Polaris snocross racer Kody Kamm (Hentges Racing) served notice that he will be a force in Pro-class racing next season as he clinched the Pro Lite points title, then moved up and won the final Pro race of the ISOC season March 17-18 at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
Kamm, who is from Kenosha, Wisconsin, used Polaris Terrain Domination to win the Pro Lite final on Saturday and clinch the season points title, then jumped up to the Pro class for Sunday’s finale and won in his first attempt against the sport’s best racers.
Past champion Ross Martin (Judnick Motorsports) finished second in the ISOC Pro points standings and Polaris racer Jennifer Pare (Leighton Motorsports) won the Pro-Am Women points title.
The final weekend of the season marked the end of an era as Polaris Pro racer TJ Gulla (Hentges Racing) announced he was retiring from racing after an outstanding snocross career that included multiple Pro points titles.
Saturday Racing: Martin Wins & Kamm Clinches
Ross Martin continued to battle for the Pro points title to the very end of the season and earned maximum points on Saturday, March 17, with a dominating performance in the day’s Pro final.
He grabbed the holeshot and stretched the lead so there was no question who was the class of the field. Bobby LePage (Team LaVallee) finished ninth and Brett Bender (Hentges Racing) was 12th.
Kody Kamm sewed up the Pro Lite title with a win in Saturday’s final. He got the holeshot and led throughout the race, but had to survive a restart after a late-lap red flag. He reclaimed the lead for the final sprint to the checkered flag and the win clinched the points title.
Polaris racers filled the Pro Lite podium as Colby Crapo (Leighton Motorsports) finished second and Andrew Lieders (Lieders Racing) was third. Jake Scott (Team LaVallee) was fifth, Andrew Carlson (Carlson Motorsports) was eighth and James Johnstad (Judnick Motorsports) finished ninth.
Jennifer Pare clinched the Pro-Am Women points title with a win at Lake Geneva, and she was joined on the podium by Polaris racer Stephanie Schmidt (Schmidt Racing), who finished second.
Tabitha Bode (Fort Fremont Marine Racing) was ninth, Jakki Farmer (Farmer Racing) finished 11th and Jennifer Martel was 13th.
Mike Pilotte won one of the weekend’s Sport-class finals and Dylan Jansen (Jansen Brothers Racing) finished third in both Sport races.
Sunday Racing: Kamm Serves Notice
Kody Kamm impressed everyone on Sunday, March 18, in his first Pro race. He immediately blasted into the lead, and won after withstanding a furious effort by Ross Martin. Kamm is expected to race full-time in the Pro class next winter.
“This is awesome,” Kamm said from atop the podium after his victory. “I never thought this would happen. I got the holeshot, stayed out front of Ross and rode my own race. I’m really happy to be up here.”
Martin’s aggressive riding cost him when he was bounced briefly from his sled after a rough landing. Yet he remounted and finished second to Kamm. “I made a mistake there on the downhill section and that was it,” Martin said. “Kody rode great… It’s going to be an exciting series next year for sure.”
Mike Bauer (Judnick Motorsports) finished 12th, Bobby LePage was 13th and TJ Gulla (Hentges Racing) finished 14th in the final race of his Pro career.
Pro Points: Martin Finishes Second
Martin, the three-time Pro Open points champion who finished second in both Pro classes last winter, finished second in ISOC Pro points for 2011-2012.
Other Polaris racers in the top 25 included: Brett Bender in ninth, Mike Bauer in 13th, Johan Lidman (Carlson Motorsports) of Sweden was 15th, Bobby LePage was 17th, TJ Gulla was 19th, and Levi LaVallee (Team LaVallee) finished an injury-shortened season in 22nd.
Pro Lite Points: Polaris Racers Dominate
Pro Lite points champion Kody Kamm was joined in the top five by three fellow Polaris racers as Jake Scott finished third in points, Andrew Lieders was fourth and James Johnstad was fifth.
Andrew Carlson was ninth, Colby Crapo was 10th, Brett Nastala (Redline Racing) was 11th, Matt Bristow (Bristow’s Racing) finished 15th, Joe Fallen (Fallen Racing) was 18th, Brian Ludwig (BLR Motorsports) was 19th and Dylan Martin (Team Southside Polaris) was 26th.
Three Polaris racers finished in the top five in Pro-Am Women points, with Jennifer Pare winning the title, Stephanie Schmidt (Schmidt Racing) finishing second and Tabitha Bode (Fort Fremont Marine Racing) taking fifth.
Jennifer Martel finished 11th, Jakki Farmer was 13th, Kendra Dallmann (LePage Racing) was 17th, and Melanie Acker (Team Southside) was 20th.
Trevor Leighton (Leighton Motorsports) finished second in the Sport-class points standings, while Dylan Jansen (Jansen Brothers Racing) was ninth, Dalton Johnson (Team Johnson Racing) was 10th, Luke Wollenberg (BLR Motorsports) was 12th and Jeremy Kuhn (Super J Racing) was 13th.
Former Champion TJ Gulla Retires
TJ Gulla, the Jericho, Vermont, racer who announced his retirement at Lake Geneva, was a major force in snocross racing over the past decade and helped lead the resurgence of Polaris racing dominance.
He won Pro Stock points titles in the 2004-2005 and 2006-2007 seasons, and in 2008-2009, he won the Pro Open title and was third in Pro Stock points.
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