Double
week-end of racing at the track this week-end. Ton's of fun, great
weather and great track conditions. Fellow Ski-Doo racers came up for
the race. Brennan and Darrin Mee's both got to run together in the
OPEN A class, Brennan on his 250, and Darrin on his 450. They went 1-2
in most moto's they were in, (with Brennan getting Darrin 3 out of 4 times
on the track!)
Brennan
had a great week-end, going 1-2-3 in his 3 classes on Saturday, and 1-1-2 in
the overalls on Sunday!
07/12/09
Another
great week-end of racing, The rain left us an awesome racing track!
Class Number Brand
Moto 1 Moto 2 Class Finish
Youth A/B #92 HON 1st 1st 1st
250 A #92 HON 4th 1st 2nd
Open A #92 HON 4th 5th 5th
6/23/09
Brennan
Raced the 4th in the series of VMA Motocross this week-end. Great
weather, and the track was awesome!
He went 2-1
for 1st overall in the 250A, 1-3 for 1st overall in the Youth A/B and 4-3
for 3rd overall in the Open A!
6/18/09
At the last
VMA MotoCross race Brennan went 1-3-4 in the overalls!
Next race
this week-end!
5/29/09
Double
race this past week-end for Brennan. He also had a high school prom,
so he missed a few afternoon races on Saturday, and a few Sunday morning
races. He ran very well, with mostly top 3 finishes, and a few moto
and class wins. This is awesome after the move up to the Expert class.
He ran well with those guys, and was able to beat a bunch of them in the
open class, even though they were on 450's! He had a great time
battling with BRP's Simon Belzile, and beat him in a few moto's!
School is out soon, se he can practice
more and have fun, staying in shape for Sno-X next winter!
05/11/09
Got in a
little practice in this week-end, between the rain!
4/16/09
With Sno-X over for the
time being, it was time to dig out the bike and get in a little fun!
We went to
the last RMR Snocross race this past week-end. Yes there was snow, sort of.
Brennan has been off the sled for the last 8 weeks letting his broken arm
heal, so we were not expecting too much. We wanted to get on the track,
promote our sponsors, and have a little fun. We only took the stocker,
but we entered it in the Open and Stock classes. Brennan was the only
stocker to get in the Open final! He took 3rd in the holeshot on the
stocker, but the race was red flagged due to a turn one pileup in the uphill
mud.
In the
restart of 14 sleds, Brennan got pinched off and went into turn one dead
last, (luck of the draw with restarts sometimes). He picked riders off one
by one, and was charging for the front. In 10 laps, he took the stocker to a
6th place finish in the Open Mod class!
He was super excited to go
to the stock final where he was number 3 qualifier. Being off the sled for
so many weeks, he was a bit nervous. He came out great, and it was a 2 man
race for first place, with Brennan and Aaron Pfeifer in the lead positions.
By lap 6 they were lapping the field. On Lap 7 Aaron quickly got by one
lapped rider. The same rider did not yield to the flag for Brennan, and
there was not enough time to get back to the lead.
Brennan was in second place with 1 lap to go, and he switched up his lines
on the top part of the track to real in Aaron, but it did not work.
All in all, a good week-end for so much time off. As always, the Ski-Doo
sleds ran awesome!
Thanks again to all of our great 2009 sponsors, Ski-Doo, Land-Air,
139designs.com, Woody's, The Crank Shop, Camoplast, C&A Pro, Powermadd,
HMK and Team Industries.
03/09/09
The Cast came
off last week, and Brennan is doing great! If all goes well, and we will
race the last few races!
I did get in a
few more trips to Quebec, check the pictures here:
Brennan goes in
on Monday to get the cast off, and then they put a smaller one on for a few
weeks, (that's the plan anyway! He is staying active, and wishing he was
racing. We have been very busy assisting the other Ski-Doo riders in the
East anyway we can. Anyone want to sign the cast, stop on by!
Thanks to
everyone for all of your support!
02/04/09
We took a quick
trip over the week-end to Berthierville, then off the Ice Hotel, then Quebec
City, St-Foy and back.
We raced at
Pit-X this past week-end, (much warmer than Malone!). There was a lot
of snow, and ton's of parking.
Semi-Pro Open qualifying was first, and
Brennans plan was for a direct shot to the final! He went 3-1-2 in the
qualifying rounds, making him number 2
qualifier for the final. The
Crank-Shop Ski-Doo ran great, and Brennan rode really well, taking a liking
to the track. Next was the Semi-Pro Stock qualifying. We did a
little better there, with Brenann going 1-1-1 in the three rounds of
qualifying! This put him as the number 1 qualifier
for the final.
We got to
sleep in on Sunday, and go to the 10:00AM practice slot. The sleds
were dialed, and Brennan was looking good.
The first
final for us was the Open class. They started the sleds maybe 30 feet
from the turn, with 14 sleds it was going to be tight. Brennan got
pinched, but he passed all the way back to 5th! Great work, and we
were ready for the stock class.
In the
Stock final, he was running in second place, when the race was red flagged
due to a rider down. Corin Todd was involved in a very bad crash, and
they held the race for 45 minutes. When the race restarted, it was a
single file restart. Brennan was beside the leader going into turn 2,
he doubled in from the outside. The leader went a little wide, so
Brennan went a little wide, and over the turn. Problem is it was a 20
foot drop to the plowed field. He put his hand out, and broke it in
two places, (just above the wrist). They set it yesterday, and we go back in
next week. (He is in for a few weeks +/- of recovery.) He has finals
this week at school, good thing he is left handed.
The real bummer is he was riding very
conservative, being safe and smooth, and even a mid pack finish would have
put him in first place in the points battle!
Best of
luck to all the guy's from the class out healing, Corin, Lucas, Matt, and
Cody. (It's been a really tough season so far will all of the injuries for
everyone!)
01/11/09
Got a few trips
to Quebec on the 2009 XR1200 TNT, Awesome!
We raced at
Malone NY this past week-end. There was a high turnout due to the
riders from CSRA and SCM, and a few from ISOC! Brennan was tied for
the number one qualifier in the stock class by going 1-2-1 in the qualifying
rounds. The sled was awesome!
12/16/08
We raced at Black
Mountain in Rumford Maine this week-end, in the first Rock Maple Racing race
of the season. Brennan is running Semi-Pro this year in the regionals.
The Semi-Pro riders got 3 lap qualifiers, so it was mainly a hole-shot race.
First up was the
Semi-Pro Open qualifiers, Brennan went into turn one in second place, got
hooked with another rider, bent his tie rod into a boomerang, and the race
was over. Rick, (our highly experienced mechanic), fixed it quickly,
and in the next 2 qualifiers he went 3-2, nice.
In the stock
qualifiers he knew what to expect, and went 2-2-1. This put Brennan
the number 2 qualifier out of 24+ guys in the class.
On Sunday he had to
run the Open LCQ. It was a 5 lap race with 10 guys, Brennan finished
second, securing a spot in the final.
The first final for
him on Sunday afternoon was the Semi-Pro Open. He had a back row
start, 10 guys in front of him, yikes! He came out of the hole 12th,
went into turn one in 6th, and by the end of lap one was in second place!
The handling of the 09 Ski-Doo 600RS was awesome! Brennan finished
second out of 14!
Semi-Pro stock was
next. He got pushed a little wide in the holeshot, but charged on and
was in second place at the end of the downhill. By the end of lap one
he was breathing super heavy on the leader. He wanted to take the lead
early, and attempted a triple into the corner, that kinda almost worked.
He remounted at the back of the pack, and in 6 laps passed 9 guys to finish
5th overall!
Great start to the
season for us, we could not have done it without such a great sled!
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.
Winter Has Arrived at
Amsoil Duluth National Day One Brings Big
Crowds, Huge Flips and Four Classes of Competition
DULUTH, MN (November 28,
2008) – A new season of snocross competition has officially launched
as the AMSOIL Duluth National track dropped green early Friday
morning on the biggest and longest track ever to grace the hills of
Spirit Mountain. Sunshine and a mountain of snow greeted race fans
as the snocross season kicked off for the 17th time in Duluth,
Minnesota.
The showcase event of the day was the Slednecks
Invasion Tour presented by Monster Energy Drink featuring the
extreme talents of Sam Rogers, Paul Thacker and X-Games gold
medalist Chris Burandt. Packed bleachers watched the trio attack
dual launch ramps and bust out their sickest tricks including side
by side backflips.
Prior to the freestyle show, four support classes
completed competition for the weekend.
Junior 14-15
1st – James Johnstad (Pol)
2nd – Travis Muller (Doo)
3rd – Johan Sundstrom
Junior 16-17
1st – Travis Muller (Doo)
2nd – James Johnstad (Pol)
3rd – Nick Pattyn (Doo)
Sport Super Stock #1
1st – Cody Thomsen (Cat)
2nd – Jacob Miller (Cat)
3rd – Brennan Berardo (Doo)
Sport Women Super Stock
1st – Samantha Tarnowski (Doo)
2nd – Paige Calderwood (Doo)
3rd – Stephanie Schmidt (Pol)
If
you can’t join us in Duluth, Minnesota, listen to all the action via
live streaming audio at
www.isocracing.com.
Today, Pro-Stock action will lead the charge with the main event
occurring at 6:00pm. Sunday will feature Pro-Open with the final
race of the weekend taking place at 3:00pm.
Demo Ride and Win Christian Brothers
Motorsports & Arctic Cat Serve Up 120 Demo Rides at Nationals
Share
the sport of snowmobiling with your kids this winter and enter to win a
new Arctic Cat 120 snowmobile courtesy of Christian Brothers
Motorsports. During every AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series national
this season, Christian Brothers Motorspors and Arctic Cat will be
serving up 120 demo rides for the younger set. Plus one demo ride is all
it takes to enter your young rider into a drawing to win a new Arctic
Cat 120. A new snowmobile will be awarded to one lucky demo rider at
every national. So bring the entire family to an AMSOIL national near
you and enter to ride and win.
$86,000 Up for Grabs
in Woody's Team Challenge New Program Rewards
Consistent Performance from Every Team Member
As the green flag drops on
the new AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series, a new and exciting $86,000
twist has been added to the mix with the Woody’s Team Challenge. The
Woody’s Team Challenge is a race weekend and year-end, Pro and Semi-Pro
cumulative points chase.
The program is designed to reward the best performing
“team” for the race weekend and the season by combining the best
finishing points for each team in Pro Stock, Pro-Open, Semi-Pro Stock
and Semi-Pro Open. There will be $6,000 up for grabs each weekend for
the top three finishing teams, with the best performing team of the
weekend receiving $3,000; second place $2,000 and third place $1,000.
“We are excited and proud to deliver the Woody’s Team
Challenge to the teams affiliated with ISOC,” said Rob Mussleman,
president of International Engineering, the company which designs and
manufacturers Woody’s traction products. “The idea behind the Woody’s
Team Challenge is to reward consistent performance from every rider and
every member of a race team in both the Pro and Semi-Pro classes.”
When the points are tallied at the close of the
season, the best performing team will garner an additional $10,000,
while the second through fifth place teams will earn $7,500, $3,750,
$2,500 and $1,250 respectively.
