Valcourt, QC – At the final weekend of ISOC National snocross racing in Lake Geneva, WI, Ski-Doo X-Team racers captured eight podiums in the five professional finals, putting an exclamation point on a great season.
One of the X-Team highlights of the weekend was Pro Lite sensation Elias Ishoel and his MXZ sled leaving no doubt who was the fastest in the class with his sixth and seventh wins in a row.
The legendary ski hill of the Grand Geneva Resort – a rider favorite with big elevation changes – played host to the annual Nielsen Enterprises Grand Finale and per usual, the racing was electric.
Lincoln Lemieux nearly captured his first career Pro Open win on Friday night for the U.S. Air Force/Ford Trucks team as he crossed the line on the bumper of the race winner, in one of the most exciting Open class finals in many years. The top four finished less than five seconds apart with Adam Renheim fourth on his Jimmy John’s MXZ.
Lemieux looked outstanding the past two months and finished on the podium all three days of competition with a third behind Renheim Saturday and another runner-up result on Sunday.
Ski-Doo had the best overall Pro Open season of any manufacturer, with X-Teamers Tim Tremblay, Lemieux and Renhiem placing second, third and fourth in the season points championship.
In Pro Lite, Ishoel continued his utter domination on his Makita/GMC MXZ race sled, not just winning both the Saturday and Sunday finals but all of his qualifying heats as well. He finished third in season points, even after missing a couple rounds with injury.
Maxime Taillefer, who earned a healthy collection of top five finishes in Pro Lite this season, saved his best effort to close out the year – never finishing worse than second in qualifying and crossing the line second behind Ishoel in both Pro Lite finals. His efforts led to a fifth place in season points.
Marica Renheim swept the competition in the Pro AM Women’s class to capture her third straight championship. It was an emotional win for Renheim, who had to fight back from a large point deficit all season after being unable to compete at the first event due to injury. Despite having only one final during each weekend of national competition, Renheim erased the gap two weeks ago in Illinois and put a stamp on her season with the win at Lake Geneva. At the awards banquet Sunday night, Renheim announced she is retiring from competing in the United States and will stay home with her family in Sweden next season.
Megan Brodeur was off to a good start in the Women’s final before getting turned over at the top of the uphill start and falling to the tail of the pack. Brodeur, who has shown great improvement this season, remounted and charged through the field to claim third place at the finish. The young rider from Québec earned the third spot overall for the season among a very competitive class of women racers.
Kurt Bauerly and Mike Schultz climbed to the second and third steps of the Pro AM +30 podium in Lake Geneva with the runner-up finish clinching the class title for Bauerly. Schultz made a return trip to the box in the Adaptive class, this time claiming the top step among his peers.
Results:
Pro Open Round 15
2. Lincoln Lemieux St. Johnsbury, VT
4. Adam Renheim Lima, SE
Pro Open Round 16
2. Adam Renheim Lima, Sweden
3. Lincoln Lemieux St. Johnsbury, VT
4. Tim Tremblay Ste Jeanne D'Arc, QC
Pro Open Round 17
2. Lincoln Lemieux St. Johnsbury, VT
5. John Stenberg Lofsdalen, SE
Pro Lite #1
1. Elias Ishoel Oppdal, NO
2. Maxime Taillefer Laval West, QC
Pro Lite #2
1. Elias Ishoel Oppdal, NO
2. Maxime Taillefer Laval West, QC
Pro AM +30
2. Kurt Bauerly Otsego, MN
3. Mike Schultz St. Cloud, MN
Pro AM Women
1. Marica Renheim Lima, SE
3. Megan Brodeur Coaticook, QC
Adaptive
1. Mike Schultz St. Cloud, MN
Jr. 14-15
3. Raphael Lemieux Terrebonne, QC
Showdown At Sundown Regional Championship Results:
Pro Lite
2. Hunter Patenaude Hartland, VT
3. Leo Patenaude Hartland, VT
Sport
5. Cody Steinhaus Mandan, ND
Jr. 14-15
4. Paul Frosty Schulz Inver Grove Heights, MN
Transition 11-12
3. Jake Boutwell Keene, NH
Pro AM Women
1. Megan Brodeur Coaticook, QC
For more information on Ski-Doo snowmobiles visit http://www.ski-doo.com or the On Track blog site for racing specific information