Finley, ND – (March 9, 2016) The 2015-16 snocross race season has been trying at times for Snocross teams, and that has been no exception for KC Motorsports. Racing can have the high of highs and the low of lows. Like any team, KC Motorsports has had a little of both.
After suffering what was first thought to be a knee injury at the Deadwood National, Travis Kern later discovered he had a fractured tibia and bruising in his knee. Upon learning of the extent of his injury, Travis said, “I’m super bummed that I am not able to race the rest of this Snocross season as the tibial plateau fracture that I suffered at round 7 will not be able to fully heal in time for me to continue to race. I can’t thank KC Motorsports and all of our sponsors enough for the support this year! It’s going to be a long offseason but I’ll be back stronger and more motivated than ever!” KC Motorsports has no doubt that Travis will be working hard all summer to be ready for next year.
Salamanca, NY–Feb. 5th & 6th, 2016
The U.S. Air Force Snocross National at Salamanca, NY found Jay Lura and Trent Wittwer struggling in qualifying in the Sport Class. While Jay had to qualify for the Sport final on Day 1 via the LCQ and finishing 11th overall in the final, he and Trent did not make the show on Day 2. Evan Christian made the most of his weekend, racing in the Jr. 10-13 class in both the Eastern Snocross Regional on Friday and the Amsoil Snocross National event on Saturday. Evan was the #1 qualifier on Friday and #2 qualifier on Saturday, grabbing 2nd place finishes in each race final. “I’m really happy with my sled and the fact that I haven’t missed a beat on my holeshots. I just gotta keep working to finish out front!” said Christian.
Mt. Pleasant, MI–Feb. 26th & 27th, 2016
The highly competitive Sport Class once again had Jay Lura and Trent Wittwer working hard to qualify during heats at the Ram Trucks Snocross National at Mt. Pleasant, MI. Although Day 1 had Trent three spots out of qualifying through the LCQ, Jay had a 2nd place LCQ finish and made the show, only to blow a belt in the final that sent him back to the trailer. Day 2 was considerably better for Lura, as he had a 1st and 5th in qualifying rounds and a solid 5th place finish overall in the Sport Final. Witter’s finishes in qualifying rounds had also improved, finishing 5th & 7th, however 12 points did not allow for him to make the LCQ. Evan Christian raced the Michigan Regional Snocross on Friday and Amsoil National Snocross Saturday. Christian was again solid in qualifying both days, going 1 & 2 in his heats and finishing 2nd overall in both of the Jr. 10-13 finals.
Chicago, IL–March 4th & 5th, 2016
KC Motorsports recently traveled to the Hollywood Casino Snocross National, Route 66 Raceway at Joliet, IL. The impressive facility made for a great racing venue. Racers Jay Lura and Trent Wittwer had good qualifying races on Friday, with Lura finishing 2nd & 4th and Trent finishing 6th, 6th, and a 3rd in the LCQ, securing a back row spot in the Sport Final. When the checkers flew in the final, Lura finished in 6th and Wittwer finished in 12th. Day 2 also held promise, with Trent having 8th & 1st place finishes in qualifying and Jay finishing 4th & 2nd in qualifying heats…until it was discovered that Lura’s sled inadvertently missed Tech, and he was scored last. Jay was forced to qualify via the LCQ, nabbing the last qualifying spot with a 5th. Holeshots were key in the final, with both racers having to start from the back row. Lura’s sled rocketed off the start, with Jay in 4th by the first corner, however about 4 laps in, he was ejected from his sled and ended up finishing the race in 12th. Wittwer held a steady pace throughout the final, working his way through the pack, finishing in 8th. “I feel like with each passing weekend I’m making gains, and I’m happy about that.” said Trent. Jay said, “Chicago didn’t go as well as I wanted it to, but now it’s time to focus on Geneva. I can’t thank my team, parents and sponsors enough!!” The #333 sled of Evan Christian was once again spot on for holeshots, getting a 1st in round 1 qualifying. A crash in round 2 found Christian finishing in 4th, however. In the final, Christian found his groove off the start, leading most of the race until getting passed by fellow Arctic Cat rider, Eric Downs with only a lap to go. Christian was again the “bridesmaid” on the podium finishing 2nd overall.
“The team has had it’s ups and downs at this latter part of the season.” said Karl Christian, team owner. “We’ve had injury and disappointment, but we’ve seen improvement, too, so our plan is to go into Geneva and finish strong. We’re very fortunate to have great sponsors & great equipment; we’re young and still learning, but making podium finishes happen at Geneva would be the best way to cap off the season.”
KC Motorsports would like to thank their sponsors for their continued support–Arctic Cat, Fly Racing, WPS, Triple 9 Optics, Divas Snow Gear, Studboy Traction Products, Rox Speed FX, Fox Racing Shox, Go Pro, Speedwerx, Finley Motors, & Christian Brothers Ford.
KC Motorsports will be making each Amsoil Championship Snocross National event throughout the 2015-16 race season. Next up is the last race of the year…Nielsen’s Snocross Grand Finale in Lake Geneva, WI. Fans at home should remember to tune in to free live streaming each race weekend at www.snocross.com/livestream.
Follow KC Motorsports and riders Travis Kern, Jay Lura, Trent Wittwer, & Evan Christian on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, & Snapchat.