› Forums › Forums › GENERAL DISCUSSION › SNOWMOBILE TRACK AT DOVER
….Snowmobiles at Dover?…YES ! Now they DID get all interested (Chet & Joe) with Snowmobiles …Took a bulldozer and carved long trail through the property …THEN actually built a Oval Track . Had Me in a little shed overlooking it to announce -Froze my butt off. Only one year .down past inspection lanes …Had guys in modified classes going up and over the banked turns into the trees .Anybody remember? participated or have photos?
I’m the only one that remembers?…Hey Mike Mannion …you were there !
DINO,
Had to jog my memory a little, after our phone conversation..
SNOWMOBILING..
I will send the picture of my snowmobile (or as Sweet Sara Palin says; Snow Machine) to post on this thread, of my RAIDER 440 at Dover.
From what I can remember, the area just past the north end of the stocker pits was utilized.
The area had somewhat of a natural bowl shape. It may have been excavated for that
purpose.
Not sure if a small booth/shack was used, or the trophy booth/shack for an announcer?
From what I can remember. The winter of 75’/76′ had some circle style racing. My neighbor had a RAIDER 440 that he took up there and raced. I liked his snowmobile so much, I ended up buying one at Curry Recreational in Peekskill (directly behind Roe Park Sunoco, for you Peekskill fans) in the summer of 76. Of course Dover closed that year, and NO MORE FUN.
I still took the snowmobile up there for a little Test-N-Tune in January 77. No one was there, so peaceful, so quiet, so tranquil.
PC (Photo on its way)..
Oval track for sure…Chet & Joe built it with banked turns but no guard rails. Them things were flying eveywhere(off The top of the Curves)…airbourne into the trees.Wonder nobody got killed. Some REALLY fast modified stuff. Too fast for that track. Remember Everybody ,including Mike Mannion & wife all bundled up in those Snowmobile suits. They all looked like the Michilen Man.A lot took the tour through the woods for a Dover Winter “cruise” .I stayed in the booth with a cheap (not Chet & Joe!) Sears electric heater. Only worked when had adequite snow…It just fizzled out.
DINO,
Yes the track was banked, had a slope equivalant to the Rockingham track,, damn near
40 degee bank…Track too small for anything over 400cc..
Funny stuff though. As the Snowmobiles would accelerate, the gravitational force would
pull you up the bank, due to the progressive angle of the bank…Snowmobiles flying off the top-edge,,,If you were at the top-edge of the bank watching, you’d have to duck, much like
“Dodge-Ball” in school, only difference at Dover, the ‘Dodge-Balls’ were 500lb. metal objects 😮
Chet and Joe should have taken a class at Dutchess Community in the ‘Fundamental Force of Physics’,,,’Force is a push or pull that can cause an object with mass to accelerate’
Hence,,,, Small track + Fast Snowmobiles = “FLYING METAL OBJECTS” 😮 😮
Paul ,,,,, Force = d/dt (mv`) 🙂
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,213971.0/topicseen..html, Early Ford tractor conversion, looks like a load of fun
DINO<
As you can see, that RAIDER had a 440 in it. Yes a Mopar Wedge 😆
Also, 8″ wide twin tracks, a Sure-Grip Posi 😎
Only a handful built for 1975. Great for packed snow. Launched like the,,,,,”Black Arrow”
Thanks for posting the photo,,,,,,,3 coffee beans in the Sambuca’ for you 😀
Hey BossGuy,,
If that Ford tractor snowmobile couldn’t beat me on the oval snow track, I’m sure it
could crush me. Love those large torpedo-shaped turbine wheel drives.
Richard Byrd used them for his Antarctic Expedition..He went there and found
John Edwards ,,Humping a Penguin 😆 Promised the Penguin if he became president, that the Penguin would become the First Bird 🙂
Paul,,,I like my bird ‘Al dente’