Internation Series of Champions
The
International Series of Champions (ISOC) is the premiere snowmobile race
sanctioning organization in North America and sanctions a national
snocross tour in addition to three regional circuits. Visit
www.isocracing.com for more information, fan and racer memberships,
schedule details and more.
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
12/22/09
By George Campbell or Greg Fish
Email: neracing@neracing.com
9/4/08
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!
8/19/08
Another
great week-end of racing! Brennan went 3-2-1 in the overalls, and top
4 in every moto! He maintains the points lead in 2 classes, and jumped
to 4th in the other!
Brennan
continues to do well this season in MX, and finished the day with a win in
Open B class, for the overall win, and the lead in the points battle!
6/9/08
We raced
with our friends at Derby this past weekend. Travis came to watch
Brennan throw some dirt around. The morning was a little rough with a flat
tire, a broken spoke and a stuck inlet needle on the carburetor. The
afternoon went better, with no issues and Brennan going 1-2-2 in his 3
motos! It's great to see him back in the groove with almost a full
year off the bike! (Broke his arm almost a year to the day).
05/28/08
We raced
this past week-end in Derby Vermont at the Vermont Motocross Association
week-end event. Brennan had a great week-end, winning a handful of
moto's, and an overall. This puts him in first pace in one class, and
second in the other. Great to see all of the summer motocross gang
that we haven't seen in awhile. We race again in 2 weeks!
We raced at
Barton Vermont this week-end. Brennan qualified well on Saturday in the
Stock Class going 3-3-4. In the Open class he had one bad round, putting
him in the LCQ for Sunday. (This was only the second LCQ he had to run all
season, so he was extremely motivated to do well in it)
Sunday morning
he ran the LCQ first. He led the race, start to finish. The Ski-Doo XP
600RS was working really well!
The first final
for him was the OPEN, and he had to start back row. Barton was more or
less a one line track, with a very small hole shot, and a back row start wasn't
going to be pretty. The flag dropped and he went high, and ducked in low.
The Crank-Shop power quickly put him in 6th coming out of turn one, (he had to
let off not run over the racer in front of him). He rode hard and worked
his way up to 3rd! One tiny bobble on the final 1/4 of a lap cost him a
bit, but he still crossed the finish line in 4th! (not bad coming from the
back row in only 8 laps)
3/4/08
A
good week-end for us this past week-end in Skowhegan Maine, with Brennan tied
for number 1 qualifier in the Semi-Pro Stock 600 class!
Here are a few
pictures to make it in the newspaper in Ossipee NH when RMR raced there a few
weeks back!
2/25/08
Brennan goes
top 5 in Both Semi-Pro classes in highly competitive Rock Maple racing Semi-Pro!
We had a great
week-end at RMR’s Central race at Ossipee NH. The track was fun, and the
weather could not have been better! The sleds, as always, ran awesome!
Is there any sled better than the XP, we don’t think so!
Brennan had
great qualifying on Saturday, getting all 1-2-3’s, (OK, we got 1 forth!).
He beat the class point’s leaders in a few rounds, (not an easy feat!). This put
him in the front row for the finals on Sunday, and we were done by Noon on
Saturday!
Race 1 on
Sunday afternoon was the Semi-Pro Open final. Brennan had the 4th gate
pick, and a great spot on the snow. When the flagged dropped, he was as
forward as his 130 pounds would let him get, but the sled decided to hook and go
up! Too much power from the Crank-Shop Mod! He has not lost a hole
shot with it in weeks, but in this race he had to feather the throttle not to
flip it! He came into turn one in 13th place! Our mechanic Rick
loves this, as Brennan was going to have to work, (wait a minute, did Rick
adjust the sled last?). He rode hard, passing riders on every lap. His
mission was to get to the front by the checkered. When it was done, there
were 3 Ski-Doo’s in the top 5, and Brennan was one of them!
The stock 600
class for him was race 25! The track had changed a lot, but he was ready.
With some fine tuning for the conditions, the sled RIPPED out of there, leaving
the others to dice for second place for a few laps! A few of the Semi-Pro
guys with 3-5 years in the class were able to inch by, but each race Brennan is
able to ride in the top few places for more of the race, (this is our rookie
Semi-Pro season). When the checkered dropped, there were 4 Ski-Doo’s in
the top 5, and again, Brennan was one of them!
Thanks again to
all of our sponsors, especially Ski-Doo, HMK, Woody's, Crank-Shop,
PowerMadd, 139Designs, C&A Pro, Camoplast, Team Industries, Land-Air, and
SPY goggles.
2/13/08
Pictures up
from my last 2 snowmobiling trips to Quebec.
Check the video
below, thanks again to The Crank Shop, Woody's, Camoplast, Ski-Doo and Team
Industries for the GREAT running sled.
We had high
hopes for the week-end. Home track and all. Brennan went out and
attacked the track in practice. Very smooth, and very, very fast. He
went out in the first round finished first. A great start. In round
2 he was leading the race, and the last whoop in the rhythm section got him.
We were done for the week-end with shoulder issues. Everything looks OK
now, and we will be ready for the next RMR Central race!
We had a great time at Pit-X in Vernon NY this
past week-end. The weather held up and the facility did a great job keeping the
track up, and working the snow they had. The sun even came out for a bit!
Brennan did awesome qualifying on Saturday in the Open class. He went 4-1-2,
getting him the 3rd overall qualifier spot for Sunday! Not an east feat
with so many good riders.
For Sunday’s final he was pumped. All the fast guys made it to the front row,
and it was going to be a great race. The track was fast and long! Brennan ripped
out into an early lead, and spent the whole race dicing it out with the more
seasoned Semi-Pro guys, passing back and forth many times. When the snow
settled, he crossed the finish line in 5th place, a podium position, in the
money!
The Crank-Shop motor is proving very strong!
The stock class started well, with Brennan leading the first qualifier. With 2
laps to go, the guy in 2nd tried a risky pass which resulted in taking them both
out. This netted the number 1 and 2 racers ending up last and second to last!
The sled took a beating after doing a few cartwheels, and recovering in the
class proved difficult for the week-end.
Brennan's great performance in the Open class should move him up a position or
2, (he was in 6th going into the week-end!).
The next race is here in Essex, VT, we can hardly wait!
01/07/08
Tower, this is
#192, permission to land!
(we clocked
him at 58MPH here!)
We raced at Malone NY this weekend. Brennan
had a super week-end, and should move up to 5th
in Semi-Pro Open, and 3rd in Semi-Pro
Stock in the championship points!
He qualified
very well in Semi-Pro Open, with a 4-1-1. The 4th was due to a suspension
issue, and he had to nurse the sled back in, and still maintained a 4th!.
In Semi-Pro Stock, he did even better. He went 2-1-2 in the qualifiers.
This put him as the number 3 qualifier in both classes! Great, we can
sleep in with no LCQ's or early drivers meetings!
We have to
thank the Crank-Shop, Woody's and Team Industries for the great hole shots all
week-end. Check the video below to see what a Crank-Shop motor can do for
you!
Brennan did
great in both of the finals, getting 6th in the open. The whoop monster
got him in the stock class with a few laps to go, (he was in 2nd place), but he
passed a lot of people and finished 9th.
Next race for
us is in a few weeks at Pit-X in NY. We really need the time off to get
the sleds ready to go.
We raced in
Rumford Maine this past week-end, at a nice little ski area called Black
Mountain. Saturday went well, with Brennan making it into both finals!
He really likes qualifying on Saturday, do well, and you don't need to hit the
track till 10:00 for practice on Sunday! This is a whole lot nicer than
having to do the early morning LCQ's and get a back row start.
Sunday the snow came, (BLIZZARD),
and visibility was
impossible with 14 racers on the track. The snow dust was
unbelievable. The mod race was first, and Brennan had a good very run
finishing 6th!
In the Stock
race Brennan had a great hole shot and was first out of turn one, but they red
flagged it. 829 would go to the back row for jumping the flag.
Restarting a race always gets everyone a little jumpy. On the restart Brennan
went into turn 1 in 3rd place, but with all of the snow dust there was a lot of
bashing going on, and he lost out. He was making up good ground, but we
had a few issues with the snow dust. This slowed his chances of getting to
the front. The finals were shortened to 5 laps for the Semi-Pro's due to
the heavy snow.
Thanks again to
all of our awesome Sponsors for the great start to the season! Ski-Doo,
Land-Air, C&A Pro, Team, Woody's, Camoplast, 139designs, HMK!
We have a few
weeks off now, which will be great to get caught up on a few things and be ready
for Malone NY on January 5th!
12/10/07
This week-end
we raced at Windham Mountain in NY. They had made snow, and though it was
a small track we made the best of it. We are slowly getting the issues
worked out with the new XP, and in time it will be exactly where we want it.
It is really a great piece of engineering, and very powerful!
We would like
to thank
www.139designs.com
for the great graphics! Sleds, trailers, MX bikes, no matter. Chris
can set you apart from the crowd!
Brennan did
very well in the Semi-Pro stock class. He qualified 3rd for the final with
a 3-3-1. Like last week-end he was again the highest qualifying Ski-Doo
rider in semi-pro! With all of the bigger teams we compete against, this
is no easy feat!
He wanted to
win the final bad. He has won a few qualifiers already this year, but he
wanted the final win. The race was in the dark, in the rain, on a BEAT
track. He checked out for an early lead and was walking away from the pack
every lap. On lap 6 he had a good margin over second and 3rd place, who
were in their own battles. Brennan thought they were right on him, and was
pushing hard. With 2 laps to go, the whoop section caught him. He
had enough of a lead to get back in the game, and finished 6th in the final.
Ahead of 8 other guys, but not what he wanted.
He really likes
Semi-Pro, great group of guys!
12/5/07
It was off to Enfield NH and Whaleback ski area
this past week-end. Brennan was entered in Semi-Pro Stock and Open. This would
be the first time in this class, and the first time racing a Mod sled!
Brennan was the highest qualifying Ski-Doo in the Semi-Pro class! He qualified
3rd overall with a 2-1-2! He looked fast and comfortable. In the final he got
shoved off to the inside of the track, uphill on glare ice. He came back on in
last place, and was charging towards the front. In 8 laps, he passed 7 guys and
finished 7th in the final. This was an awesome race to watch! His great efforts
has him in 3rd place for the championship points in Semi-Pro stock!
On the mod he qualified 6th for the final with a 3-2-4. In the final he came out
well, and was in 4th. He dogged 3rd for the first 5 laps, and was trying
everything to pass! The track was tight, and passing was going to be difficult!
He tried an downhill outside pass that almost worked, but resulted in Brennan
one way and his sled another.
He remounted, but too late to get back in the game.
He likes the sleds and the class a lot, and we are ready for Windham!
11/27/07
We made it back
from Duluth, what a trip! We practiced a few days at Planet-X, then it was
off to the races.
Brennan raced
in WPSA Sport Super Stock, where there were over 90+ entries! He ran well,
with qualifying runs of 2-2-4. With so many entries, you needed better to
advance! Oh well, we learned a lot and Brennan was able to get ready for
the upcoming RMR season. His lap times were good enough to be in the top 5
in the final, but getting there with so many entries proved to be challenging.
