69-70 Race Team

[wc]

1970 Race Team
   Roll-o-flex had a few people race a few races in 68-69 season.  The only driver that I am aware of was  Brad  Pernisie, who also was a sales rep for Roll-o-flex.
  In the summer of 1969 the management at Roll-o-flex indicated to Brad that they were interested in getting a racing team going for 69-70 season. As a member of the “Saskatchewan Motorcycle Club” racing scene, Brad suggested that  motorcycle  racers should be able to do the job.
  At the first meeting with Roll-o-flex there were the top 5 club racers.  Vern Bakke  #1 ,Dave Vogt  #2 ,  myself  #3 ,  Jerry Bandas  #4, Brad  #5. We got them to believe that we could do the job , even  though  Vern , Dave and  myself had only been on snowmobiles a few times each - this would be a piece of cake . That summer I was hired by Roll-o-flex to be their Snowmobile mechanic.  Jerry went to work for the Saskatchewan Skidoo distributer. Vern was paralyzed in a work accident. So it was Brad, Dave, and    myself  who were left to be the racers. Somewhere along the line Walt Zimmer became one of the team. Some farmer , what would he know about racing a snowmobile.  Actually it turned out it was a lot.
  Our new factory Boaski  race machines  finally  arrived early November 69. Two 399 Hirths, Two 438 Hirths, One  744 Hirth.  These were high compression, megaphone exhaust, Dual carbs, bogy suspension.  We had one 300 that Brad raced the year before. All we needed was a little seat time, we rode and rode these machines.  Dave and myself  couldn’t wait to show everybody what super stars we were. Finally it was time to race. Turned out that  Walt and Brad  were  getting  firsts and seconds, and  Dave  and  I a few sixths and fourth’s.  This was  not  as easy as we thought it was going to be.
  We double  entered our machines, 340 in 340 class, 340 in the 400 class, 400 in the 400 class, 400 in the 650 class, 650 in 650 class and  the open class, 744 in the open.  So we definitely got our seat time in. This began to show up in our finishes.  By our fourth race date we were all getting multiple firsts, seconds, and thirds.  We measured our success by exposure,(machines in races) by finishes(firsts, seconds, thirds,).   For the season we had 156 machine entries, in 88 races, with 93 finishes in the top 3. 33 first, 23 second, 29 third, 22 fourth.  With these results we felt that we had fulfilled our goals.
  Paddy Padwick was the manager of the team, He had the hardest job of all organizing entries,  travel , hotels, meals. He was always there to encourage and help. Always fun to be with. 
  During that season we had a few guest racers.  Ron Forsyth,  Jerry  Bandas,  Norm  Peterson,  Duane Chuka,  Greg Heller,  Sandra, don’t know her last name.  All were good for top three finishes.  And  Ivy,  my wife, who had never driven a snowmobile up to that time. Paddy and  her  thought it would  be a good idea to race the powderpuff race at Williston when  I  wasn’t around. She took fourth out of seven. 
   Sad to say  Vern,  Dave,  Brad, and  Jerry are no longer with us but will always be part of the history of Roll-o-flex.       Wade



 

[340tnt]

I would like to have been there when all those new BOA SKI sleds showed up. Wouldnt mind finding the big 744 today! You "superstars" werent fooling around, good results!