The first race of the first ever big time professional snowmobile racing scene called “Sno-Pro” started in Ironwood Michigan in December of 1973. The press downplayed the Starfire Kids chances, writing off the sleds as just “1973 Starfires with new hoods” and that is exactly what Polaris wanted them to think.
In fact the sleds were super light, high-tech little missiles that handled literally flew. The fact that Polaris took a great deal of time to get dialed in before the race helped a lot as well… the other teams were plagued with breakdowns and problems.
As you can see from these photos.. the race team had more than a few butterflies before the first flag flew, but by the time the racing started it was clear Polaris was ready. Note the distance between Eastman and the person in second, and Hayes and the person in second!
Photos by John Scinscisson