The new sled is
awesome. We had a few issues to work out, and are certainly glad to have
that done going into the first RMR race.
11/17/07
Off to
Duluth
for the
WPSA season opener, we will
race on 11/24/07. You can follow the races live
by
clicking here.
10/7/07
2008 is right around the
corner, and we’ll have new updates for you shortly.
In the meantime, enjoy a
recap of our dominant 2007 season.
2007 RACE VIDEO
8/13/07
If you see the
New England Dodge Motor Sports Semi this season, take a look at the
sides, anyone you know?
We raced
the Memorial Day Week-End race this week-end in Derby Vermont. Lot's
of friends showed up, which was great! Some of our winter time racing
friends came up to try the track, and they all did really well. We
hope to see Randy, Joe, Jake, Julien and Trevor back again soon, (and you
too GUS!).
The weather
was perfect and the track was awesome! I think Brennan is now settled
into the bike after racing snowmobiles all winter. He ran really,
really well, had a lot of fun, and was able to win a few races in the highly
competitive Amateur classes!
His
favorite class is the Youth 125 A/B, where the fastest of the amateurs and
experts get to mix it up. He was able to hold off the very fast Mike
Baril for the win in the final moto of the day on Sunday in the Youth A/B
class for the overall win!.
We raced
the first Vermont Motocross race of the season yesterday. Brennan
entered Youth, (13-18) 125 A/B and 125B. Both classes were very full!
For the first race of the season for him, he did very well. In the
Youth, (13-18) 125 he got a 4th in the first moto and a second in the
second moto for a 3rd overall! In the 125B he placed second in both
moto's for a 2nd overall! He rode well, stayed safe and is looking
forward to the next race.
Been on the
Bike a little, here is Brennan, (Honda) and Ben (Kawasaki)
4/30/07
Just when we thought the Snocross season was
over, we got another surprise! Brennan was awarded the 2006/2007 Rock
Maple Racing Rising Star Award.
This is an award given to only one rider per season, the one they feel has
good potential, and represents the sport well on and off the track.
Thanks again to the Kings and RMR, this award really means a lot!
Brennan is the 2006/2007 Rock Maple Racing Sport
500 and the 2006/2007 Rock Maple Racing Sport 600 series Champion!
Brennan qualified very well this week-end
with a 1-3 in the Sport 600, and a 2-2 in the Sport 500. Going into the
Sport 500 final he had a 10 point lead over second place. The game
plan was to play it safe and secure the championship win, (even if it meant
sacrificing the final win for the day). This was NOT easy for a 15
year old to do.
Brennan got out to an early lead. With two
laps to go, he had an aggressive pass put on him by the second place rider,
but his race was for the championship. Brennan knew what he had to do and
where he needed to be.
Being conservative going down the hill with 1
lap to go, he was passed for third. Using the same racer savvy that got him
here over the season he gave a wide berth to not get caught up in anything.
Brennan maintained the 3rd place position all the way to the checkered flag,
handily securing the Sport 500 RMR Championship win!
He had built enough points lead to clinch the
600 Championship before the final even began. This took a lot of pressure
off, and let him focus on the race. It was the last race of the day. The
track was beat, and it was pouring rain. Brennan got a great start, and
without the added pressure he had a little fun and checked out for an
awesome win! (pictures and video to follow)
We started the season with the goal of building
relationships, having fun, and winning as many races as possible.
We exceeded our goals! So far this season Brennan
won
47%,
and took top 3 in 84%
of all races he entered! He got 8
wins and 18 top 3 finishes in the finals.
Thanks again to
RMR, WPSA, and SCM for running the series we competed in. Thanks to our
major sponsors Ski-Doo and Land-Air, and to our number 1 mechanic Rick! We will
miss all of the fine racers and others we have met over the season, and look
forward to racing and spending time with them next year. Congratulations
to everyone else at RMR for their fine accomplishments for the season!
We have some exciting items in the works for next
season, as we continue to grow and build strong relationships in the sport.
3/18/07
Berardo
Racing gets National Win!
Brennan did it, a national win! He
qualified awesome with a 1-2 in the 14/15 and a 1-3 in the 16/17. He got
an awesome second place finish in the 14/15 final. Before the 16/17 final
I asked him about his game plan, (thinking about strategy on the track), he said
his plan was simple, to win. When I tried to talk a bit about the
corners and the whoops, he said "I have my plan dad". The flag dropped and
he just plain checked out. They would not take this win from him. He
wanted it and rode as hard as he could. He crossed the finish line a solid
3.5 seconds ahead of 2nd place! He had the fastest lap time of the entire
field in the final. He came through the dozens of entries and rounds of
qualifying to clinch 2 podium finishes,
we could not be more proud of how he rode!
This was the road trip of all road trips.
We arrived 21 hours after we started out! I could have done
without having to drive through downtown Chicago, but there was no way
around it. Travis Brisbin came along for the ride, and it was awesome
as he and Brennan kept busy the whole way out and back. Give them a
few years, and they can drive!
The facility was awesome, as was the
track. It was a huge ski-hill track, with 2 uphill and downhill
sections, with each lap at 50+ seconds. For Brennan the qualifiers
were 4 laps and the finals were 6 laps! Lot's and Lot's and Lot's of snow.
No dirt showing ever, anywhere. The uphill start was huge and they
kept it smooth with the tiller to the first turn, keeping the racing safe
and fair.
After looking at the track, I decided on
my sled set-up. It was after all a huge track with elevation changes
like we had never seen. (I would tell you my set-up, but...... , lets
say the sled ripped!). It never lost a hole shot on the national
level, cool. It screamed up the hill! Woody's traction kept us
accelerating, turning and braking. The C&A ski's really worked well
too!
Brennan qualified very well in the 14/15,
going 2-1 to put him as the number 2 qualifier. In the 16/17
qualifiers he took a first in the first qualifier! In the second one
he was
leading with one lap to go, when he tried an outside/inside jump in a
downhill turn that did not pay off. Everyone passed him!. He
re-fired and off he went, all covered in snow. By the end of the
whoops he passed one guy. At the top of the hill he got another.
In the double at the bottom he got another, and right in front of him one
guy fell off. At the top of the second hill he got one more.
In the turn before the finish he got one more, and at the line he almost got
one more. In the end he crossed in 3rd, not too bad considering!
This gave him a 1-3 in qualifying, making him the number 5 qualifier.
In the 14/15 final he got the hole shot
and led for a bit. The #682 Cat got by, and Brennan chased for the
rest of the race. The #682 was running better in one turn, and a
little faster in the whoops. Brennan formulated his plan for the 16/17
final.
When the flagged dropped for the 16/17,
he was focused. He did not come for 2nd place. The sled was
dialed, so the rest was up to him. The turn that gave him trouble he railed
all 6 laps! He flew through the whoops, never being challenged.
I happened to be standing next to a group of guys that were betting on all
of the finals. In Brennan's race, one of them picked Brennan.
Every lap he was getting more excited screaming, "Go 192, make me some
money!". At the end of the race I told him I didn't know if I should
be excited or upset he was betting on my kid. He said, "It's all good,
he made me $3, did I swear on your video?", .................. too funny!.
He proceeded to collect his winnings.
So we are home now, none worse for the
wear, and Brennan is super pumped as are we on how well he did. Many
of these top kid's are all tied to factory race teams!
The third place racer in the 14/15
final was Garrett Goodwin, (note the last name)! This National level
stuff is tough! I have a lot of respect for the racers and teams we
raced against. All very clean, fun, exciting, respectful racing, and
fast! It was for sure the fastest and smoothest Brennan has run.
Brennan proved he can run with them, and win!
A great race by WPSA, Thanks again to BRP,
C&A, SPY, Land-Air, Camoplast and all of our GREAT sponsors for the season!
Brennan is
back to good health, and it showed. He took EVERY
hole shot, even against the mod's! He qualified very well, taking
firsts and seconds in 4 of the qualifying rounds!
His first
final was the Sport 600. He lead for half of the race, when Emmett
inched by him in the whoops. They went 1-2 for a lap when Brad Davis
mounted a late race charge and passed Brennan and Emmett for the win.
Brennan's 3rd pace put him on the podium, and strengthened his lead in the
600 class points battle.
His second
final was the highly competitive Sport 500 class. The flag dropped and
Brennan checked out. He was determined to win this one, and he did!
Brad again mounted a late race charge, though unsuccessful this time.
The final
race was the Sport Open. Brennan held the Mod's off as long as he
could. He finished in the top 5 on a stock sled!
So a great
week-end for us, Brennan did awesome, and as always it was great to have our
crew chief Rick back after a bout with the flu.
Next race
for us is the WPSA National, next
week-end in Lake Geneva, WI
Great job by Josh Mosher this week-end,
he ran VERY well!.
Trevor, Joe and Gus, GET WELL SOON!
3/5/07
We raced in
Skowhegan, Maine this week-end. Brennan was still sick, so we took it
easy. It was a long snowy white knuckle drive on all back roads, so it was
awesome to arrive in one piece.
Qualifying
went well. Brennan went 2-1 in the Sport Stock 500 class, making him
the number 1 qualifier! He went 1-5 in the Sport Stock 600 class,
making him the number 6 qualifier.
The Sport
Stock 600 class was first. Brennan came out well. The top 3 guys all
rode very well, and finished the way they started, with Brennan getting
second place at the finish!
The Sport
500 class was the last race of the day, and Brennan had not been on the
track in 3 hours. His flue/cold was getting the best of him, but he
was going to go for it! He came out of the hole in second. He
tried to square up in turn one but drifted wide and then ended up almost
last. He passed as many as he could in 3 laps, and finished in 6th
place out of 14 in the final!
Even sick, Brennan's consistency has
rewarded him with the points lead in both Sport classes! He has 28
wins so far this season!
Next week
we will be in Barton, we are looking forward to a race close to home and
Brennan in good health!
Congratulations to Joe Mosher and Travis Brisbin on their Junior class wins
this week-end, they were both riding very well!
We raced in
West Ossipee NH this past week-end. Brennan has been a little under
the weather the past few weeks, and it took it's toll this week-end. He had
a temperature of 105 when we got home!
He did run
very well in the Sport 600 class. He went 1-1 in the qualifiers, to
put him as number one qualifier. In the final he checked out to an
early lead, but was passed with a lap to go by Scott Edward. Brennan
tucked inside him on the final turn, but did not have quite enough room to
complete the pass. He finished in a solid second place. The 2 of
them going at it put quite a gap on third place!
In Sport 500 he got 1st in the first
qualifier, and took a tumble in the second qualifier. He got a great
hole shot in the final, but caught one of the many ruts left in the starting
line from a day of racing, which got him and 2 other riders stuck together.
By the time they sorted it out, he crossed the finish line in 10th, a great
comeback all considering.
He made it into the Sport Open final by
winning the LCQ, but at this point he was feeling pretty sickly so we called
it a day.
He maintains his first place points lead
in the Sport 500 class, and maintains in second place but cut the points
spread to only 4 in the Sport 600 class!
