Press Release –
Polaris racers found the busy schedule at the Air Force Canterbury Snocross to their liking on the weekend of January 11-13, as they won two of the four Pro classes and both Semi-Pro classes, establishing Polaris racers as the points leaders in three of the four premier WPSA classes.
Pro racers ran a double-points weekend at the Shakopee, Minnesota, race track, with finals in Pro Open and Pro Super Stock on Friday the 11th and Sunday, January 13.
How dominant were Polaris racers at Canterbury? In Pro and Semi-Pro racing, racers on the Polaris IQ Race Sleds earned 13 of 18 podium positions – that’s 72% of the podium spots filled by riders on one brand: Polaris.
By comparison, Arctic Cat racers reached the podium four times, and one Ski-Doo racer earned a third-place finish for that brand’s lone trip to the podium in the six Pro and Semi-Pro events.
Pro Super Stock was the only major class in which Polaris racers didn’t claim victory, yet Polaris racers dominate the class’s points race after two of eight WPSA national events.
“We’ve got some work to do in Pro Super Stock, but our guys still raced hard and have themselves in good positions in the points,” said Polaris Racing Manager Tom Rager, Sr. “Our race teams are gelling and we’re optimistic as we head into a very busy month of racing.”
There are four WPSA National events in the next five weeks, plus the non-points but extremely high-profile ESPN Winter X Games.
Pro Open: Ross Martin & TJ Gulla Swap Victories
In Pro Open racing at Canterbury, Ross Martin (Judnick Motorsports) and TJ Gulla (Hentges Racing) each won and each finished second.
In the Friday Pro Open final, Polaris racers finished 1-2-3 with Gulla winning, Martin in second and Dennis Eckstrom (Scheuring Speed Sports) completing the Polaris podium. Polaris racers took five of the top seven positions in the class on Friday, and on Sunday, Martin won and Gulla took second.
The Polaris Pro Open dominance is reflected in the points standings, where Martin, Gulla and Eckstrom stand 1-3, respectively, while Levi LaVallee (Hentges Racing) is fifth and Shaun Crapo (Scheuring Speed Sports) is sixth.
Pro Super Stock: Filling the Top 10
Polaris racers might not have claimed a win in Pro Super Stock on the weekend, but they took three of the top six places on Friday (with Eckstrom taking second) and they packed the top 10 on Sunday, finishing second through seventh. Seven of the top nine finishers Sunday were Polaris racers.
This strong showing by Polaris racers in Pro Super Stock is reflected in the points standings, where Martin is in second, followed by Eckstrom (third), Mike Schultz of Avalanche Racing (fourth), Gulla (fifth), Crapo (seventh) and LaVallee (10th).
Semi-Pro Open: Polaris Packs the Podium
Chris Kafka (Hentges Racing), Andrew Johnstad (Avalanche Racing ) and Bobby LePage (Hentges Racing) finished 1-2-3, respectively, in Semi-Pro Open and six Polaris racers finished in the top eight spots.
The fast-rising Polaris racers could not be more dominant in Semi-Pro Open points, where they occupy the top five positions with LePage in first followed in order by Johnstad, Dylan Martin (Judnick Motorsports), Kafka and Brett Bender (Hentges Racing) – and Mike Bauer is in seventh.
Semi-Pro Super Stock: Another 1-2 Finish
In one of the best weekends of his young career, Andrew Johnstad won the Semi-Pro Super Stock class to complement his second place finish in Semi-Pro Open. Brett Bender took second in Super Stock to put himself atop the points standings after two races. LePage is third in points, followed by Johnstad (fourth), Kafka (sixth), Bauer (seventh) and Dylan Martin (eighth).
Pro Women Super Stock: Still Tops in Points
Defending Pro Women’s champion Kylie Abrahamson (Avalanche Racing ) didn’t have the weekend she hoped for at Canterbury – she finished fourth Pro Women’s Super Stock – but it was enough for her to maintain a one-point lead heading into the upcoming busy month of racing.
Sport Classes: Two More Victories
Polaris racers finished 1-2-3 in Sport Super Stock 2, with Derek Ellis earning the win followed by Andy Lieders in second and Joseph Fallen in third. Nichole Lackore won the Sport Women class at Canterbury.
