Duluth, Minn., ~ AMSOIL Championship Snocross put together a grueling three-day stretch of racing to finish the season in Duluth. Those three rounds would separate the final contenders from one another, and champions would emerge from a 2023-2024 snocross season that continuously rose from the ashes and repeatedly found enough to build an unforgettable campaign.
With one day remaining on Sunday, Saturday’s full slate of racing brought the massive crowds to their feet to cheer on a new Pro champion with a desire to win every race. They also cheered another comeback from the new Pro Lite title holder and embraced the many amateur riders who held their heads high and their arms even higher while holding their championship trophy.
Winning Effort Helps Harr Clinch First Pro Championship
The math was sketched out on a notepad inside the Judnick Motorsports trailer shortly after Friday night’s Pro Triple Crown concluded, and Emil Harr had finished second overall. It was a simple equation: get a clean start, hit the finish line jump in the first round, and Emil Harr would become the 2023-2024 AMSOIL Pro champion.
Harr has shown up in nearly every big moment this season, carrying the torch after five-time defending champion Elias Ishoel’s season ended in Deadwood. Harr was prepared well before that mid-season crash to carry the championship cauldron, and he didn’t let up for a second as the Swedish-born rider clinched his first career Pro championship in the United States.
Harr won the title on Saturday the same way he attacked the entire season: by getting good starts and winning races. Harr made sure he made it to the finish line in the first round of the three-race set on Saturday, finishing sixth after starting tenth. But then he turned up the wick, winning the next two rounds and taking the overall, putting a 50-point cushion between himself and runner-up Jordan Lebel in the standings.
“I have dreamed about this the whole time,” said Harr. This is why I started, and this has been the goal the whole time. I’m so happy that I ended up with this crew. I have the best team. We all love each other, and we worked so hard. We all wanted this win, and we’ve been fighting hard for this.”
Lebel had another great night of racing as the rookie continued his late-season surge to finish second overall. Lebel finished 2-5-2 on the night, and his nine points were one behind Harr’s eight. It was also one point ahead of Oskar Norum, who went 4-3-3 on the night, enough to earn his first podium since round two in Shakopee.
The Pro class will race again on Sunday, and Lebel will be looking to stay second overall. He and Francis Pelletier are separated by only four points for the runner-up spot behind Harr.
Late Race Heroics Put Dillon in Winner’s Circle
Rookie Crayden Dillon has left people shaking their heads all season long. This is usually followed by a quick, ‘How did he do that? ‘, which was again the case on Saturday.
Anson Scheele got out front early in the Pro Lite final, and after a good battle with Evan Christian, he had stretched out his lead to nearly eight seconds with about five laps to go. But Dillon, who clinched the class championship on Friday, somehow found another gear. He clipped three seconds off Scheele’s lead on lap nine, another two on lap ten, and with two laps to go, he was in the race lead.
Dillon kept pushing, stretching his lead out over Scheele and driving to his fourth straight win and eleventh overall.
“I had a good line down the downhill, and I was making a bunch of time,” said Dillon. “I didn’t really know where I was at or who was in front of me, but I was just picking off guys, and I saw the candles light, and I was pretty stoked.”
Scheele was determined to hunt down Dillon but came up just short as he finished second for the third time this season. Behind him, Christian and Baily Forst had their own battle brewing. In the end, Forst had enough momentum to hold off Christian at the line, finishing 2/10ths of a second of him for the third and final podium position.
Blessum Wins Women’s Finale
After a staggered restart late in the season’s final Pro AM Women’s race, Malene Cottew and Inanna Hauger were jockeying for the top position, and the race lead for the final two laps. But the two got tangled up, sending both riders off their sleds.
That put Cerissa Blessum into the lead, and she took full advantage, driving to clean air and winning her first career Pro AM Women’s final. Ana Wensloff picked up her first podium of the season, finishing second, and Ava McCurdy went from sixth to third to earn her second podium of the year.
Overall, Cottew clinched the title in ERX two weeks ago. Hauger was second, and Blessum was only two points behind her in third.
Lieders Wins, but Todd A Title Holder in Pro AM Plus 30
Corin Todd’s love of racing snowmobiles brought him back to the national series this season, and his talent won him the Pro AM Plus 30 championship.
Todd finished second on Saturday, one spot behind defending champion Andy Lieders, who earned his fourth win of the year. Danny Dolecki, who had not raced in the series since 2019, finished third for the second straight night.
Overall, Todd finished 38 points ahead of Adam Johnson for the title, with Lieders finishing third overall.