We went to the
WPSA Eastern National in Verona NY this week-end. The race was at the
Turning Stone Resort & Casino.
What an awesome place to hold a race! Lot’s of snow for the race too.
Brennan’s racing was all on Saturday. In the
14/15 class he ran 2 qualifiers, he got a 2nd and a 3rd, to make him the 4th
place qualifier. In the 16/17, he got a 2nd and a 1st in the qualifiers,
which made him the 2nd place qualifier for the final.
The first final for him was the 14/15. He led
for most of one lap, but was passed by Kyle Pallin for the lead. At the
checkered it was Kyle fist, with Brennan a close 1 second behind, and Shane
Martin in 3rd, 6 seconds back.
The second final for Brennan was the 16/17.
Again he led for a bit, but was passed by Kyle. Brennan kept him in sight,
but in the end it was Kyle first, with Brennan 5 seconds back in second, and
Ryan Jabs in 3rd , 18 second back. A great run for all of them, as a podium
finish in a WPSA national race is no easy feat! Brennan got to stand on the
podium, get interviewed, and be presented his award in an official ceremony,
very nice. Brennan was one of the 13 Ski-Doo riders to Podium in the
event, and one of the 3 Ski-Doo riders to podium in more than one class,
(Morgan and Bosum the other 2).
Lot’s of
RMR folks at this one, as it was in NY. Many did really well, and should
be proud of their accomplishments against the national level riders!
Pictures here.
Be
sure to check out our newest Sponsor,
Extreme Exposures! Mike can
set you up with any type of photo, poster, pro-card, graphics, or website
you can dream up! Check out this great
Pro-Card he made for us! He takes AWESOME pictures, check them out
here.
2/4/07
We raced in
Schaghticoke, NY this week-end, at a Rock
Maple Central point’s race. RMR made a lot of snow, and this
added with the 4-6 inches of new snow made a pretty nice track. This was the
second race in a row with no dirt, clean pits and a clean white track!
On Saturday
Brennan's first qualifier was Sport 500. He won, yeah! His second
qualifier was the Sport Open. He was the only stock sled in his heat, and
was working his way through traffic when a turn 4 tangle with a mod sled
destroyed his side cover, secondary clutch, and drive belt. No way to finish
this one!
We rebuilt
it in time for the 600 qualifier. Brennan was mad now and charged to the
front. He over jumped the double, spraining his thumb, yet he still went on
to win the race, (on Saturday night he was a tad cranky).
On Sunday
his thumb was 2X normal. We taped it up and on he went. First qualifier was
Sport 500. He finished 4th. His second qualifier was Sport 600, he finished
3rd. His last qualifier was Sport open, he finished 2nd. Great no LCQ’s and
on to the finals. With a 4th-3rd and a 2nd, he was going in the right
direction.
His first
final was the Sport 500. He spun like crazy on the line, and had to work up
from 8th. At the end of the race he had worked up to 3rd. The next race was
Sport Open. He was one of 3 stockers on the front row. He had a strategy to
use the power he had to get to the front. In a race of almost all mod sleds,
(50% more power), he worked up to finish in 2nd place, with his sight on
1st! We were very proud of him and how he ran!
The last
race was Sport 600. He was in second with a lap to go. He wanted first. He
squared up going into the whoops, and started going along side 1st place
Emmett Callahan. Too much throttle and he got out of sync and down he went.
No harm, but it put him in last place.
So all in
all a pretty good week-end. He is in 1st place points for Sport 500, and 2nd
for Sport 600. He had a huge lead being in first place for 16/17, but
has dropped out of 16/17 for RMR in favor of running Sport Open.
Our buddy
Dustin Gehrke won his Oval final with SCM in NY this week-end, and Travis
Brisbin took home trophies in all his classes in RMR!
Next race
for us is the WPSA National next week-end
in Vernon, NY.
The Table measured 60 feet, the triple measured 90 feet, and the fly-away
double measured 80 feet!
01/28/07
We raced in our home town
of Essex VT this week-end. Being 10 minutes from home was great!
Lots of snow, (too much?), and cold made for a great track.
RMR and the folks at
The Champlain Exposition put on
a great event. The best show on the circuit by far! Thanks to all of
our friends, family and even Brennan’s teachers for coming out to watch and
give the added support, it really makes it awesome.
Brennan entered 16/17 500
LC, Sport Stock 500 L/C and Sport Stock 600 L/C this week-end. For the
rest of the season it will be all Sport classes!
Saturdays qualifying went
well with a 1st in Sport 600, 1st in 16/17 and a 5th
in Sport 600. The track was awesome, and Brennan and the sled went
great!
On Sunday morning was
round 2 qualifying. Brennan got 1st in Sport 500, 1st
in Sport 600, and a 2nd to Jacques Giroux in the 16/17 500 L/C.
Brennan had to go back row as he moved when the starter moved; the starter
didn’t see it that way. This race was a great battle between Jacques
and Brennan, clean, fast and fun racing.
Brennan’s first final was
the Sport Stock 600. He took the hole shot and checked out for the
win! A great start to the afternoon.
His second race was the
Sport Stock 500. He had learned some new lines in the previous race,
and was anxious to try them. He took the hole shot and led all the way
to the checkered flag.
His final race was as the
sun was setting was in the 16/17 500 L/C class. Again he took the hole
shot, and led to the finish!
So in the 3 finals,
Brennan went 1-1-1. 9 times on the track, 7 1st place finishes.
Thanks to
Ski-Doo and
Land-Air for the great sled and support,
and to Rick our mechanic, (and of course Mom and the girls for all their
help). See all our sponsors.
A great job this week-end
by Mike, Travis, Joe, Jake, Nick, Darin and Garrett. Get well soon
Matt, Nick, Chris and Darin!
We raced
the first RMR Central race at Malone NY this week-end. There were 2 cold
days in the week, and somehow the RMR gang made enough snow to put together
a pretty decent technical track. They left it wide which gave tons of
passing options. This was also the week-end of the Woodys Challenge, $5000
to win race, so we had racers and teams from EVERYWHERE.
Brennan
turned 15 on Saturday morning. For him having his birthday at the track was
ideal! His mom and sisters came, we had cake, and it was great.
Brennan
decided for this week-end to run Sport 500, Sport 600, and 16-17 500 L/C.
His first race in the morning was Sport 500 round 1. He grabbed an early
lead, and finished first! His second race was the Sport 600 round 1. After
the whoops, he settled into 3rd, but he was looking for a clean pass. The
rider in front was making passing difficult with a lot of weaving. As it was
a qualifier, he kept it safe and finished 3rd. His last qualifier was 16/17
500 L/C. He grabbed the lead and finished first. Total for the day 1-3-1.
Sunday
morning was the round 2 qualifying. The first was the Sport 500. He led from
start to finish. His second qualifier was the Sport 600. He lead lap 1, on
lap 2 he got passed in turn one by David Joanis. He stayed on David’s tail
the remaining 2 laps, showing his a ski tip in the corners, but not wanting
to take any chances in the qualifier, Brennan settled on a 2nd place finish.
Dicing it out with David was his favorite race of the week-end. His final
qualifier was the 16/17 500 L/C. He led from start to finish. Sundays
qualifier total was 1-2-1.
The first
race of the afternoon was the Woody Challenge. 16 entries from all over the
US and Canada, including Boron, Boron, Poirier, Allard, Mees, Belzile,
Sirjane, and Island. 16 qualified and only 8 finished! It was the most
exciting Sno-X race I’ve seen. The lead was changing every lap or 2. After
leading, crashing, and coming back from 5th at the halfway point, the winner
was Karl Allard. He lost his hood, smoke everywhere, but his strength and
perseverance paid off, and he won. To top it off he was Brennan’s pick
from the beginning!
Brennan’s
first final was the Sport 500 L/C. He had worked his way through 60+ entries
to qualify number 1. There were very good riders from all over. The RMR
regulars, and Jeff Pilot who runs all Semi-Pro classes at SCM, and David
Joanis who runs Sport 500, Sport Open and Semi-Pro stock in CSRA. This was
going to be a tough race. Brennan got off to an early lead, and was
determined to finish first. He charged hard the whole race, and finished
first! Nick Kelly came from mid pack to try a last turn pass, but caught a
ski-tip under Brennan's track, which rolled Nick. Nick was still able
to finish 4th. This was Brennans first Sport class win in his first Sport
class final.
His second
race was the Sport 600 L/C. He had worked his way through 50+ entries. He
got bumped a little in the first turn and took some roost in the face. He
stayed in second/third for most of the race, in the end taking the checkered
in 4th place.
The last
race of the day was the 16/17 500 L/C. It was dark, there was a lot of dirt
and the track was rough. He had worked his way through 35+ entries, and was
number 1 qualifier, so he got first pick. There were 10 in the front row and
4 in the back row. It took a long time to get the race going, and 4 kids
jumped. They went back row, to a 3rd row! They went up to Brennan and Mees,
talked for a minute, and sent them to the back row for creeping, not
jumping. They sent another rider back too. This left 3 in the front row, 4
in the second row and 7 in the 3rd row! Brennan was going to have to show
his passing skills. When the flagged dropped, he dropped to the inside,
squared the turn and headed down the whoops. By the middle of the whoops he
was in 5th. By the end of the whoops he was in 3rd. In the 2nd turn he
passed for 2nd, at the end of lap 1 in the third turn he passed for 1st. He
led the remainder of the race and finished first!
So in the
finals he went 1-4-1. Total for the week-end, 6 -1st places, 1 2nd place, 1
3rd place and 1 4th place.
We could
not have done it with out all of our sponsors, especially
Land-Air
and Ski-Doo. It also helps to
have the
best tuner
on the circuit, Rick! Great to see all
of the RMR regulars again. Lot’s of clean talented riders keeping it fun!
See you in Essex.
1/2/2007
Went up to Quebec to do some trail
riding last Wednesday and Thursday. Found great riding, we just had to
drive 400 miles in the truck to find it. Check the
pictures out here.
We ran the first Rock Maple Racing West Race this week-end in Windham NY, at
Windham Mountain. Great place with an nice track, seeing how the temps
were in the 30's on Saturday and 40's on Sunday! (We need a regular
type winter, and soon.) It was great fun to see all of our RMR staff
and racer friends again.
Brennan ran 16/17 and Sport 500 this week-end, we decided it would be a good
chance to bump up and not run the 14/15, (as we don't run for points in the
RMR West series). I was a little concerned as he ran the 10-13 last
year. On Saturday he qualified 1-1 in the 16-17, and finished 1st in the
final! In the round one Sport 500 qualifying he had a super run,
finishing 1st.
On Sunday morning he ran 2 qualifiers for
16/17 again, (16/17 is a single day even for the West series), he finished
2-1. He had a lot of good riders in his second qualifier for the Sport
500 class, with Ackerman, Davis, Caplette, Mosher and Bogino. Brennan
was able to get another 1st!.
Brennan was number 1 qualifier for both
the 16/17 and Sport 500. The first final for him was the 16/17.
He had a good hole shot in the final, coming out second. Going into
the first turn he caught a ski-tip with another rider, sending him down
where he got run over. No blood and gut's, but he got clocked pretty
good. As we are not in a RMR West series points chase, we decided to call it
a day.
