Wheels of Thunder May 2013

Vol. 4 Issue 5MAY 2013

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Page 32Page 22

Page 2 Find us on Facebook “Wheels of Thunder” May 2013

Special FeaturesJosh Headlee - Apart from Chrome ................4Rocketman - Ky Michaelson .........................16Indy 500 Preview .......................................32Buddy Perkinson Returns to NHRA ...............60Meeting the Swarm.....................................68

ReviewsHeinen’s – Making Waves...........................26Arnold’s Park – Destination for FUN! ...........62

Rally’s & ShowsBIR – NASCAR Returns ...............................22GSTA 2013 ................................................38Bikes with a Past .........................................44Supercross..................................................52BRRP ..........................................................56

DepartmentsGarage Built.................................................8DZL Dose....................................................12Next Generation - Gino Fontecchio ..............42Kimmy Cat’s Corner....................................46ABATE of MN .............................................51Game On!..................................................66

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T his 2004 Yamaha R6 speaks loud and proud fromevery chrome metal part and every custom paintedinch! Owner and motorhead Josh Headlee of Min-

nesota spent most of his early bike years atop dirt bikes, buthis curiosity, creativity and race mentality moved him to astreet bike in time. He admits it was a spur of the momentdecision to bring home his Yamaha. He went into a localdealer, always liking the Yamaha blue and thought maybe itwouldn’t hurt to look. So much for ‘just looking’….

Written by Ceaja Philp


He laughed a little when he said he must havelooked like a monkey riding a tricycle with histowering 6’8” height. Josh spent some time attrack days gaining more experience on how toget the most out of his street machine.

The moment things changed again happenedwhen he spilled some brake fluid on the rearswing arm. Admittedly being a bit of a perfec-tionist, he couldn’t handle seeing the distortedpaint. This sent him searching online until hefound a chrome swing arm on EBay. Havinghad worked in a chroming shop after highschool, the polished purity always caught his

attention. Little did he know this first changedpart would be the start of an entire transforma-tion! He also had a gentle shove after taking hisR6 to a local bike show and winning 1st place inthe sport bike class. The sight of fresh chromeand the taste of winning hardware set his on-line search for more parts, research, and ideasfull speed ahead.

One metal piece at a time was replaced bychrome and all the plastics were painted blue.Even though Josh was happy with how the pro-gression was going, there was just somethingmissing. After more research and what mostwould never attempt on their own, his wife Ko-rine walked into the garage one day and foundtheir fairly new bike had been completely takenapart down to the frame. Josh had decided andfound a company in Texas that he wanted tochrome the frame. The anxiety built daily hashe waited for it to return.

Sleep was an afterthought the day it came back.The closer it came to completion the fasterJosh’s heart raced. Finally….ready to go….ornot! His heart fell as he went to start it and gotdead silence. Back to the internet, and thank-fully found just a safety switch was on upsidedown, great to know the feature works if thebike isn’t upright!

Once he got that minor issue taken care of andheard the sound and saw his ideas all assem-bled, he had a change of heart for this project.He remembered how he felt winning that tro-phy and was so proud of how the Yamahalooked he decided it would become his ‘showbike’. He also figured it might be a good timeto address his size with the current size of thebike. He wanted to rid himself of the ‘mon-key/tricycle’ look. Josh found an extendedswing arm with a Nitrous setup already in place.

Being somewhat of a ‘techie’ he tackled the elec-tronics next. Once again Josh felt he had foundhis place of contentment with his Yamaha.

Getting things put together in time for the Don-nie Smith show in 2011 meant a great deal tohim and the hard work paid off! He won in thesport bike class, in a dominantly custom chop-per/bike show.

This was the lead into his next contest in 2012,which was by Yamaha hosting an initial onlinecontest. Out of numerous thousands of entries,Josh was chosen in the top 10 to make a trip toLaguna Seca Raceway in California to competein a ‘People’s Choice’ contest.

Josh was excited to explain that the opportunitybecame one of the most wonderful road tripswith his Dad, but in the end came home emptyhanded. This was a little tough to take and onlyset his creative mind in fast forward. He wantedthat win again and with the advice of his friendRick from Autoremodel.com, he connected withDeadline Customs of Forest Lake, MN. Aftersome ideas thrown around and the deadline tomake the Minneapolis 2013 International Mo-torcycle Show, Jeff (of DLC) put his airbrush towork. The guys not only made the deadline butalso took home a $1,000 first place win.

Next on the list would be the 2013 DonnieSmith show, again taking first in the sport bikeclass. With so much work, years past, time andmoney, Josh has decided to ‘retire’ his ’04 R6from street riding. You may see it at shows orevents, but with Korine buying him a Bike Bub-ble they can rest assured this first of many mas-terpieces for their home will be forever ashowpiece. The next on their list is a 2011Harley Street Glide. Keep an eye on the nextproject by visiting www.joshheadlee.com

JOSH HEADLEEApart From Chrome…

In Loving Memory OfCharles “Chuck Da’Wild Man” Collett"

Sound Familiar?Do you have a story of your custom ride? [email protected] and you could be

featured with your ride in the next issue!

Owner/Enthusiast:Timothy E. Collett

Photography byChris Peterson

2010 CamaroSuperchargedVictory Red, RS Package

L99 Automatic, LS3 Conversion

“I built this car for my father when he could notcomplete his purchase due his death on 10-10-2010. I have been around race cars since I was alittle kid with my father, we built all kinds of stockcars and sprint cars always running small blockChevy motors. All the race cars we built wereChevrolet and my father was a 4 time Hawaii StateChampion. It has been my goal to get the word outabout my father’s passion for Chevrolet & Camaro.”


My passion for Chevy started pretty muchwhen I was big enough to go out to theshop and help my father with his race carsone of which was a 68 Camaro. My fatherraced 1/4 mile dirt track and eventuallystarted racing U.S.A.C. Sprint Cars andwon several championships in the late 60'sto late 70's. My passion for Chevrolet &Camaro started when i was a kid and i stillhave that passion to this day. I have neverowned anything but General Motors mywhole life.

Back last year in September of 2010 my fa-ther got real sick from liver failure and aweek later he was diagnosed with Cancerof the Liver. My father being the tough guylet us all know his time was limited and hischances of a transplant were minimal. Hejust stated he wouldn't stop being himselfand we joked over the phone about me liv-ing in North Pole Alaska for over 20 years.He told me in the many conversations wehad together in his last month alive, thatthe 5th Generation Camaro could not getthere quick enough and he laughed be-cause we all knew what he meant as thedoctor told him it could be weeks! Well myfather passed away on October 10, 2010and he never got a chance to fulfill thatdream of his. He was just too sick to doanything in his last month.

So I decided when I retire this year I amgoing to get us both that 2010 ChevroletCamaro SS in tribute to my father and vic-ariously live his dream for him!

When I moved I thought of no better placethan to place my father’s ashes and a T-Shirt I had Air Brushed in his memory in mygarage with the Camaro, I also plan on get-ting a few Air Brushed items in his honor in-side the Camaro when i get close to beingdone with my mods [Recently painted myfathers ashes into the front bumper blackout's]. My father was and is my hero whotaught me the values I live with to this day,he is a Veteran of Vietnam, 2 time recipi-ent of the Purple Heart,30 year careerNavy Man and a very proud father!

So in essence you can say i built this carwith guidance from my father who taught

me everything about Chevrolet & Ca-maro's! I know my pops is smiling down onthis build knowing everything he taughtme was well done!

EXTERIOR MODS:• Window Tint, 20% - Island Tint• 22x9.5 & 22x11 Cordon CR-22's

Brushed Centers With Chrome LipsStaggered, Front 3.5"/Rear 4.75"

• 265/30/22 & 315/25/22 Pirelli PZeroNero Tires

• BREMBO Powder Coated Red Calipers- Courtesy Of Mike The Powder

PERFORMANCE MODS:• Pfadt Stage 3 Suspension• R1 Concepts Cross Drilled Rotors• Forged Bottom End W/Callies Crank• Manley Stainless Steel Valves• Manley Connecting Rods• Kooks 1 7/8 Headers With 3" X Pipe No

Cats• Flowmaster American Thunder Catback

Stainless• QTP Electric Exhaust Cut Outs W/Re-

mote• Magnuson TVS-2300 Supercharger -8

pounds of Boost• 3.6 Pulley• LS3 Conversion• Cold Air Inductions Intake - Victory Red• Custom Billet Pulleys• Livernois C2 Cam• LS7 Lifters• Pac Springs• Polished & Ported Heads• DSS 1400hp Axles• Yank Stall Converter• ID 850 Fuel Injectors (On Order)• ZL1 Fuel Pump• Tom Wong Tuned Vancouver Washington

I have many photos of my car before ina thread with over 4000 posts on

Camaro5.com @http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showth

read.php?t=182932




As one goes through life you can choose one of twopaths: 1. Mosey along existing day to day in hopesthat no one is offended by your actions and behaviorsor 2. Pursue a passionate lifestyle chasing yourdreams, making those around you better, and smilinga lot. Gearheads, iron benders and motorsports freaksknow what I am talking about…nothing will ever re-place the rush of going fast in your hand built ride ofchoice or even the sound of the first v-twin rumblingby on an early spring day. As Hot Rodders we havebeen blessed with a passion that consumes us, ourthoughts, dreams and our every waking hour notspent working with our hobbies are spent thinkingabout them.

Motorheads are now headed into the season of dirtand dry pavement…smiling ear to ear as that dustyproject car or bike from last year or the winter projectscreams to life to fulfill that need for speed. Be it onthe track, strip or open road the winter of our dis-content has come to an end. We are finally ready tobegin the season of weekly show & shines, cruisenights, bike shows, runs and rallies. Whether youadded a short block, long block, blower, some newchrome or pipes to your ride it is about to come to lifeagain. I, for one, have found the new season of NHRAto be off the chain with thrills and chills from 4 sec-ond passes, wins by the thousandths of a second andracers safely burning up millions in hardware…andunlike days gone by no 30 minute clean ups…think-ing Brainerd may need a visit this year again for thefirst time since ’04.

There also the rallies all over the Midwest from theconstantly popping up local and regional bike nightsin the small towns to H-D’s 110th anniversary in Mil-waukee, WI to Sturgis in SD. Being around hundreds

of thousands of people that share your passion can beinebriating to say the least. The sights, sounds andsmell of the motorcycle world are unparalleled in mo-torsports. No matter if your bike is a $50,000 trailerqueen or a $600 Craigslister, everyone can enjoy theseevents and imagine their next project or add on totheir own ride.

