Showcasing the sleds that rely on the FIREPLUG CDI  

FIREPLUG owners, send me a pic of your sled to be featured on this page!

Ben Laskowski was the first customer for the 1980 EXCITER (EX440D) FIREPLUG CDI.  Actually, Ben originally took a prototype for testing to be sure everything would work on his Exciter, then we provided a production model.  Yamaha discontinued producing the Hitachi CDI used on the 76~81 Exciters, and although the Exciters were a very rugged & dependable sled, once the CDI fails, the sled no longer runs.  There's lots of nice Exciters out there with no spark.  hopefully we solved that problem.   Ben's Exciter is back on the snow, where it should be....no longer sitting spark-less in a garage!  

A nice pic of Jeff Webers RV.  Jeff builds really...really fast drag engines.  This is one of the oval sleds Jeff was working on that ran at Boonville, NY.  Jeff said there was some handling problems, since little time before (and not much ice) for testing, but the engine ran great.  Jeff has some really cool / exotic engines he's built (3 & 4 cyls, supercharged etc).  Every time I get a picture, I have to look twice to see what it is!  Keep it up Jeff!

Jeff MacMillan (Canada) has purchased a few FIREPLUG CDI's over the years, and recently inquired about the latest FIREPLUG-PRO for his Merc's.  Jeff already has some very nice sleds, and doesn't seem to be stopping there.  His latest e-mail mentions picking up another Merc!   Jeff said:  attached a picture of my '76 from a vintage ride that Snow Trax TV did a segment on.    If only Jeff could have pasted a FIREPLUG CDI decal on that trailer!

This pic of this 75 Sonic was sent by Dan Wulff.  Dan wrote:   I just wanted to send a picture of the sled (you can see your sticker on the belly pan and the hood is signed by the Decker’s: Chuck, Mike, Dick and Audrey).    It runs really strong.  I happened to run into a bunch of guys that were running on the local lake with dirt bikes with studded tires and the thought they were top dogs on the ice.  The Sonic gave them a good run in spite of their track having right turns. They had a new found respect for the 32 year old sled, thanks to you.   The Sonic has factory mod twin pipes, KH disc brake mod, as well as other little things here and there.  I probably won’t race it because one hit and the belly pan and hood will probably blow apart!"  We don't want to see any scratches on that sled Dan...she's a beauty!

This entry is long overdue.  Here's a Great pic of Dave Ruder #332 of Maple Park, IL on his 340 MERC Sno-Twister at Eagle River 2006.  Dave has performed testing for the FIREPLUG ARC CDI on his Twisters from the beginning.   This pic should be on a T-shirt or Magazine cover somewhere with Dave's picture-perfect driving style.  UPDATE: Received this e-mail "The RUPP is mine, { Dan Westaby} also running a FIREPLUG CDI box that Paul Romanowski installed.....thanks for the update Dan!  We now need some pic's from Paul! 

Dave's go-for-it attitude is what we look for when we want feedback on our FIREPLUG CDI's.  Dave can concentrate on his lap-times while we concentrate on his ignition timing.  

Here's the 71 STARFIRE of Kurt Andrews of www.extremevintageracing.com This was build to run at Eagle River 2006, and is also one of the www.CDIBOX.com Test Sleds for the Polaris 3-CYL FIREPLUG CDI.  This sled screamed at Eagle River Vintage Weekend, easily winning the heat race on Saturday.  It flew again in the Final for 4 of the 5 laps on Sunday...Actually, perhaps a bit too fast, when Kurt grabbed brakes in turn 4 and the brakes completely failed.  Kurt opted for friction brakes rather than taking out the competition, when he quickly applied the laws of physics & rolled this pretty STARFIRE on it's top, jamming 3 spark plugs into the ice.  

Kurt was no worse for the ride, but the STARFIRE  had some battle scars.  The good news is, the FIREPLUG continued to spark, even after dumping 40,000 volts into the icy ground at turn-4.  Kurt took this opportunity to pass along some final test results, stating he got a good look at the plugs, which gave great readings when instantly shut-off while revving 10,000 RPM's.....he may have said "sheared off"....Thanks Kurt, that's really above & beyond what I needed!

