After a highly-successful debut in January of 2011, the excitement of championship snocross competition is returning to Plattsburgh in 2012.
Race teams from around New York and New England are anxious to get back on the snow and fire the engines, as officials at East Coast Snocross (ECS) get set for Round 2 on the nine-race 2011-2012 campaign this Saturday and Sunday, January 14-15, at the Crete Civic Center in beautiful Plattsburgh, New York.
Spectator gates will open at 10 a.m. each day, with preliminary qualifying rounds already in progress. Admission is $17 per day for adults, while children age 6 to 12 will be 5$ and under will be admitted free with a paying adult. Pit passes valid through the weekend will be available for an extra $10.
Along with riders from the ECS circuit, Plattsburgh will once again feature teams from the Quebec-based SCM series in a combination race weekend. The addition of these teams will produce some of the most competitive racing witnessed in the northeast, as it did last January.
This exciting weekend of snocross is brought to you in part by the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino in Hogansburg, N.Y., and Della Motorsports in Plattsburgh. ECS and SCM officials ask fans to support these fine businesses as they make this an event to remember.
New to the Plattsburgh event for 2012 is the second annual ECS Challenge, a high-stakes, non-points special race that pits riders from the Pro Lite division against the top Pro athletes. Although the purse for this event started at $5,000, it has now grown to $7,000, making this one of the richest snocross events of its kind. It creates added value and excitement to an already full card of snocross racing.
Leading the charge into Plattsburgh are Pro riders Danny Poirier (Quebec) and Matt Piche (Minnesota). The two highly-skilled veterans are on newly-refined sleds and are expected to battle side-by-side all season for the coveted ECS championships.
Some of the other Pro division riders fans can expect to see compete in Plattsburgh include New York natives, Corin Todd (Otego) and Michael George (Pine Plains); Dan Roger Kjellman (Norway); along with talented Pro rookies Chris Ackerman and Jacob Muller.
In the talent-filled Pro Lite (formerly known as Semi-Pro) division, fans should keep their eyes on athletes like Lucas Brunelle, Jesse James Bonaduce and Andrew Bailey. These athletes are almost as fast as the Pro riders, and are within a few years of becoming household names.
Along with plenty of competitive snocross racing in the Pro, Semi-Pro, Sport, Women and Junior divisions, fans at Plattsburgh will also witness the biggest freestyle show of the season. The Maine-based Rave-X Sled Freestyle Tour is bringing their high-flying show back to Plattsburgh The tricks and stunts thrown down by the folks from Rave-X will have New York fans talking all winter.
The City of Plattsburgh is located on Lake Champlain in the northeast part of New York State roughly 20 miles south of the Canadian border. To the west of the city is a 6.1 million-acre tract of land called the Adirondack Park, which contains the famous Adirondack Mountains. With over 100 summits ranging from 1,200 to 5,000 feet in elevation, it is truly a beautiful area.
With its warm charm and beautiful location, the city offers plenty to see and do during all four seasons. Thanks to support from the North Country Chamber of Commerce, Mayor Kasprzak and several local businesses, this event promises to bring loads of fun and excitement.
East Coast Snocross, presented by AMSOIL and Woody’s Traction, is the 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 snowbelt, while also cultivating new talent for tomorrow’s factory-backed Pro teams.
For more information, go to www.eastcoastsnocross.com.
