With the honors due to him, people from the snowmobile industry gathered last February 14th in L’Assomption to acknowledge the incredible work accomplished by Mr Bob Petit, pioneer of the great snowmobile circuits in the Province of Québec.
In the 60s, Bob Petit was a young snowmobiler who had a dream. His famous friend Denis Drouin made him discover the «machine that floats on snow». Bob dreamed of floating from on club to the other, then from one region to another by a circuit of snowmobile trails with signage that would be maintained and safe.
At that time, the new creation of J.-Armand Bombardier was getting popular and fans were getting into small local clubs that let them ride from their club house to their village, centre of services and meeting places. Clubs fulfilled then very local needs and more and more villages had their own network in a loop. Impossible to go and visit snowmobilers from the next club without adventuring on roads or by intuition and compass.
So, Denis Drouin and Bob Petit decided to form a convoy of snowmobiles and to connect Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts in Laurentides, where Drouin’s family had their cottage, to Saint-Gabriel-de-Brandon in Lanaudière, famous for its major snowmobiling centre. Already from 1963 to 1968, grooming and maintenance equipment started to develop; so it was time to join the regions by getting passage rights and opening the first long trail. To inaugurate this first trail, it took lots of work, of meetings with local clubs administrators, with officers of the municipalities crossed by the trail, with members of Parliement in the regions, with the land owners, with the service providers, restaurant operators and other services. It also included to clear out for the new trail, to design and to produce new signs adapted to snowmobiling and their installation on trail. To accomplish such a gigantic job, an incredible group of volunteers joined Bob Petit’s dream and helped him.
The gang of TV Channel 10 at that time, like Denis Drouin, Fernand Gignac, Gilles Latulipe, Roger Pilon and Serge Bélair, never missed the opportunity on the air, to promote snowmobiling and the great trail of 100 miles (160 km) long between Sainte-Agathe and Saint-Gabriel.
On February 1969, the first convoy of 136 snowmobilers left Lac-des-Sables and after 10 hours of riding on fields and in forests, in bumps always deeper for the last riders, the convoy finally arrived to BM Motel Resort on shore of lake Maskinongé in Saint-Gabriel-de-Brandon. The first regional trail was officially open. It was called Trail # 3. Later, it will be extended to connect Mont-Laurier to Québec City in 1975.
On this same year of 1975, another part of Bob Petit’s dream came true. Trail # 5 on south shore from Boucherville to Lévis was created. It was a three-day ride. On February 1st, 1975, in order to let two groups arrive via these trails at the same time in Québec City, the Pont de Québec has been closed to any vehicle; a convoy of about 100 snowmobiles arrived from south shore to join the group of 32 snowmobiles arrived from Mont-Laurier via Trans Québec Trail # 3 on north shore. This second group had left Mont-Laurier 5 days earlier. The long loop was achieved. Clubs and regions were at last connected. Bob Petit’s dream, and his group of snowmobilers’ dream, had become a reality. Furthermore, Bob had shared his time with each group on that event.
In 1976, already 421 clubs from all over the Province of Québec were members of the federation. The openness, adjustments and mergings that followed result today in a network of 32 000 kilometers of safe and groomed trails.
So, the greater region of Lanaudière just honored Bob Petit’s work by giving his name to Trans Québec Trail # 3. This acknowledgement after 40 years shows that history of snowmobiling must remember our pioneers’ great realizations.
Mr Serge Ritcher, president of the Fédération des clubs de motoneigistes du Québec (FCMQ), pointed out Mr Petit’s work, which consisted in starting what is today the largest snowmobile trail network of the world. There are more kilometers of trails in this circuit than there are kilometers of roads maintained by Québec Department of Transport. Also, our network is totally managed and maintained by snowmobile clubs and their volunteers. It represents an annual economic impact of more than 2 billions $ and hundreds of jobs in regional tourist industry are created thanks to infrastructures that cost almost nothing to the different levels of government. This is quite a success that shows the snowmobilers’ commitment.
Mr Gérard Contant, one of the most important BRP dealers in the Province of Québec, gave to Bob Petit his keys of the 2015 GSX 900 ACE snowmobile available for him in recognition of his involvement in the creation of our trail network.https://www.contant.ca
Mr Luc Morin, from Choko Clothing manufactured since 1969, said how important it is to acknowledge volunteers’ implication and their participation in the good operation of their clubs and the maintenance of their trails. Choko supports generously these causes and recognizes the achievements of Bob Petit’s commitment. https://www.chokodesign.com
The president of Club de motoneiges Bon Vivant, host of the ceremony, Mr Rénald Blouin and his team were very proud to welcome the guests in their club house for the ribbon cutting and for the ceremony in honor of Bob Petit. This club in Lanaudière is very dynamic with its 750 members and 100 kilometers of groomed trails. www.clubmotoneigebonvivant.com
After 40 years of services, Bob Petit was very touched and did not expect such an acknowledgement that is, in fact, a duty of remembrance. Snowmobilers who want to learn more about history of snowmobiling are invited to consult documents, to view videos and photos on the following web site : www.bobpetit.ca . Many hours of interesting reading.
Motoneiges.ca team members also wish to Bob many very enjoyable rides all over the Province of Québec for many years to come. All fans will now remember that trails 3, 5 and 33 prove that a dream can come true and last for more than 40 years.
Louis Perron, Motoneiges.ca
