As the final day of racing in Salamanca began, the New York snowmobile enthusiasts arrived in record numbers to witness Round 10 of the US Air Force Snocross National. With a variety of different riders earning podium finishes this season in the Pro Lite class, the championship chase was in full swing. Although the champion will not be crowned until the finale at Lake Geneva, Daniel Benham made a statement that he will be the one to watch as the 2017-2018 season winds down. Daniel Benham would sweep both AMSOIL Championship Snocross Powered by RAM Rounds at the US Air Force Snocross National. Like Benham, Kody Kamm would also earn both victories this weekend in the Pro class. Both riders solidified themselves as true championship contenders this weekend in Salamanca. 

Pro Lite

Round 1

As the Pro Lite class of AMSOIL Championship Snocross arrived to the line for their first round of qualifying, points leader Daniel Benham picked up where he left off from Round 9. Although Max Taillefer would steal the holeshot, Benham wasted no time as he went from third to first on the opening lap. Benham’s teammate Travis Kern would also slot into the second position passing Max Taillefer. The Factory Arctic Cat duo would take the top two spots as the checkered flags flew while Martin Moland charged hard late in the race to finish third. Andrew Lindholm would have better luck in Round 10 as he would lead the field early in heat two. Lindholm would have much pressure at the first stages of the race from fellow Arctic Cat rider Nisse Kjellstrom. The two would battle for the first three laps but the advantage went to Kjellstrom who would take the lead and not look back. Jacob Yurk would also start making moves of his own and would be the only competitor in the heat to triple in the US Air Force fly-a-way. This would end up being the difference maker as he was able to move into the second position. Yurk would finish the race in second and Andrew Lindholm in third. The final heat of the first round showcased the composure of veteran racer Andy Lieders. Lieders would start the race in second behind Marcus Ogemar but would pass the Ski-Doo rider after battling for nearly the entire race. Lieders and Ogemar would battle bar-to-bar all the way to the AMSOIL Finish line but the win went to Andy Lieders. Marcus Ogemar would finish a close second and Cole Cottew rounded out the top three.

Round 2

In the first heat of the second round Nisse Kjellstrom picked up yet another big holeshot. Although Kjellstrom had the early lead, he crashed in there first corner taking him out of contention. Max Taillefer would take over the lead after the mistake from Kjellstrom. Taillefer would execute his best qualifying race of the weekend and take the win. Martin Moland also had a great start to round two and would find himself finishing in the second position. Jacob Yurk once again found himself in a top three spot and was making a late race charge on Moland but would fall short to his fellow Arctic Cat racer. The second heat of round 2 saw Zak Mason pull the biggest hole shot of the weekend. Mason would have nearly a three sled length advantage over his teammate Evan Daudt. The two Team Lavallee riders would execute the race to perfection and lock down the top two spots in the heat. Andrew Lindholm would finish his last heat of qualifying with a third. The final heat race of the weekend for the Pro Lite class was one to remember. Reigning champion Aki Pihlaja would get out to the early lead but was passed quickly by the current points leader Daniel Benham. The two would stay close early in the race as Hunter Patenaude settled into the third position. As Aki Pihlaja started to close the gap on the leader he would have an off forcing to fall out of the second position. Daniel Benham would go on to his second heat race win of the day and would lock down the top qualifying spot. Hunter Patenaude would run a solid second while Korbyn Anderson finished qualifying with a third.

Final

As the light went green for the Pro Lite final it was none other then Round 9 winner and points leader Daniel Benham out from early. The Minnesota rider would be chased closely by fellow Arctic Cat riders Martin Moland and Nisse Kjellstrom. Coming from the back row, Aki Pihlaja would settle into the fifth position. Makita Ski-Doo rider Max Taillefer was the rider in fourth but was being stalked be the reigning champion Pihlaja. Jacob Yurk riding in the third position, had a big off in the FXR section forcing him to the rear of the field and out of podium contention. With the top three starting to spread themselves from rest of the pack, Hunter Patenaude and Max Taillefer started to battle for the fifth position, Patenaude would better the Canadian tonight and found himself in fifth at the halfway point of the race. During the next lap, Patenaude would tangle with another rider which forces him outside the top five. Up front, Martin Moland starts to reel in Round 9 winner Daniel Benham. As the laps start to wind down in the Pro Lite final, the top three Arctic Cats are all separated by only four seconds, and the race is anyones to win or lose. Ski-Doo rider Marcus Ogemar moves from the rear of the field and with only three laps left the foreign rider moves into the top five. As the checkered flag flew, it was three Arctic Cats on top. Daniel Benham would take the win and officially sweep the weekend in New York, while Martin Moland was second, and Nisse Kjellstrom in third. Aki Pihlaja and Marcus Ogemar would round out the top five.

