The Polaris racing blog and the ongoing chronicle of the amazing men and machines of the Polaris Professional Race Team from author Larry Preston.
1970 was a fantastic year for Polaris racing with Greg Grahn, Mike Baker, Ray Monsrud, Leroy Lindblad, Gerry Reece, Bob Eastman, Jim Bernat, Darrel Courtright,
Steve “I’ll build my tractors” Thorsen, leading Jerry Bunke on his way to his first World Championship, January 1977. Note the broken ski tip about
Bob Eastman and Dorothy Mercer in West Yellowstone, 1973. Bob won the 300cc class, but had to chase Larry Coltom’s fast Cats in 340 and
Eagle River, 1978. Looks like a heat race for the World Championship. Jerry Bunke battling Bob Elsner on his Cat.
Jim Bernat, one of the original Starfire Kids, kicking you know what and taking names on his 1975 340cc machine. Location unknown.
In December of 1977, I was fourteen and watching the races at the famous Dayco Holiday Spectacular and was snapping pictures as fast as I
After one of the first races in 1974, the phones in Roseau started ringing off the hook with racers wanting these special “torque converters” they
Two good photos from Eagle River, 1975 featuring Jim Bernat (269) on the outside of Doug Hayes (Absolutely an honorary Starfire Kid!) on his 440.
In 1969, Polaris was still working with variety of engine providers, so headed into the ’69 race season they were using a variety of German
The best of the best lined up to do battle for the 1977 Eagle River World Championship. If you read the story of this race
Starfire Kids Midnight Blue Express is the unauthorized and previously untold true story of the people from Roseau, Minnesota and the machines they built to find fame and fortune in the brutal, challenging, and often very dangerous sport of snowmobile racing in the 1960s and 1970s.
