CANTERBURY PARK – SHAKOPEE, MN. (JANUARY 6, 2017) – The AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series Presented by RAM goes back to the homeland to the familiar racing grounds of the Canterbury horse racing track which is a long time favorite stop for many of the riders on the circuit. Following a long break for the holiday season, the riders will be pumped and ready for the challenging venue. An additional round of racing is on the bill for this weekend, Round 2 from Duluth (which was canceled due to foggy conditions) will be made up on Sunday, giving the fans one extra day of racing action.
After a PRO Open clean sweep in Rounds 3 and 4, Tucker Hibbert(68) is positioned well in the points chase while attempting to add a few more wins to his record. However, riders Tim Tremblay(11) and Lincoln Lemieux(13), have been turning up the heat along with riders Corin Todd(36) and Kody Kamm(53) showing they are within striking of distance of a podium finish.
The PRO Lite division is beginning to take on a new shape as the rider from Sweden, Aki Pihlaja set the bar high in Colorado with a dominating finish in Round 4. Nickolas Lorenz (572) and Cole Cottew(21) also put on a great show in Round 4 giving challenge to Jake Angove(177) for podium finishes, as always the PRO Lite division puts on some great racing action.
PRO LITE
Great bar-to-bar racing in the heat races saw Aki Pihlaja throw down two first place finishes. Zak Mason(63) aboard the LaVallee Racing sled nailed solid finishes getting him into the final round while 2016 Champion Montana Jess(765) was forced to run the LCQ where he took the win to find a spot on the back row of the final. Maxime Taillefer(144) on the Warnert Racing sled made a big pass in Round 2 – Heat 2 on the last lap to take the lead from Evan Daudt (413) who had led the entire race. Jake Angove(177) with two podium finishes had a tough night where he was unable to transfer into the final after a 9th place finish in the LCQ.
The PRO Lite division put on a show with a nine lap final, on the line, top qualifier Aki Pihlaja is looking for the Stud Boy holeshot and a clean sweep, however Zak Mason(63) grabbed the holeshot and raced Pihlaja bar-to-bar for the lead through the Pirtek rhythm section and over the AMSOIL finish line, but it would be Maxime Taillefer(144) who would pass them both for the lead through the Air Force Fly away section. With two laps in the books, Zak Mason(63) launches over the triple for a huge pass and through the RAM corner to take the lead.
Rookie PRO Lite rider Nickolas Lorenz(572) is quickly making a name for himself as he challenges lap-after-lap for a podium spot racing where he would make a last second pass through the Pirtek rhythm section to pass Maxime Taillefer(144) for his first Pro Lite Podium finish. Aki Pihlaja who also made the pass on Taillefer grabs second on the box while Zak Mason(63) runs a perfect race putting him in the top spot on the podium for his first win of the season. In true sportsman fashion, Maxime Taillefer(144) gives a thumbs up to all podium finishers after some great Pro Lite racing action.
1. Zak Mason
2. Aki Pihlaja
3. Nickolas Lorenz
4. Max Taillefer
5. Danny Poirier
6. Kevin Wallenstein
7. Martin Moland
8. Evan Daudt
9. Cole Cottew
10. Leo Patenaude
11. Andrew Lieders
12. Montana Jess
13. Korbyn Anderson
14. Alex Berglund
15. Jacob Yurk
PRO OPEN
Stacked and loaded with high flying action, the PRO Open qualifiers were nothing short of spectacular racing. Tucker Hibbert(68) tangled up with Corin Todd(36) putting him into the LCQ. Lincoln Lemieux(13) ran a flawless race along with teammate Tim Tremblay(11) who both took first place finishes in their qualifying rounds. Kody Kamm(53) ran a solid race in round one of qualifying, but found a last place finish after some mechanical issues in round 2 of heat putting him in the LCQ where he took the win.
It’s the best show on the snow, the PRO Open final is off the line and onto the Stud Boy hole shot, Ryan Springer(541) rocketed out of the start and out to an early lead followed by Ross Martin(837) and Adam Renheim(311) while the rookie rider Elias Ishoel(200) grabs a fourth place start. After some tough luck in the heats, Tucker Hibbert(68) is mid-pack trying to chase down the leaders.
As the race begins to shape up, Elias Ishoel(200) moves into third and challenges Ross Martin(837) for second where he would make the pass on lap seven and begin to chase down Ryan Springer(541). After Springer bobbled through the Ziegler corner, he opened up the door for Ishoel to make his move and take the lead. From a last place start Tim Tremblay(11) runs down the field and challenges team mate Lincoln Lemieux(13) for a final podium spot, giving the points lead going into Round 6, while Martin would go on to take his second podium finish with a second place finish and Elias Ishoel(200) lands his first ever win in the PRO Open rankings showing the Canterbury crowd is here to stay.
1. Elias Ishoel
2. Ross Martin
3. Tim Tremblay
4. Lincoln Lemieux
5. Kody Kamm
6. Ryan Springer
7. Logan Christian
8. Kyle Pallin
9. Adam Renheim
10.Tucker Hibbert
11.Petter Narsa
12.Andrew Carlson
13.Justin Broberg
14.Dylan Hall
15.Corin Todd