BENNINGTON, Vermont (Feb. 29, 2016) – Five-time champion and current point leader Danny Poirier and teammate Mathieu Morin split the Pro Open finals over the weekend, as East Coast Snocross (ECS) completed Round 5 of its eight-race schedule at Willow Park in Bennington, Vermont.
Morin (Ingles Performance/Ski-doo), of Val-D'Or, Quebec, blasted his way to victory in Saturday's 14-lap final. The 2011 series champion had a six-second margin of victory over Mikko Osmo (Team Southside/Polaris), while his teammate Pieti Puhakka filled out the podium in third.
Poirier (Ingles Performance/Ski-doo), of St. Theodore, Quebec, bounced back from the rare mechanical gremlins he experienced on Saturday to blister the field on Sunday. His margin of victory over Morin in a grueling 15-lap final was nine seconds, while Jake daSilva (daSilva Racing/Ski-doo) put in another impressive performance in third. Osmo and Puhakka completed the top five.
In Pro Lite action, defending class champion Cody Paolella (Team Southside/Polaris), of Wallingford, Connecticut, outgunned teammate Scott Vandeborne for top honors on Saturday, with veteran racer Connor Roscoe (daSilva Racing/Ski-doo) rock-solid once again in third.
On Sunday, foreign invader Emil Hansson (Team Southside/Polaris) prevailed in a hotly-contested 12-lap tussle by four seconds over Paolella and Roscoe. Battles in the Pro Lite class continue to be some of the most entertaining on the entire docket.
Tatum Hax powered her way to victory in Saturday's seven-lap Pro Women final. Defending champion Nykea Williams (Team Southside/Polaris) blasted her way to second, while Alissa Ashline filled out the podium in third. Williams stepped it up a notch to claim Sunday's final, with Maine native Kassie Thibodeau (Team Southside/Polaris) a strong second and Hax capping a solid weekend in third.
In the talent-filled Southside Sales/Team Southside Sport class, Michael Newman (Kislowski Racing/Arctic Cat) powered his well-tuned ZR6000R to victory in Saturday's seven-lap final. Jared Gessner and series veteran Ryan Dupont finished second and third respectively. On Sunday, rising star Tucker Kierstead, who pretty much owns the Junior classes this season, made his debut and Sport and promptly rode to victory. Bruce Gaspardi Jr. came home in second, with Gessner filling out the podium.
Other final round winners over the weekend in Bennington include Bruce Gaspardi Jr. (Plus 25 Sat. and Sun., Sport Super Stock Weekend); Ryan Earle (Transition 8-10 Saturday); Josh Connolly (Transition 8-10 Sunday); and Chance Tietjen (Jr. 10-13 Stock 500 Fan Saturday). Congratulations to all of our final round winners; we know the warm conditions made it a challenge for everyone.
East Coast Snocross would like to thank several key groups, officials and area businesses that contributed greatly to the success of our debut at Willow Park, including the Town of Bennington; the area Chamber of Commerce; the Woodford SnoBusters Snowmobile Club; The Bennington Banner; TAM Inc., Stephens Chrysler\Dodge\Jeep\Ram of Bennington; Bennington News Network; Henry's Market, and the Paradise Inn. We appreciate the strong community support, and hope to return with more great racing in 2017.
East Coast Snocross, presented by AMSOIL, Woody's Traction and FXR, is an ISR-affiliated sanctioning body for snowmobile racing in the northeastern United States. ECS maintains a regional circuit intended to keep grass-roots snocross racing healthy in this part of the country, while also cultivating new talent for tomorrow's factory-backed national Pro teams.
