Category Archives: Racer News
Polaris Snocross Racers Earn Half of All Pro Open Podium Spots in ISOC National Season Opener in Duluth, and Sweep Top Four Spots in Pro Lite Final
Polaris Racers Are Among Pro Open & Pro Lite Points Leaders
MEDINA, Minn. (Dec. 1, 2014) – Polaris snocross racers started the 2014-2015 ISOC National season with a powerful performance as they earned three of the weekend’s six Pro Open podium spots, and they dominated the Pro Lite class – including finishing first through fourth in the weekend’s second Pro Lite final. The ISOC National tour opened Nov. 28-30 in Duluth, Minnesota, with the AMSOIL National at Spirit Mountain.
Kyle Pallin (Team LaVallee) reached the podium in both Pro Open finals with third- and second-place finishes, which put him second in Pro Open points after two rounds of racing.
Ryan Springer (Carlson Motorsports) won one Pro Lite final, and Andrew Carlson (Carlson Motorsports) finished fourth and third in the weekend’s finals, making Carlson the points leader.
Pro Open: Pallin & Kamm Have Sights Set on Title
In the weekend’s first Pro Open final on Saturday, Nov. 29, Kody Kamm (Hentges Racing) finished second and Kyle Pallin took third. Justin Broberg (Hentges Racing) finished sixth and Jake Scott (Team LaVallee) finished 11th.
In the second Pro Open final held on Sunday, Pallin once again reached the podium with a second-place finish, and Kamm finished fourth after making it into the final via the last chance qualifier (LCQ). Jake Scott finished eighth and Justin Broberg (Hentges Racing) finished 10th.
After two rounds of Pro Open racing, Pallin was second in points while Kamm was third. Broberg was in eighth, Jake Scott was in ninth, Ross Martin (Judnick Motorsports) was 12th, and Andrew Lieders (Team LaVallee) was 13th.
Pro Lite: Podium Dominance & a 1-2-3-4 Sweep
In the weekend’s first Pro Lite final, Jake Angove (Fort Fremont Racing) reached the podium with a second-place finish. Andrew Carlson was fourth, Travis Muller (Cottew Motorsports) was fifth, and Zak Mason (Leighton Motorsports) was sixth.
In Sunday’s Pro Lite final, Polaris Terrain Domination® was on full display as Polaris racers finished 1-2-3-4. Ryan Springer (Carlson Motorsports) earned the victory, Zak Mason took second, Andrew Carlson was third, and Trevor Leighton (Leighton Motorsports) finished fourth.
Andrew Carlson, who finished second overall in Pro Lite points last season, left Duluth as the class points leader. Zak Mason was third in points after two rounds, Trevor Leighton was fourth, Jake Angove was sixth, Ryan Springer was eighth, James Johnstad (Judnick Motorsports) was 10th, and Travis Muller (Cottew Motorsports) was 11th.
Ross Martin Takes Second in AMSOIL Dominator
In the AMSOIL Dominator, the non-points feature traditionally held on Friday night of the Duluth racing weekend, Ross Martin reached the final by winning the LCQ and finished second in the finale. Martin, a two-time winner of the AMSOIL Dominator, had to start one row behind the other two racers in the final, and his determined bid to win the special trophy and $10,000 winner’s purse fell just short. The AMSOIL Dominator field is made up of the weekend’s top Pro Open qualifiers. They face off in three-lap head-to-head duels until just three racers are left for the final.
More Podium Finishes in Pro-Am & Sport Classes
In the weekend’s Pro-Am +30 final, Justin Tate (2-Eight Motorsports) finished second as five Polaris racers earned top-10 finishes. Patrick Brodeur (Walls-Unlimited) took fifth, Luke Routh (RF3 Industries) was seventh, Bruce Jesionowski (Snirt Racing) finished ninth, and Scot Adams (Never Enough Racing) took 10th.
Four Polaris racers finished in the top 10 in the Pro-Am Women’s final, led by Janell Smith (Team NorthStar) in fourth. Amanda Duitsman (Plaisted Racing) finished sixth, Jakki Farmer (Farmer Racing) was seventh, and Jessica Martel took 10th.
Jacob Yurk (Team Vermillion) won the weekend’s first Sport final, and Jake Geeseman (Wollenberg Motorsports) took second in the second Sport final. Geeseman had finished fifth in the first final, which left him third in Sport points after the season’s first two rounds of racing. Yurk was fourth in points, and Cole Cottew (Cottew Motorsports) was fifth.
The second round of ISOC National racing will be the U.S. Air Force National at Buffalo River Race Park in Glyndon, Minnesota, near Fargo, N.D. Racing will be held Dec. 12-13.
Yamaha’s Matt Piche wins Pro Stock at Houghton Cross Country season opener
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(Pleasant Prairie, WI)— Team Yamaha Rider Matt Piche scored the first Pro Stock win of the Cross Country racing season on his SR Viper race sled at Houghton, MI. “Everyone on the team wanted to come out strong at the first race of the year,” said Yamaha Cross Country Crew Chief Brian Strawsell. “We knew we had a sled that would be competitive and that Matt and Re were ready to race. Everything just worked well for us today.”