Finally, for the everyday working stiff like most of us,the coup de gras of the summer is those times whenyou take some much needed respite and just roll withno timelines, deadlines or cell phones to slow yourroll. The stuff movies are made of is out there and it’sjust waiting for you to find it. Some of my best trips

Written by Rev Dzl


have had but a destination with no itinerary. Just get lost andfind your own adventure in your personal lil wild west. Stop-ping in small towns throughout the Midwest is always a treatenjoying the tiny café’s and pubs, playing modern day cowboyson the wide open road.

However you get your kicks (unless you’re a sled jockey, youhad your share of the year) get out and enjoy the sights, soundsand scents (nothing beats lilacs at 80 on the back of your chop-

per) of the Upper Midwest this summer. Be safe while tearingit up but be sure to grab a chunk of the petro fueled life style bythe huevos and burn it up ‘cause before you know it we will beburied again under a ton of the unforgiving white stuff.

Peace and Axle Grease til We Meet Again,Partners…Dzl



When I first started hearingabout all the exploits ofBloomington, Minnesota's

Ky Michaelson I thought to myself‘someone should write a book aboutthis guy’. As I delved further into thehistory of “The Rocketman” I foundthat in fact a book had been written-Motorbooks published Ky's autobiogra-phy in 2007 entitled Rocketman: MyRocket-Propelled Life and High OctaneCreations. And now there's talk of adocumentary in the making. In otherwords, I'm going to have a tough timefitting all the great Ky Michaelson sto-ries into one magazine article.

Ky Michaelson:Living life at full thrust

What we can do is feature the highlights of his life as an innova-tor and builder of rocket-powered machinery, a holder of manyworld speed records, and as a groundbreaking Hollywood stunt-man. Luckily for us there is a boatload of incredible photos fromMichaelson's vast collection that can help tell this fascinating story.And of course room for a couple of funny Ky stories.

Even though I hadn't heard of Michaelson when I was assignedthis story, I found that I remembered many of his crazy machinesand various friends and colleagues from the '70s and '80s since mynose was buried in all the hot rod magazines at the time. I couldrecall reading stories about the hydrogen peroxide rocket dragstercalled Pollution Packer and the record-setting runs of drag racerKitty O'Neil. Since I'm from from the upper midwest, the photosof Ky's various snowmobile dragsters always caught my eye. Mo-torcycle jumper Super Joe Einhorn, who Ky had built a radical"gyro-bike" for a leap over Niagara Falls, also jogged my memory.And then there was Doug Rose, the driver of the Green Mamba jetdragster, who I recall seeing burn down a junker in spectacularfashion at Cordova, IL around 1975. Doug is still burning downcars and is a big pal of Ky's to this day.

Ky's fascination with all things mechanical (and fast!) dates backto his childhood. When Michaelson was 12 his parents gave hima Gilbert chemistry set for Christmas. Ky figured out how to make

Written by Steve Casper

In the first decade of the last century, the Michaelson family racing team showcasedtheir line of motorcycles at many big midwestern events. Ky's grandfather and his

great uncles John, Walter and Joe were all part of the team.


black powder which he then used to makehis first rocket engine. Another discoveryimportant to his future came once he gothis first car, a 1933 Ford 3-window coupethat he bought for $15! He took it racingand learned, as his great-grandfather had,that going fast was a sensation he couldn’tdo without. So a guy who loves rocketslearns he has a need for speed- it doesn'ttake much of an imagination to figurewhere that might lead!

Speed, flight, stunts and the inventing oftheir related machinery are actually in hisfamily’s blood. One of his earliest familyphotos shows his great uncle riding a bicy-cle off a ramp for a crowd of people indowntown Zumbrota just after the turn ofthe century. He was known as "The GreatMicheals" and was one of the earliest pro-fessional stunt riders on record. Pedaling abike on flatter surfaces wasn’t much of athrill, so Ky's ancestors added an engineand launched the Michaelson motorcyclecompany in 1908, promoting their bikeswith a family-run flattrack race team. Eventhen the Michaelsons had a penchant forasking, 'can’t this thing go any faster?' Afew generations later, Ky would be fittingrockets to bicycles and motorcycles, an-swering the question with a resounding'yes'.

Ky built a motorcycle powered by two Tur-bonique T-16A rocket motors in 1964. Hetook this creation to a local racetrackwhere the announcer said, 'Here comes theRocketman!' The nickname stuck.

Michaelson formed Rocketman Enter-prises, Inc. in 1969 and built a rocket-pow-ered snowmobile (remember, this isMinnesota) that got into the GuinnessBook of World Records. The rush he felt insetting a record prompted what manywould consider a rash decision: he decided

to go after every acceleration record in theworld! Over the next 12 years, vehiclesdriven by Michaelson rockets set 72 state,national and international speed records.

It’s hard to name a vehicle he hasn’t put arocket on—cars, motorcycles, go-karts,snowmobiles, boats, a wheelchair, an over-

size runner snow sled, and a bicycle. He’sbuilt a rocket pack to fly like Buck Rogers,and an earthbound jetpack that propelledhis son Curt down drag strips at over fiftymiles per hour—on roller-skates! He evenput a rocket on a port-a-potty for a TVshow, and the darn thing flew.

One of Ky's first forays into racing were tra-ditional dragsters in the early 60s. This wasduring the days when innovation in the de-sign of race vehicles and engines was notonly encouraged, but greatly rewarded,when someone hit upon a better idea. Kyeventually turned the drag racing on itshead with his hydrogen peroxide rocket-powered vehicles that set unbelievablespeed records in the late '70s. With head-line-grabbing female racer Kitty O'Neal atthe helm, the Space Age Racing Racingteam headed by Ky set an all-new drag rac-ing elapsed time record of 3.22 seconds at412 mph in the quarter-mile. And this wasin 1977! To give you an idea of the enor-mity of Kitty's run, the NHRA Top Fuelrecord in 1977 was a mere 5.6 seconds and255 mph. That incredible time and speedstill stands today as the fastest anyone hasever blasted down the quarter-mile. Ky alsoproduced the first Funny Car (rocket-pow-ered) to run in the three second range atover 300 mph.

Ky loves to tell a funny story about thedays when his rocket dragster was drivenby Kitty. "I ran into 'Broadway' Bob Metzler(owner of the Great Lakes Dragway in Wis-consin) down at Don Garlits drag racingmuseum in Florida in 2006," says Ky. "Bobwas with a couple of his friends and he

Ky Michaelson (right) confers with "Big Daddy" DonGarlits while Kitty O'Neal gives the thumbs up fromthe cockpit of her hydrogen peroxide-powered rocket

car in the late '70s.

It's hard to believe this creation actually worked, butthe "Human Fly" launched this Ky-built rocket mo-

torcycle over 27 buses in 1977, breaking EvelKnievel's record. The landing was both spectacular

and painful, but the Fly survived.

In 1905 Ky's great uncle Joe Michaelson jumped his bicycle over a record 65-foot gap on the streets of Zumbrota,MN. Decades later, Ky would discover that the unique drop-down takeoff ramp used by his uncle was the inspira-

tion for the ramp Evel Knievel used for his famous jump at the L.A. Coliseum.


started telling some stories about me. Oneof them was how Kitty O’Neil drove myrocket car at over 325 mph at his track andshe was blind. I said, 'wait a minute Bob,Kitty wasn't blind, she was deaf!' Every-body started laughing. All Bob could saywas, 'I have been telling everyone for yearsshe was blind. No wonder nobody believedme!' I still get a good laugh out of that."

Michaelson also spent a good part of hislife working in the Hollywood stunt busi-ness. In his book there are over 30 pagesdedicated to his good friend Dar Robinson.The chapter gives a behind-the-scenes lookat movie making and insight into the heartand soul of one of the world's greateststuntmen. This was back in the days whenstuntmen actually performed real stunts forthe cameras, stunts that were both danger-ous and very technical. That special crafthas all but disappeared these days with theadvent of computer generated imagery(CGI).

Ky formed Hollywood Stunt Masters in1969 and has over 30 plus years experienceas a stuntman, stunt coordinator and spe-cial effects expert. His most memorablestunt took place at the world's tallest free-standing structure, the CN Tower inToronto, Canada. Dar Robinson was beingfeatured in the ABC primetime specialWorld's Most Spectacular Stuntmen. Kywas responsible for designing the stunt.After countless tests, weather interferencesand sleepless nights, Ky sent his best friendplummeting 1,200 feet off the top of thetower with only a 1/8" cable to save himfrom non-existence. The stunt was a hugesuccess and a world record.

The people Ky has met over the years reads

like a who's who of Hollywood and theworld of sports; Evel Knievel, BurtReynolds, Buzz Aldrin, Roy Rogers,Muhammad Ali, Parnelli Jones, Red Skel-ton, Mickey Rooney, Craig Breedlove, andMario Andretti just to name a few. Micheal-son was also inducted into the StuntmanHall of Fame.

Ky's son Curt spent several years as Cap-tain Rollerball, speeding down racetrackson rollerskates with a rocket attached to hisback. Ky likes to relay a funny story re-garding the stunt.

"We received an invitation to appear on theMike Douglas Show," explains Ky. "Wewere thrilled to learn we’d be appearingwith Mike Connors and comedian DavidBrenner. Mike suggested that after Curtdoes his stunt, we could also have DavidBrenner try out the rocket roller skates live

on the show. Man, for some reason to methat just sounded like an accident waitingto happen, so I asked David if he wouldlike to take a practice shot at it first. He saidhe was a darn good skater and he reallydidn’t need to practice. He just looked atthat small rocket backpack and laughed inconfidence. He looked to be having toomuch fun entertaining a couple of girls hehad just met, which is why I think he de-clined. So, as the segment was about to golive, I gave him a little advice. I told him,'David, whatever you do, do not fire therocket wide open until you start skatingfirst.' He assured me he wouldn’t. While Ihad been talking to David, Curt was readyfor his exhibition. He put the rocket on,skated down the alley in back of the stu-dio, and fired it. They had a couple of guysholding a big mattress at the end of theblock to stop him from flying through theintersection. He looked great, the stunt ap-peared easy, and everyone was impressedwith his performance. That was Curt, nowit was David’s turn."

Ky continues, "We got David all strappedin and right off the bat he started jokingaround with Mike by asking, 'How far is itto the Manhattan toll bridge?' Next, Davidbegan jumping up and down on the skatesand started to pull the lever that let therocket fuel flow into the engine. He let justenough fuel in to make the engine go 'pop,pop, pop,' and then started to dance up anddown jokingly like the rocket didn’t haveenough power to push him. From there, hedid exactly what I told him not to do. Hepowered the rocket wide open without

Ed Ballenger was the primary pilot of Ky Michaelson's rocket dragster in the late '70s and early '80s.