SNOW BIKE: Yanick Boucher may only have to take starts on Sunday to earn the overall points title in Snow Bike, but defending champion Troy Horbaty kept the pressure up on Saturday.
Boucher won the first moto with Horbaty in second, but Horbaty bounced back and took Moto 2. With Boucher finishing second, Horbaty held the tiebreaker by having a better second moto finish, giving him the overall.
Bobby Pagel finished 3-3 for third overall. Boucher has a 34-point lead going into the final round.
FXR SPORT: In FXR Sport, it is still a three-person race as the class heads into a Sunday showdown, with a likely winner-takes-all scenario.
Kellen Chapuran broke his deadlock atop the points standings with Cameron Cole by winning his third final of the season on Saturday. With Cole finishing fourth, that puts Chapuran with an eight-point lead heading into the final day of racing. The pair will also have to deal with Brandon Nelson, who, after finishing second on Saturday, is tied with Cole for second overall.
Brady Freeland (-29 points behind Chapuran) made a last-lap pass for his seventh podium of the season.
SPORT LITE: Four Sport Lite riders entered the weekend in Duluth with 19 points of separation. After an exciting final on Saturday, that number is still only 26 points, led by Trent Hilmerson.
On Saturday, three riders outside of the top four found their way to the podium, with Jacob Begin leading the charge for his first win of the season. Marshall Bussee started sixth in the final but finished much better in second. Round seven winner Caiden Pflipsen finished third.
Overall, Hilmerson, Lawrence Eeg, Shade Meyer, and Kamden Duffy will have a shot at the title on Sunday.
ROX SPEED FX STOCK 200: Jack Gelinas wrapped up his championship season in the Rox Speed FX Stock 200 by winning the season finale in Duluth on Saturday. Gelinas made a last-lap pass on runner-up Jack Bidinot, who earned his first podium of the season. Lincoln Skar finished third.
Overall, behind Gelinas, Brock Wilson finished second, and Noah Kuhn finished third.
JUNIOR 14-15: Colin Taggart went wire to wire for his fourth win of the season in Junior 14-15. He held off Friday night winner Wyatt Skogquist, who would finish on Saturday. Shane Beasley notched his first podium of the season, finishing third.
Overall, AJ Skogquist took the class championship, finishing 25 points ahead of his brother Wyatt and 33 ahead of Kamden Duffy.
TRANSITION 8-10: Tripp Knudson secured the Transition 8-10 championship on Saturday, ending the season with an 85-point lead over Kody Krantz. Knudson didn’t need the points from a win to secure the title, but he did ride to his fifth straight win in the finale. Beau Engel earned his fourth podium in second, while Sullivan Bergman finished third, his first trip to the winner’s circle this season. The class will wrap up its season on Sunday.
TRANSITION 9-13: The top of the Transition 9-13 championship standings will be settled on Sunday, and all eyes will be on points leader Jimmy Stanisich and second-place rider Tavin Knudson. The pair are only separated by 10 points heading into the finale.
On Saturday, Knudson closed the gap on Stanisich by winning his sixth race of the year. Stanisich didn’t let him get too far away, crossing the line in second. Riley Johnson had to work through traffic after a seventh-place start to finish third, his second podium of the season.
JUNIOR GIRLS 9-13: The season-long showdown between Avery Hemmer and Victoria Dillon was finally settled on Saturday. Hemmer would finish five points ahead of Dillon, thanks in part to her fifth Junior Girls 9-13 win of the year. Dillon would finish second on the day, and Eleanor Schmidt raced to her third straight podium in third.
Dillon was second overall on the season behind Hemmer, with Schmidt in third.
JUNIOR 10-13: Tavin Knudson won his fifth straight Junior 10-13 final on Saturday, giving him enough points to take home the class championship ahead of Jimmy Stanisich.
Lincoln Meyer would finish second, with his second straight podium, and Porter Jacklitch rode to his second podium of the season in third. Meyer finished the year third overall.
120 CHAMP: On Saturday, Kody Krantz notched his third 120 Champ win of the season, getting the edge over George Boettger and Gaborick Geyen, who earned his first podium finish of the season.
Overall, Ryan Shimanski won five races to win the class championship. Krantz was 11 points back in second, and Henry Dillon was third.
Only one day of racing remains for the 2023-2024 AMSOIL Championship Snocross season. Sunday, April 7th, will feature several classes wrapping up their championships. The Pro and Pro Lite Classes will run on Sunday afternoon.
For more information about the AMSOIL Championship Snocross season, visit www.snocross.lab.b2tech.us. You can tune in all season long and watch full event replays on www.FloRacing.com.