The Yamaha Pro squad opened the day with strong results in the Pro Factory 600 class—a second-place finish for Piche with teammate Re Wadena just missing the podium. That afforded the guys an opportunity to assess setups and scout the shortened, sloppy course. “The new Elka shocks worked killer,” Piche said. “I was happy with the way the Viper was set up from our preseason testing.”
With light and course conditions quickly fading, race officials opted to shorten the marquee Pro Stock race. “It was a rough course that was down to mud and rocks in some places,” Strawsell noted. The Viper racers put on a good show, with Piche in front of his next closest competitor by 20 seconds. Wadena used his years of race experience to smartly bring his Viper in fourth, with a developing driveline issue. “Re knew that it’s more important to score points by finishing a little farther back in the pack than it is to push the envelope and risk a mechanical failure and a DNF.”
Yamaha youth put in a great effort during the day’s middle rounds. New racer, Robby Resch claimed a 4th in Sport Factory Stock and Mitch Sebastian battled to a fourth in Sport Stock. The Team Blue duo finished 1-2 in the Schoolboy 16-24 class to button up a strong day for the up-and-comers. “It was great to see the younger guys step up and do so well,” said Seth Thorson, Sebastian’s head mechanic and race mentor.
No stranger to competition himself, Thorson pulled in a pair of top-10 finishes himself in Semi-Pro Factory 600 and Semi-Pro Stock classes.
Yamaha Factory Snowmobile Racing is sponsored by Elka Suspensions and Fly Racing with additional support from Camoplast, Woody’s, WPS and Yamalube. Follow the Yamaha Factory Racing season at facebook.com/YamahaSnowmobilesUSA.
TEAM ARCTIC SENDS A MESSAGE AT 2014-2015 ISOC NATIONAL SNOCROSS OPENER
TEAM ARCTIC SENDS A MESSAGE AT 2014-2015 ISOC NATIONAL SNOCROSS OPENER
Eight Class Victories and 20 Podium Finishes Proves that Team Green Wins More
Team Arctic’s Anson Scheele (M), Brayden Kernz (L) and Raycer Frank (R)- sweep Duluth. photo by ArcticInsider.com
Thief River Falls, Minn. (Dec. 2, 2014) – If there were any questions about which brand would reign supreme at the 2014-2015 ISOC National Snocross opener in Duluth, Minn., Team Arctic delivered a resounding answer:
Hillcross debut at Granite Gorge launches new era for East Coast Snocross, Presented by AMSOIL, Woody’s and FXR
Clarksburg, Mass. (Dec. 1, 2014) — Sanctioned snowmobile racing in New England resumes this Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 6-7, as East Coast Snocross (ECS) kicks off its fifth season with the debut of Hillcross competition at the beautiful Granite Gorge ski area on Rte. 9 in Roxbury Center, New Hampshire.
Spectator gates open at 9 a.m. each day. Admission is $15 per day for adults, with weekend passes available for $25. Children age 7 and under will be admitted free with a paying adult. Pit passes valid through the weekend are available for an extra $10.
Hillcross racing offers spectators a chance to witness riders in Pro, Trail, Ditch Banger and Junior classes as they launch up the slope. When it was recently brought back into the prestigious ESPN Winter X Games in Aspen, Hillcross returned to the spotlight in winter power sports. It’s fast, it’s colorful, and it’s exhilarating. It’s also a true test of man and machine under nature’s finest backdrop.
All four popular brands of today’s technologically-advanced snowmobiles will be competing, including Arctic Cat, Polaris, Ski-doo and Yamaha. Snowmobile enthusiasts are known for their loyalty to a specific brand, and they’ll all have riders to support at Granite Gorge. With today’s suspension and engine technology, even avid trail riders will be amazed at how quickly these sleds get up the slope.
This weekend’s season opener at Granite Gorge marks the first sanctioned Hillcross event in New England since 2004. ECS officials are planning to host three events in this exciting format. The second and third event dates and locations have not been confirmed and are subject to change, so please check the ECS Web site often for updated news.
In the late 1950s, a committee featuring former Olympians was formed to find an ideal “gateway” mountain in southern New Hampshire. The committee selected Pinnacle Mountain for its location, protection from the wind, its north face and ability to hold snow. Locals know that on Pinnacle Mountain at Granite Gorge, “the powder stays put.”
Today, Granite Gorge offers downhill skiing, cross country skiing, tubing and a terrain park. Skiers and riders can enjoy 17 trails serviced by four lifts, including a 1,500-foot base-to-summit double chair. With the mountain located only five miles from Keene, a variety of dining and lodging options are available. To learn more, visit them online at www.granitegorge.com.
East Coast Snocross, presented by AMSOIL, Woody’s Traction and FXR, is the eastern regional affiliate of ISOC. ECS strives to maintain a healthy level of competition in grassroots snocross, while also cultivating new talent for tomorrow’s factory-backed national teams.
For more information, please go to www.eastcoastsnocross.com, visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/East-Coast-Snocross, and follow us on Twitter @eastcoastsnox.
