TURIN, N.Y. (Jan. 14, 2008) – Defending Central series champion Jason Boron and former Semi-Pro standout Dale Petrus split the Pro finals Sunday, as Rock Maple Racing (RMR) completed Round 2 on the nine-race 2007-08 West series snocross schedule at the beautiful Snow Ridge ski resort.
Boron, (Outdoor Performance/D&Z Racing Ski-doo) of Leverett, Mass., pulled away from Ontario natives Lee Butler and Justin Parnell to claim the Pro Open final, while Petrus, (Kimpex/Ski-doo) of Copenhagen, NY, prevailed in Pro Stock over Mike Van Dolder and former West regular Kenny Murphy. With both the CSRA and RMR Central circuits off last weekend, race fans at Snow Ridge saw a healthy mix of riders invade their facility.
Jim Wagner made the trip from Cresco, PA, pay off with a victory in the Pro Vet class, holding off Paul DeRuyter and Clyde Peek for top honors. Amanda Kirchmeyer put Arctic Cat atop the podium with her victory in the Pro Women's final, out-gunning Sonya Nussberger and Chelsea Smith to cap our list of Pro division winners.
In Semi-Pro action Sunday, New York native Cory Ostrander notched a pair of victories. The Lake Hill resident led an all-Ski-doo podium in the Stock final, holding off Central series Sport division star Corin Todd and Jeremy Van Dolder. His second win came in a wild Semi-Pro Open final, with Todd glued to his tail-flap and David Duchnik third. Jordan Hicks continued his hot streak in Semi-Pro Stock 440, out-dueling Steven Brown and Robby Newman for top honors.
Pat Depaola might have traveled the greatest distance to race at Snow Ridge. The rider from Spring Lakes Heights, N.J., was smiling, however, when he held off New York veterans Cass Terrance and Kyle Becker to win Saturday's Sport Super Stock final. On Sunday, Becker prevailed over Rome, N.Y.’s Trevor Walda and Quebec native Francis Charette. Terrance did not come away empty-handed, either, claiming Sunday's Sport Stock 600 final over Charette and Becker. Brown also notched a win to keep everybody happy, powering past Danny Graves and Hicks to win the Sport 600 Performance final. Graves got his moment in the sun as well, out-gunning Depaola and Chip Stokes to win the Sport Stock 500 final.
In Junior division action at Snow Ridge, Taylor Collins recorded three wins overall. The young athlete from Malone, NY, won a pair of Stock 500 wins Saturday and backed them up with a Stock 600 Fan victory on Sunday. Matt Cameron also claimed two wins, holding off Hunter Nelson and Jake Scott to claim the Stock 600 Fan final for 10-13 year-olds on Saturday and repeating the performance on Sunday. Other Junior division winners include Scott (10-13 380 Fan); Joey Stock (16-17 Stock 600 Fan); AJ Perer (8-10 300 Freestyle Saturday); and Hunter Sherwood (8-10 300 Freestyle Sunday).
Other winners on Sunday at Snow Ridge were Paul DeRuyter (Plus 35 Masters); Josh Gessinger (Plus 25 Stock); Janell Smith (Women Stock 500); Sonya Nussberger (Women Stock 600 Sat.); Eddie Haenault (Trail 600 Saturday); and Ryan McIntyre (Trail 600 Sunday).
Rock Maple Racing would like to thank Brad Horn and the entire staff at Snow Ridge for hosting a highly successful debut for West series snocross. Having such a friendly and well-prepared host venue makes the task of running a race more manageable. We appreciate your efforts and hope to return in 2009.
Teams and officials from RMR will now prepare for Round 3 on the West series schedule, slated for this coming weekend, Jan. 19-20, at the Pit-X track in Verona, New York. Rock Maple Racing is the eastern affiliate of the World Powersports Association (WPSA), the national sanctioning body for snocross racing. For complete results from Snow Ridge or to learn more, visit us inline at www.rockmaple.com.