Here's a nice looking GPX433 owned by Cory Muzyka of Sask, Canada.  Cory has a few FIREPLUG CDI's on his     sleds.  Cory didn't send much info, other than the sled runs very good these days.   It's always nice to see nice looking sled, and hear it runs as good as it looks!  Nice Job Cory!

This is Scott Kaul's 250 & 340-76 Mercury Twisters.  Scott also has a 440 that looks identical.  Scott drag races these sleds and does very well.   Scott reports 440 S/T = 6 FIRSTS 2 SECONDS, HIGH POINT CHAMPION 440 VINTAGE, HIGH POINT CHAMPION 700 VINTAGE, GRAND HIGH POINT CHAMPION VINTAGE 2004.  340S/T= 2 first .  340 vintage high points champion.   2nd place Friday in MOD 250 and 2nd place in stock 250 Eagle River Reunion (30 MPH wind caught him on the launch!)

Scott  is well deserving of 2 pic's,  because Scott performed all the summer testing on the sole PROTOTYPE  FIREPLUG  A.R.C. for HewTech Electronics LLC throughout the Grass-Drag season in 2004.  Scott reported excellent results with the newly developed ADVANCE / RETARD CONTROL FIREPLUG CDI.  We are very appreciative that Scott was willing  to perform evaluation  testing for HewTech Electronics, and never worried about potential problems that may affect his season.  Looks like we affected his season  in a POSITIVE way! 

Doug Smith did a fine job of restoring this 1975 Yamaha GPX 433.  It was a mess when Doug picked it up, but you would never know it now.  Rebored, new pistons, rings, Mikuni carbs, new seat and many hours of labor.  Doug is getting back into Vintage Oval racing after a 30 year absence.  Like many Yamaha owners, Doug found out at the most inopportune time that his factory Hitachi failed...it was on the last lap, while running 2nd place.  Doug has switched to the FIREPLUG CDI, and this will put Doug back up front where he belongs after 30 years of waiting.  (photo taken by Monty Wiseman)

This is the 78 Yamaha SRX of Kolton Kreutzer of Saskatchewan Canada.  The sled has 127hp+ with the addition of the new FIREPLUG SRX CDI box, running on C-14 race fuel.  It has 185 psi of compression, and has run  87 mph in 660 feet.  Kolton recently pulled off a second place overall finish in the 600 class.  Additional components are stock spitfire suspension with Polaris TX cleated/picked track & Comet/Polaris clutching.  The sled weighs  276lbs wet.  The sled was completed this past winter (2003/2004) by Kolton and his father, taking  250+ hrs.  Kolton has many sponsors such as Mongoose Racing (Nikasil Cylinders), VP Racing Fuels and Fast Tracks Race Engines (own by an uncle), who performed the engine work.  The FIREPLUG is just icing on this calk!

Check out the 75 Rupp 340 F/A sled of Dale Sloper of Elk River, Mn.   The sled features nos hood and lower panels, original 3-band Kalamazoo racing track, magnesium slide rails and factory air box.  Dale spent approximately 400-500 hours tuning this sled for drag racing.  Since 2001, this sled has won multiple drag race events, including several Wisconsin State Vintage Drag Race titles in both stock and open classes,  the 2002 Rupp Reunion Grass Drag Quickest ET title, as well as the 2004 Waconia 340 Free-Air Stock class title with a FIREPLUG CDI.  Dale says "With some vintage races being 150 miles one way,  I cant afford to take a chance with the stock cdi box failing. The HewTech Fireplug has given me easier starts and confidence in my ignition system.  Well said Dale!  

Here's another sled of Dale Sloper's.  It's a 74 Merc, 340 Mod.  This sled was originally built in Michigan, most likely in the ' 80's.  It features a Z Cat suspension, custom track made from Rupp Magnum bands, Wahl skis and gas tank.  The engine has been ported to Merc SuperMod specs.  The pipes are stock pipes with open stingers. Dale has yet to race this sled, but it will see the ice drag track again next winter, also with a FIREPLUG CDI according to Dale.

