Roger Janssen
DATE OF INDUCTION: January 14, 1988
CAREER SPAN: 1966-1978
COMPETITION TYPE: Cross-Country & Oval
BRANDS RACED: Arctic Cat, Chaparral, John Deere & Polaris
AGE AT INDUCTION: 47
Representing the first big wave of competitors to race the Arctic Cat Panther in the late 1960’s, Roger Janssen began his career as an independent. Farming wheat in the summer and racing snowmobiles in the winter, he earned an Arctic Cat factory team position in 1968.
Janssen drove big engine Arctic Cats to many oval track victories. The most famous was the World’s Championship win in 1969 where he recovered from a first turn crash and fire to win on the restart. Always interested in cross-country racing, Roger set a record for top ten finishes in the Winnipeg-to-St. Paul 500 and won the Roger Ebert cross-country title before retiring in 1978.