Shakopee, Minn. ~ Just two weeks after unseasonably warm temperatures forced the cancellation of the Deadwood National and moved the event to Canterbury Park, the AMSOIL Championship Snocross presented by Brunt Workwear returned to Shakopee for the second time in three weeks under dramatically different conditions. What began as a winter defined by mild temperatures flipped abruptly as a polar vortex settled over Minnesota, driving temperatures down to minus-25 degrees at times throughout the day and creating some of the harshest racing conditions of the season.

Bracing for the extreme cold during Rounds Five and Six, the U.S. Air Force Snocross Nationals delivered a reminder of snocross’ unforgiving nature. While the temperatures tested endurance and preparation throughout the paddock, the racing surface rewarded precision and commitment, and the on-track action showed no signs of slowing. It may have been brutally cold outside, but championship battles continued to heat up under the lights at Canterbury Park.

Dillon Capitalizes Late Drama to Claim First Career Pro Victory

It was a reminder that in snocross, it is not how you start, but how you finish—and Friday night’s Pro final delivered plenty of action in between. Daniel Benham entered the race as the Pro points leader and carried strong momentum into the final after sweeping his heat races, positioning himself for a potential second win of the season. Benham was locked in a fierce battle with Gustav Sahlsten, with Sahlsten taking over the lead on lap six before Benham responded two laps later to reclaim the top spot.

The complexion of the race changed dramatically with four laps remaining when Benham lost control and went down, ending his bid for the win and opening the door for a hard-charging Crayden Dillon. Fresh off his first career podium, Dillon started sixth and methodically picked his way through the field, moving into second just one lap before the incident. With clear track ahead, Dillon stormed past the downed leader and never looked back, maintaining his composure over the final four laps to secure his first career Pro victory.

“I put in the work off the sled, my whole Thene Motorsports team, we put in the work and it’s paying off,” said Dillon. “I honestly wish I was up here sooner, but I am already looking at tomorrow, getting some good rest tonight and coming back up here.”

Behind him, Jordan Lebel mounted an impressive charge after starting seventh, making a decisive move from fourth to third on lap ten—the same lap the lead changed hands. The Round Four winner crossed the line third to earn his second straight podium and now sits just five points out of the championship lead. Sahlsten rebounded from an off-track excursion earlier in the race to finish second, giving him his second podium of the season and the Pro points lead by a single point. Benham remounted to finish 12th and remains second in the standings heading into Saturday.

Downs Delivers Breakout Pro Lite Victory

Dylan Lebel claimed the Stud Boy Holeshot to open Friday night’s U.S. Air Force Pro Lite final, but it was Eric Downs who quickly took control in the frigid conditions. Undeterred by the extreme cold, Downs was on a heater from the opening laps, carving out early lines through the sugary snow and keeping the field at bay. He stretched his advantage late in the race, driving to his first Pro Lite victory of the season in convincing fashion.

“Having a fast sled this year helps so much,” said Downs. “There’s not a better feeling. I can’t thank my team enough.”

Linus Pettersson stayed within striking distance of Downs for much of the final, but the closing laps brought a charge from Drew Freeland. Freeland made the move into second with two laps remaining and held off Pettersson in a bar-to-bar battle on the final lap to secure the runner-up finish and his second podium of the season. Pettersson completed the podium in third, earning the best Pro Lite result of his career.

Hemmer Extends Win Streak in Hard-Fought Pro AM Women Final

A spirited battle for the lead defined the Bikeman Performance Pro AM Women final, as Victoria Dillon and Avery Hemmer traded pressure from the opening lap through the closing stages. Dillon, in search of her first victory of the season and looking to halt Hemmer’s two-race win streak, launched to the holeshot and set the early pace with Hemmer searching for an opening just behind her.

The turning point came late in the race when Hemmer began capitalizing on a large triple jump just past the finish line, gaining a crucial advantage with two laps remaining. Dillon maintained her pace, but lapped traffic allowed the points leader to create separation, driving Hemmer to her third consecutive victory. 

“Just being patient again, and finding more lines that (Dillon) wasn’t taking,” said Hemmer. “Then I got the chance to finally hit the triple and I made it work.”

Dillon settled into second to preserve her season-long podium streak, while Round Two winner Inanna Hauger rebounded from being pinched off at the start, carving through traffic to secure third place and her fourth straight podium finish.

Todd Delivers Second Straight Pro AM Plus 30 Victory

Corin Todd has embraced a blue-collar, lunch-pail approach over the past several rounds, and the results continued to show on Friday night in the Thomas Sno Sports Pro AM Plus 30 final. After an up-and-down start to the season, Todd went back to the drawing board with a return to old-school testing, and the adjustments paid off as he led from start to finish to secure his second consecutive victory.

“We did some testing this week, got some riding in, so it was familiar to me racing below zero tonight” said Todd. “We just worked hard. We had a short break, which was good.”

Behind him, a spirited battle unfolded for second place between Tyler Oomen and Brian Petersen. The pair ran nose-to-tail throughout the race, with the outcome decided in the closing laps as they navigated lapped traffic. Oomen maintained his edge through the final corners to claim the runner-up spot, crossing the line just seven-tenths of a second ahead of Petersen, who completed the podium in third.