Christopher
Ackerman Update
He had a get off on the turn before the triple. He broke his leg in 2
places, and he broke his ankle. He had surgery today, and now has (2)
9 inch plates to handle the leg break, and 12 screws. The plates may
stay in. He stays in the hospital for the week, and out of school for
up to 2 weeks.
It does look like he'll make a full recovery. Bummer, as he was doing
an unbelievable job this year with Duluth and Windham under his belt, (he
had a bunch of top 3 qualifying runs!).
We spent the last week in Minnesota, with
temps of 8 degrees, to 56 degrees!. We headed out on Friday the 17th in
search of snow. 1250 miles and 24 hours later, we found it in Aurora
Minnesota at
Planet X.! What a great practice track. We tested the new 2007 Ski-Doo
MXZX440 and broke it in over the next few days.
We were able to dial in Brennan and the
sled. The new 2007 is a super fine piece of machinery! While the other
brands were pulling their hair out, this one was gas and go.
Next it was off to the
WPSA season opener in
Duluth Minnesota! Brennan was
registered in the 14/15 class. Everyone got 1 lap of practice, and then it
was onto the qualifiers. With so many entries, you had to place well, even
to make it to the LCQ.
Brennan won the first qualifier, leading
all 4 laps. In the second qualifier, he was leading coming into turn 3, when
another rider jumped into the turn, directly where Brennan was, landing on
his hip and arm. Brennan pulled over, not sure to continue or not, but he
sucked it up and went onto finish 2nd. This gave him a 1-2, making him tied
with 2 other riders for the 2nd qualifier overall.
In the final the lineup was a bit of a
free for all, he lined up 6th, dead middle of the pack. He got pinched off
in the hole shot, and came out 8th. He fought the whole race, finishing a
very respectable 4th. He had been able to show 3rd place his ski tip, but
needed another lap to get the pass done.
So all in all, a great trip. A total of
2850 miles on the truck, and 64 hours of travel time according to the truck
computer. We learned a lot, had fun, and were able to finish pretty well.
Congratulations to all of the RMR
guys/gals who made the trip! Everyone giving 100%, with some getting knocked
out early in the game, not making the LCQ’s. Others getting through the
LCQ’s into the finals, and actually a few with podium finishes! The only RMR
rider to win I think was Lincoln Lemieux in the 10-13 class, (way to go!).
Brennan was one of 22 Ski-Doo riders to make it into the top 5 in any of the
classes in Duluth,
Thanks to Ski-Doo, Land-Air Honda,
Woody's, SPY, Team Industries, HMK, PowerMadd, and C&A Pro
11/16/06
Come check us out next week-end, here!
11/12/06
New sled is almost set. Clock is ticking down for the fist race!
11/2/06
Mexican Gas Station!
(Sí señor, es estupendo, whadu tink?)
Marks Trip, (No Brennan)
I just got back from a week in Baja Mexico. We rode 4 days with a
group of guys on mainly 2006 CRF450X's, 530+ miles!
I am happy to still be alive. It's a little strange bombing down the
road/trail/goat path, on a bike geared for 90+MPH, never knowing as you go
over the next knoll if you will become part of a rock in the road, a cow, a
horse, a closed gate, a tree, a camel, (really!), a 4 foot rain ditch, or a
1972 Toyota grill ornament!
We got stopped in the woods by a group of 16 years olds with automatic
weapons, yahooee. Turns out they were the "good" guys, go figure.
Everyone should try it sometime.
New sled should be in any day, we can hardly wait!
Brennan went MX practicing this week-end with some buddies, it was a very
nice time on an awesome track!
9/16/06
Here is a cool
little video
from our local track, Rider Hill,
Brennan is on the Honda CRF250R!
9/10/06
We raced Labor-Day week-end at Rider Hill. On Saturday Brennan got
first in the first moto, clinching the Supermini 105cc title for the season.
As per plan, he retired the bike. He was in first in the 125B in the
morning moto, (not easy to do with Wild Willie out there!). Brennan
had 1/2 a lap to go and had a spill over the step-up. He decide to sit
out the remainder. He still finished 4th overall in the points for the
season, and is currently focused on school, and SnoX.
8/22/06
We raced race 8
with the VMA in Derby this past week-end. Brennan went 2-1 in the
Supermini 105 class for a 1st overall. He went 1-16 for a 9th over all
in the 125B class. He ran the 2003 YZ125 in moto 1, and the 2007
CRF250F in moto 2.
It was raining
and muddy, and getting used to the new bike proved challenging in the mud!
Next race,
Labor-Day double header.
8/11/06
Brennan raced at
Derby last week-end. He went 1-1 for a first overall in the Supermini.
He was in 4th, passing for 3rd in moto 1 of the 125B when he had a bobble,
losing a few positions. He worked back up to a 5th place finish.
He got caught in a first turn pileup in moto 2, resulting a 16th overall for
the day in the 125B. He remains 1st in the Supermini class and is in
3rd for the 125B class for championship points.
We are starting
to think of snow already, it's supposed to get to the low to mid 40's
tonight, can't be long!, (sick, I know).
The 2nd 2005
Honda 85 Expert is up for sale, $2000.
7/25/06
We ran race
number 6 at Derby this week-end. The Mee's and the Kelly's from Sno-X
were there, amongst many other new faces. The weather was great, it
started off am little wet, but cleared up nice.
Brennan went 1-1
for a first overall in the supermini class. He went 2-4 for a 3rd
overall in the 125B classes.
I took a trip
over the bars, resulting in a broken collar bone, so all done for the year
at this point. Pictures to follow.
7/17/06
We raced at Unadilla this week-end, by far the biggest race in the
North East with over 1000 entries. Friday is moto 1, Saturday is moto
2. Some classes had over 120 entries. The weather was nice on
Friday. Brennan entered Open Mini on the Honda, and Schoolboy on the
Yamaha. In moto 1 he got a 7th in the Open mini and 20th in the
Schoolboy. The Open Mini class had 39 riders, and the Schoolboy had 42
riders from places all over, FL,NY,PA,CA,NJ,CT,NC, and CAN to name a few.
On Saturday
Brennan turned it up, it was overcast and raining. In the Open Mini he
got a 5th, for a 5th overall. This got him a 5th place Unadilla
Plaque, very nice, a National Amateur MX race trophy. In the Schoolboy
he was determined also, and rode a very good race, getting 10th out of 42
riders, for a 13th overall, not too bad.
Tucker
Hibbert was there, he got lapped by the leaders.
Lot's of his
buddies were there racing/watching also, Willie, Chris, Dustin, Herman, Joe,
Blake, Ben, Ben, James, Dan, Liz, all doing very well, and for most
the first time racing at Unadilla!
Check out the
pictures on the gallery page,
ton's of pictures from this summer.
7/10/06
The race was at
Rider Hill in Derby VT this week-end. It was an awesome day of racing
with great weather. I went 6-6 for a 6th overall, with a 3-5 second
lap time improvement over last race.
Brennan went 1-1
for a first overall in the Supermini, and 3-3 for a 3rd overall in the 125B
class. He is getting more comfortable on the 125 all the time.
He also gained 3-5 second per lap from the last race.
Matt Woodman
and Simon Belzile were there to mix it up with out local experts, it made
for great racing!
This upcoming
week-end it's off to Unadilla for some Amateur racing, and the pro-national!
See you there!
7/3/06
We raced the
double at WSP this
week-end. SX on Saturday, and MX on Sunday. Hot, Hot, Hot on Saturday,
and Hot with T-Storms on Sunday.
I got a 7th both
days.
Brennan raced
125B and Supermini on Saturday. In Supermini he qualified 5th, and got
6th in the final out of 24 kid's. Not bad for the first time on the
track in 2 years. He qualified 15th and finished 10th in the final,
(SX style scoring) in the 125B, with his best laptime at 58.538.
On Sunday it was
over to the MX track. Brennan decided to race 125B and Open B. He went
4-6 for a 5th overall in the Open B, beating out Cody Barton, Charlie Smith,
Jesse Young, Doug Decoigne and Dana Stacy. He had good battles with
all of them at various points.
In the 125B he
got a 11th in the first moto, and the second was rained out for an 11th
overall. Not too bad for still learning the 125.
Christopher
Ackerman did great, running as high as forth at one point. Dustin
Gehrke did well on Sunday, winning moto 1 in the 12-15 85C class, and
getting 2nd in moto 2 for a 2nd overall!
6/26/06
We raced at Rider
Hill in Derby this week-end. I did terrible after sitting out with my
broken toe for the last month.
Brennan did great
in the Supermini going 1-1 for a 1st overall on the Land-Air Honda CR101.5.
In the first moto
of the 125B class he was in second place on lap 1, looking for a clean pass
on first. He was concentrating so hard on the pass, he wasn't looking
directly in front of him and got it all swapped up in 4th gear, not good.
Bike went one way, and him the other. He went back out to finish for a
24th in the first moto.
His ankle was
hurting, but he wanted to go out for the second moto. 24th gate pick,
yuk!
He came out
second in the holeshot, but was really favoring his ankle. About 3-
laps in Wille was challenging for the position. They battled for the
next lap or so, and Willie got him. Brennan finished 3rd, for a 12th
overall.
Brennan
maintains a 1st
in points for the Supermini and a 2nd in the 125B classes.
6/21/06
Got in a little practicing in between the rainstorms. The new Factory
Connection suspension on the YZ is working great
according to Brennan.
\
6/12/06
We were at
Southwick this week-end to watch the Pro Nationals, very fun.
Andrew Short won
the overall in the 125 class. He won the first moto, and after a bad
start clawed his way back to 4th in the second moto for a first overall!
There were great battles in the 125 class, with any number of riders able to
win it. Tucker Hibbert was there, and just barely qualified for the
event. He got a 21st and a 33rd for a 30th overall. In one moto
all the way back to 5th or 6th lapped him, and in the second moto he may
have been lapped twice before he pulled off. His speed is way off
compared to the other racers. We would love to see him back in Sno-X.
In the 250 class
it was Ricky all the way. Stewart got the holeshot in moto 1, but
Ricky hunted him down and passed midway in the race. He then had a
healthy lead with a few laps to go. He was passing lappers in the
lower part of the track, and something happened and he went down, (shock
broke?). By the time he got going, Stewart was ahead by a huge amount.
The race finished with Stewart in the lead, followed by Carmichael, Reed,
Millsaps and Windham.
Moto 2 was almost
a repeat, with Stewart getting the hole shot and Carmichael hunting him
down. They battled for a lap or so, then Carmichael had enough and
pinned it over the start/finish jump and left him. It was the craziest
pass I ever saw, clean but for sure it looked like he might crash. In the
next lap he was out of sight of Stewart, and Stewart was out of sight of
Reed. With 2 laps to go, James was still blitzing the bumps, on the
edge of control. In the final lap, with 1/2 a lap to go he had a bike
failure, and he took a heck of a ride!
