Tribute to "Twin Track Legend" Robert A. Bracey

In the 1960's while employed at Karcraft, Mr. Bracey worked on the design team that developed the Ford GT 40 racecar that went on to win the 24 Hours of Lemans. He also worked on other race winning cars ran in USAC, Indy as well as in the Can-Am Series. He perhaps described his life best in a 1999 Interview with The Winning Edge Magazine when he said; Unlike most people I know, my wife Carol has always let me run the gamut of things I wanted to do, I have loved her dearly for that over the last 40 years. I have always done for a living what others would do for enjoyment. I have had the fulfillment of working in the automotive field inventing new concepts in racecar design. I've had a chance to rub shoulders with people like Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Jim Clark, P.J. Jones, Al Unser and Dan Gurney when others were just trying to get into the pits. This wasn't work! I could have done it for 20 hours a day - even if the pay wasn't all that good, it was fun! Bracey said. One thing is very clear Bob Bracey loved life and projected that enthusiasm to everyone he met. Bob and the people that worked with him possessed an inner drive to take a dream from a few scratches on a napkin to reality. While he may not have known it at the time Bob touched and inspired the lives of many people, people who have and continue to do great things in the snowmobile, motorcycle, marine and automotive industry today. In his closing hours on this world Mr. Bracey said I've done everything I wanted to do, I just wanted to do it a little longer. To this day I have no doubt Bob is in heaven working on some OUT OF THIS WORLD project that we will all have a chance to enjoy when we to head for the heavens. I hope we will all have the opportunity to sum up our lives as Mr. Bracey did in those closing hours. I know for a fact his dreams and innovations will never fade thanks to the countless collectors who will continue to keep his memory alive. It is certainly an honor to pay Tribute to Bob Bracey and his wife Carol. Mr. Bracey was indeed a dreamer, an innovator and a true Twin Track Legend Bob Bracey Snowmobiles Leisure Vehicles Inc; 1970 1974 Roamer and Raider Snowmobiles Arbe Products; 1974 1976 Manta Twin and Single Track Racing Snowmobiles and Accessories Three R Industries Inc., - 1983 1986 Trail Manta Twin Track Snowmobile Three R Industries Inc., - 1999 - 2001 Trail Roamer Twin Track Snowmobile

Top of the Lake Snowmobile Museum News Release-2023 On September 22, 2023 the Michigan Arts and Culture Council (MACC) in conjunction with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced it would be generously awarding the Top of the Lake Snowmobile Museum in Naubinway an $8750 grant for operational support during 2024. MACC uses a peer review process to award grants. More than 700 organizations across the state applied for funding. Each grant application is competitively judged; awardees are chosen to ensure Michigan residents and visitors have access to the most authentic aspects of local arts and culture. Organizations receiving a grant award from MACC/NEA are required to match those funds with other public or private dollars. The Top of the Lake Snowmobile Museum receives a great deal of donated monetary support through its memberships and visitors and plans to use these funds to match the MACC grant award. There are 141 active museum members not including lifetime members and more than 7000 visitors just last year.

The museum has plans to bring more local art-related activities to our conference room and develop a program for groups with special needs. This support will go toward the cost of wages and advertising for these activities. On Sept 20, 2019, The Top of the Lake Snowmobile Museum was awarded a grant of $12,500 for Operational Support from the State of Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA – ART WORKS). The grant was awarded through the MCACA peer review process and was one of 561 applications to compete for MCACA fiscal year 2019 funding. The grant requires a 1:1 match and helped the museum leverage the $12,500 of support from its annual income and the many donations from supporters. In particular the museum has received grants from the Graymont Community Economic Development Fund and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. It has also received significant donations from the Antique Snowmobile Club of America, The Midwest Vintage Snowmobile Shows, Inc., many snowmobile clubs, several recreational and snowmobile shows, the museum’s internal $1,000.00 Challenge, and many museum members. The grant funds will be applied to museum operating costs. Applicable costs include internal operations, marketing, travel to shows within the State of Michigan and cost of employees. The MCACA peer review process allows for each grant applicant to be competitively considered by a panel of in-state and out-of-state arts and culture professionals. This ensures the taxpayers, who support this project through legislative appropriations, and all other visitors or residents in Michigan will have access to the highest quality arts and cultural experiences. A complete list of grant awards around the state is available by contacting MCACA at (517) 241-4011, or by visiting the MCACA website at www.michigan.gov/arts