WPSA Snowmobile Tour to Light Up Winnipeg

A buzz will be in the air this weekend as the WPSA PowerSports Snowmobile Tour makes its inaugural visit to CanWest Global Park in downtown Winnipeg for the Winnipeg Snocross race. The event, Round 7 of the 2005-2006 Championship, is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday Feb. 25-26. Racing begins both days at 9 a.m. CST. The race could well be the turning point for the title chase as a full slate of professional and amateur racing is on tap at the baseball park. The race will be telecast March 3 on ESPN2 at 2 p.m. EST.

Approximately 2.3 million gallons (8,706,420 liters) of water was turned into 18,500 tons (16,783 metric tons) of snow for the race, which is being staged on the baseball field, used in the summer by the Winnipeg Goldeyes.

Leading the charge into the Canadian prairie is Wisconsin native Ross Martin. Martin (No. 837 Judnick Motorsports-Dupont/Polaris) padded his Pro Open points lead with a second-place finish last weekend at Valcourt, Quebec, and now holds a 26-point lead in the title chase, ahead of Robbie Malinoski. Martin has two Pro Open wins this season, as well as two additional podiums. In addition, Martin has two Pro Stock wins.

Meanwhile, over in the Pro Stock ranks, Malinoski (No. 4 Olah Racing/Arctic Cat) used a combination of great finishes and Martin’s bad fortune at Valcourt to move up eight positions, taking the points lead. Malinoski, who earned a season best second-place Pro Stock finish at Valcourt, currently holds a four-point lead over Kurtis Crapo (No. 9 Speedwerx/Arctic Cat) in the title chase. Martin sits third, five points back.

On a tear lately has been the unlikely dark horse in the Snocross field, 11-time WPSA titleholder Blair Morgan. Morgan (No. 7c Blair Morgan Racing Team/Ski-Doo), who ran the first three races of the season sidelined by a badly broken thumb suffered in pre-season testing, is coming off a sweep at Valcourt. The Pro Stock and Pro Open wins last weekend, bring the Prince Albert, Saskatchewan resident’s overall win total this season to three. Morgan now sits eighth in Pro Open points and 11th in the Pro Stock standings.

Though bad luck beset Val-Dor Quebec’s Mathieu Morin in last weekend’s Pro Stock race at Valcourt, Morin, who sits fifth in Pro Stock points, comes into the Winnipeg weekend with momentum. Morin (No. 27 Warnert Racing-Formula XPS/Ski-Doo) proved this season that hard work does pay off. At the beginning of the season, Morin was just planning an abbreviated Semi-Pro effort. However, after C.W. Sirjane suffered a back injury at the season opener in Duluth, the Warnert squad tapped Morin as a substitute. Morin delivered, by winning in his Pro class debut at Duluth. Morin also competes in the Semi-Pro Open class.

Fellow French Canadian Dave Allard has also been a consistent force this season in both the Pro Open and Pro Stock ranks. Allard (No. 167 Blair Morgan Racing Team/Ski-Doo) sits third in Pro Open and fourth in Pro Stock points. Though he is winless this season, Allard has two second-place finishes and a third-place effort in Pro Open, and two additional podiums in Pro Stock.

Dennis (D.J.) Eckstrom (No. 25 AMSOIL-Red Bull/Polaris) has come on strong of late, turning around bad luck his team experienced earlier this season. Eckstrom’s third-place Pro Stock finish at Valcourt marked his third Pro Stock podium this season and keeps him well within reach of the title. Eckstrom also sits fourth in the Pro Open chase, after winning the Pro Open season opener, and earning one additional podium.

Defending Pro Open champion Steven Martin is looking to bring his season back around this weekend. The rider of the No. 18 Warnert Racing-Dodge Trucks/Ski-Doo currently sits fifth in Pro Stock points on the merit of two podium finishes, and he’s ninth in the Pro Open standings.

Out of the Semi-Pro ranks comes the compelling comeback story of ‘The Rage’ Bobby LePage. LePage returned to PowerSports Snowmobile Tour competition two weeks ago after recovering from serious injuries suffered in an on-track incident last year at Canterbury Park. LePage suffered a laundry list of injuries, including four broken vertebrae, a broken left hand, and a closed-head injury, which left him in a 23-day drug-induced coma. LePage is riding Hentges Racing’s No. 244 Pirtek/Polaris.

Other Pro riders expected to compete this weekend are: Adam Brummond (No. 22 Maxima Racing Oils/Ski-Doo), Aaron Christensen (No. 10 Ski-Doo), DJ Ekre (No. 52 Christian Brothers Racing/Arctic Cat), Mike Island (No. 8 Warnert Racing-Bud Light/Ski-Doo), Garth Kaufman (No. 48 Olah Racing/Arctic Cat), Levi LaVallee (No. 108 TEAM Industries/Polaris), Brad Pitlik (No. 90 Kowalski Racing/Ski-Doo), Greg Rudd (No. 254 Formula XPS/Ski-Doo), Carl Schubitzke (No. 96 AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants/Polaris), Mike Schultz (No. 5 Avalanche Racing/Polaris), Ryan Simons (No. 67 Olah Racing/Arctic Cat), Justin Tate (No. 28 Pirtek/Polaris), Steven Taylor (No. 2 Blair Morgan Race Team/Ski-Doo) and Paul Thacker (No. 11 Monster Energy Drink/Arctic Cat).

The Tour will also host events for Semi-Pro Open, Semi-Pro Stock, as well as Sport, Junior and Champ class races.

The PowerSports Snowmobile Tour Winnipeg Snocross race begins Saturday, Feb. 25 at CanWest Global Park in downtown Winnipeg. A media resources guide, which includes an event schedule, entry list, fact sheet, and other background information in both electronic and paper versions, will be available on site and can be downloaded in PDF format by clicking here (Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or higher required).

Great tickets are still available for the event. Tickets start at $15 for a one-day, Saturday-only pass, and a Sunday-only pass is $25. Two-day weekend adult passes are $35, while a family two-day ticket (two adults and two children) is just $99. Pit passes can be purchased for $10 per day. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster (204-780-3333 or www.ticketmaster.ca) or visit www.powersportstour.com for more information.

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