5/29/06
We just got back
from the week-end race at Rider Hill. Brennan has decided not to run
85A any more, (bike is too small and too slow). He has been winning
consistently on it for some time, taking the fun out of it also. On
Saturday he went 1-1 in the Supermini, and 1-3 for a 2nd in the 125B
classes. He also borrowed Christopher's Pit Bike for the Pit Bike
races, he placed 1st. Now he wants one, I tell him to keep on wanting.
On Sunday he went
1-1 in the Supermini for a 1st overall, and 1-1 in the 125B for a 1st
overall. He is liking the YZ125 pretty well, and is looking forward to
the battles in the 125B class the rest of the season.
I broke my toe
last week practicing, so I am out for a bit.
Shawn Nutt and
Simon Belzile were there tuning up for the season, great fun to watch them.
5/17/06
We ran the first race at Derby this week-end. Brennan went 1-1 for 1st
overall in Supermini and 1-1 for 1st overall in 85 Expert. He also ran
the 125B class on the Yamaha 125. He went 3-3 for a 3rd overall.
I went 5-5 for a
5th overall in the 40+ A/B class.
The track was
fast and perfect. We used the new transponder system for scoring and
lap times.
Brennan says he
will type these updates in the future, we'll see.
04/21/06
We went to the
Buddy Ford motocross school in Quebec last week-end. 2 days of riding
and training in the largest sand pit on earth. Lot's of tracks with
ton's of cool obstacles, turns, jumps and the like. We were in the
group taught by Kaven Benoit. We had Katejun Coonishish and Nathaniel
Bosum in our group too.
They were helping
and playing around most of the time. Man can those boy's ride a bike!
Brennan had a blast riding around with the same guys he sees at all of the
SCM and WSPA snowmobile races in the winter.
We were on our
Hondas, while Kavan had new a new KX250F and a KX450F. Nathaniel was
on a new CRF450F, and Katejun was on some clapped out YZ250F, (didn't seem
to slow him down any).
Brennan's 380
is for sale, anyone interested let me know.
We raced in
Quebec this week-end with
SCM Racing at
Stoneham. Great ski area track with lot's of snow. It was a one
day race for everyone but the Pro's. Brennan ran 14-17, (one class).
There were 20 racers or so. He qualified 4th, which put him on the
front row. The final was 5 minutes plus 2 laps. With 1/2 a lap
to go, Brennan was in 4th place, (they paid back to 6th). Only the
older 17-18 year old sport riders were ahead of him!
He gave her a little to much over the lower double and landed in a hole, (a
little more and he would have tripled it). He was frustrated to see
his 4th place finish go away, but took it as a lesson learned for next year!
Lot's of
other RMR racers up there trying their hands at SCM style racing, some did
well, some not so well, but all had a good time!
We stopped at
the go-cart track on the way home and let off a little steam. There
appears to be a little racer in all of us, especially the girls.
So that's it
for this season for Sno-X. Brennan's first race was November 19, and
his last was April 8th, a 5 month racing season! He learned a lot, won
few races (65), and a few championships. We could not have done it
without the support of our family, mechanic, (yeah Rick), his family and our
sponsors.
As we move
onto moto-X, we will be looking forward to November 2006, and being back on
the sleds.
04/02/06
We raced yesterday at the RMR WEST race in Windham NY. Great to see
all of the RMR gang. Brennan raced in the 14/15 and 16/17 500 class.
This was the first time he got to race in the 16/17 class. The weather
was great until the rain came, it poured for a few hours then it cleared up.
It was a 40-45 second ski-hill track, sort of a small Haystack type of
layout. We never turned the heat on in the trailer it was so warm!
Brennan got a 4th and a 4th in the qualifying rounds of the 16/17, and a 4th
in the final.
He qualified 3rd and 1st in the 14/15, and finished 3rd in the final.
We raced in La Dore Quebec,
(8 hours from home, west side of Lac St Jean), this week-end with SCM
Racing. It was a huge track with 50 second lap times. There was
a good 3-5 feet of natural snow still on the ground! They pushed this
up to make a great natural terrain track. It got really rutted up with
almost no grooming all day.
In Brennan’s class they combined the 14+15 with the 16+17 to make one class
with 11 entries. They run 2 heats, and combine them for an overall
finish, (motocross style). For the juniors they go 5 minutes + 2 laps,
so it was 8 laps for each heat. This combined with 2 practices of 12
laps each got Brennan almost 40 laps in one class!
In the first heat Brennan got off to a great start, and was in 4th for the
first half of the race. The leaders broke out to a small gap, and the
winner was the same “kid” who ended up winning the sport stock and the sport
open! To say the deck was stacked would be putting it mildly.
Before the end of the race, 2 more kids snuck by, leaving Brennan with a 6th
place in the first race.
After a 3 hour break, it was time for the second race. He was
motivated and had some ideas on getting to the front. With the
increased laps and the deep ruts, it was not going to be easy. Not
being in the point’s championship with SCM, he got close to last gate pick.
This race was in the dark at 7:30PM.
He got pinched in the first corner, coming out second to last.
Brennan put her into overdrive and started the charge. By the halfway
mark, he was in 6th place, right on 5th and 4th. Charging into the
backstretch run, Brennan’s plan was to take down 2 for the price of one.
His planned was foiled when the number 5 guy tagged the number 4 guy and
spun them both sideways. Brennan locked her up not to t-bone them
both, but slide to within a few inches of both of them with no where to go.
The lead they had was all for nothing as the pack caught and passed them.
By the time they all got moving again Brennan was second to last, again!
He poured it on for the final ¼ of the race, and passed all the way back to
6th, with 4th and 5th right ahead of him. This gave him a 6th overall, (2
out of the money spot). He was a little disappointed as 3rd was in
reach for this race, but he rode well and worked like a dog for every
position.
Travis Brisbin ran in the 10-13 fan class, and finished 2nd behind Lucas
Brunelle, (way to go Travis!). Travis finished in the money!
Karl Allard rode like a madman and won every race he entered. He fell
off 3 times in the pro open race, and still won!
It was nice to see Marcel and the whole SCM gang and we hope to race again
with them soon.
03/23/06
I put up some pictures from the last few Quebec trips:
We raced in Showhegan Maine this past week-end. It was 5 hours one way, all
on route 2. The frost heaves were bad enough that we saw a Federal Express
truck catching air. A little more speed I think he could have done some
doubles!
The location itself is really nice, it’s just getting there, (seems to take
forever). There was a fresh few inches on the ground and a newly made track
with plenty of snow. We got there early enough to go to the bowling alley
for a few hours and have the kid’s burn off some energy before bed.
Brennan entered 4 classes this week-end, 10-13 380, 10-13 600 East, 10-13
600 Central and 14-15 500 Central. He won round 1 in all classes but the 500
class. He was leading that race when he dove into a hole after the double,
resulting in a 5th place finish.
In Sundays qualifying he won all 4 classes. 7 for 8 wins in the qualifying
rounds, making him the number one qualifier in 3 of the classes.
In the 380 final Travis Brisbin was ahead in turn one, and held the lead for
1 lap. Brennan got by in the turn before the finish line jump. He maintained
the lead to the checkered, with Travis a close second, never letting Brennan
out of his sight. There was a gap back to the 3rd and 4th of Jake and
Lincoln, who also ran a great race.
In the 600 East final Brennan got squeezed a little in the hole shot and had
to let off not to hit a huge hole in the straight before turn one. This let
6-7 riders ahead of him. By the third turn he was back up to 3rd place. He
tried to pass, but finished 3rd with Joe Mosher just ahead.
In the 600 Central race Brennan and Joe got out first, with Joe just ahead.
Brennan tracked Joe for the full race, with both of them pulling away from
the pack. Brennan dogged him, but with the track becoming a single lane
track, he couldn’t find a nice place to pass. They finished 1-2.
The 500 class is Brennan’s favorite because he can ride the liquid 440. He
got the hole shot and led for the first lap. Brad Davis came into Brennan
pretty hard in the turn before the finish line, moving him out of the way to
take the lead. Brennan stayed a close second for the entire race looking for
a clean place to pass back. He ended up finishing second.
He was pretty proud of his riding, as were we. In the finals he went
1-2-2-3.
No idea where the next race might be. The March sun is upon us, and it
doesn’t look good. We are hoping RMR can work their magic and get in 2 more
points races for us.
We raced in
Schaghticoke, NY this past week-end. The track was great, with lots of snow.
It snowed 4 inches or so on Saturday making getting around the pit’s a lot
cleaner. We had a level spot close to staging which was also nice.
Brennan qualified
first on the 380 by winning both of his qualifying rounds. He won the final
with Travis Brisbin in second and Jake DaSilva in third. Travis put a great
pass on Jake in turn 3 with one lap to go to take second.
In the first
qualifier for the 10-13 600 class Brennan was leading the race by a huge
margin when the chain let go. He won the second qualifier handily, but was
one point short from qualifying and had to run the LCQ. He won the LCQ by
3/4 of a lap and had a back row start in the final. Joe Mosher got off to a
great lead early in the race as Brennan began passing 13 riders. By the
second lap he was in the mix dicing it out. On lap 3 Brennan was going for
the lead when a flagger waved off a jump and Brennan had to roll it. He got
right back on and continued the battle. In the end he finished second and
Joe Mosher third. He was happy to come from the back row to second in 4
laps.
Brennan qualified
well in the 14-15 600 class. He was leading the first qualifier with one lap
to go and caught a rut on turn one. Nick Kelly went on to win. Brennan got a
second in his second qualifier and a third in the final. Brennan had to run
this race right after he finished the 380 final. No break, no race in
between, right after! The final was a great race with Nick Kelly, Caleb
Carroll and Brennan going 1-2-3.
In the 14-15 500
class Brennan again qualified well. In the final he was picking great lines.
There was a lot of snow dust and the leaders broke off to a small lead in
the beginning, but by the end Brennan had closed it back up and was
looking for more laps. The race ended with Brad Davis winning, Nick Kelly in
second and Brennan in third.
Darin Mees
ran semi-pro this week-end and as I saw it he was the one to watch all
week-end, it's going to be great to watch him the remainder of the season.
Can the rest of the guys step it up to run with him?
All in all a
great week-end. Top 3 in all classes with a 1-2-3-3.
We could not
have done it with out Ski-Doo and Land-Air, thanks to all of our sponsors!
What a
week-end! Being 10 minutes from home was awesome. RMR and the
Champlain Valley Exposition put on a great show. Great track, lot's of
venders, plenty of parking and good cold weather. No mud. The
stands were packed both days, it appeared the fans enjoyed a great show,
can't wait to come back for 2007!
Brennan
entered 5 classes this week-end. In the 380 he won both qualifiers. In
the final Jake DaSilva led for 1/2 the race, with Brennan looking for an
opening. In the turn after the back stretch, Jake went high and
Brennan went low. Brennan went on to win the race, with Jake finishing
4th. In the 600 East, Brennan won both qualifiers, and the final.
Travis Brisbin and Joe Mosher ran very strong races in the qualifiers and
the final. In the 600 14-15, Brennan got a 5th in the first qualifier
and a 1st in the second qualifier. In the final he was in second right
on Nick Kelly's tail, but finished 3rd due to a small miss queue.
In the 600
Central he was top qualifier with 2 firsts in the qualifying rounds.
