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Levi LaVallee got a taste for snowmobiling early on. Riding his family's aging Scorpion Little Whip near their home in Longville, Minn., he grabbed a handful of brake to stop before crossing a road while following his dad. Nothing happened!
The brake cable had snapped, so little Levi shot over the road and quickly announced to his father he needed a newer sled. His dad, Larry, agreed and put the youngster on a Polaris Indy 400. He's been stuck on a Polaris ever since.
Now he's back for a sixth year with factory support, aiming for titles in Pro Stock and Pro Open on the WPSA snocross circuit. Last year, he ended fourth in Pro Open, just 9 points out of third, and was eighth in Pro Stock. His teammates, Ross Martin and TJ Gulla, won those titles, respectively. That's tough competition, just on the team alone.
Levi's styleLevi says he was relieved after he notched a win late last season at Canterbury, Shakopee, Minn., because he was the only one on Team Polaris who hadn't posted a victory to that point. Plus, the win got his comrades off his back, at least for that week.
In the off season, Levi has continued to work out in the gym at least two hours each morning, hoping to build stamina and leg strength for the rigorous snocross season. Levi says he always has been good on jumps and feels that they are his strength. Now, he's working to smooth out his riding so he can slip through the corners with more speed.
"I've got a wide-open style. But sometimes you have to slow down to go faster," he says, sounding a bit like he's still trying to convince himself.
"I'm working to get smoother. I'm not always smooth," he admits, adding that it sometimes has gotten him into trouble. But watching more experienced racers is helping him mature and polish off the rough edges, Levi says.
The goal isn't just winning, everyone wants that, but Levi aims to be consistent.
"I want to finish in the top 3 in points … to be in the top 5 every race, and the champion ultimately," he says, noting he has 2 years left on his current contract. But he'd like to race at least several more years beyond that.
Right now he's in good health, but he has been banged up a couple times, something he can laugh about now. He blew out a knee once, had a dislocated wrist, two separated shoulders, and last year, an incredibly odd injury, a throttle control that broke off and lodged in his leg when he went over the handlebars after the throttle stuck.
"I didn't even know I had it in there. I just knew I had a hole poked in my leg," he says with a slight laugh.
Future thoughtsLevi doesn't worry about injury, just about performing well.
"There are so many guys at the top level in snocross that you have to really bring you're A-game every race," he says. "I ride with a lot of heart and I don't give up or lay down and die. I give it everything I've got, and I'm willing to do the big jumps that are maybe a little scarier."
Being in top shape and having the revamped Polaris race sled underneath him, Levi feels he's in good shape for the upcoming season. He says the new racer, like the previous model, is extremely solid and will hold up to a pounding.
"It's amazing on track," he says, noting that steering effort is much easier, which will help in those choppy, icy turns. "When you hook an ice edge on this one, it's not trying to tear the bars from your hands."
Racer ProfileName: Levi LeVallee
Age: 25
Height: 5'5½"
Weight: 155 lbs.
Hometown: Longville, Minn.
Family: Debbie and Larry (mom & dad), sister Lori
Other interests: Motocross, wakeboarding, minibikes, mountain biking
First sleds: Scorpion Little Whip, Polaris Indy 400
First race sled: '94 XCR Special (year old)
Most memorable race: X-Games Gold 2004
Sponsors: Polaris, Red Bull, Parts Unlimited, Arctiva, S.M. Hentges & Sons, Dragon Optical
Polaris 600 IQHighlights: Last season's top sled adds an all-new 600cc motor, plus Polaris has toughened it even more with stronger front suspension lower spindles, rear torque arm and coupler blocks in back. Also, the driveshaft is now a slip shaft to cut chaincase stress. A new EZ Steer system is added to cut steering effort, plus a Sno-XT track with 1.75-in lugs. The gas tank grows to 4 gal.