vintage snowmobiling
Amsnow
For Preston, vintage snowmobiling is about family history and bringing families together. "I've seen it time and again that fathers, sons and brothers who don't get along find a common place with the vintage hobby," he said." Through that they find things they really do like about each other. What more can you ask for?"
Along with collecting and bringing people together, the vintage snowmobile world offers a more fast-paced avenue for the thrill seeking, risk taking, speedster. Snowmobile racing has been an ongoing staple of the sport and the increased interest in vintage snowmobiles has created more race designed for vintage sleds.
The Eagle River Derby Track has long been synonymous with the racing world, and vintage racing is no exception. In the late 1990s it became involved with the vintage world by giving Pro Vintage a place to race their sleds. "With the track having such a history, it was just a natural fit for the Derby to hold a vintage race," said Todd Achterberg, general manager at the Eagle River Derby Track.
In 2002 Eagle River presented the World Championship Vintage Weekend with drag races, sled displays and swap areas. For two years, the Eagle River World Championship Snowmobile Derby has included the Loadmaster Pro Vintage Sleds Championship featuring races of classic snowmobiles from the early 1960s and 1970s.
The way for a novice to get involved with vintage racing is the same as collecting: network. A novice should show up at a race and talk with some of the drivers in the pits so they can ask questions and get ideas from the racers, Achterberg said.
Both the vintage racers and the collectors seem to agree that it is the people that make this sport unique and fun to be around. "It is a very close-knit sport, and there are a lot of wonderful people," Achterberg said.
According to Preston, the fun he has had with the vintage community is worth more than any piece of machinery.
This story ran in the November 2003 issue of American Snowmobiler magazine