In the final Brennan was leading the race when he got caught in a second
turn pileup, he still managed a 9th place finish. In the 14-15 500L/C class
Brennan qualified 4th with two 3rd place finishes in the qualifiers.
In the final he rode very well and finished 5th.
At the end of
the day he brought home a trophy in 4 of the 5 classes, and won 9 of 15
races!
It was great
to see all of my friends and Brennan's buddies cheering him on, it really
made it fun! How they braved the cold for 2 days I don't know, die
hard buddies for sure.
We really
missed Michael George this week-end, a more clean competitive racer you
won't find.
Joe Mosher,
Travis Brisbin, Jake Dasilva and Trevor Bouchard all had great runs.
We just got back from an RMR race in Salem NH this week-end. It was 48
degrees both days,( I think we got sun burned!). The pits were a
wreck, but the track was awesome. The track was wide with lots of room
for passing, and again RMR kept the finals for the sport classes and below
at 4 laps, (thanks).
Brennan entered 4
classes again. In the 380 he won both qualifiers and the final.
Michael George got hurt last week-end in practice and cannot compete the
rest of the season. Michael is one of the toughest competitors, (get
well soon!), and without him the 10-13 classes won't be the same.
Brennans worst finish all season on the 380 is 2nd. This sled will be
for sale before the end of the season, anyone wanting it let me know.
In the 10-13 600
class Brennan won both qualifiers on Saturday, and the final on Sunday.
He was hauling on Sunday on the 550, the track was more like a motocross
track and it suited him perfect. I thought we might see a battle
between Lucas Brunelle and Brennan, but Joey Mosher was hungry this week-end
and wanted in the mix. He kept Lucas behind the whole race! So far, 6 for 6.
He also ran the
14-15 600 class. In his first qualifier he took a second to Nick
Kelly. When Nick is up front he is very hard to catch. Brennan
won his second qualifier and the final. Nick got trapped in traffic
and could not mount a charge. Kyle Conover was behind him the whole
race, one mistake by Brennan and the race was his. 8 for 9.
We are still
learning the 440L/C. We are making adjustments here and there to suit
Brennan. His first heat was full of very strong runners, and he
finished 5th. He was ready for redemption in the second heat, but he
inched forward to even his ski's and they made him go back row!. It
was a 3 lap race and he managed a 5th again. With 10 points it was LCQ
time. He took the holeshot and never looked back. This qualified
him for a back row start in the final. He was able to work up to 6th,
but ran out of time. He finished 1 sled behind Shane Martin at the
line. 9 for 13.
Joey Mosher,
Travin Brisban, Nick Kelly, Darin Mees, Chris Ackerman, Brad Davis all had
great week-ends.
Essex is full steam ahead in the building of the Sno-X track for next
week-end. They have more than enough snow, and are wondering what to
do with the extra!
Went on a one day
Quebec trip last week to Zt-Zenon. Did a nice loop through the park to
Lac-Repos, back through Manawan, back to St-Michelle, and back to
La-Glacier. 230 miles and all pretty nice.
We raced at Rutland Vermont this week-end. It was a bit muddy, but at
least it was racing. 48 degrees on Saturday and 20 on Sunday. Brennan
entered 5 classes this week-end. 10-13 380, 10-13 600, 10-13 600 East, 14-15
600 and 14-15 500L/C. In Saturdays qualifying he won 4 heats and came
in second in the 14-15 500 behind Nick Kelly, chasing him all the way.
Nick did great at protecting his lines and keeping Brennan at bay. So
Saturday 1-1-1-1-2.
Sundays qualifying went fairly well, with Brennan going 1-1-1-1-1. The
best race was the 600 qualifier with Brennan and Michael George going back
and forth, no telling who was going to win, Brennan making the final pass on
the last lap on the back stretch.
The Sunday finals got interesting. In the 380 final Corin Todd got the
jump with Brennan in tow. Corin had great race speed and great lines,
and Brennan try as he might, he could not get by, the 380's run to the bar,
and passing is difficult. They finished 1-2. Brennan then had
the 600 14-15 and the 600 10-13 East finals, where he went 1-1. Next
was the 600 10-13 Central final where Brennan was the number 1 qualifier.
Tyler Ask got the jump and at the end of lap one Brennan was ahead on the
inside of turn 1. Brennan and Tyler both went for the same opening.
They touched ski's and upside down Brennan went. He got the bars
jammed into his hip so finishing this race was impossible.
The last race
was the 14-15 500 L/C Central class. This was Brennans first time
running the 440L/C with the 14-15 year olds in the Central division.
He was still hurting from the previous race, but wanted to race anyway.
He pulled the hole shot but got passed by Brad Davis and Jacques Giroux.
It was a 4 lap race, (1 more than usual, thanks RMR). Brennan dogged
them, but could not repass. He finished 3rd, ahead of Nick Kelly,
Garret Mees and AJ Bogino, so he was pretty excited. Brennan was not
able to race the first 2 races of the season of the 14-15 class because of
his age, but he is still hoping to claw up to a top 5 in the points
championship before the season is over.
So at the end
of the week-end, Brennan had a blast on his 440L/C. He raced 15 times,
and got 11 firsts. He also has 4 new plaques to hang on the wall!
We raced at the RMR West race at Verona NY at the
Pit-X track this week-end.
It was a pretty good turnout with 575 entries. Brennan turned 14 on Friday,
so we able race the MXZX440 L/C for the first time. The track was
about 1/2 mile, and very technical and challenging. The warm weather had
turned the pits into a mud bog, but there was still plenty of snow on the
track. I had my doubts Saturday morning when it was 48 degrees and
pouring rain, but the weather got better as the day wore on, and the temps
dipped to 20 by evening.
On Saturday
Brennan raced in the 14-15 600 class, and won his qualifier. In the
14-15 liquid class, he went 2-2 in the qualifiers with 23 kids, and finished
3rd in the final. The leaders were only a few sleds ahead at the end.
In his 10-13 600 qualifier he got banged in the first turn, but still
finished 6th.
On Sunday the
weather had changed, we woke to 5 degrees, with a high of 7 degrees.
Everything was frozen solid. Brennan got 1st in both the second round
qualifiers for the 10-13 and the 14-15 classes. In the 10-13 600 final
he finished 1st. In the 14-15 600 final he was leading with no real
challengers, but he mistimed the distance on a double and had a slight get
off, (the speed difference from the fan to the liquid is going to take some
getting used to). He still placed 5th with a sore elbow and knee.
In the 14-15
liquid he finished 5th in both qualifiers due to first turn issues, ( he got
in first but could not get out first, very, very icy), this put him in the
LCQ. He won the LCQ for a back row start in the final. They
shortened the final to 2 laps, and Brennan was able to go from 14th to a 6th
place finish, but ran out of time. Got to love a 5 hour drive for a 2
lap final.
All in all a
good week-end, we entered 4 classes, and came home with 3 trophy finishes.
Brennan had a great time running the liquid with the older kids.
A.J. Bogino
had good week-end, as did Corin Todd, Danny Porrier, Dale Petrus, Jordan
Harrison and Jason Stone.
Looks like
the Rutland race is back on, so see you there!
1/8/06
We raced in
Malone NY this week-end, great track and great weather. Brennan
Qualified 1-1 in the 380, and 1-2 in the 600 class. On Sunday it was
hammer down and we were rolling only 1's. He came away with two 1st's in
both of the finals!!!!.
He stayed focused
on his game. He is still learning which kids he can race close with,
and which need a wide berth. Thumbs up to the Ski-Doo's, Woody's
traction products, (we never lost a hole-shot), and of course thumbs up to
our super local dealer, Land-Air in Essex Vermont.
This week-end was
the Woody's $5000 to win race. The field was narrowed to 16 finalists,
8 front row and 8 back row through qualifiers. In the final Ian Hayden
led for 1/3rd of the race, with Danny Poirier and Matt Boron close in tow.
Ian faded, ( mechanical issues?), and Danny jumped into first. Matt
hunted him the whole rest of the race. In the final turn, of the final
lap, Danny bobbled. Matt went wide and pinned it, it was a race to the
line. Matt got him in the last 20 feet, race over, $5000 to Matt
Boron.
We rooted for the
rest of our buddy's who all did well, Trevor Bouchard, Travis Brisbin, Darin
Mees, Michael George, Chris Ackerman, Nick Kelly, Joe Mosher, Zak Mason and
lot's of others.
We took the sleds
out to a local MX track yesterday. We needed to try out the new helmet
cam and get in a little practice. Didn't take took long to get to
dirt, but it was fun anyway.
(For
slow connections and better playing, right click and save to your desktop.)
12/30/05
I took a few
days off from racing and went on a quick trip to Quebec. We were able
to put on 400 miles in lot's of fresh snow, (too much?). The new Apex
GT is pretty nice, though I am still tweaking it to my liking.
We raced at the first RMR Central/East race this week-end in Carrabassett
Maine. This is where the phrase, "can't get there from here", was
born. It took us 7 hours or so through the blinding snow to get there.
The track lap time was 45 seconds or so, so a bit longer than last week-end.
It was at a local airport, so plenty of parking.
Brennan qualified
1-1 on the 380. 1-1 for the 600 East, and 1-9 on the 600 Central.
The 9th came from a small incident, he was in lead by 1/2 lap or so, and
grabbed the brake and it went to the bar. He went sailing through the
corner and rolled the sled. With less than a lap to go, there was no
way to recover. This put him in the LCQ for Sunday, which he won.
We spent the rest of the day working on the brakes, thanks to a tip from
Ryan Scripture, we finally got it done.
He was number one
qualifier in the 380. In the final Corin Todd got the jump, and
Brennan chased him the whole race, with Michael George chasing Brennan.
They would get along side of each other, but with everyone holding the 380's
to the bar, passing was going to be tough. In the end, they finished
as they started Corin, Brennan, and Michael.
In the 600 East,
Brennan got twisted up in the holeshot and came from dead last to 3rd, (and
was fast closing on second and first), but ran out of time. This was great
fun to watch, passing 10 people in 3 laps is not easy!
In the 600
Central final Brennan had to start back row due to the brake issue in the
qualifier. In 1 1/2 laps he was up to 4th and coming fast.
He was passing another rider in the "mine field", when the other rider and
his sled parted ways. Brennan got caught up with nowhere to go. Lucas
Brunelle finished first with a huge lead, Michael George was second and
Lincoln Lemieux finished 3rd.
Travis
Brisbin and Chris Ackerman had some great runs. Nick Kelly also had a
pretty good streak going.
We raced at
the first RMR race of the season in Windham NY this week-end. Only a 4
hour drive for us, so not too bad. The track was small, but had plenty
of snow. It was great to see all of the familiar faces at the track.
Brennan qualified 1-1 in the 380 class, and finished 1st in the final. He
looked good and was on a mission.
He qualified
2-2 in the 600 class. He had a get off in both qualifiers, (trying a
little too hard), and went from 8th to 2nd in 3 laps! In the final he
was in 3rd, making a charge for the front when Patrick Depola had a get off
on his Arctic-Cat directly in front of Brennan. Brennan stopped, and
that ended his race.
