Winning Proves Contagious as Bender Wins Again
Iain Hayden Gives Yamaha First Podium of the Season; Tremblay Poised to Capture Both Semi Pro Year-End Titles
Faced with perhaps the most technically challenging track of the season, the racing action for day two of the Hayward 300 proved to be some of the most competitive and surprising of the season. Warm temperatures early in the week quickly followed by freezing temps just prior to race time created a track filled with hidden ice trenches and pockets just below the churned upper layer. Race lines which looked smooth were quickly discovered to hold off-camber ruts and surprises resulting in unexpected “get-offs” and mechanical failures both of which played a roll in Sunday’s main event.
The Semi Pro Super Stock action started off as expected, with top riders including Dan Ebert (Arctic Cat), Cory Davis (Arctic Cat) and Tim Tremblay (Ski-doo) each winning their respective qualifying rounds. And at the start of the Semi-Pro Super Stock final, Ebert nailed the holeshot, pulled out to an early lead and appeared to be well on his way to another national win. But suddenly at the mid-point of the race, he got tangled with challenger Colby Crapo (Polaris), who came into his own over the Hayward weekend, and was pressing for the lead. The incident injured Ebert forcing him to resign from the final and in the process created an opportunity for Davis to take over the lead.
With a clear track and visibility, Davis looked extremely strong, posting incredibly fast and consistent lap times. But just as it had all weekend, fate and a punishing track changed the make-up of the race. With just two laps to go, Davis began to fade due to mechanical issues. Tremblay and Christian Salemark (Arctic Cat) who had been tailing Davis, soon slipped around him followed by others in the field including Colby Crapo now running third. Davis eventually fell all the way back to 8th place at the checker while Tremblay, Salemark and Crapo crossed the finish line for the top three podium positions respectively.
The unfortunate fate of Davis and another win by Tremblay pulled the duo into a very tight race for the year-end championship with just one race to go. Davis holds a slim 4-point margin over Tremblay, while Dan Ebert sits in third, 31 points behind Davis.
Hayden Podiums for Yamaha; Bender Finds the Top Box Again
To date it had been a challenging season for the Factory Yamaha Snocross effort. While holeshots were becoming more and more common, the blue squadron had yet to find the set-up and consistency they needed to garner a box on the podium. But on Sunday, that appeared to be ancient history, as Iain Hayden (Yamaha) looked to not only put Yamaha on the podium, but also win it all.
Hayden grabbed a monster holeshot at the start of the showcase Pro Open final and started to open up a slight lead over challengers Robbie Malinoski (Ski-doo) and Brett Bender (Polaris). Further back in the pack, year-end championship contenders TJ Gulla (Polaris) and Levi LaVallee (Polaris) found themselves in a myriad of traffic. Meanwhile Hayden continued to lead and the crowed found themselves anticipating what could be history repeating itself as Yamaha was poised to put a four-stroke powered race sled on the top box in only the second time in history.
But then at the mid-race mark, with just a 2-second lead, Hayden bobbled and it was just enough for challenger Malinoski to sniff the lead. While Hayden and Malinoski vied for the front of the pack, young-gun Brett Bender who was running third had been calculating the ultimate pass. Suddenly Bender found “another gear” and slipped by both riders to move into the lead, shuffling Malinoski to second and Hayden to third. It was a running order that would stick till the checker and it gave Bender his second national win in as many weeks.
With just one race left on the season, Nielsen’s Grand Finale in Lake Geneva, March 20-22, the year end point battle in both pro classes is extremely tight. In Pro Open, TJ Gulla holds a 13-point lead over teammate Levi LaVallee; while in Pro Super Stock Garth Kaufman (Arctic Cat) is tied for the lead with LaVallee.
(Pat Bourgeois, ISOC Report #19, March 2009)
MINNEAPOLIS (March 11, 2009) – Nearly an entire season has unfolded during the inaugural AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series, yet the most important race of the year remains as racers battle for the biggest prize of them all – a year end championship. When the factory teams and standout independents set-up shop along the hills of Lake Geneva, March 20-22, many will face the biggest race of their career as every lap, of every race will have an impact on the year-end final standings.
Both Simons and LaVallee had something to prove not qualifying on the first round, so they went out and ran hard. The real story for this LCQ? Paul Bauerly. Bauerly races semi-pro for BOSS Racing during the regular season, while everyone else qualifying races pro. He dropped a few places throughout the race and nearly dropped out of qualifying as the strength and skill of the pro riders began shining through. But he held on, raced hard and proved he can race with the best of them. Bauerly has had a good season so far as well, taking home the only major victory for a Ski-Doo in the ISOC national series. He could be moving up to pro if he keeps it up. And poor Steve Taylor, just missing a qualifying spot on his 4-stroke Yamaha.