On Sept. 17 four new members will be inducted into the International Snowmobile Hall of Fame. Each has contributed to the sport of snowmobiling in their own way and are more than worthy of induction.
The weekend of Sept. 16-18 will bring a full weekend of "summertime snowmobiling" activities. The induction weekend will be filled with fun activities including past inductees gatherings, special indoor seating at the vintage drag races, shopping poker runs, pontoon boat rides on the Chain O'Lakes, autograph sessions, gala receptions, banquet and induction ceremonies.
Here is a brief profile of the inductees.
Les Pinz
Isle, MN
Few people can count 46 years of snowmobile enthusiasm. Pinz is one who can. It was in 1964, on a Polaris Lil Andy that he got his start in the sport. Soon the family started a snowmobile dealership, selling Polaris and Scorpion models. From 1966 through 1976 Pinz raced both Polaris and Scorpion, winning high point honors several years and a World Series Class Championship in 1971.
He has been a local club member for 37 years and has served in all offices of the club. His current title is Historian, well deserved as Pinz has a collection of more than 100 antique and vintage sleds. These include prototypes from Polaris, Scorpion and Arctic Cat. Pinz takes great pride in helping others with his vast knowledge of most of the brands. He spends many enthusiastic hours teaching about the history of snowmobiling. His knowledge of the inventing, testing and manufacturing is vast.
Gordon Radtke
Wausau, WI
Almost 30 years ago, Radtke hired on at Bombardier/Ski-Doo in the service department. It helped that he was a snowmobiler and very passionate about the sport. Ski-Doo soon realized his talents, technological knowledge and communication skills. Radtke has been instrumental in the education and dissemination of Ski-Doo technology and service information to dealers, technicians and the media. His knowledge of the product and his ability to educate and inform are of the highest level.
Radtke is the go-to person when a service problem or question arises and he is willing to help all snowmobilers who call on his wealth of knowledge about their sleds.
Wayne Davis
Minneapolis, MN
For a 14 year-old, growing up in a snowmobile dealership planted the seed for a lifetime
centered around the sport. Eight years of successful racing ended with a crash in 1981
that broke both arms. When not racing, Davis had always taken pictures of the races
and racers. His camera skills were noticed by Yamaha, which hired him to shoot for the company.
Soon Davis was shooting for all four brands, several magazines and other sports activities. In 1982 he gave up his job as a robotics engineer and programmer to pursue his passion of photography. Since that time, Davis' work has captured and preserved for future generations the joy and excitement that is snowmobiling and snowmobile racing. He has been knocked down, run over, caught in avalanches, lost in whiteouts and suffered frozen fingers, but he keeps coming back with a smile. His passion for the sport shows in his integrity and professionalism.
Bill Manson
Rockford, MI
Soon after being introduced to snowmobiles and following a vision that snowmobiles would someday develop into the great recreational industry that it has become, Manson became active in organized snowmobiling. He was instrumental in the forming of the Michigan Snowmobile Association in 1982 that merged three groups into one. Manson has worked his way up through all phases and positions of MSA and is now its executive director. He has been instrumental in creating milestones for the snowmobiling community and has accomplished goals that many aspire to but rarely achieve.
Both on the state level and on the national level he has and now chairs several committees and organizations. Manson was named International Snowmobiler of the Year in 1990 and in 1995 selected as Michigan Snowmobiler of the Year. Through Manson's guidance, winter tourism within the state has flourished.
For more information, visit www.worldsnowmobilehq.com.