Ski-Doo snocross athletes continued to dominate the track in the latest rounds of ISOC Snocross racing at Mt. Pleasant, MI, Feb. 1-2. Checkered flags were again the theme of the weekend as X-Team racers collected wins in nearly every class on the weekend.
Renheim Runs Away
Adam Renheim (Warnert Racing) continued his strong riding of late with a Friday night win. It was his 5th podium finish in the last seven races, and second win on the season. Riding one of the longest tracks in recent snocross series memory (more like tracks in Europe) Renheim took full advantage with a 7th lap pass to take over the lead. A few laps later, there was little doubt of the Round 9 outcome as he steadily gapped the field.
Another solid effort by series points leader Elias Ishoel (BOSS Racing) saw him claim two heat race wins and finish fourth in Friday’s final. On Saturday, Ishoel charged hard from a seventh-place start in the final to finish second and maintain a 35-point advantage in the chase for the season points championship.
Renheim currently sits third in the overall points standings, with Warnert teammate Tim Tremblay following not far behind in fourth. Lincoln Lemieux had a tough weekend suffering a shoulder injury and couldn’t race either night.
The series heads to the East Coast Feb. 22-23, for Rounds 11 and 12 in Salamanca, NY.
Pro Lite Riders Dominate
Ski-Doo Pro Lite riders continued their mid-season domination of the competition capturing wins on both Friday and Saturday night.
In Friday’s Round 9 it was Hunter Patenaude (Scheuring Speed Sports) delivering his second consecutive win. It was the perfect finish to a perfect night for Patenaude who won both his heat races and grabbed the lead on the first lap of the final. Despite late pressure from the competition, Patenaude held strong to take the checkers.
Korbyn Anderson (Anderson Racing) delivered his best performance of the season, finishing second for his first podium finish on the season. Overall season points leader Francis Pelletier finished in third to secure another all-Ski-Doo podium sweep on Friday night.
Ogemar Breaks Through
In Saturday’s action, it was Marcus Ogemar’s (Bauerly Racing) turn in the Winner’s Circle. His win made him the fourth Ski-Doo Pro Lite rider to notch his first career Pro Lite win this season—joining Francis Pelletier and brothers Leo and Hunter Patenaude. As a former FIM World Snocross Champion in Europe, Ogemar is no stranger to the checkered flags, but this win meant a little something extra to the Swedish rider as it marked his first Pro Lite win in North America.
Ogemar’s victory ended Hunter Patenaude’s win streak at two, but two heat wins and a second-place finish behind Ogemar in the finals have Patenaude creeping ever so close to the overall points lead. Current leader—Ski-Doo’s Francis Pelletier—saw his lead shrink from 31 points on Friday afternoon to just four points ahead of Patenaude, and 18 points clear of third-place Ogemar at the weekend’s completion.
Brodeur Holds Strong In Pro Women’s class
In what’s been arguably one of the most competitive classes of the season, Ski-Doo’s Megan Brodeur (Anderson Racing) continued her quest for a second consecutive points championship. After collecting a hard-fought second-place finish on Friday night’s Pro Women’s final, Brodeur showed her championship pedigree picking up her sixth win of the season on Saturday.
Two heat wins on Saturday completed the perfect day for Brodeur, and the strong showing on the weekend saw her overall points lead grow to 47 points clear of the competition.
Lebel Near Perfection
Ski-Doo Sport Lite racer Jordan Lebel nearly completed a perfect weekend of racing on the long track in Mt. Pleasant, MI. He started the weekend a perfect five-for-five taking his two heat races and win in Friday’s final, and capturing wins in his first two heat races on Saturday. The only thing keeping Lebel from perfection on the weekend was a spectacular get-off in Saturday’s final that had the crowd buzzing. Fortunately, Lebel was good to go and quickly remounted and rode strong to a second-place finish.
His dominant riding of late has Lebel atop the season points standings with three weekends of racing remaining in the season.