Blazevic Takes Control with Flag-to-Flag Sport Victory

With just six points separating the top three riders entering the weekend, the Pirtek Sport final quickly became a pivotal race in the championship chase—and it turned into a standout night for round two winner Justin Blazevic. Sitting second in the standings, Blazevic was untouchable on Friday, leading from the drop of the green flag and opening a comfortable margin while a three-way battle unfolded behind him for the remaining podium positions. The win will unofficially move Blazevic into the points lead following a fourth-place finish by former points leader Jimmy Stanisich.

The fight for second and third remained fluid throughout the contest. Adam Barr controlled the runner-up position over the opening three laps before Colin Taggart made his move on lap four, securing second place and extending his podium streak to three straight races. Stanisich applied pressure late in an effort to reclaim a podium spot, but AJ Skogquist shut the door over the final three laps to lock down third, earning his best finish since the opening round of the season.

Victory for van Horsigh in Sport Lite

Carter vanHorsigh had been knocking on the door of his first Flextoy Powersports Rentals Sport Lite victory with podium finishes in each of the opening four rounds, and he finally broke through on Friday night. VanHorsigh grabbed the holeshot and quickly opened a gap on the field, delivering a flawless wire-to-wire performance to earn his first win of the season.

Points leader Derek Gosselin entered the weekend holding a six-point advantage in the standings and was forced to charge from a fourth-place start to protect it. Gosselin methodically tracked down the leaders and made a decisive move into second with two laps remaining, securing a runner-up finish and his fourth podium of the year. Riley Johnson delivered his strongest ride of the season, running in second for much of the race before Gosselin’s late pass, and held on for third to capture his first podium finish of the season.

Specialty Box & Crate Junior 14–15: With points leader Ryder Hayes absent from Specialty Box & Crate Junior 14–16 Friday’s final, Carter vanHorsigh seized the opportunity and quickly became the rider everyone else was chasing. VanHorsigh rocketed off the start line and sliced through the field, leading every lap en route to his second win of the season and fifth consecutive podium finish. 

Round One winner Ryder Harnois worked his way through early traffic before settling into the runner-up position, securing his third podium of the year, while Jackson Goike charged forward from outside the top five, making the decisive move with two laps remaining to earn his first podium finish of the season in third.

Lakeland Powersports Junior Girls 9-13: Top qualifier Charlie Buteau continued her dominant start to the season in the Lakeland Powersports Junior Girls 9–13 final, navigating early race congestion to take control of the lead on lap two. Advancing from her third-place starting position, Buteau settled into a relentless pace at the front, driving to her fifth consecutive victory through five rounds. 

Tess Stone grabbed the early lead before settling in behind the points leader, earning her first podium finish of the season in second, while Eva Gifford secured her fifth straight podium in third, holding off a late challenge from Lila Hemmer to round out the podium.

Anderson’s Maple Syrup Transition 9-13: The top three riders in Anderson’s Maple Syrup Transition 9–13 entered the weekend having secured 11 of the first 12 podium finishes of the season, and they continued that trend on Friday with all three returning to the podium. Isaac Otto controlled the opening half of the race as he looked to close the points gap to Ryan Shimanski, but Shimanski stayed within striking distance before making a decisive pass with two laps remaining. From there, the points leader pulled away to earn his fourth victory of the season. 

Otto matched the pace to secure second place and his fifth consecutive podium finish, while Logan Bruch completed the podium with a strong third-place run, marking his third straight trip to the box.

SPEEDWERX Transition 8-10: Wyatt Miller launched to the holeshot in Friday’s Speedwerx Transition 8–10 final, but quickly found himself under pressure from points leader Noah Kuhn through the opening laps. Kuhn made the decisive move on lap two, taking control of the race and steadily pulling away to secure his third consecutive victory. 

Miller maintained a strong pace to earn his first podium finish of the season in second, while Parker Wruck charged forward from fifth on the starting grid, executing a late pass with two laps remaining to claim the final podium spot in third.

Rox Speed FX Stock 200: A strong showing from new faces highlighted Friday night’s Rox Speed FX Stock 200 final, capped by a thrilling battle at the front between the top two finishers. Deegan Giguere rocketed off the start line, but Everett Storlie stayed glued to his track and refused to let the leader escape. Storlie made his move into the lead with two laps remaining, only for Giguere to respond on the final lap, reclaiming the top spot and driving to the victory for his second podium finish of the season.

Storlie crossed the line less than a second behind in second, earning his second straight podium following his Round Four win. Lyla Judnick delivered a composed and consistent ride to secure third place, capturing her first podium finish of the year.

The 2025–26 AMSOIL Championship Snocross season continues on January 24th, 2026, at the U.S. Air Force Snocross National in Shakopee, Minn. Fans can watch every race live on FloRacing, follow real-time updates across official Snocross social media channels, and catch coverage through FOX Sports throughout the season.

About ISOC
The International Series of Champions (ISOC), headquartered in Albertville, Minnesota, owns and operates both AMSOIL Championship Snocross and AMSOIL Championship Off-Road. ISOC is a recognized leader in professional motorsports, delivering premier national championship events that help define the future of winter and off-road racing. For schedules, tickets, and the latest updates, visit snocross.com or champoffroad.com.