Chris
Ackerman had his best finish of his career, getting a well deserved second
in the 16-17 600 class. Nick Kelly, Brad Davis, Trevor Bouchard, Danny
Poirier, AJ Bogino, Michael George, Lincoln Lemieux, Darin Mees, Joe Mosher,
the Rudd gang, the Boron brothers, and the Sedlmeier's, all had a good
week-end.
Matt Boron
won the X-Games qualifier. He schooled them bad, winning by 1/2 a
track and lapping back up to maybe 4th? Danny Poirier got hung up in a
first turn pile-up, so we'll never know how he would have faired, (he needs
to be at the X-Games!) Carl Kuster was fun to watch, (great style),
but the RMR gang sent him home with no win's at all!
We just got back from the
WPSA
season opener in Duluth Minnesota. They had a 10-13 600cc class for
the first time. Brennan was one of 27 kids entered. He won both
of his qualifiers, and had the best lap time of the class by over 1/2 second
at 33.05! This was Saturday night when the track was really rough, and
racing in the dark. In the final the top three guys diced it up pretty
well, with Brennan finishing third at the checkered flag. He got to
stand on the podium and get interviewed, (this was new for him). It
was really exciting to drive 22 hours and have Brennan do so well against
the best in the world. The Ski-Doo MXZ ran like a champ.
We got to rub
elbows with the pros, and race on the same track as them. Steve
Cowing, (Ski-Doo race manager) was in the winners circle to congratulate
Brennan. Tom Lawrence, (Ski-Doo race coordinator) came up to Brennan after
the race at tech inspection to thank him for doing such a great job and
trying so hard. Thanks Steve and Tom, this meant a lot to Brennan.
We just got
back from a snowcross race in northern Quebec.
Mont Kanasuta, just 25 minutes
outside of Rouyn-Noranda, Québec, which is 9 hours or so from home. It
was 5 degrees on Saturday, quite a bit different from home.
This race
was put on by SCM, the results are
here for
Saturday and here for
Sunday.
Details here.
Marcel Fontaine put on a great race with plenty of snow.
Brennan took first place both days!
Thanks to
Land-Air for helping us out.
I will get some pictures up
in the next day or so. (Great to see so many RMR guys out there)
11/20/05
Rock Maple
Racing is coming to Essex VT this winter! Mark your calendars for the race at
the Champlain Valley Exposition Feb. 11-12, 2005.
Check the press release here.
I also have video of the
press release I will put up soon.
We have a few others that
want to remain anonymous for now, you know who you are and THANKS.
11/1/05
We went to
the Ski-Doo school a few weeks back to learn about the new MXZX440. It
looks pretty cool. Brennan is going to have to get used to 2X the HP
he has now. The sled was due in today, but no call yet!
I dug out
the MXZ550 from the shed so we can start getting ready for the season.
The first race is the first week-end in December in Maine.
We are starting to get a few
sponsors for the Sno-X season.
10/10/05
The leaves are changing, Sno-X
is coming. Check out how our last race of the 2004/2005 RMR season
went, 6 races, 6 holeshots, 6 wins. Thanks again to Ski-Doo for the
great ride..........
Thanks again to
Land-Air Honda for all of the support,
and Factory Connection
for the great suspension. If you want great sales/service and parts
for your Honda, Suzuki or KTM,
Land-Air
is the only place to go. If you want the best suspension period,
Factory Connection is
it. Without these guys, Brennan would not have won both championships,
nor would I have finished third overall.
I put all of the pictures I
have from my snowmobile trips on the gallery page,
no more to post.
9/23/05
We got the word, we will be
getting a 2006 MXZX440 from Ski-Doo for this race season. The school
is the 21st and 22nd of October, we can hardly wait! Vaarroomm
Vaarroomm................
9/12/05
We raced
Labor Day week-end at Derby Vermont. Brennan clinched the 85 Expert
title and the 85 Open titles. I was able to hang onto 3rd overall for
the season in the older than dirt class.
We are
supposed to get the details on the MXZX 440 this week, Brennan can hardly
wait! It was 85 today, and it is supposed to get to 90+ by mid week, so
snowmobiling may be a bit off still.
We do plan
to do a few Winchester races before the season winds down, Brennan likes it
there pretty well.
8/31/05
We raced the NEMX this week-end
at Derby. Brennan Raced the 85A and the Supermini. He went 2-2
for a 2nd overall in the 85A on Saturday. He got a 3rd in the first
Supermini, but in the second moto the motor went, giving him a DNF for a
12th overall.
On Sunday he got a 2nd in the
first Supermini, but crashed hard in the first 85A while holding the lead.
In the end though he went 2-2 in the 85A for a 2nd overall, and 2-6 for a
4th overall in the Supermini. Sunday was Honda contingency day, so he
gets $250 from Honda!
John Dowd and Mike Treadwell
were there, that was fun watching them. Gulla and Woodman went at it
pretty hard too!
8/24/05
We raced at Rider Hill this
week-end. Brennan started off not too well. Unloading the
trailer he dropped his bike, sending the foot peg through his sneaker and
into his big toe. It appeared he was out for the day. After a
bit, he decided to do the morning motos's, going 1-1 riding mostly on 1
foot. He canned the afternoon moto's cause his foot was throbbing too
much. Brennan held on to his points lead in both classes.
At the hospital they cut his big
toe nail off, they stitched up the cut underneath. They drilled a few
holes in his toe nail, then stitched it back on. In 7 days he gets the
stitches out, and we make some decisions then, but until then they want it
kept elevated and clean. Looks like the NEMX race for this week-end is
O-U-T.
I got a 4th in the first
moto, and hit the gate in the second. I still clawed my way back to
6th for a 5th overall. I dropped from 2nd in the points standings to
3rd.
Brennan is looking forward to
Sno-Cross. He has been watching video's every day. We got the
word last week he will be on the Ski-Doo race program, possibly the youngest
rider to date!
8/11/05
I put up
the pictures of all 10 of my 2000-2001 snowmobile trips. It was my
biggest year at over 6500 miles. The one and only time I went to
Chibougamau.
8/8/05
Sold the 1998 Tioga, and
bought a 2005 Chateau with a slide, lot's of room for everyone now.
We raced at
Derby this week-end, almost 400 entries! Brennan went 4-1 and 2-1 for
a 2-1 overall. I went 4-3 for a 3rd overall. I felt pretty sick
in the morning, but was doing OK by the afternoon. I can't wait for
this 85-90 degree weather to be GONE. Brennan had a blast, the girls
had fun in the new RV. The Honda's went awesome as usual.
7/25/05
Good week-end
at Derby. Brennan went 1-1-1-1 for a 1-1 overall. I went 2-3 for a
2 overall. I actually led for a few laps. I am 2nd in overall
points, Brennan remains in first in the 85A and 85 Open, (Supermini) classes.
Unadilla pictures added. Some of Brennan #92, some of Chris #139,
and some of Jesse #20. These are all from the race on U2, the amateur
track.
7/19/05
We made it
back from Unadilla. Quite a time. Almost 1000 entries in the
amateur classes, with entries from all over the USA, and some from other
countries. A few made it from VMA including us. Brennan's best
finish was a 5th in one of the 85cc 12-13 moto's. This was quite good
considering all of the riders and our first time on the track. We plan
to go back next season and do even better. Pictures to follow.
7/11/05
We raced at
Rider Hill this week-end. The morning moto's were pretty muddy after
lot's of rain, but by the afternoon it was pretty good. Ruts, berms,
real motocross. Brennan got a 4-1 in the 85A class, for a 2nd overall, (the
4th was after falling in the mud 3 times, not his best race). He got a
1-1 in the 85open class for a 1st overall. The Land-Air Honda CR85 with the
Factory Connection Suspension seem to be fitting Brennan pretty well.
Check them out, they can set you up too!
I got a 3-3
for a 2nd overall, my best overall so far this season.
Brennan
raced at
Winchester Speed Park this week-end. Saturday was on the SX track.
(Brennan has not raced on that track since July of 2004!) In the morning
qualifiers he got a 4th in the 85A, and a 4th in the Supermini. In the
afternoon finals, he got a 2nd in the 85A, behind AJ. Brennan had a great
battle with Greg Lehto for the second place spot, changing leads many times in
the last few laps. In the Supermini, he was in second with 1/2 a lap to
go, but ended in 7th. Such is
racing sometimes.
On Sunday we were on the
MX track. Brennan got 2 5th places in the morning Moto's, (26 kids in
the supermini class!). In the afternoon he got 5th in the 85A after
falling twice, for a 5th overall. In the supermini he got 5th in the
holeshot. and started picking them off. He was going to pass for
second place on #444 with 2 laps to go and no one behind him. He dove in deep,
unfortunately the berm got the
best of him, and he fell. 5 guys got by him, but he was able to get back
by 3 of them for a 4th place finish, which gave him a forth overall.
So 2 days of racing, 2
classes each day, and 3 top 5 finishes, all paying HONDA contingency, not too
bad.
6/26/05
Brennan and I raced at
Derby this week-end. Hot, Hot and more Hot. He went 2-1 and a 1-2 for a 1-2 overall in 85A and 85 Open. He is the points lead by a good
amount for both 85A and 85Open.
I went 3-6 for a 4th overall, I'll take
it. Can't believe we had such a HUGE turnout on such a sweltering day!
Brennan Raced at the Winchester Speed Park Motocross
track in Winchester NH this week-end. First time on the new track and
riding as an 85 "A" rider. He got a 7th in the first moto after falling
down twice, (he was pushing a bit too hard!) He got a 4th in the second moto for a 4th overall in the 85A class.
He got a 3rd and a 4th in the
105 Supermini on his 85cc Honda, beating out all but 2 of the 100cc bikes, for
a 3rd overall.
It was fun, and it was HOT. 95 in the shade!
Brennan was very happy as was I. Nice to see he
can run with those guys.
Ryan and Cale also came down. They had a good
time, and finished in the front half of the pack in the 125B and 125 Youth B
classes. They did awesome!
6/3/2005
I added some pictures
from the race this week-end of Brennan and his buddies.
6/1/2005
We raced at Derby this past week-end, it was a double header week-end.
Brennan went 1-1-1-1 on Saturday for a 1-1 overall, and a 1-1-1-1 for a 1-1
overall on Sunday. I got a 5-6 for a 5 overall on Saturday, and a 8-8
for a 6 overall on Sunday. He decided to jump the Spectator jump in all
of the afternoon laps on Sunday, he said it's easy and I should do it, ( I
don't think so!)
5/20/05
We got the trailer lettered today, pictures to follow. Rick came by and
gave it the thumbs up. I also ordered a picture of Brennan on his
MXZ550F for the side, should be done next week.
I added a few more of my snowmobile trip pictures. I have no less than
30 more trips to add, lot's of pictures from everywhere in Quebec.
I added pictures of Brennan's first MX race this year at Derby.
5/17/2005.
I updated Brennan's MX results. We had a great week-end at Derby.
Brennan went 1-1-1-2 for a 1-1 overall. I went 9-3, for a 4th overall.
Super day, super people.
4/25/2005
I added pictures to the gallery, some sled trips
and the April 2005 MX school.
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