Veteran snowmobile racers Matt Piche and Mathieu Morin split the Pro finals last weekend, as East Coast Snocross (ECS) completed Round 8 on the nine-race 2011 schedule at the beautiful Peek’n Peak Resort & Spa.
Morin (Ingles Performance/Ski-doo), of Val-D’Or, QC, unofficially wrapped up the Pro Stock title with his victory in Saturday’s 14-lap final. Former champion Danny Poirier (Hulten Speed Sports/No. 312) finished three ticks of the stopwatch behind in second, while rookie sensation Corin Todd (JAC Racing/Arctic Cat) filled out the podium in third.
Piche (Hulten Speed Sports/No. 51), of Lake Shore, MN, went wire-to-wire in Sunday’s Pro Open final to record his first career ECS victory. That breakthrough win was almost stolen by Poirier, however, as he charge from fourth at the start to contend for the win on the final lap. Piche edged his teammate by a scant three-tenths of a second, the closest margin of victory in years.
Veteran Semi-Pro rider Adam Sedlmeier had another successful outing in his home state last weekend. The young athlete from Orchard Park held off Cody Flach and points contender Chris Ackerman to claim Saturday’s 10-lap final, then completed the sweep Sunday with another brilliant effort. Jacob Muller (second) and Kevin Morin (third) filled out the podium Sunday as another season of Semi-Pro battles draws to a close.
In Sport division action at Peek’n Peak, Leo Patenaude and Mike Pilotte split the Super Stock finals. Patenaude, who has been on fire all season – set a blistering pace en route to winning Saturday’s final by over 12 seconds over Pilotte. Pilotte bounced back for redemption Sunday with a two-second margin of victory over Patenaude. Jarett Catlin, of Rochester, NH, rode his way to a solid third-place finish.
Action in the Junior division got pretty fierce at Findley Lake, as well. Connor Roscoe, Tyler Zuidema, Jerry Field and Cole Fredericks all had their work cut out for them as they posted final round wins over the weekend. Roscoe earned his nickname of “The Rocket” with a convincing victory in Saturday’s Jr. `6-17 Stock 600 final over James Obine and Zuidema.
Other final round winners over the weekend in Findley Lake include Jason Boron (Plus 30 Pro Am); Steffanie Lemieux-Bell (Pro Women Sun.); Melanie Acker (Pro Women Saturday); and Joseph Lemieux (Plus 35 Masters & Plus 25 Stock).
East Coast Snocross would like to thank the staff at Peek’n Peak for hosting the next-to-last race of its inaugural season. Snow conditions were excellent and race teams were welcomed from the moment they arrived at the resort. While it may be a long haul for some, the snow and hospitality make it an ideal host venue.
Next up for ECS teams and officials is the season finale (Round 9) this coming weekend, April 2-3, at the historic Pico Mountain ski area in Killington, Vermont. Points titles in all other classes will be decided in this final “battle-royale” for northeastern snocross racers.
For complete results in all classes from Peek’n Peak or to learn more about ECS, please go to www.eastcoastsnocross.com.
