The AIR FORCE NATIONAL POWERED by CATTERPILLAR
Finished in the rain

Shakopee, Minn., Jan. 22, 2010 – The rain did not stop the AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series from the first day of the Air Force National Powered by Catterpillar and hosted by Canterbury Park. The day started with temperatures in the mid-30s and overcast. The winds picked up as the rain began to fall in the early evening hours. The track held up well but as one racer put it, “it got a little weird.” The snow was like sugar on the top with ice on the bottom and created super unpredictable track conditions. Every lap had something new and racers were tested beyond the norm.

Monster Mike Schultz of Pillager has been thinking about his return to the pro circuit for several months. Just a few weeks ago as he participated at ERX he said that all he really wanted was to finish — and hopefully not in last place. His dreams came true as he took the field in the Fox Shox Pro Plus 30 Super Stock. Schultz riding Ski-Doo #5 went the distance and made his way around the field of 14 riders and finished to 5th place.

While all eyes were on Schultz an unexpected finish turned up with Josh Zelinski of Williamsburg, Mich., arctic Cat #79 finished in first place. Justin Tate of Scandia, Minn., Polaris #28 finished in second place and limped up to the podium after an injury during qualifying rounds. Chad Bauerly of Sauk Rapids, Minn., Ski-Doo #368 finished in third.
The women delivered a clinic during the Camoplast Pro Women Super Stock sponsored by Camoplast. Right from the green it was a race between the top two women in points, Kylie Abrahamson, of Merrifield, Minn. riding Polaris #87 and Carly Davis of Soldonta, Alaska riding Arctic Cat #905. At the checkered it was Davis in first, Abrahamson in second and Nikia Adomaitis of Jackson, Wyoming in third riding Polaris #333.

Davis took an early lead followed closely by Abrahamson. In a heartbreaking turn of events for the points leader, Abrahamson hit the kill switch coming up on the table top and stuck herself into the jump and Davis took off with over a 7 second lead and left Abrahamson in the back of the pack.

Davis made it look easy in cruise control making the rough unpredictable track look smooth and certain, Abrahamson started making her way from the back of the pack through the freezing rain. She was picking smooth lines and started catching up making it all the way back to take second.

It was carnage on the track for the Track Inc. Semi-Pro Super Stock #1 ending in a Polaris sweep. Yellow flags were flying nearly as fast as the first green with a tangle at the top of the table and a sled down on the bottom. A lap or two later the leader Kyle Pallin was black flagged for jumping on a yellow. This was one exciting race in the rain ending with Derek Ellis of Beltrami, Minn. riding Polaris #106 finishing in first place. Coming all the way from 13th place Mike Bauer of Owen, Wisc. Riding Polaris #717 pulling into second place and Renaud Alexandre of Val-D’or, Quebec finishing proudly in third.

Christian Logan of Fertile, Minn. saw nothing but rain and “really weird snow,” he said, during the Arctiva Semi-Pro Final. He started out in fourth place and just started passing riders. He didn’t know he had the first place position locked in and just ran his own race. It was a Ski-Doo Cat sandwich with Christian standing in the first place position on the podium flanked by Justin Broberg of Waukesha, Wisc. Ski-doo #168 in second and Dylan Martin of Pleasant Prairie, Wisc., Ski-Doo #937 in third.

The pros took the field as the rain continued for the Caterpillar Pro Super Stock. Shortly after the uneventful start the pack of 15 went nearly 20 laps without many changes. Tucker Hibbert of Goodridge, Minn., took an early lead on his Arctic Cat #68. Dan Ebert, of Lake Shore, Minn., Arctic Cat #60 was close behind in second place with Brett Bender of Colden, NY, Polaris #19 in third.

The pack stayed in those positions with few changes, other than Hibbert seemed to pick up speed and nearly lapped the entire field. Hibbert found his 52 win nearly 32 seconds in front of second-place Ebert with Bender in third.

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