Jess Racing earns a pair of podiums at U.S. Air Force Snocross National
Pro rider Jake Scott puts in performance of a lifetime on Saturday
DEADWOOD, South Dakota (Jan. 27, 2016) – After a difficult night of racing on Friday, Massachusetts native Montana Jess and New York native Jake Scott both recovered nicely on Saturday with podium finishes, as Jess Racing completed rounds seven and eight on the 2016 AMSOIL Championship Snocross (ACS) tour at the Days of 76 Sports Complex.
On Friday, Jess missed the setup slightly in qualifying and was forced to run the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) to get into the final. After winning the LCQ, the 18-year-old soldiered to a fourth place finish and held onto his points lead in Pro Lite. Saturday went much better, notching third and second-place finishes in qualifying before powering his way to third in the 16-lap Final.
"Track conditions were pretty brutal tonight," Jess said after Saturday's final. "It got very rough towards the end of the race. I could tell we were racing at a higher elevation than normal; I felt like my breathing was strained. I just kept my head down and rode my own race. I'm happy with how well we recovered again this weekend. Our Friday night was tough, but we sure came out strong tonight."
After missing the final by just one position in Friday night's LCQ, Scott bounced back in dramatic fashion Saturday. The 21-year-old from Port Jefferson, NY, qualified third (Round 1) and fifth (Round 2) before running the race of his life in a grueling 22-lap Final. Scott blasted off the line strong, led the first 15 laps in convincing fashion and held on to record his first career Pro Open podium.
"This is every bit as rewarding as I dreamed it would be," an elated Scott explained after a beat-and-bang race on a bombed-out, tight track. "I'm starting to get this new Arctic Cat dialed in, and it ran like a charm tonight. I was yelling at myself the whole time, hoping I wouldn't make a mistake. I kept my cool, hung on until the finish, and here I am on the Pro podium. This team is just what I needed."
Unofficially, Jess maintains the points lead after eight rounds of competition with a 31-point advantage (279 to 248) over Jake Angove. For a rookie in the ultra-competitive Pro Lite class, sitting in this position at the halfway mark builds cautious optimism within the entire team.
"We're continuing to come out of these weekends with our heads held high," team owner Carl Jess said. "The boys don't always have the best of luck on Fridays, but they always get it figured out in time for Saturday's program. I'm thrilled to see Jake earn that first Pro podium, and I'm proud to see my son continue this dream-like rookie season in Pro Lite. Let's hope we can carry this through the end."
Jess Racing would like to thank its fine group of marketing partners for their continued support, including Arctic Cat, Central Mass Powersports, Woody's, Arctic Wear, That's Great News, Rox Speed FX and Ski Nautique Boats. We simply could not compete at this level without their assistance.
Rounds nine and 10 on the ISOC ACS tour are set for Feb. 5-6, 2016, at the Seneca Allegany Casino in Salamanca, New York. For more info, go to www.facebook.com/Jess-Racing-339184942858218/