1. #221 Daniel Benham

2. #75 Martin Moland

3. #27 Nisse Kjellstrom

4. #128 Aki Pihlaja

5. #58 Marcus Ogemar

6. #144 Max Taillefer

7. #63 Zak Mason

8. #201 Travis Kern

9. #413 Evan Daudt

10. #727 Jacob Yurk

11. #122 Kevin Wallenstein

12. #208 Hunter Patenaude

13. #40 Oskar Norum

14. #57 Andy Lieders

15. #46 Andrew Lindholm

Pro

Round 1

The premier class of AMSOIL Championship Snocross stepped to the line after the spectacle known as opening ceremonies completed. Pro rookie Travis Muller would earn the holeshot over a stout fielding lead the early stages of the race. The rookie would be pressured early by Sunoco Fuels Arctic Cat rider Johan Lidman, with the advantage going to Lidman. Lidman would lead the entire race before having a late race crash forcing himself outside of the top five. Ryan Springer would have a great start and find himself in the second position. Springer would take advantage of Lidmans mistakes and earn his first heat race win of the season. Rookie Travis Muller would have an awesome race finishing in second and fist bumping as he crossed the finish line. AMSOIL Air Force rider Tim Tremblay finished his qualifying with a third. In the second heat of round one, Tucker Hibbert nailed yet another heat race hole shot. The 10x champion would lead the entire race flag-to-flag as he looks for his eighth main event win of the season. Logan Christian would find himself in the second position as he is being chased down by two Hentges racing Polaris’. Kody Kamm would move past his teammate Petter Narsa into the third position before having an issue dropping him down to fifth. On lap seven, Hibbert would extend his lead nearly to seven seconds. When the checkered flags flew it was Hibbert, Christian, Narsa.

Round 2

The second round of Pro qualifying was dominated by two Arctic Cats. The first heat would be won by Logan Christian and the second heat going to Tucker Hibbert. The first of the two qualifiers featured a heavy battle for second between Ryan Springer and Petter Narsa. Springer would continue his best weekend of the season with finishing round two in second place. The final spot in the top three would be accompanied by fellow Polaris rider Petter Narsa. The final Pro qualifying race of the weekend saw Tucker Hibbert at his true best. T-Train would dominate the heat race as Corin Todd and Lincoln Lemieux battled behind him. Corin would have an advantage over Lincoln as his snowmobile seemed to be getting great starts here in New York. The two east coast natives would battle for the entire qualifier going bar-to-bar for a tight 10 laps. Todd would get the better of long time friend Lemieux and earn another second place spot. Lemieux finished his qualifying with a solid third place spot.

Final

While the combatants arrived to the starting line for Round 10 of AMSOIL Championship Snocross, Tucker Hibbert would find himself lining up in the back row for the first time this season. This decision way done solely by the Monster Energy/Arctic Cat team hoping the #68 would have better luck there, versus the outside of the front row. Logan Christian would be the rider to jump out to the early lead as Kody Kamm and Ryan Springer trailed closely behind. The decision to start in the back row did not fair well for Hibbert as he began the race in the 14th spot. Kody Kamm would make an inside pass on Christian to move himself into familiar territory in New York, which is out front. The battles behind Kamm started to heat up. Petter Narsa and Johan Lidman would battle for the fourth position going back and forth until the Hentges Polaris would earn the spot cleanly. Tim Tremblay did not have the best of starts as he began the race in the 12th position. The poor start did not phase the “Big Strong Canadian” as he moved all the way to sixth in just 5 laps. Two laps later, Tucker Hibbert would be marching through the field picking off one racer each lap as he now find himself in seventh. Eights laps into this blistering main event, Ryan Springer would have an issue forcing him to miss what could of been his first podium of the season. Thirteen laps in and Tucker Hibbert has moved past Tim Tremblay to earn the fourth position. As the laps winded down and the riders get knowledge of only five laps remaining, and Tucker Hibbert moved into the third spot. Tim Tremblay would also make a late race charge as he was able to get by Petter Narsa and steal fourth place. With two and a half laps remaining Tucker Hibbert would get around Christian and be only one position away from one of the best rides of his career. When the white flag flew it was only two seconds separating the two. But when the checkered flag flew, Kody Kamm would win Round 10 and sweep the weekend in New York. He was able to hold off hard charging Tucker Hibbert in second and Logan Christian in third. Tim Tremblay would have a very solid night in the fourth spot while Petter Narsa rounded out the top five.

1. #1 Kody Kamm

2. #68 Tucker Hibbert

3. #43 Logan Christian

4. #11 Tim Tremblay

5. #54 Petter Narsa

6. #52 Johan Lidman

7. #13 Lincoln Lemieux

8. #177 Jake Angove

9. #248 Brett Nastala

10. #36 Corin Todd

11. #98 Nick Pattyn

12. #200 Leo Patenaude

13. #436 Travis Muller

14. #541 Ryan Springer

15. #311 Adam Renheim

Pro AM Women

Pro AM Women points leader, Megan Brodeur, would extend her points lead tonight in New York as she wins again here in Round 10. Reigning women’s champion, Elina Ohman, would have better fortune in tonights final as she would cross the finish line in second. Malene Anderson had a hard off in Round 9’s final but found herself on the podium once again in Round 10 with a third.

Pro AM Plus 30

The veterans of the sport took to the track for their chance of striking gold here in New York. Former Pro racer Matt Pichner would grab the early lead and ride his Arctic Cat to victory solidifying himself as a true championship threat. Cory Thene would earn his best finish of the season in second while Polaris rider Paul Richard crossed the finish line in third.