Pro Open class racer Robbie Malinoski (Ski-Doo) records the opening night win after a heroic track-making effort by ISOC in snowless Upstate N.Y.
For more information contact:
Pat Schutte, PR Director, ISOC Racing
FARMINGTON, N.Y. – (Feb. 24, 2012) – Patience paid off for the 2011-12 AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series as a three-week delay in the running of the Vision Kia Eastern National at Finger Lakes Casino and Racetrack got the green flag last night, with Robbie Malinoski (Ski-Doo) winning a wide open Pro Open final and Kody Kamm (Polaris) prefacing that with a solid win in the PRO Lite class.
AMSOIL Pro Open Friday Final
High wind warnings – with gusts above 50 mph – including local power outages and generally foul racing conditions greeted the AMSOIL Pro Open racers at Finger Lakes on Friday – but at least there was snow! And gutting out the 25-lap main event was Ski-Doo’s Robbie Malinoski, who grabbed the lead from Stud Boy Holeshot winner Zach Pattyn (Ski-Doo), then held off a sizable charge by the new overall ACSS Pro Open points leader, Tim Tremblay (Ski-Doo). Joining Malinoski and Tremblay on the podium, with his first Pro Open podium of the year, was Pattyn.
Said Malinoski: “Zach got a great start, ripped out there, was able to get him in the whoops. Was pumped to get out front … thanks to Ski-Doo. Out runnin’! I could hear Tim back there, he’s relentless. Anytime you can stay out front of him is a good race. My Fox Shocks hooked up and I was able to float over all that stuff.”
Running up front with Malinoski early was Bobby LePage (Polaris) and Pattyn, with Tremblay starting mid-pack and Pro Open points leader Ross Martin (Polaris) event further back in 9th. As Tremblay charged, getting by Pattyn, LePage went off the track near the start line jump and Tremblay was quickly up to 3rd. Malinoski, putting on a masterful ride, kept his three-second lead through the later stages of the race before Tremblay cut it down to a snow flap. But a corner pileup allowed Malinoski a couple more second cushion on Tremblay, which he enjoyed all the way through the checkers.
Added Tremblay: “I got pretty close to Robbie. He had a pretty good race. Got into some lapped traffic, sometimes good for me, sometimes good for him. Then I got stuck there on lap four and ran out of time when I tried to catch him. My goggles were full of snow, didn’t want to crash, so I’m happy with 2nd. Tomorrow I will have the red plate, so it’s awesome for that.”
Noteworthy: Ross Martin, who qualified 9th, did not finish the Pro Open main, placing 15th.
Sledhead 24/7 Pro Lite Friday Final
Polaris’ Kody Kamm, who qualified in an uncharacteristic 9th place, pulled the holeshot in the 24/7 Sledhead Pro Lite Final and lead the 14-lap main wire-to-wire, holding off a mid-race charge from 2nd place finisher and fellow Polaris racer, Cody Crapo. And rounding out the Pro Lite podium at Finger Lakes on Friday was Derek Ellis (Ski-Doo).
Said Kamm: “Just tried to get the holeshot, ride a good race and come out in front. Couldn’t see a thing once I got up to the lappers, but it was tough. The faster I go the smoother I am.”
Blasting off the line Kamm quickly opened up a three-second lead over Crapo and Ellis – just three laps into the contest. Doubling the rhythm section like nobody else down the back straight, Kamm would continue to open up on the rest of the field. But a slight bobble in a corner allowed Crapo to catch right up, cutting the three-plus second lead down to less than 1.5 seconds. But the race to the finish line wouldn’t quite materialize as a combination of Kamm’s speed and a slight sketch by Crapo would extend Kamm’s lead back to three seconds by the checkers.
Added Crapo: “The snow was pretty darty, but a lot of it was usually me – I was darting all over the place. Holes were bigger than they looked from here. But the wind wasn’t too bad – they cut the finish line jump down, which helped.”
CLICK HERE complete results for all classes.
CLICK HERE for up to date points standings.
Next up …
Who: World’s top snowmobile racers, including former champ and current Pro Open points leader Tim Tremblay (Ski-Doo), Minnesota’s hard-charging Robbie Malinoski (Ski-Doo), former champ Ross Martin, defending ’11 champ Tucker Hibbert – also from Minnesota – and yet another Minnesotan in New Year’s eve snowmobile jumping legend Levi LaVallee!
What: Sixth round of the 2011-’12 AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series
When: March 2-3, 2012
Times: Opening ceremonies are at 6 p.m. both Friday at Saturday
Where: Buffalo River Race Park (BRRP), www.buffaloriverracing.com
ISOC/ACSS photos by Gary Walton
About ISOC Racing
The International Series of Champions (ISOC) is the premier snowmobile race sanctioning organization in North America and sanctions the national AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series, in addition to affiliating with nine regional circuits. Visit snocross.com for more information, fan and racer memberships, schedule details and more.
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