rock maple racing

The 1970s was a decade that gave new meaning to the word family. The song "We Are Family" by Sister Sledge topped the pop charts. Brotherhood and Sisterhood evolved to a point where those not related by blood were considered equal to those who were.

Halfway through the 1990s, it seems that another period of redefinition is taking place. This time it's in the world of snocross. Rock Maple Racing of Wilmington, Vermont has brought snowmobile racing back to the East. With it, it has brought an atmosphere suitable for serious competition and family-style camaraderie between brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, boyfriends, girlfriends and even rivals who ride sleds produced by competing manufacturers.

Both Peter and Nick Meyer of South Wales, New York race Polaris. Nick, 16, races in the Junior classes while Peter, 20, races in the Pro classes. The older brother first raced in the circuit when he was 16 years old, a year younger than the minimum required age. He pretended to be 17 so he could race in Rock Maple's first event three winters ago. "My dad was reading a snowmobiling magazine and he saw a little tiny ad for the circuit," he says.

"He called Joel Greene (Rock Maple vice president) to inquire about the circuit. For the first race we took a seven-hour ride up here to Haystack Mountain [a smaller hill owned by Mount Snow]." On his return trip home, Peter took first and second place trophies with him.

After watching his older brother race and win, Nick grew eager to participate in the sport Peter enjoyed and excelled in. In his first season, even though Nick missed a race because of a snow storm, he was only 12 points shy of taking the year-end points championship in Junior's II.

The brothers admit their success in and enjoyment of snocross is bolstered by the support they receive from each other and from their father, Dave. "Peter usually races before me," says Nick. "He tells me what line to hit and what bumps not to hit. I do the same for him when I can."

While Peter sits in a warm Vermont lodge, Dave is outside in the cold, working on the Indy Super Sport 440 which Nick rides in the Junior's II Class and Peter races in the Pro Lite and Pro Stock Class. Dave doesn't do all the mechanical work for his sons, but tonight he wants them to get a good night's sleep before Sunday's finals. Peter expresses gratitude for his father's effort, but says he is more than a mechanic. "He's the one our whole racing career revolves on," he adds. "If it weren't for him I probably wouldn't even know how to ride. He's my main sponsor, but I didn't think it would look right to have a big Dad sticker on my snowmobile."

Mechanical knowledge in the Meyer family is passed from father to son. Peter finds it necessary to watch his younger brother race so he can determine which clutching and suspension adjustments need to be made. "Nick says his sled seems all right, but I can see he needs stiffer suspension," says Peter. "He doesn't complain, he just gets on it and goes."

Beyond sharing success in snocross, the Meyer brothers share a love for trail riding that has distinguished them from their peers. Nick says most people at his high school downhill ski, but he isn't bothered being a minority because he prefers going his own way. "Everyone at school picked on me, but Nick and Dad and I like to ride. They're the only ones who can keep up with me." says Peter, a mechanical engineering student at Alfred State University. "They would say, 'oh there's Pete. He's working on his sled.' My experience helped me get a job at a snowmobile dealership."

Like the Meyer brothers, Gail and Chip Vaadi of Rodman, New York are proud to admit they share a love for snocross that strengthens their relationship. The Vaadi's, who married July of 1994, met in February of 1992 before the circuit started. Gail watched her then-boyfriend race, but says she became tired of being a spectator. To her relief, she was welcomed into the circuit with open arms. "When I joined Rock Maple, I was hesitant at first, but when I got out on the course, it came to me more naturally than I thought," she says. "Everyone tried to convince me that snocross was like trail riding and it was." Last year she used Chip's XCR 440 Special to win the over-all points championship in Women's Two, and second place for the season championship in Women's Three.

Chip, meanwhile, found Rock Maple to his liking after growing tired of trail riding. "I make friendships here and keep in contact with people throughout the summer. Wherever I go there's always a place to stop and talk to someone I know."

Another attractive element of the circuit is the fact that the women are on par with the men. For example, Gail supports Chip by wiping his goggles, handing him tools or giving him mental backing, but Chip returns the favors. "Gail helps me a lot with just mental support," he says. "I was behind her 100 percent when she raced my sled. She's a good rider."
Another up-and-coming female rider who enhances the circuit is 15-year-old Kristy Kenyon, a second-year veteran from Waitsfield, Vermont. It was Kristy's competitiveness a year ago that attracted her 16-year-old brother Nick to the circuit this year. "I don't think racing should be just for men because the women are just as competitive," she says.

Although not everyone in the circuit is related, Rock Maple has a distinct family air about it that attracts and welcomes newcomers. Patrick Morse of Lowville, New York says he enjoys the camaraderie between racers. He, like Gail and Nick, has seen many racers give up their position to stop and help others who have crashed on the course. But the camaraderie that Morse admires goes beyond the race track. This past July, the Meyer family was among the guests at Chip and Gail's wedding. In another instance, Chip, a convert to Ski-Doo, stayed in the Meyer's hotel room in Duluth for the Motorsports Racing Plus (MRP) Spirit Mountain Snocross. "Everyone is very friendly and very helpful," says Morse. "We're competitive on the track, but we're like family when it comes to the pits."

The magic created by the family atmosphere is perhaps best explained by Kevin McClure, owner of McClure's Polaris and M and E Performance in West Valley, New York and operator of a Polaris support trailer. According to McClure, the emotions shared between Rock Maple participants run very high or very low. When people ask how someone's husband or wife did, they are sincere, he says. "I've seen a lot of racers who race different brands help each other," he adds. "It's not Ski-Doo versus Polaris unless they're on the track. But when they're behind the orange fence in the pits, they're friends."

The final element of Rock Maple that promotes the family atmosphere is the variety of classes to race in. "It [the circuit] gives racers from beginners to pros an opportunity to express themselves on a snowmobile," says McClure. "There's something there for everyone. It's just good, clean fun."