Berardo Racing

Road-Trip.

We raced the ISOC Duluth National this past week-end in Duluth Minnesota. We headed out to get in a few days practice before racing, and be ready for the Rock Maple Racing SnoX series.

Brennan was lucky enough to be in heat 1! The first race of the 2009 ISOC SnoX series. 11 guys on the line, 73 in the class, and NO LCQ’s. He came out of the hole great, and led checkered to checkered. He was really pumped; giving the new 09 MXZx600RS it’s first heat win!

In round 2 he came out mid pack, and worked his way to second by lap 6. He spent the next 2 laps working on first place, but settled for second, securing his place in the final. No need to end up upside down and miss the final.

By final time, the track had changed quite a bit, and the holes were monstrous. Brennan had 4th gate pick, and was ready. He worked his way through the first turn mayhem, and came out 3rd. He hung bars with another racer which caused a few seconds delay, allowing the leaders to break away a little bit. He charged hard, and was catching lapped traffic by the midpoint of the race. He was never really challenged by the back of the pack, and worked to make it a 3 way battle.

When the checkered fell, he crossed in 3rd place! An ISOC podium finish, the first for the new 09 MXZx600RS! He was the only Ski-Doo in the final, so he felt pretty good to get on the podium!

So day 1, 1-2-3, and off to tech inspection every time, (getting to know the guys pretty well).

Day 2, same basic group, same deal, 2 heats. Top 10 of the 70+ guys go to the front row, next 5 go to the back, and everyone else goes home!

In heat 1, Brennan got hooked up with some first turn banging, but came through it strong. He rode hard all 6 laps, and finished 2nd, (off to tech inspection again). In round 2, it was snowing pretty hard. We topped off the fuel, and away he went. He quickly worked his way to second, and went back and forth for a few laps, ending up in second at the checkered flag. This was a great run, securing him a front row start in the final!

He started outside row 1, which had been a risky place most of the week-end. Again, he was the only Ski-Doo in the final, pressure was on. When the flag dropped, he squared up, went inside, and came out third. He was dicing with the first and second place riders when he hit a bad hole going down the hill, (it was dark now!). He recovered, but was way back. He rode super fast, tripling wherever he could. He was passing 2-3 people every lap. With 1 to go, he was back in dicing it with the 2nd and 3rd place riders! Coming around the final turn to bring it over the finish line, the rider behind him tagged him and spun him right into the infield hay bales, (not good). He had to chase down his sled, restart, and get back on the track. He was still able to salvage the race with a 9th.

So all in all a good time. He hit the track 6 times, and finished top 3, 5 out of the 6! He is currently in 3rd place in the National point’s championship. The track was great fun, the sled is awesome, and we are looking forward to a fun year!

Congratulations to all of the other RMR racers who took the big trip west to compete, great job by everyone!

Thanks to all of our Sponsors for supporting us for the 2009 season, Ski-Doo, 139Designs, Land-Air, Woody’s, Camoplast, PowerMadd, The Crank Shop, C&A Pro, HMK, One Industries, and Team Industries.

2008 champion Sirjane retires, Pro title wide open for Rock Maple Racing

        DERRY, N.H. (Nov. 7, 2008) - With the 2008-09 snocross season
opener now just one
month away, teams across the northeast are gearing up for what could
easily be one
of the most competitive schedules in recent years.
        Officials from Rock Maple Racing (RMR) are busy preparing to kick
off their 17th
season of competition on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 6-7, at the beautiful
Whaleback
Mountain ski area in Enfield, Hampshire.
        C. W. Sirjane, last year's Pro champion from Whitehall, N.Y.,
announced his
retirement from racing last spring. With that news, the door swings wide
open for a
new face atop the point standings. Leading the charge toward that 2008
title are
former champions Jason and Matt Boron. Both will return aboard the
newly-refined
Ski-doo 600RS for Dana White at D&Z Racing.
        Thanks to RMR's advancement policy, the Pro division is loaded
with talent as we
hit the snow in December. Former Semi-Pro stars Jason Stone, Chris Chico
and Derek
Graham will now battle ski-to-ski against the Borons and Danny Poirier.
Stone will
ride Ski-doo for the mighty Ingles Racing organization out of Phoenix,
N.Y., while
Chico and Graham will pilot Polaris sleds in their quest for supremacy.
         Anyone concerned about these moves hurting the quality of
competition in Semi-Pro
can put those fears to rest. Trevor Bouchard (D&Z Racing) and Brennan
Berardo are
among the favorites in a full field of talented contenders. Other strong
riders of
note include Jake Melville and Shaun St. Onge. Lucas Brunelle and Corin
Todd move
up from the Sport division this year, adding even more excitement to this
division. And just as Sirjane will be missed in the Pro classes, former
Semi-Pro
Dale Petrus will be missed here as he has also decided to retire from the
sport of
snocross.
        Intense battles will not be limited to the Pro and Semi-Pro
divisions this season.
Jake Dasilva and Joey Stock will lead a full field of up-and-comers in the
Sport
division, while former Junior standout Lincoln Lemieux also joins the mix.
Lemieux
turned a lot of heads last season as he became the first-ever Junior rider to
qualify for the prestigious Semi-Pro Shootout.
        From a manufacturer's standpoint, the 2008-09 RMR snocross season
should be pretty
competitive, as well. Manufacturer support for snocross teams continues to be
solid. With the absence of Harrison Motorsports, D&Z Racing becomes the
flagship
team for Ski-doo, while Chad Miller and David Duchnik (West series) will
fly the
colors for Arctic Cat. St. Johnsville, New York-based Team Cycle Worx will
lead the
Polaris effort, anchored by Pro division veteran Poirier. Yamaha is also
well-represented in Rock Maple pit area, as the Herrmann family (Brent and
Matt)
proudly fly the bright blue four-stroke machines with their distinct,
rumbling
sound.
        Across the pit area, from Pro to Semi-Pro, Women and Juniors,
every division has
its favorites. Yet every division is also full of family-oriented teams just
looking to enjoy quality time with loved ones and share their passion for
snowmobiles and racing. It's an extended family like no other, bundling up
against
winter's cold to enjoy the sport of snocross.

Last Updated on 12/04/08
By George Campbell or Greg Fish
Email: neracing@neracing.com

Brennan has clinched both championships for the season in Moto-X! He did it in style by setting the fastest lap times in the class both days! Lot's of moto and over-all wins in 2 tough days of competition!