Contact: Phil Whipple
Phone: 207. 782. 0455
2009 Ossippee, NH Race Report

Poirier posts another clean sweep in Ossipee for
Rock Maple Racing snocross series Brunelle,
Davis split Semi-Pro finals

OSSIPEE, NH (Feb. 23, 2009) - Former champion Danny Poirier posted another clean sweep of the Pro finals on Sunday afternoon, as Rock Maple Racing (RMR) completed Round 6 on the nine-race 2009 Central series snocross campaign at the old Mount Whittier ski area. Pro and Semi-Pro teams were kept busy in Ossipee, completing the makeup finals from Stamford, NY, Saturday before qualifying for Sunday’s points races. To kick off a weekend of domination, Poirier swept both the Stock and Open finals, while Jake Melville swept the Semi-Pro finals. Joe Lemieux (Pro Vet) and Michelle Lemieux (Pro Women) also posted wins in the completion of those races postponed from Stamford.

Poirier (Hulten Speed Sports/Polaris), of St. Theodore, Quebec, led Pro rookie Chris Chico (Amsoil/Arctic Cat) and hard-charging John O’Malley (Ski-doo) across the line in both classes (Stock and Open) as three brands of sled filled the podium. With last weekend's impressive four-race sweep, Poirier has now won 10 of the 12 Pro finals completed this season.

Joel Santy out-gunned defending champion Joe Lemieux to win the Pro Vet final, with Vermont rider Rene Desrochers a solid third. Melanie Acker prevailed in a hotly contested Pro Women’s final, holding off the talented Stephanie Lemieux and Janell Smith for top honors. Santy also claimed the Plus 35 Masters final over Desrochers and Lyle Turtlott.

In Semi-Pro action Sunday, Brad Davis and Lucas Brunelle posted final round wins. Davis, of Cambridge, VT, posted a career-first victory in Semi-Pro Stock, out-dueling Michael George and Aaron Pfeifer while wearing a cast on his hand. Davis has persevered through tough times in the past, making this win seem truly special.

Brunelle was triumphant in an event-filled Semi-Pro Open final. Pfeifer led a majority of the race but was involved in an incident with Jake Melville and later disqualified. Hot off his victory in the recent “Dash for Cash” at Stamford, Lincoln Lemieux put in a strong performance to finish second, while Shaun St. Onge was third. There have been a number of fresh faces near the front in Semi-Pro this year, a clear indication of the tremendous depth of talent within its ranks.

In Sport division action at Ossipee, Joey Stock and Jake DaSilva reigned supreme. Stock, of Bearsville, NY, held off Mike Billow and Dylan Bisson to claim Saturday’s Super Stock final. Stock also rode his Team Southside Polaris to victory in Sunday’s Sport Stock 600 final, while DaSilva (Ski-doo) out-gunned Andrew Bailey to win the Super Stock final on Sunday. Stock also won the Semi-Pro Stock 440 final over Bailey and Clinton Ballou. Bailey found redemption with a convincing victory in Sport 500, with Aaron Adams and Christian Ellsworth filling out the podium.

Jake Scott (Hulten Speed Sports/Polaris) is enjoying a similar kind of dominant season in RMR’s Junior division as Poirier is among the Pro riders. Scott, of Port Jefferson, NY, earned three more wins in Ossipee (14-15 Stock 600, 14-15 Stock 600 Fan, 16-17 Stock 600) to further expand his control of the point standings.

Other final round winners in Central series action over the weekend in Ossipee include Joe Klimas Jr. (Sport stock 600 Fan); Christian Ellsworth (Plus 25); Amanda Kirchmeyer (Women Stock 600 Sat., Stock 600 Sun.); Steffanie Lemieux (Women Stock 600 Sun.); Sarah Acker (Girls 10-13 Stock 600 Fan); Morganne Sterl (Women Stock Novice); Derek Vitiello (16-17 Stock 600 Fan); Leo Patenaude (10-13 Stock 380 Fan, 10-13 Stock 600 Fan); Hunter Patenaude (8-10 300 Freestyle Sat. and Sun.); Kyle Sackett (Trail 600 Saturday); and Tim Lapierre (Trail 600 Sunday).

RMR’s East series teams were also in action over the weekend in Ossipee. Final round winners there include Joey Mosher (Sport Stock 600); Paige Calderwood (Women Stock 600); Nick St. Amand (Jr. 16-17 Stock 600); Kory Bouthillier (Jr. 14-15 Stock 500); and Montana Jess (Jr. 10-13 Stock 380 Fan, Jr. 10-13 Stock 600 Fan). Congratulations to all of our final round winners in both the Central and East divisions.

Rock Maple Racing would like to thank Steve Sousa, Bill Groves, Kathryn Amaral and Karen McNiff at the Greater Ossipee Area Chamber of Commerce for their tireless work while hosting last weekend’s event. RMR's third annual visit to Mount Whittier was a big success thanks to your efforts and strong support from the community. Despite a significant snowstorm on Sunday, all events were completed as scheduled. And the addition of the popular "Rave-X" aerial display team to the event added even more excitement for fans. Overall it was another great weekend of racing in Rock Maple's home state of New Hampshire.

For full results in all classes from Ossipee or to learn more, please go to www.rockmaple.com.