Ky's son Curt toured the racing circuits in the late '70s as Captain Rollerball, speeding down tracks onrollerskates, powered by a rocketpack designed by Ky.


skating first. The rocket literally catapultedDavid straight up into the air, arms flailingeverywhere, and he came down hard, flaton his face. It was a miracle he wasn’t seri-ously hurt. We all gathered around to pro-vide medical attention when David rolledover and said, 'Am I there yet?' Of courseeveryone burst out laughing and when itwas all over the producer said it was defi-nitely a very entertaining segment. I knowI’ll certainly never forget it, and neither willCurt, who continued to appear at race-tracks for the next couple of years thrillingcrowds with his high-speed antics. Curtwas never injured while performing thatstunt, never fell, and will go down in his-tory as the first rocket-powered rollerskater, setting the speed record at 52 mphin 1976."

In more recent years Ky has been heavilyinvolved in the world of amateur un-manned rocketry. In 1995 he set out to bethe first to blast an amateur rocket intospace, which is officially defined as 62miles above the earth. His first two at-tempts in 2000 and 2002 failed, but thethird time was a charm. On May 17, 2004,the Go Fast Rocket, built by Michaelsonand an all-volunteer collaboration of about25 teachers, students and rocket scientistscalled the Civilian Space eXploration Team,soared 77 miles above the Black RockDesert in northern Nevada. This becomethe first privately-funded rocket to reachspace. During it's flight, the rocket reachedan incredible speed of 3420 mph, thefastest speed ever achieved by a civilianrocketeer.

"If you can dream it you can achieve it,"says Ky. "That is my philosophy for life.When I was 8 years old my father showedme a book that was published in 1920. Ithad a picture of a man with a leather hel-met sitting in a chair with a rocketmounted on it. In the next photo it showedhim lying on the ground smoldering. Thecaption said, 'And he lived to tell about it'.It turns out that those photographs endedup playing a big part in my life. They gaveme the spirit of adventure and the dreamof actually launching a rocket into outerspace. Fifty years later, that's just what Idid."

An even younger member of the Michael-son family is currently being primed to

keep the traditions alive. Ky's 13-year oldson Buddy has already lifted off from terrafirma with a jetpack and has helped his dadbuild various rocket-powered kid-type ve-hicles such as a scooter and a really trickcustom tricycle.

To learn more about Ky's fascinating lifeand some of his most recent projects, checkout his very informative website atwww.the-rocketman.com where you canalso purchase a copy of his autobiography.

Ky's youngest son Buddy became the youngest person to ever lift off with a jetpack. A tether was utilizedas a safety device for the first launches.

Ky (standing) drove the Sonic Challenger rocketsnowmobile to a new record of 114 mph in 1970.Bad conditions at the time kept the machine from

reaching its full potential.

Every 14-year old boys dream- a rocket powered go-kart! Many of Ky's creations were on display for a

time at the Bloomington (MN) Art Center.

Meticulous restorations are also part of Ky's repertoire. This is a spectacular rendition of the Michaelsonmotorcycle which was first produced in 1908.



T he schedule includes long-standing events like the three-race Muscle Car Series on thedrag strip, the 12-race Bracket Drag Racing Series, Sports Car Club of America (SCCA)road racing and Superbike racing. It also includes relatively new events that are quickly

gaining popularity, like the Trans Am Series, IWA Watercross, Powercruise and the Modern Au-tomotive Performance Proving Grounds, which added a second weekend this year.

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series is returning to Brainerd InternationalRaceway in 2013 for the second consecutive season, highlight-ing another jam-packed schedule for race fans.

www.WheelsofThunder.net Page 23

The pinnacle of the season, again, is theLucas Oil NHRA Nationals, which is Aug.15-18 and brings the world’s best drag rac-ers to BIR for a weekend of ground-pound-ing action.

The most notable change at BIR this seasoninvolves kids. For every event this season,admission for kids 12 and under is FREE!That includes the Lucas Oil NHRA Na-tionals, but kids must still buy a reservedseat to sit in the grandstand. There’s onlyone ticket price per event for everyone 13and older.

The first major event of the season is Me-morial Day weekend. The 5th AnnualStreet Car Showdown features the

NASCAR K&N Pro Series. After making itsBIR debut last year, NASCAR K&N returnswith a 50-lap, 125-mile race on Saturday.Last year’s race included 20 cars, with athrilling finish that saw 21-year-oldMichael Self patiently waiting until the last10 laps to pass the two leaders to take thecheckered flag. This year’s race is expectedto be every bit as exciting as NASCAR’s up-and-coming stars hone their skills on theirway to competing in the Nationwide Seriesand Sprint Cup.

“We had a lot of interest last year in theNASCAR K&N race but the rainy weatherkept a lot fans away,” said BIR owner JedCopham. “We still got the race in and thefans that came saw a great race and somereally impressive driving. We’re expectingthe same this year and even biggercrowds.”

The Street Car Showdown will also featurethe SCCA Harvey West Classic, where na-tional and regional road racers will com-pete Saturday when NASCAR isn’t on thetrack and on Sunday. On the drag strip, thethree-race Muscle Car Series kicks off withthree days of big horsepower and mind-blowing speeds by the seven Heads Upclasses.

The Muscle Car Series continues July 5-7during the 27th Annual NAPA Auto PartsShow & Go, which is a Fourth of July tra-dition at BIR that features the second leg ofthe Muscle Car Series on the drag strip andCentral Roadracing Association SuperbikeRacing on the Competition Road Course.

Written by Geoff Gorvin


A classic car show, fireworks display, livemusic and kids activities round out the ac-tion-packed weekend.

Two weeks after race fans clear out afterNHRA Nationals, thousands will return forthe 25th Annual Muscle Car ShootoutLabor Day weekend. It’s the grand finale ofthe Muscle Car Series on the drag strip,where series championships will be de-cided in 21 different classes. While racersare slugging it out on the drag strip forthree days, the Competition Road Coursewill be busy with the Trans Am Series onSunday and the SCCA Jack Pine SprintsSaturday and Sunday.

The Trans Am Series is pro racing at itsfinest, with Trans Am, Trans Am2 and GTclasses all on the course at the same time.This year, there will be a single 40-lap, 100-mile race on Sunday. On Saturday, andwhen the Trans Am cars aren’t on the trackSunday, the Jack Pine Sprints will be ondisplay with open-wheel cars, GTs, musclecars and a wide range of other race cars pi-loted by some of the top amateur racers inthe Midwest.

The highlight of BIR’s season, though, isAug. 15-18 when the best drag racers onthe planet will be at BIR for the Lucas OilNHRA Nationals and the Mello Yello DragRacing Series. It’s the largest motorsportsrace in the Upper Midwest and is attendedby a legion of crazy fans that celebrateNHRA racing like nobody else can. BIR’sinfamous campground, called The Zoo,takes on a life of its own the week of Na-tionals with live music nightly, rickshaw

races, bonfires, a constant parade of Party-wagons, and a lot more.

Last year for Nationals, BIR implementedthe Fast Track Access to get fans into thetrack quicker and reduce the long lines atthe front gate. This year, a few more im-provements were made to Fast Track Ac-cess to streamline the process even more.Ticket scanners, for example, won’t be usedthis year and the ticket booths for camperswill be located outside the front gate, elim-inating the long line at the campground en-trance. Fans will get into the track and totheir seats more efficiently this year.

“By eliminating ticket scanning and mov-ing the camper ticket booths outside the

front gate, we think we’ll be able to movefans inside about as efficiently as is possi-ble,” Copham said. “It worked really welllast year. Our main goal was to get cars offHighway 371 and get people into the trackas quickly as possible. We did that. Now,we’ll get them into their seats even fasterthis year.”

If imports and sport compacts are yourthing, BIR has just the event. The MAPProving Grounds is a turbo-charged week-end with front-, all- and rear-wheel drivecars and trucks that compete in drag rac-ing, drifting, autocross and open lappingon the road course. There’s a car show,stage show and a whole lot more. This year,a second weekend was added to the sched-ule: June 21-23 and Sept. 6-8.

Another event that was added to the sched-ule last year and became an instant sensa-tion was International WatercrossAssociation (IWA) Watercross Racing onthe small lake behind the main grandstand.These are snowmobiles that drag race andoval race on open water. The IWA will be atBIR two weekends this year and will shareBIR with CRA Superbike Racing on theCompetition Road Course.

Don’t forget, race fans, that BIR has camp-ing and lodging opportunities on site, in-cluding 164 full-service RV sites, 12 deluxetwo-bedroom condos and unlimited rusticcamping with a number of shower housesand shower trailers conveniently located.

See you at the track!


Five years ago, Paul Heinenbought what he thoughtwould be a pretty cool boat.

Now he sells them, a lot of them,and he swears by the brand: Tigé.“It is the only type of boat we willever carry,” said Paul, who ownsHeinen’s Motorsports in Osseo,Minn. The man sticks by his rea-sons, too. He passed on severalother ski boat brands, and he’smore than happy he did.

Paul Heinen is selling Tigé wakesurf boatsfor his third year, and he's grinning!


“We’re on the boat every weekend throughthe summer,” Heinen said, who owns aTigé Z3 with capacity for 16 people or5,000 pounds.

The state-of-the-art Tigé hulls and interi-ors have more goodies than one would everneed, and together they mold the badassboats of the future for wakeboarders,surfers and adventurous families. CreatorCharlie Pigeon’s patented Tige hulls can dosome crazy things, which include ad-justable wakes and even surf. In in-hullballast system allows the user to float theboat at a desired depth for optimum wake,

too. The surfer doesn’t need a towrope. Heor she simply surfs with a wakeboard.

“Tigé is the only manufacturer to have thatstyle hull; no other boat can do it,” Paulsaid about creating surf. “No other boat hasthat style hull.”

For the serious wakeboarder or surfer, Tigéboats even remember their athletes. Userscan program their customized wake andboat pitch and return to it with the touch ofa button.

Paul’s family and friends have inevitablycaught on with the new surf craze, too.

“The surfing: It’s the new, hot, fun thing todo,” said Paul, a streetbike and snowmo-bile racer with an appetite for extremesports. Surfers, from young to old, cancatch a wave behind the boat at an easy 11mph and glide for as long as they want, orcan stay on their boards, that is.

Yet Paul said the wakesurfing isn’t just afad. It’s growing in popularity.

“It’s something that’s not going to go away,”Paul said.

Written by Matt Peterson


Furthermore, when it’s dark out, and wake-boarding isn’t legal, wakesurfing is becausethere’s no towrope. Underwater lights illu-minate the surf.

To add to the fun, Tigé offers a laundry listof accessories for its boats, which can rangefrom $50,000 to $100,000, depending onwhat the buyer wants. Onboard and un-derwater light displays, thousands of art-fully designed hull options, powerfulengines, various floor plans, sizes andstereo systems are a few of the cool optionsfor starters.

