The BOSS Racing team arrived in Valcourt, Quebec on the heels of ISOC’s Round 5 at the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan.
Brett Turcotte came to defend his Championship title earned on these hallowed grounds the previous season. Fellow semi-pro teammates Cory Watkinson & Derek Ellis stepped up their game, also entering Pro competition for this prestigious Grand Prix De Valcourt.
Steeped in history and anchored by Bombardier’s influence, the Grand Prix Ski-Doo De Valcourt is considered the most important snowmobile event in North America.
Traditionally an F1 ice oval event; Snocross was added here in 1999. Blair Morgan won Snocross features here from ’99-’04 and is still the record holder here for most features won. Today there are several Snocross add-ons.
This year started under the lights on Friday night in front of an enormous crowd of North American snowmobile fans. The BOSS team entered the fray with all 3 BOSS athletes qualified for the main; Turcotte making the front row. After a neck and neck battle, Turcotte rallied to take the 3rd podium slot to cheering crowds.
Again, Saturday saw 3 BOSS riders in the main. A disastrous wreck even by snocross standards, took all 3 riders out of the lead pack in the first turn. Finishing order for the crew was: Ellis 7th, Watkinson 12th, & Turcotte a surprising 14th.
Sunday’s Pro Open brought only Ellis and Turcotte to the table, with Watkinson missing it by one slot. The boys suffered Saturday’s similar fate here on Sunday, when another rider lost control and crashed directly in front of Turcotte.
Turcotte could not avoid the physics of it all and he was done for the remainder of the race due to the crash. Ellis finished near the rear of the pack, and was nonetheless to be commended for his performance against the world’s top pros!
