I wonder if 1970 World Heavyweight Boxing champ Smokin’ Joe Frazier is still a big fan of snowmobiling?
Perhaps someone should contact him and see if he still has his 1974 Arctic Cat El Tigre?
Maybe his foray into celebrity demonstrations in Syracuse, NY, was enough snowmobile experience for the brawny fighter?
If memory serves, there was a friendly celebrity race between Frazier and Team Arctic’s Charlie Lofton. If I were Lofton, I would have let Joe win the sled race, in hopes that Joe would allow me to win any celebrity boxing matches I might have entered.
Anyway, I’m simply sharing these photos because they didn’t make it into the 50th Arctic Cat book, yet I find them mildly interesting.
Was this this the last time the mainstream snowmobile media covered a U.S. sled race east of Michigan? (The once a season National Sno Cross and the long departed X Games excluded, of course.)
i was at the one mile oval that day,it was kinda cool,and i agree charlie should have let him win although charlie played with him on the backstretch a few times ,syracuse is such a big track a racer gets lost on the straights,it was like trail riding wide open,my cousin blew up his 400 out there,and my 340 seemed to underpowered for such a huge track,the best part is most of the drivers got to meet joe that day in front of the granstand are,still very cool,rick simula,syracuse one mile oval
Rick: Awesome that you were there! Thanks for sharing that fact.
Wow, I never knew Smokin Joe rode a sled, much less an Arctic on a track with Charlie Lofton. Thanks for finding that story.
Interested in obtaining the Artic Cat 50th anniversary book – VAST is also looking to do something to celebrate our 50 yrs in 2017
I thought smoking joe one that race.My dad Bryan gates raced for nero arctic cat and smoking joe used my dads sled.i got to meet smoking joe and i remember he won granted i was only 9 at the time but i was there and the guy who lost the fastest man on sno was pissed because the race was rigged he was supposed to win and he didnt thats what i remember
My uncle was responsible for Smokin Joe riding Arctic Cats, he showed up at a club in Philly and asked to ride with us, he came with his Cadillac and 2 Polaris sleds, my uncle called the factory and let them know the champ was riding Polaris, next month’s Snowmobile magazine had Joe in it saying Cat was the best ! I guess free sleds are the best !