“The stereo systems [by Wet Sounds] areunbelievable,” Paul said.

For the curious, prospective buyers, Tigéoffers a “build your Tigé” feature on itswebsite. Users can pick from eight boat

models, put any color nearly anywherethey want and add whatever extras theywant.

“You can do so many customizable things,”Paul said.

Of course, Paul and his family have longsold motorcycles, snowmobiles and ATVs.But in 2011 Paul started carrying thisunique brand of boat, which has beenavailable since 1991. Sure, that may seem alittle late to the game, but he’s the onlydealer of such boats in Minnesota. In thenorthland thicket of bass and walleyeboats, Paul sells Tigé wakesurf and wake-board boats, and a steady pace.

“We sold out completely in 2012,” Paulsaid, who received an award as a top-10

Tige dealer that year. He says 2013 is look-ing even better, way better.

“Currently, our orders are double thanwhat we sold for the entire year last year,”he said.

The fun doesn’t end there, either. Tigé’swebsite, tige.com, offers videos, its history,apparel, daily blog updates, news, event in-formation, interviews, pro athlete biogra-phies and more. It’s pretty obvious whatPaul thinks.

That adventure man is setting his sights ona brand-new Z3 model this year, too.

“Tigé pretty well does it the best,” he said.

For more about Heinen’s Motorsports, goto www.heinenmotorsports.com.



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It’s called “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”and for good reason. For starters it hasmore history than any other race, dating all

the way back to 1911. The Indy 500 is also theworld's largest single day sporting event withan estimated attendance of 300,000 to 400,000fans. Millions more watch worldwide on TVand listen on the radio. The 500 pays out a tonof dough and has arguably been the single mostcoveted race to win in all of motorsports forover 100 years. On top of all that, the Indy 500is just plain cool!

What to look for this Memorial Day weekend!

INDY 500PREVIEW


Over the past two decades IndyCar racinghas suffered from political strife and someloss of fan interest, but in recent years theIZOD IndyCar series has been on an up-swing with an all-new car in 2012 and twoengine manufacturers (Honda and Chevy)to battle it out for the championship. Whatthe series isn't lacking is competition as lastseason saw nine different winners and theIndy 500 featured a record number of leadchanges. Hollywood couldn't have askedfor a better ending at the 500 when Japan-ese driver Takuma Sato attempted a last-ditch effort on leader Dario Franchitti onthe final lap but wound up spinning intothe first turn wall, nearly taking Franchittiwith him. For the third time, Franchitti puthis face on the famous Borg-Warner trophy.

In fact, one of the things the Indy 500 hasbeen known for in recent years is unpre-dictable finishes. The end of the Centen-nial race in 2011 stunned the crowd whenrookie J.R Hildebrand got in the loose stuffcoming out of turn 4 on the last lap andslammed the front stretch wall. He kept thebadly damaged vehicle moving in a straight

line but popular driver Dan Wheldon beathim to the checkers for his second 500 vic-tory.

During an unbelievable final 10 laps in '06,Michael Andretti, snake-bitten at the 500his entire career, was leading with his son,rookie Marco, in a surprising run close be-hind in second. A victory by either Andrettiwould have been a huge story, but SamHornish in the Penske car had other ideas.While the crowd was focused on the in-credible father/son battle at the front, Hor-nish was going full-bore in third andcaught up to the duo. With one to go,Marco was leading with Sam right on histail. At the checkers Hornish zigged, Marcozagged, and Hornish stole the win in oneof the most thrilling finishes in 500 history.

What sets the IZOD IndyCar series apartfrom other major motorsports is the widevariety of courses they run on throughoutthe year. The schedule typically has a mixof superspeedways, short ovals, naturalroad courses, and street courses. And ofcourse IndyCars are the kings of speed inthe U.S., hitting average laps over 226 mphat IMS with their turbocharged 2.2 liter V-6 Hondas and Chevys. Unlike NASCAR,there's absolutely no tandem racing orbump drafting with open wheelers, al-though the draft certainly comes into playon the speedways.

Qualifying at Indianapolis is also unique asthe crews lay the wings back on the cars todecrease downforce in an attempt to gainhigher speeds on the straights. Of coursethis makes the cars less stable in the cor-ners so qualifying quickly becomes a gameof out-braving the other drivers on thetreacherous four corners of the rectangu-lar-shaped track. The 2 1/2-mile track's di-

Written by Steve Casper

All photos courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway


mensions incredibly haven't changed sinceit's christening in 1909, although manysafety innovations have been addedthroughout the years.

INDY 500 FUN FACTS

• Churchill Downs, Yankee Stadium, theRose Bowl, the Roman Coliseum andVatican City all can fit inside the Indi-anapolis Motor Speedway oval, whichcovers 253 acres.

• The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is theworld’s largest spectator sporting facility,with more than 250,000 permanentseats. If the seat boards from the grand-stands at IMS were laid end-to-end, theywould stretch 99.5 miles.

• Worldwide television distribution of theIndianapolis 500 broadcast: 213 coun-tries, with an audience reach of over 292million households.

• The track was once paved with 3.2 mil-lion bricks giving it the name the “Brick-yard.” The original bricks still lay at theStart / Finish line.

• Indy cars accelerate from 0 mph to 100mph in 4 seconds.

• Indianapolis celebrates the Indianapolis500 through a month-long celebration inMay hosted by the 500 Festival commit-tee and its numerous volunteers.

• If the speedway itself were a city, on raceday, its population would rank as the45th largest city nationwide. Over400,000 individuals are estimated to at-tend the Indianapolis 500 race on raceday.

• A tradition starting in 1936, the Indi-anapolis 500 winner drinks milk in Vic-

tory Lane.

• Jim Nabors has been singing "Back andHome Again in Indiana" since 1972,missing only a few years along the way.

TEAMS AND DRIVERS TO WATCHON SUNDAY

TEAM PENSKE: With 15 Indianapolis 500victories, Roger Penske is by far the win-ningest car owner in the history of the race.His drivers this year include road racing aceWill Power, who has had nothing but backluck at IMS in the past, Brazilian Helio Cas-troneves who could become a 4-time win-ner this May, and recent NASCAR-convertA.J. Allmindinger who is already off to faststart in 2012.

TARGET CHIP GANASSI: A powerhouseteam over the last decade at Indy, Chip'sprimary drivers Dario Franchitti and ScottDixon have four 500 victories betweenthem. They are joined by Charlie Kimballin the second Ganassi team and last year'spole winner Ryan Briscoe in a one-off forIndy.

ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT: Headed byMichael Andretti, one of the winningestopen wheel racers in history, the team isbouncing off an incredible 2012 seasonwhich saw their driver American RyanHunter-Reay win the championship inspectacular fashion during the final laps ofthe last race of the year in Fontana. Hunter-Reay is joined by James Hinchcliffe whowon this year's opener and Marco Andretti.

A.J. FOYT RACING: This legendary carowner and 4-time winner of the Indy 500has an entirely new lineup this year withJapan's Takuma Sato and rookie hotshotConnor Daly, either one of whom could be-

come spoilers in the end. A.J.'s son and for-mer 500 driver Larry has been taking overthe primary tasks in the team over the pastfew years.

ED CARPENTER RACING: Oval special-ist and former midget and sprint ace EdCarpenter has enjoyed several great runs atIndy but has yet to put it all together for awin. Taking top honors in the final race atFontana last year is certain to be a boost.There's still a chance Ed may add a seconddriver to the team for the 500.

KV RACING: Undoubtedly one of the fanfavorites at Indy over the past decade isTony Kanaan who has yet to get his mug onthe Borg-Warner. He charges as hard asanyone at IMS and a win this year wouldmake the place erupt. Indy will be withoutDanica again this year, but the new girl intown is Kanaan's teammate, Swiss driver Si-mona De Silvestro who has shown incred-ible grit and talent in IndyCars. The placewould erupt even more if she was battlingfor the checkers at the end.

RAHAL LETTERMAN LANIGAN RAC-ING: This team nearly grabbed the win lastyear with Takuma Sato. 2013 finds BobbyRahal's son Graham Rahal running full-time along with sophomore driver JamesJakes.

SCHMIDT PETERSON MOTORSPORTS:Headed by former driver Sam Schmidt, theteam features a pair of incredibly fastFrenchman, Simon Pagenaud and TristanVautier. The Schmidt team put together thewinning combo in 2011 with Dan Whel-don.

SARAH FISHER HARTMAN RACING:IndyCar's former most popular driver isnow one of the most popular car owners.Sarah is running Tennessee's Josef Newgar-den in his second full season and will prob-ably pick up a one-off driver for Indy tocomplete a two-car team for their biggestrace of the year.

WHEN TO WATCH AND TICKET INFOQualifying Weekend –May 18-19,NBCSN

Carb Day and Freedom 100 – May 24,NBCSN

Indianapolis 500 – May 26, ABC -11:00am ET

For ticket info, go to indianapolismotorspeedway.com


SAFETY INNOVATIONS AT THE INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Throughout much of it's history, the Indi-anapolis Motor Speedway has been a leaderin safety innovations for major league mo-torsports.

1911: Inaugural Indianapolis 500 winnerRay Harroun employs what is believed tohave been the first rear-view mirror on hisNo. 32 Marmon “Wasp.”

1911: Historians believe the 1911 Indi-anapolis 500 is the first time a pace car isused to bring the field to the green flag at acontrolled speed, leading the pack for thefirst mass rolling start of a race.

1921: The Duesenberg Motor Companyteam, operated by Fred and Augie Duesen-berg, introduces the use of four-wheel hy-draulic brakes.

1925: Front-wheel drive is used at theSpeedway for the first time on a privately-owned Miller entry, driven by Dave Lewisand Bennett Hill, that finishes second.

Early 1930s: Magnetic particle inspection(Magnaflux) of key safety-related compo-nents, such as steering shafts, is imple-mented.

1935: The first installation of coloredwarning lights (green and yellow) com-pleted at the Speedway in time for the 1935Indianapolis 500.

1935: Helmets are made mandatory, a firstfor motor racing. They were not requiredin European grand prix racing until 1952.

1936: First mandatory driver’s test is insti-tuted, requiring that all new drivers showtheir skills at various speeds before they areallowed to practice for the “500.” TheRookie Orientation Program continues inthe same spirit today.

1938: Pit wall constructed to separatecrews’ work area from pit area, thus pro-viding a safer working environment forcrews during track activity.

1948: New emergency medical center con-structed, expanded in 1972, and still in usetoday as the Clarian Emergency MedicalCenter with state-of-the-art trauma centerequipment.

1959: All drivers required to wear fire-re-tardant uniforms, and roll bars are requiredon cars.

