Veteran snowmobile racers Lucas Brunelle and Danny Poirier each claimed a Pro final over the weekend, as East Coast Snocross (ECS) completed Round 4 at the beautiful Snow Ridge Ski Resort.
Brunelle, of North Hatley, Quebec, led all 12 laps of Saturday's final aboard his Team Southside/Mystic Lubricants Polaris. New York native Michael George (daSilva Racing/Ski-doo) put in a solid effort to secure second, while Poirier edged Swedish sensation Johan Dahlgren for third after a torrid battle.
"I was really happy to get the win on Saturday," Brunelle said. "I got the holeshot, and never looked back. I just kept a steady pace the whole race, and it paid off. On Sunday, I had a couple of issues and decided not to push it. I'm thrilled with our results for my team and our great sponsors."
Poirier, (Ingles Performance/Ski-doo) of St. Theodore, Quebec, slotted into second behind Dahlgren at the start of Sunday's final, but quickly found his way around the Swede and led from lap 2 to the finish. Dahlgren settled for second, while George capped a consistent weekend with a third-place finish.
Cody Paolella (Team Southside/Polaris) swept the Pro Lite class at Snow Ridge, nipping Wade Acker in a 10-lap tussle on Saturday while fellow Sport graduate Joe Bishop filled out the podium in third. On Sunday, local rider Andrew Bristol followed Paolella across the stripe for second while Acker powered his way to third.
"I think the weather was perfect and snow conditions were good," Paolella said. "It was a little different to race on a ski hill. The downhill part made it challenging by having to use the brake to get through the bumps. The track was pretty wide with some good jumps, but I'd still say it was important to get a good start because the snow dust was pretty bad. I'm super pleased to sweep both finals."
In Sport class action, Bristol held off a hard-charging Marco Travaglini and Dalton Jacquier for top honors in Saturday's Super Stock final. On Sunday, Travaglini found redemption as he outgunned Jamie Vanderaa and Jeff Roylance for top honors. This class is where tomorrow's Pro Lite stars hone their skills, and the 2015 season is delivering some great racing from these young athletes.
Other big winners over the weekend at Snow Ridge include Nykea Williams (Pro Women Sat. and Sun.); Bruce Gaspardi Jr. (Plus 25 Sat. and Sun.); Michael Newman (Jr. 16-17 Sat.); and Anthony Paige (Jr. 16-17 Sunday). Congratulations to all of our final round winners in Turin on a job well done.
East Coast Snocross would like to thank Snow Ridge owner Brad Horn, Russ Horn and the entire staff for hosting Round 4. The warmth and hospitality extended to our racing fraternity was second to none, and this facility is ideal for snocross on the famed Tug Hill plateau. While trail riders have frequented the Tug Hill region for decades, racers are quickly becoming fond of it, as well.
Teams will now prepare for a trip to western New York this coming weekend, Feb. 6-7, to join with ISOC at the Seneca Allegeny Casino in Salamanca for the Eastern Nationals. This is ISOC's only race in the east, and ECS athletes will be looking to impress the big teams.
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.
