PITTSFIELD, Mass. (March 25, 2019) — Veteran snowmobile racers Mike Pilotte and Leo Patenaude split the Pro finals over the weekend, as East Coast Snocross (ECS) completed Rounds 14 and 15 on the 2019 schedule at the beautiful Bousquet Mountain ski area.
Pilotte (Team Southside/Polaris), of Northwood, N.H., locked up the Pro championship with his 13th win of the year on Saturday. Rising star and teammate Jesse ‘Showtime’ Kirchmeyer finished a distant second, while Marco Travaglini (Ingles Performance/Ski-doo) filled out the podium in third.
On Sunday, it was Vermont veteran and ISOC National winner Leo Patenaude’s turn to shine. The multi-time race winner from Hartland outgunned Pilotte by eight seconds in a 12-lap battle, while Kirchmeyer capped his stellar season (national Snowbike champion) with a solid third-place finish.
In Pro Lite action, Adam Levi powered his way to victory on Saturday in a thrilling 12-lap final. Adam Ashline (Ingles Performance/Ski-doo) finished just 1.2 seconds back to make it the “Adam and Adam” show, while Wade Acker (Team Southside/Polaris) put in a big effort to secure third.
Ashline found a bit of redemption on Sunday by smoking the field to the tune of a 10 second margin of victory over Dalton Jacquier (D&D Racing/Arctic Cat). Levi rarely misses a chance to visit the podium, and he did so again on Sunday at Bousquet with a solid third-place finish.
Pennsylvania native Theresa Max capped a stellar season of her own at Bousquet, clinching the 2019 Pro Women championship with another clean sweep. The gifted young athlete from Ottsville won her 14th and 15th Finals of the year, with Brooke Ouderkirk (Ingles Performance/Ski-doo) finishing second both days. What this class lacked in quantity for 2019 it made up for in quality of the racers.
Chance Tietjen had a successful outing at Bousquet, adding four more wins to his impressive resume. Tietjen edged Gavin Fleury by a mere .5 seconds at the line to claim Saturday’s Sport Super Stock 600 final. Dylan Holmes (Holmes Racing/Arctic Cat) put in a solid effort to secure third.
On Sunday, the margin of victory was even tighter, as Tietjen held off a hard-charging Fleury by a scant four tenths of a second to complete the Sport Super Stock clean sweep. Kolton Gillilan capped a very fast and consistent season with an impressive third-place finish.
In Junior action at Bousquet, Tietjen continued his romp and stomp in the park. All winter long, Keene, New Hampshire native Jake Boutwell has just about owned the Jr. 16-17 class. Tietjen put an end to the Granite State dominance, beating Boutwell to line on both Saturday and Sunday. Gillilan locked down third-place finishes each day since is another rider who never strays far from the podium.
Other winners over the weekend at Bousquet include Garrett Powell (Plus 30 Pro Am Saturday and Plus 25/35 Sun.); multi-time regional champion Jason Boron (Plus 30 Pro Am Sunday); Jacob Lux (Plus 25/35 Saturday); Jake Boutwell (Jr. 14-15 Sat. & Sun.); Josh Connolly (Jr. Sport 12-14 Sat. and Sun.); and Wesley Ganchou (Jr. 7-14 Stk. 200 Saturday and Sunday).
East Coast Snocross would like to thank the staff at Bousquet Mountain for hosting our season finale for the second straight year. Having the championships decided in our own back yards at such a fantastic venue is not only exciting but handy for a whole lot of people. We hope to return in 2020.
The weekend at Bousquet caps a season full of fresh faces on the podium, new venues to visit and solid, competitive racing across the board. This series is blessed with a pit area loaded with talent, heart and dedication. We are deeply grateful and appreciative for each and every athlete and partner.
East Coast Snocross, presented by Woody’s Traction and FXR, is an ISR-affiliated sanctioning body for snowmobile racing in the northeastern United States. ECS maintains a regional circuit intended to keep grassroots snocross racing healthy in this part of the country, while also cultivating new talent for tomorrow’s factory-backed national Pro teams.
For full results from Bousquet Mountain or to learn more, go to www.eastcoastsnocross.com.