1965: Only methanol fuel – which is muchless volatile than gasoline – is permitted inthe Indianapolis 500. All cars are requiredto be equipped with a rupture-resistant fuelcell, and on-board fuel capacity is limitedto 75 gallons.

1974: Onboard fuel capacity is reduced toa maximum of 40 gallons.

1979: “Packup” procedure established,whereby the Pace Car enters the track dur-ing cautions to regulate the speed of thefield.

1991: Revolutionary energy-absorbing at-tenuator is added at pit entrance.

1993: Crash data recorders, developed byDelphi Automotive Systems, are placed incars competing in the Indianapolis 500.This is the first application of this ground-breaking technology in motorsports.

2002: Revolutionary SAFER Barrier en-ergy-absorbing system installed in oval’sfour turns, the first such installation in theworld. The catch fence overhang is ex-tended to approximately 5 ½ feet – thelongest of any racetrack in the world.


2013 GSTA Rod and CustomPhotographed by Kelly Andersen


Spectacular – Minneapolis, MN


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T he Flyin’ Italian: It would be a goodnickname for a gritty, undersizedboxer, or perhaps a daredevil stunt

pilot. In Elk River, Minn., though, it’s 17 year-old Gino Fontecchio, the B-Mod oval dirt trackracer who runs a clean race and is itching forhis first win. Leave it to youngsters to have theloftiest goals; that sort of thing happens all thetime. Sometimes, though, it’s not too far offbase. That’s what signs indicate for Gino. “Ican’t wait for that first win, and I know he can’tbecause it’s an awesome feeling,” said Gino’sdad, Paul Fontecchio. “It’s an awesome experi-ence, and it’s coming.”

Written by Matt Peterson

Gino Fontecchio #41“The Flyin’ Italian”

Gino Fontecchio #41“The Flyin’ Italian”


Paul, for the most part, has ended his rac-ing career and climbed out of the driver’sseat. Instantly, Gino climbed in.

He couldn’t even legally drive on publicroads, but with three hours of practiceunder his belt and some grit of his own, theFlyin’ Italian swung around the track afterhe just turned 15 and tried to hold his own.“He wasn’t in the top 10, but he stayed withpeople,” Paul said.

Every racer knows the feeling: the anxiety,the sweaty hands, the sense of uncertaintybefore that first-ever race. “I felt like I wasgoing to get sick,” Gino said. “I neededsome fresh air. I put the visor down, andthe green flag dropped. My foot went downand I swung her around the track as goodas I could.”

Though Gino spun in his first race, hemade it through fairly clean and had thesensation that follows other first-time rac-ers. “Relief,” he said. “Then I wondered ifI really just did it.”

Now Gino has a different sensation:hunger. He wants to win. “I do want to winthe track championship this year at Prince-ton,” he said.

Ask Gino, and he’ll say that’s feasible. He’sworking toward it. In his first year, Ginofinished tenth in points at Princeton Speed-way in Wissota’s B Modified. Last year, hefinished fifth. Gino’s trying to make simplemath out of it, hoping to move to no. 1.

“He just started progressing,” Paul saidafter that first race. “… It’s all seat time.”

And Gino gets plenty of that. He and Paultry to attend every practice session and raceweekend at Princeton and Ogilvie Speed-way. At their shop in Elk River, Gino cando test runs around the parking lot. It’s alsowhere he gets to know the car even moreclosely.

“I figured that if my dad’s going to let merace, I’m going to put forth some effort tohelp with the car,” Gino said. “And afterthat, I just liked working on the car. Hestopped working on it, and I took over.”

Paul said Gino wasn’t shy about rippinginto the car, either. After watching Paulwork on it, he dove right in. “He tore itcompletely apart, every bit of the car andpainted the whole frame, and put it backtogether,” Paul said. “He works on the carall the time. I do very little bit of work onthe car anymore.”

The well-rounded driver/mechanic hasearned the respect from his peers – andnot-so peers. “He’s driving with 20-yeardrivers,” Paul said.

Nobody wants to be “that guy” who blowsthe race for the longtime veteran or doessomething stupid on the track. So Ginodoesn’t. He keeps himself clean and out oftrouble.

“They all made me feel comfortable, andthey were all very nice to me about how Ikept my space and how I raced clean,”Gino said about the beginning of his career.

He recalls one crash where he sprained hisankle, but that was the worst. He respectsthe vets, and they return the favor.

“He’s been out there running in the featureand had a great race with another driverthat was probably 20 years older than him,and that driver came over and shook hishand,” Paul said. “What a great race.”

From the spectator’s point of view, it’s allgreat fun; and clearly, there are alreadymemories. The family wholeheartedlyagrees. “It’s gotten to be a real family thing,which is great,” Paul said. “It’s really fun.I’ve got grandkids that come and scrapemud off the tire.” He added, “I get muchmore enjoyment, if not more, watchinghim.”

The family looks for the memories to con-tinue while Gino works at crossing the fin-ish line in first. Entering just his third yearand at only 17, Gino has already come along way from his first race. He’s certainlynot slowing down anytime soon.

“I was nervous when I first got into the car,but after that, I was hooked,” Gino said.

Fans look for the #41 to make plenty ofpasses this year at Princeton and Ogilvie,especially Paul. He’d like to watch Ginomove up the ranks and someday move toA Mods. Gino would undoubtedly likethat, too, but he’s got to hone his focus.Sure, the kid has lofty goals, but he’s tak-ing it one practice, race and turn of thewrench at time. After all, he has plenty oftime.


A perfect example of vintage customs arethe "Civilianized" rides made by returningGIs after WWII.

When war broke out, the US governmentcontracted both Harley and Indian to pro-duce motorcycles for our military. Themost plentiful was Harley-Davidson's side-valved, Flat-Head WLA - also known as the"45" because of its displacement. Over90,000 WLAs were made with enoughparts to put together around 30,000 more.Although Harley had been making theoverhead-valved Knuckleheads since 1936,the military opted for the stone cold relia-bility of the low compression (5:1) side-valve. Anyone with first-hand experiencewith these machines has amazing stories ofthe incredible punishment these bikescould take: riding miles with stuck valves,cracked heads, on one piston with a bustedframe. It didn't matter - the WLA couldtake it.

So it was natural that the WLA proved pop-ular with returning Vets and non-service-men alike who were looking for adependable and easy to maintain machine.And did I say cheap? With tons of surplusspare parts, it was easy to find anything youneeded to build and run a WLA. For yearsafter the war, you could order a WLA in acrate from the back pages of a Popular Me-chanics magazine!

Of course, hardly anyone kept their WLAmilitary stock. Paul St. John's WLA on dis-play at the Donnie Smith show was a per-fect example of the types of customizingthat was popular in the post-war period.The OD green paint made perfect primer,so Paul's '42 WLA has sky blue paint lay-ered right on top. And just like guys havedone for as long as they've owned motor-cycles, his bike sports plenty of chrome:the springer fork, tool box, muffler tips,luggage rack and rims. Even today, Paul'sWLA lives up to its rugged roots. Paul putsthousands of miles on his bike, riding it towork nearly year round and has ridden itto Sturgis many times!

Sitting next to Paul's bike at the DonnieSmith show was the Indian answer to theWLA, the 741. Tom McLaughlin's "Civil-ianized" machine demonstrates the alter-

native route tried by Springfield as theyvied with Milwaukee for military contracts.Instead of going big, Indian went light andnimble with their 741 by taking the amaz-ingly agile Scout (the bike preferred fordecades by "Wall of Death" riders lookingfor a perfectly balanced machine) and pow-ered it by an lighter, 500cc engine - downfrom the typical 745cc used previously inScouts. Unfortunately for Indian, goinglight didn't work out so well with the USMilitary and many of the 42,000 741s pro-duced by Indian were sold overseas to ourallies. Still, there were plenty of surplusmachines after the war to feed the needs ofboth returning GIs and civilians whocouldn't purchase a motorcycle during thewar when only "Essential Use" purchaseswere permitted.

Checking out Tom's 741 Indian at the Don-nie Smith show, you could easily see thatthe machine was stripped down comparedto the ornate beauties Indian was famousfor before the war. Its fenders and chain-guard were minimal - nearly "bobbed",and its lights and speedo kept small. Al-though from a distance, with its OD paintreplaced by a more typical Indian Red anda hand painted Indian logo on the tank,Tom's bike looks almost stock - a major de-parture from a machine made for war.

The "Civilianized" motorcycles on displayin the Viking AMCA booth were a big hitwith the crowd, but nothing compared tothe attention drawn by the twin-rocketpowered motorcycle built by Ky Michael-son. Yep, that's right. Two 1,500 pound -thrust rocket motors, mounted inside a1977 Harley-Davidson Sportster. KyMichaelson is famous around the world forhis long career as a drag racer, Hollywoodstuntman and builder of some of the fastestmachines ever to hit a drag strip or the saltflats. The highlight of his rocket poweredcareer was his role leading the team thatwon the original "X-Prize" in 2004 as thevery first civilian rocket launched intoouter space. But back in '77, Ky was build-ing drag cars and bike, breaking recordsand pulling off crazy stunts. '77 was theyear that his rocket powered drag car, pi-loted by the legendary racer Kitty O'Neil,shattered the record for the quarter milerunning it in 3.22 seconds at 412 mph!

Ky was contacted by a daredevil namedRick Rojatt to build him a bike to breakEvil Kneivel's record of jumping 13 buses.Rick went by the name "The Human Fly"and took his persona seriously - never ap-pearing outside of full costume and mask.The craziest thing about Rick's plan wasthat he wanted to do it indoors during theintermission of a rock concert at Montreal'sOlympic Stadium. Ky was horrified by theconstraints that imposed on both how fasthe could get the bike going on approachand how quickly he's have to stop on theother side of the jump before hitting thewall. Ky calculated that he'd need to begoing at least 80mph when he left the rampand accelerate further once in the air.When the bike was finished, Ky estimatedthat it punched out 6,000 hp - enough torun the 1/4 mile at 300mph!

On the day of the jump, Ky arrived at thestadium to find that the construction crewhad not followed his blueprints exactly. In-stead they had built the launch ramp toosteep and the receiving ramp higher thanthe tops of the buses! They did what theycould but still were dismayed by thethought of Rick attempting the stunt with-out a single practice run. But luck shonedown on The Human Fly that day as hesuccessfully made the jump and brokeKneivel's record with only breaking oneankle!

After that fateful day, the trail went dark onthe bike and Ky lost track of it. 23 yearslater, he found a Rocket Bike listed for salein the Florida "Trading Times". He could-n't believe his eyes so he called the ownerand verified that it was indeed the RocketBike he had built for the Human Fly. Thebike sits today in Ky Michaelson's livingroom and has made its first appearance atthe Donnie Smith show this year!

