tachometer to adjust the Wildcat's clutching. The doors to Skip's red enclosed snowmobile trailer were opened to reveal a workshop away from
home, complete with spare windshields- low for going fast and high for touring
comfort. Springs and assorted pieces were readied to meet the conditions.
Sleds were run on the lake. A course was outlined. The combatants prepared
it by running up and down the course, packing it and making a solid groove.
Still, the course was wet and heavy. There would be no 100 miles per hour
speeds on this lake surface.
At long last, the radar gun pointed down the strip. The battle for bragging rights in this year's "Turkey Shoot" was about to begin.
In the preliminaries, the Mach I displayed some strength by turning an 83 in the eighth and an 87 in the quarter. The Turkey Shoot Wildcat was sandbaggin' in the eighth mile runs but popped two 88s and an 89 in the quarter. An '88 Wildcat turned an 80 in the eighth, but only 86 in the quarter.The new Cat was stronger.
Skip's Indy 650 turned a 79 in the eighth. Skip took it back to the trailer. It would hit 90 MPH in the quarter when the head-to-head battle took place. But that was with the low, go-fast windshield. A protest was heard. Skip scooted back to the trailer and changed to the taller touring windshield. The Indy 650 lost 3 MPH, dropping from the fastest speed of 90 MPH to tie the Mach Is best speed of 897.
Now, then, the stage was set. The official radar runs were over. The Indy 650 had earned a 90. But the taller windshield was to remain and be used in the head-to-head battle royal between the three drivers and their stock Cat, Ski-Doo and Polaris.
There was to be only one heat race. That was until the Mach I beat the Cat and Indy in the quarter. At the finish line you could see the Mach I in front, but less than a sled length separated the trio.
There had to be a heat two. And heat three. And a heat four. And more. From the second heat on, the first place finisher remained the Wildcat. The Indy and Ski-Doo changed positions.
It was obvious that a definite "groove" existed. The jumping of the start could make a difference as the three riders rolled through the starting line and gunned on to the finish line a quarter mile away.
The sleds were extremely close. There was no great deal of distance between
them. A sled length or so.
In this "Turkey Shoot" the Mach I showed strongly. It was surprising to see how the 580 fared on the sloppy and wet track against the 70cc larger twin and triple of the Cat and Indy.
We would guess that the true out of the box performance of the Mach I lies somewhere between the Turkey Shoot Ski-Doo and the Battle of Brainerd Ski-Doo.
What do you do with shoot-out sleds after the Turkey Shoot? Go trail riding.
After the shoot-out, Skip and his followers packed up their spare parts, refueled the sleds, and headed out for a 162 mile tour of the North Shore. They got into the Chateau LeVeaux either late Saturday night or early Sunday morning. It all depends on personal perspective.
This group of die-hard, play hard snowmobilers weren't the only group out after Thanksgiving. Both the Nine Mile Lake Resort and Schumacher's Crooked Lake Resort were booked for the weekend with snowmobilers. The Trestle Inn was hopping. It was great!
TURKEY SHOOT
Date: November 26, 1988
Location: Finland, MN
Conditions: 4 Inches, Wet, Heavy Packed Snow 30+ degrees Teperatures
| - | 1/8 Mi. Speed In MPH | 1/4 Mi. Speed In MPH |
| Arctco Wildcat 650 | 80 | 89 |
| Bombardier Ski-Doo Formula Mach I | 83 | 87 |
| Polaris Indy 650 | 82 | 90 |