Congratulations goes out to Mark Nernberg (inside-line) of Russell, Manitoba Canada.  Mark won the Canadian Power Toboggan Championship  (CPTC) on March 8/9, 2003 for Early Model 340cc on his FIREPLUG equipped Thunder-Jet.  Mark has done a good job making his Thunder-Jet fast & handle.  We are proud that Mark has chosen our FIREPLUG CDI for it's performance & reliability on his Yamaha SX engine.  Mark was one of the first to run the Yamaha SX FIREPLUG CDI and appears to be having good luck with it!  Way to go Mark!!!!!

   These are the 73 Yamaha SR's of Rob Roeske.  Rob volunteered the use of his SR292 (right) for FIREPLUG CDI development & testing.  Rob's sleds are mostly unrestored, other than seat covers and other minor details.  The tunnels and other hardware are in remarkable shape for an almost 30 year old sled whose main purpose in life was to go very-very fast, then turn very-very sharp, while still going very-very fast!  The FIREPLUG CDI keeps with tradition of making this sled go VERY-VERY FAST!  Thanks to Rob for helping make this CDI available for all SR292 & Thunder-Jet 292's.

This is Bill Mason's (better known as Snomo-Bill's)  Harley.  Bill was one of the early Harley owners (actually wife Lorretta get's the credit here) that contact me for a FIREPLUG CDI.  Bill had a math problem, which translated into more snowmobiles than working CDI units.  Bill received his FIREPLUG CDI and has had a sweet sounding Harley ever since.  You can see Bill & his sleds at many of the shows in Western Ontario & SE Michigan.   Bill is a founding member of the Georgian Bay Antique Snowmobile Club, and is always happy to discuss his collection and help out with his knowledge of these American classics.


One of these sleds didn't always look this good.   These are Mike Golembiewski's collection of BOA-SKI's.  One of the 340's was my neighbors sled, which I posted "FOR-SALE" and Mike answered the AD.   Mike Drove nonstop from NW-Wisconsin to the SE thumb of Michigan to rescue the ailing BOA's from my neighbor's field.  Mike has completely restored the 340SS and in the process, upgraded to a FIREPLUG CDI to complete his efforts.  Knowing the "before" condition first-hand, it's obvious Mike pay's attention to the fine detail and quality.  We are honored that he has selected the FIREPLUG CDI to power his BOA's..

This is Paul Diersen's RV245.  This very nice 100% "original raced sled" raced by Bud Bros. Racing from Wyndmere ND for only 3 races in the 1975 season, as the story was told to Paul when he bought it.  Turns out the story is true, which was confirmed by a mechanic at Universal Repair, who knew the sled.   Paul is now running a FIREPLUG CDI in place of the unreliable Polarfire with excellent results.   Paul has also replaced the clutch with a 102C and says with the combination FIREPLUG CDI and COMET 102C, it pulls unbelievably hard.  Paul....it's not the clutch!  The RARE 340 SONIC is also Pauls.

Here's the infamous FIREPLUG "TEST" sled of Daren Carlson's. A restored RUPP F/A 440.  All is original except for the black handlebars & CDI according to Daren.  Daren is running the  FIREPLUG CDI on this sled.  Daren says the sled runs excellent, and has put many hours into the clutch & carb tuning to get it to this point.  A beautiful sled & "STILL GOING"!

This is Dan Omeara's Harley Davidson 440.  Dan delivered & entrusted his extremely clean sled for the Harley Davidson CDI development to HewTech Electronics.  With the ALL NEW CDI in place, this old Harley now purrs like a kitten.  For his efforts, Dan received the CDI unit with full factory warranty.  This is how vintage sledders can support the effort & gain access to obsolete CDI's.   Wish Dan or guys like Dan owned Yamaha's.

Here's Patrick Scott's John-Deere Liquifire with the new FIREPLUG CDI  CDI  installed.   Patrick purchased a FIREPLUG CDI back in 2001 for his 76-Cyclone.  He decided to upgrade the Liquifire too!  Look at how clean this classic is.....Nice sled Patrick!!!