With Ky's Rocket Bike in the Viking Chap-ter AMCA display at the Donnie Smithshow, there was constantly a crowd gath-ered around the old bikes. If you're intochecking out the old bikes too, don't missthe largest display of vintage motorcyclesin the Midwest hosted by the VikingAMCA at the Minnesota State FairgroundsJune 14th and 15th. Visit vikingmc.org formore info!

BIKES WITH A PAST From WWII to the GoldenAge of Daredevils


You might be a redneck if… you had aroll cage installed in your minivan.Or, you might be a redneck if you look

forward to cheering that minivan on to thewinners circle on a warm Thursday night inJune. Everybody loves to see the minivanwin! So much that there’s a new class exclu-sively designed for stock minivans at thisyear’s Beater-XSM races at ERX Motorparkin Elk River, Minnesota.


The ERX Motorpark Beater-XSM Series is anentry level/grassroots form of auto racingconsisting of compact cars and small truckscompeting head to head on an all dirt racetrack. Adding to the excitement is a tracklayout that utilizes small rolling jumps, el-evation changes, and tight corners to createan extreme form of auto racing the averageguy can compete in. Cars are lined up on atiered starting line and race to the check-ered flag. Think of it as motocross with acar! ERX will be hosting its Beater-XSM Se-ries as a Thursday night, under the lights 6race series. Points will be awarded at eachevent leading up to an overall Beater-XSM

Champion in each class.

This is the opportunity for all youNASCAR, dirt track fans to compete in aninexpensive form of auto racing. Whatdoes it take to get involved in Beater-X?Not much, all you need to get in the action

is a qualifying car or truck (or minivan!),and a helmet.

Now is the time to start looking for yourracing vehicle. Review the list below of thecurrent class offerings as well as a handfulof suggested types and models of vehicles.In order to help first time racers and carbuilders, ERX has lined up local welderswho will outfit your vehicle with an ap-proved roll cage system for approximately$200 per car or truck. Take a look at theBeater-XSM rules page on the ERX websitefor additional information regarding vehi-cle requirements.

You don’t have to just be a racer to enjoythe Beater-XSM competition. Spectators areencouraged to attend and cheer on your fa-vorite Beater-XSM driver. Outside bleacherseating is available and you can always getout of the weather in their new ERX MotorPark Chalet. VIP booth rental is also avail-able. A wide variety of food and beverageconcession will be available at the trackduring all six series races.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

• Round #1 – Thursday, June 6th

• Round #2 – Thursday, June 27th

• Round #3 – Thursday, July 11th (added)

• Round #4 – Thursday, July 25th

• Round #5 – Thursday, August 15th

• Special Event: Demo Derby – Thursday,August 29th

SPECTATOR INFO

• Races begins at 6:00pm

• Spectator Pricing: Adults $10, kids 6-12years $5, 5 & under are free

Written by Kim“KimmyCat” Niles

Photos by Marcus Paulsen

May 2013

• Concessions are available at the track

• VIP booth rental is available, [email protected]

CLASS LIST

Driver Pricing: Payout classes $40 if pre-registered, $50 day of race. Non-payoutclasses $30 if pre-registered, $40 day ofrace.

Payout: 1st place - $300, 2nd place - $200,3rd place - $100

2013 NON-PAYOUT CLASSES

• NEW Minivan (payout) – 4 cylinder or 6cylinder, front wheel or rear wheel drive.Must be OEM stock engine.

• Compact #1 (payout) – 4 cylinder, frontwheel drive, single overhead cam. NoDOHC, no turbos, no superchargers.

• Compact #2 – 4 & 6 cylinder stock, frontwheel drive. OEM-equipped turbos, su-perchargers allowed. Must be OEMstock engine.

• Truck #1 – 4 & 6 cylinder light trucks,rear wheel drive only. 4WD trucks al-lowed, front drive axle must be discon-nected.

• Truck #2 – ½ ton pickup trucks, rearwheel drive (or 4 wheel drive must bedisconnected from front wheels). V8’sacceptable.

• UTV Stock – up to 800cc stock engine,stock suspension. Stock, commerciallyavailable UTV.

• UTV Open – 1,000cc maximum, opensuspension and engine mods. Must betwo-seater UTV, commercially available.

Page 48 Find us on Facebook “Wheels of Thunder”




A late April snowstorm didn’t stop hun-dreds of Minnesota bikers from attendingour annual conference, ABATE University.Bikers filled every room of the AlexandriaHoliday Inn for a weekend of two-wheeledrights and safety information and the usualcamaraderie that happens whenever mo-torcyclists get together. Thanks to RayAafedt and the Minnesota MotorcycleSafety Center our guests were able to trythe Smart Trainer, a motorcycle simulator.Its an impressive piece of equipment andpeople enjoyed the opportunity to improvetheir skills and have fun at the same time.

The ABATE University Guest SpeakerLuncheon is always a big hit. The food pro-vided by Rudy's Redeye Grill was awesome

and our lunch speakers, Jeff “Twitch”Burns and Dave “DD” Devereaux, told theremarkable history of the decades old mo-torcycling discrimination practices in thestate of Washington. Through dedicationand teamwork, the bikers of Washingtonwere able to change the anti-motorcyclingculture in their state.

This year we welcomed back our goodfriend Slider Gilmore for an always in-sightful presentation. For nearly 25 years

he served as a volunteer EMT and CPR in-structor. He combines these experienceswith his lifelong love of motorcycles into athree hour program to help motorcyclistsget the odds in their favor when on theroad. Slider is a gifted teacher whose mixof humor, positivity and inspiration comeshining through to every member of theaudience. I have never had such an inter-esting time while learning important infor-mation!

The Saturday evening social started with alively auction followed by the rockin’ goodmusic of the Fat Fendered Boulevard Band.During the band intermission we selectedthe winners of our annual ABATE U raffle,

a twenty year tradition. Four lucky peoplewill be riding new motorcycles this year,two Harleys and two Victorys!

ABATE University is open to everyone andthe seminars are free. You only pay for yourhotel room and the luncheon (and yourraffle ticket of course!). ABATE Universityis a weekend event filled with educationand friendship. Be sure to attend next yearand be ready to learn how to protect yourmotorcycling lifestyle, meet new peopleand have fun all at the same time. Don’tmiss it - See you there!

Mack BacklundState CoordinatorABATE of MN763-226-9195

ABATE UNIVERSITY A HUGE SUCCESS


Monster Energy Supercross returned to theMetrodome for the first time since 2008.Thousands of fans packed into the dome for

what turned out to be an amazing night of racing.Hometown favorite Ryan Dungey and fellow riderDavi Millsaps were looking to close the point’s gapwith Ryan Villopoto. Coming into to Minneapolis,Ryan Villopoto led the series with 277 points.Millsaps held second place with 256 points, andDungey rounded out the top three with 252 points.In the lites east class, Will Hahn held and 8-pointlead over Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin.

Written by Jeffrey Barrett


Despite the cold and rainy weather, thou-sands of fans showed up hours early to cel-ebrate the return of Supercross toMinnesota. Closing in on race time, fansfilled the seats not expecting to leave fourhours later speechless. In the 250 litesclass, Marvin Musquin was riding excel-lent, carrying speed and rhythm all night.Musquin quickly distinguished himself as atop contender for the win. Taking firstplace in his heat race, the number 25 ridergained a spot in the main event.

Blake Wharton riding for Rockstar EnergySuzuki showed he had the speed as well to

come away with a victory. Not only by win-ning his heat race, but also by averaging al-most a second faster per lap than Musquin.Coming into the main event, Musquin waslooking to gain some ground on Hahn bycoming away with a victory. At the drop ofthe start gate, Musquin proved he was acontender for the championship. Openingup a 4.5 second lead by the second lap,Musquin quickly ran away with the lead.Leading all 15 laps, Musquin finished therace 9-seconds in front of Will Hahn. BlakeWharton finished the race in third place se-curing his position in the points standing.

In the 450 class, results from the heat racesshowed the top spot on the podium was upfor grabs. Oregon native Josh Hill cameaway with the victory in the first heat raceover Chad Reed, and Ryan Villopoto. In thesecond heat race, it was no surprise whenDavi Millsaps finished the race out frontwith Ryan Dungey right on his heels. Atthe start of the main event, 30,000 fanswere already on their feet. With the crowd’sroar drowning out the bikes, the gatedropped and the 20 best riders in the worldtook off for the first corner. Mike Alessicame away with holeshot but was quicklypassed by the number 1 rider Ryan Vil-lopoto.

Ryan Dungey never getting more than twoseconds behind, challenged Villopoto atevery corner. As the race hit the 15th lap,Dungey was in desperate need of a pass onVillopoto if he wanted to come away ontop. After 16 laps of chasing Villopoto, onthe 17th lap Dungey made the pass. “Hon-estly, I have never heard anything like it. At


least not in the sport of Motocross” was allDungey could say about the crowd after therace. During the whole race and especiallyafter making the pass, the crowd wasscreaming for their hometown boy. For thelast four laps of the race, Villopoto washoping Dungey would slip just a little bit toallow for him to re-take the lead. Unfortu-nately for him, Dungey held him off com-ing across the finish-line less than a secondin front.

Team Red Bull KTM went two for two inthe main events. Securing both the 250 and450 class wins, Red Bull KTM continues to

be a top team in the series. Upon gettingthe win, Musquin moved within five pointsof Will Hahn for the number one spot inthe championship. Ryan Dungey movedinto second place in the points over DaviMillsaps, and is now only 18 points behindRyan Villopoto for the number one spot.

Potentially being the last Supercross thatwill be held in the Metrodome, this year’sSupercross will go down as one of thegreatest battles ever between riders. All ofthe riders as well as the fans were very sat-isfied with the outcome of race. Min-neapolis Supercross 2013 will be anunforgettable moment for everyone whoattended.

MEET THE RIDER: Andrew Short (#29)

Q: What was your biggest inspiration tobecome a motocross rider?

A: From the time I was a little kid whenI was riding, just the feeling thateverything escapes and you’restuck in the moment.

Q: Coming from Honda, how are youliking the KTM team?

A: Wasn’t ideal to switch in the middleof the season, but I feel like I have re-ally adapted to the new bike. I reallythe like the people at KTM and thepassion they have for racing.

Q: What was your greatest accomplish-ment as a motocross rider?

A: Riding the motocross de nations inColorado, as well as winning theSeattle Supercross last year.

Q: Day to day what drives you to keeppushing yourself?

A: Hard work. It has got me to where Iam today, it’s not like I have an ex-ceptional talent.


S ince 1955 Sunday nights in the Fargo-Moorhead area mean one thing; dirt trackracing at Buffalo River Race Park! The Mother’s day season opener on May 12th isthe start of a full summer schedule put together by owner Kevin Nathe.

