Elk River, Minnesota (February 9, 2016) – Green grass, temps in the 50s and large crowds greeted Carlson Moto to the East Coast for rounds nine and ten of the AMSOIL Championship Snocross series in Salamanca, N.Y. Things looked a little different this year with mud puddles replacing the spectator parking lots full of snowmobiles as in years past.
Andrew Carlson and Ryan Springer, both on a journey of continuous improvement in the Pro Open ranks, showed good speed throughout the weekend. A few unfortunate mechanical oddities added to the challenge, but overall, the team put on a good showing.
Saturday’s racing went well with Springer qualifying 4-3 and Carlson 5-3. Springer’s seven-point total earned him a front row spot in the final; Carlson’s eight-points earned him the number one spot in the LCQ. Carlson appeared to have a top-five spot in the bag in the LCQ when he caught an ice edge and was thrown off the track, losing valuable positions and any hope for a spot in the final. Springer battled limited visibility and some nagging mechanical challenges in the final, settling for a 12th place finish.
Day two started much the same with the boys showing top-speed in the practice sessions and solid competitive performances in qualifying. Both riders qualified for the final through the LCQ. In Saturday’s Main Event, Carlson put on a great ride, battling in the top-ten through the entire final, where he ended up claiming the 9th spot, with Springer finishing in 11th.
Team Manager Derek Ellis noted, “Both of the guys made some solid progress this weekend in New York. They both showed good speed and we made some significant improvement with our sled calibration. We’ve got two weeks off and we intend to spend this time testing and tuning, especially on our holeshots.”
The Pro Open class continues to be plagued with injuries with at least three riders withdrawing from competition over the weekend as a result of racing incidents. Both Springer and Carlson are a little banged-up with minor injuries, but both riders are expected to be at 100-percent for the next event in Mt. Pleasant, Mich.
Next on the schedule for Carlson Moto is a non-points race – Red Bull Snow Boundaries, held at ERX on February 20. Huge crowds are expected for this one-of-a-kind endurance event. Admission is free. For more information, visit Redbull.com/snowboundaries.
The next stop on the AMSOIL Championship Snocross series will be February 26 and 27 at Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mt. Pleasant, Mich. You can watch all the action as it unfolds online on Livestream. You can also follow Carlson Moto on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, as well as on CarlsonMoto.com.