In 2007, Nathe purchased what was then the Buffalo River Speedway and created the BuffaloRiver Race Park (BRRP). He immediately began remodeling. He updated the concessions areaand beer gardens, build indoor bathrooms and a commons area. He also added new pit andparking lot lighting. In 2008, 8,000 yards of new dirt was hauled in to resurface and widenthe car track. In 2009, new concrete was added to the front straightaway wall and the pit gotnew bleachers and a new registration building. Construction continued in 2010 with a newannouncers booth, two additional VIP booths and an upstairs party deck. The commons areawas enclosed and heat and a/c added.


Construction of a 185’ by 30’ two story ad-dition began in the fall of 2011. The addi-tion is heated and cooled and housesvendor booths, a sponsor area and indoorseating for spectators. Two older VIPbooths were remodeled and two new oneswere added. Outside, new infield poles andtrack lighting were added.

The completion of the new facilities camejust in time for the 2011 snocross season.BRRP hosted its first ISOC Nationals race.The event earned BRRP an award for ISOCevent of the year.

With great momentum under their belt,BRRP sped through the summer of 2012with great speedway and motocross racing.In the blink of an eye it was once againtime for snocross and BRRP did not disap-point.

The 2012-13 season hosted some great re-gional snocross races and culminated withthe RAM Truck Fargo National Snocross inMarch. More than 8,000 fans packed therace park for this event. Mother Nature de-livered some windy and icy weather, but itdid not detour the fans or the 258 racers.

Looking out the window, it may not seemlike we should be getting ready for speed-way racing but things change quickly uphere in the Red River Valley. Mother’s Daymarks the season opener and the race parkwill be ready for the BRRP Series, A-Modsand Streets to hit the track (BRRP Series in-cludes: Legends, Pure Stocks, Hornets,Wissota Midwest Mods and Mod 4’s).

As the season gears up, race fans can planfor some special events as well as weeklySunday night races.

The first special event is a Northern Out-law Sprint Association (NOSA) race onMay 25th. NOSA, organized in 1994, pro-motes Sprint Car Racing in the upper Mid-west. NOSA members include the driversand car owners, crew members, fans, spon-sors and track promoters. Drivers comefrom many parts of North Dakota, Min-nesota, South Dakota and Canada.

Written by Mylie Lavold

The next special event, a Red River ValleyPullers Association modified truck andtractor pull is scheduled for June 22nd.The association promotes the motorsportof competitive pulling. Pullers come fromNorth Dakota, Minnesota, and Canada.

Race fans won’t want to miss the All StarSprint Championship Tour on July 28th .The All Stars are one of the premier sprintcar sanctioning bodies in the USA. Now intheir 30th year of operation, the All Starstake pride in their reputation of providinghighly competitive, fair, exciting racing foroutlaw sprint cars. Approximately 400drivers participate in more than 40 raceseach year.

Come out and get dirty on September 14thwhen BRRP hosts the MUDMAN adven-ture race series. This extreme 5K obstaclecourse is open to anyone who’s isn’t afraidof a little mud. The MUDMAN websitepromises “a day you won’t forget.” Whichincludes conquering fire, beating gladia-

tors, surviving hills, climbing tire moun-tain, and lots and lots of mud.

Regular Sunday racing starts at 6:00 pm.Special Event prices and times vary perrace, check www.BuffaloRiverRacing.comfor updates.

For Motocross fans and riders, BRRP opensJune 9th. The track will open on the southside of Hwy 10 and pit road off Hwy 9.Sunday is race day and practice days areTuesdays and Thursdays. Nathe plans tostart building a new MX track on thespeedway side this summer. He says theyhope to be racing there for the Sept. 22ndrace.

For speedway racing information contact:Duane Peterson, 701-371-6229

For advertising or VIP packages contact:Brad Rivers, [email protected]

www.BuffaloRiverRacing.com

FaceBook: Buffalo River Race Park




P ro Stock driver Buddy Perkinson will be back behind the wheel at theNHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte April 19th – 21st. Hoven Vi-sion will be sponsoring the 21 year-old driver and his 2010 Jerry Haas

built Ford Mustang for multiple races during the 2013 NHRA Mello-Yello Season.(April 15, 2013)


“I’m excited to be racing again,” saidPerkinson. “I really appreciate everythingHoven Vision is doing for us. I really wantto put on a good show for them in Char-lotte.”

Hoven Vision is a new sponsor to NHRA.Hoven is one of the top brands of sun-glasses. The glasses are popular withsurfers, skateboarders, snowboarders andnow the company is expanding its brand toNHRA Drag Racing. You can go to Hoven-Vision.com to see all their products andupcoming events.

“Hoven Vision is proud to sponsor BuddyPerkinson Racing,” says Hoven investorand friend of Perkinson, Brent Koch.“Hoven Vision Eyewear has always, andwill continue to support, the great youngathlete that has the vision and integrity toalways reach and push for that upper edgein all they do. That is our friend Buddy.”

Buddy Perkinson started his racing careerin the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League and

went on to drive Comp eliminator in 2010,where he made two semifinal appearances.In 2011 he made the move to Pro-Stockdriving for Cunningham Motorsports. Healso raced for Larry Morgan and workedwith legendary Pro Stock driver Bob Glid-den to fine tune his skills. In 2012 he filledin for Mark Martino at the last minute forthe 2012 Midwest Nationals and qualifiedin the #5 spot.

“It’s been 10 months since I’ve competedand I’m itching to get back behind thewheel,” said Perkinson. “It’s been hardwork putting the car back together and up-dating it since we haven’t run it for a year.We’ve been in the shop 60 to 70 hours aweek to get it ready for the Charlotte race.”

Provided by Nicole Erickson

Forward Sports Marketing

BUDDY PERKINSONDATE OF BIRTH: September 27, 1991

HOMETOWN: Prince George, Va.

CAREER BEST E.T.: 6.567

CAREER BEST SPEED: 210.54

MARITAL STATUS: Single

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 5'10", 148 lbs.

• Attended the Frank Hawley Drag RacingSchool where he earned his Super Complicense and fine-tuned his Pro Stockdriving skills by attending the Roy HillDrag Racing School

• Got his start in drag racing by compet-ing in the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League


Looking for some place new to take a road trip withyour motorcycle, classic car, or family vacation withthe kids? Then I highly suggest you schedule time this

summer to explore the Iowa Great Lakes Region. Located inNorthwest Iowa, this noted tourism area has much to offerwith five glaciers -carved lakes which support both summerand winter sports and activities.

Following the main road winding its way through the lakesarea, you will find several communities which focus on busi-ness offering unique resorts, lodging, shopping, and fine din-ing. Almost every weekend in the summer you can enjoyfree outdoor concerts and special events. And regardless ifyou are an avid fisherman who wants to cast for that elusivetrophy Musky or just take your kids pan fishing, these crys-tal clear lakes offer you many opportunities. Boating, skiing,or just hanging out around, on, or in the water, you will findthis area a beautiful setting with tons of fun things to do

Written by John Lentzkow


The Arnolds Park Amusement Park has al-ways been the focal point of where to bewhen visiting the Iowa Great Lakes Region.History of the park revels W. B. Arnoldhomesteaded the property in the 1860’s

were he started a boarding house for theoccasional hunting and fishing parties thatventured here on the primitive roads. Hethen added the first “amusement to hisproperty in 1889 when he built a water-slide where you could plunge down andout into the lake on a toboggan. In 1883the trains arrived and opened the lakes to aflood of visitors and Mr. Arnold expandedhis facility into the full-fledged ArnoldsPark and adding hotels. Researched infor-mation states on a typical summer Sundayafternoon back then there were over 7,000people at the park with thirteen trains,each with about a dozen cars, used fortransportation. Add to that the varioussteamboats that brought visitors to thepark, and it was where all the action was.

What brought the people to Arnolds Parkwere the waterslide, the swimming beach,the souvenir shops, the picnic area, thebaseball games, and the popular shootingcontests with live birds and clay pigeons.

By 1912 two amusement parks had devel-oped on the property. Mr. Arnold’s daugh-ters each opened their own “Coney Island”,Okoboji style. One park was calledArnolds Park and the other was namedSteven’s Park. At this time the first rollercoaster, the “Thriller”, was constructed. Alarge pavilion, with a roomy stage and athousand chairs was built for public gath-erings of every kind. Sermons, lectures,concerts, theatricals and dancing partieswere held in regular succession. ArnoldsPark was the place to be.

In 1923 the Roof Garden opened andthrough the years it hosted many of thefinest orchestras, big bands, and rock androll stars. In 1927 a new roller coaster wasbeing constructed to compete with the de-teriorating Thriller coaster. The pavilionbecame the treasured Fun House, a placeto spend an afternoon sliding down thewooden slide, playing king of the moun-tain in the sugar bowl or trying to walkthrough the rotating barrel.

Although neither the depression years norWorld War II stalled the activities atArnolds Park, eventually the aging rides,decaying wood and the newly developingtheme parks would nearly finish it off. Thelittle amusement park, next to beautifulConcerts by the lake.

Every Thursday evening there are 50’s and 60’s music concerts in the Roof Garden. It isalways a packed house and lots of dancing!


Lake Okoboji, could not compete with theglitz of the new theme parks.

In 1968 a tornado destroyed portions of thepark and swept away the Roof Garden ball-room. Although repairs were made and anew metal Roof Garden constructed, thedemise of Arnolds Park Amusement Parkseemed certain. After the 1987 season thebrightly colored lights that had shown outover the water for so many years wereturned off for good, or so it was thought.

In 1988 the Fun House was demolished, aswere most of the other old buildings. Thelocal fire departments burned down theRoof Garden for practice. However, all wasnot lost. A group of area residents andbusiness people had purchased ArnoldsPark and were not about to let it becomejust a memory. They set about construct-ing new facilities and, more importantly,preserved what was left of the old park.

They completely rebuilt the roller coasterand restored the Tipsy House and MajesticPavilion. The new Arnolds Park “An IowaClassic” amusement park reopened in1989.

But, in 1999, a deal was made to close thePark after the summer season, and dis-mantle it in order to build a housing andcondominium site on the entire property.A public meeting was called to “Save thePark”. Committees were formed, themedia spread the word and in less then sixweeks, seven and a half million dollarswere raised and Arnolds Park AmusementPark was saved from the bulldozers.

Today Arnolds Park Amusement Park of-fers fun foe both the adults and kids. ThePark has over twenty rides for all ages toenjoy. You will find a kiddie train, a bigtrain, a kiddie coaster and of course the bigkid “Legend” coaster, the old familiar

carousel, a log flume, bumper cars andeven a Racetrack.

There are rides for the thrill or simply justthe fun and enjoyment of a day that youwill remember for years to come with yourfamily and friends. Many people returnwith their grandchildren to relive the mem-ories they had as a kid coming the Park.

There are new games being added thissummer to challenge your skill and com-pete with your friends. Of course you willfind the favorite foods in the Park, like cot-ton candy, mini donuts, and funnel cakes,Dippin’ Dots, slush’s, hot dogs, hamburg-ers, soft drinks and much more. You don’teven have to leave the Park! But if you do,just within a few feet of the entrance youwill find more delightful food to tempt

your taste buds along the Queen’s Courtshopping area. There is a BonBon frozenyogurt shop, a pizza shop, fine diningrestaurant, a bar on the lake and of courseThe Nutty Bar stand and taffy store thathave been a favorite for generations. Thereare shops inside the Park and along theQueen’s Court to find that piece of Okobojior Arnolds Park Amusement Park to takehome.

Di Lorenzen, Communications Managerstates “The Legend Roller Coaster is our #1attraction, so we know our visitors love itas much as we do. We are planning to con-tinue with more updates as we move intothe future so “The Legend” can thrill ourguests”.

As famous as the Park itself, the Queen II isan Okoboji favorite. If you want a relaxing


cruise on the lake and learn a little history,get aboard the Queen II excursion boat. Itstarts excursions on West Lake OkobojiMay 18th through weekends in October.(Visit ArnoldsPark.com for the full sched-ule.) The narrated ride is 75 minutes. Youcan sit below in the enclosed area or aboveon the open deck and see all around WestOkoboji. This ride is one you will want tocome back and do again. The Queen II hasbeen in operation since 1986. She has seenmany families since her first voyage onWest Lake Okoboji. There are light snacksand beverages to enjoy during your excur-sion. You can also rent the Queen II outfor private parties or company functions.With a capacity of up to 200 people, youcan book ahead and enjoy weddings, an-niversaries, birthday parties and companyoutings.

Take a step back in time and enjoy the nos-talgia of the Iowa Great Lakes with rare ar-tifacts and exhibits dedicated to the historyof Lake Okoboji in the Iowa Great LakesMaritime Museum and Gift Shop. I trulyenjoyed the marine display of old fishingboats which brought back memories of my

growing up and time shared with my fa-ther. The museum is open every day andduring the week in the off season wintermonths. There is no admission and park-ing is free. No visit is complete to the parkwithout a stop at the museum.

Arnolds Park may never compete with thelarge theme parks in size but the charmthat has been and will be cannot be

matched by sheer size. The area has eventshappening all summer long. For a list ofevents, visit VacationOkobojil.com. or youmay direct your inquiries to:

Di LorenzenMarketing & Communications ManagerHistoric Arnolds Park Inc.PO Box 609, Arnolds Park, IA 51331712-332-6557 office

G reetings again Wheels fans! Knowing many of youlove the snow and wish it would stay every month ofthe year, I apologize but beg for it to leave for good so

we might get into the outdoors! Dirt, bikes, many fast cars,Brainerd and big rigs…bring ‘em all on!

GameON! hopes you are as excited for the arrival of springas we are! This issue of Wheels of Thunder is textbook WoT,full of amazing pictures and Unforgettable stories and itloads you up on the sponsor information you might need.

GameON! TV continues to grow & reach so many of youwith our sports programming and you know by now thatwe broadcast in the Dakota's and western Minnesota viaMidCo Sports Network. GameON! loves sports, from thevariety of professional, college & high school sports to allthe outdoor events that dot our regional landscape.GameON's partnership with Wheels of Thunder is strongand just like you, we also enjoy the most comprehensiverace magazine and website to be found! Wheels of Thun-der magazine gets it and gets you the latest information,amazing pictures and all those terrific stories to the mostpassionate motorsports fans in the country!

Looking ahead, there's more special events and momentsahead for GameON! Each and every week GameON! comesto you in crystal clear full High Definition and our first APP(it's free to for Apple & Android phones) is available foryour use! GameON! TV is now offering a weekly PODCASTavailable @ our show website www.GameOnTvMN.com.It's full of bits and pieces of sports from the region andwhat's ahead on our weekly TV show. GameON! still servesas the lead-in to the award winning FOX NFL pre gameshow on FOX's MY29 here in the Twin Cities during theNFL Season.

GameON! does what no other TV sports interview show (inthe region) does. We offer a diverse and entertaining halfhour of TV as we bring you the most visible and popularMinnesota sports figures. From the Vikings, the NBA Tim-berwolves, the NHL Wild, the Twins and we visit with theLacrosse Swarm.

There's NASCAR and we're all over your favorite drivers, infact, we just we just welcomed X-Games Gold Medalist LeviLaVallee to a downtown Minneapolis taping.

This show is interactive so we'd love to hear from you!Please visit our Facebook site (friend us @ GameON onfacebook), our website @ www.gameontvmn.com and24/7on twitter #gameontvmn. And we're always planningbigger and better shows at the best Irish Pubs in the world,Kierans, The Liffey, The Local and Cooper! You are alwayswelcome to visit our live tapings and each week we listguests and updates on the GameON! website as well as ourFacebook site. Get upclose and personal with us!!

GameON! Host Rod Simons has added baseball to his workschedule, joining the new radio home for your MinnesotaTwins @ KTWIN 96.3. Rod will host The KTWIN Final Callwith longtime Minnesota radio personality Jason Nagel aftereach and every Twins game. So, please join us for all that-sports offers us here in our great neck of the woods, viaWheels of Thunder, GameON! and KTWIN radio! And getyour Vikings fix with our partner in one of the largestVikings fan websites in the world, www.PurplePride.org. I'vesaid it before and I'm saying it again! Get off the couch andget your GameON! Be a part of the exciting effort we're put-ting on! Here's to the spring fast approaching! Hope to seeyou at an upcoming GameON! taping!!

Keep your GameON!



T he Minnesota's Swarm lacrosse team has positively affected the youngergeneration and been making a big impact on them. You can see the dedi-cation and effort put into making the sport outstanding by not only focus-

ing on the growth of each individual but on the team as a whole. But buildingthe team is not just about the players and dedication. It is about our fans andfuture players coming together. To ensure that our fans have an ever strongerteam to enjoy in the future, today’s team members of the Minnesota Swarm aregetting involved with the younger generation in every way they can.

The Swarm has made a big impact on kids throughout Minnesota, especiallyAndy Ashley from Anoka, MN. Like a lot of athletes, Andy is been a multi-sport player his whole life, but he didn't get into lacrosse until his junior year ofhigh school. "If you were to ask me how many sports I play now, the answer isone." As Andy put it, “Lax for life!” Lacrosse has changed Andy’s life both as alacrosse player and as a person. Being part of a team has keep him out of trou-ble and given Andy something to do on his own or with friends. Andy offers aslight twist to some well-known advice. "When there is a wall, there is a way."If there is a wall, you will always be able to practice catching techniques. Asan added reminder, he cautions, “Just remember to have your stick with you.”

Written by Jessica Kanke


Lacrosse is starting to grow into an increas-ingly popular sport. The Swarm is the teamAndy started to look up too as he began toplay lacrosse. He began by learning to stringsticks and continued to learn by watchinghow they play, especially their shooting tech-niques. His constant observation of this stel-lar team has helped him to become a betterlacrosse player overall. "The Swarm hastaught me that you don’t have to be thebiggest or fastest; they taught me that thesport of lacrosse can be played how you wantit to be played. All the players are unique intheir own way and have their own style ofplay. That is what really caught my attentionto the sport in general," said Andy. Theuniqueness of the sport of lacrosse has of-fered Andy the opportunity to grow as hisown player and build his own style.

"Lacrosse came into my life with some bigchanges; I never looked at other sports thesame way. I do not mean to come down onother sports because I'm a sports fan in gen-eral and have played many of them," Andyexplained as we talked about how fairly newand how fast the sport is growing. One ofthe benefits of lacrosse that has caughtAndy’s attention is outstanding rate ofgrowth it has shown as a newly introducedsport in mainstream America. That growthmeans there is room for individual players togrow as well. Andy is mindful to include thefans in his vision of growth for his belovedsport. Fans have taken extraordinary stepsto share their love for lacrosse with everyonethey know and to promote the sport in theircommunities. "I want lacrosse to impact oth-ers the way it has me, and I will do whateverI can to make that happen. Making teams,helping kids out, bringing out all the posi-tives that lacrosse has to offer the youth sothat everyone can watch it grow more everyday." The Swarm has shown Andy that theyhave the same passion as he does; they pushthemselves to become better every day andcontinue to set new goals of excellence.

Going into the locker room provided verygood insight into the world of Swarm forAndy. He got to see the players on the fieldand off the field. He got to observe first-handthe diversity of personalities and the rela-tionships among team members. “Lucky me!I got a great opportunity to see them aftersuch a big winning game. The players werejacked up like 13-year-old kids who just wona championship game. It was very heart-warming getting to see that the guys could

take time out of their day to talk with me andgive me the opportunity to take a step intotheir lives for a night.” Andy was more thanexcited to tell me about his experience withthe Swarm players. Behind the scenes, Andyexperienced the love for the sport throughthe eyes of the team players. He realized theSwarms are true athletes that appreciate allsports and admires the abilities of other ath-letes. He was shocked when he saw theSwarm players watching the college basket-ball game on the TV in the locker room. Theenthusiasm for competitive sportsmanshipshowed as the guys were cheering about thebasketball game. Seeing a team full of smilesnot only because they won their game butbecause of another game on TV really exem-plifies the type of team they are.

Andy met some very interesting people thatsupport the efforts of the Swarm. He was in-troduced to the owner, Andy, and his wife.He enjoyed an in-depth conversation withRyan Benesch about lacrosse, his career andstringing sticks. Ryan has the magical abilityto keep the fans on their feet the wholegame. Andy also got to meet the big shotgoalie, Carlson. “Whose that goalie? CARL-SON!” is the shout you hear during the

games after the big saves we see from our fa-vorite goalie. Many players took time to walkover and shake Andy’s hand and offered pic-tures. The team was more than happy to seethat their fans share the same passion theydo with lacrosse. “The locker room just cameto show me that the Minnesota Swarm canstay classy and act like the rest of us, full ofsmiles. You could see the dedication they putin and the effort it takes to become a profes-sional lacrosse player. It showed me that theSwarm wasn’t full of conceited guys whocan’t take a second to talk to their fans andshow the love and support to us like we givethem. It was a great opportunity,” Andyshared enthusiastically and with a big thankyou in his voice. Andy speaks for all the fansof the Minnesota Swarm, “Thank you.Thank you all.”






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Wheels of Thunder May 2013