VALCOURT, QC – Friday race action at the 2012 Grand Prix Ski-doo of Valcourt, presented by La Capitale General Insurance produced exciting performances from riders in the snocross classes and in the many snowmobile and ATV ice oval competitions held at Circuit Yvon Duhamel. Friday’s Pro Champ 440 final race was won by Joel Diamond, who captured his second checkered flag of the day. The Lapeer, Michigan veteran edged a hard-charging Dustin Wahl of Greenbush, Minnesota and Nick Lagoy of Morrisonville, New York. Jacques Villeneuve of St-Cuthbert finished fourth, ahead of Grand Prix of Valcourt defending champion Nicholas Van Strydonk.
Wahl started his day on a strong note by winning his qualifying heat race ahead of Lagoy. Then, Travis MacDonald, a young, talented rider from Winnipeg, Manitoba, showed his stuff ahead of Villeneuve and the rest of the field. In the second qualifying heat races, Diamond won his first of the day finishing ahead of Wahl, while the fourth and final qualifying race went to Villeneuve, who was hotly pursued by Lagoy.
In the other ice oval race finale action, Felipe Roy-Lalonde of Saint-Jude, Quebec, won ahead of Dustin Gehrke of Morrisonville, New York, and Curtis Weatherdon of Barry’s Bay, Ontario, in Semi Pro Champ. In the Factory 600 class, Lagoy edged Malcolm Chartier of Marine City, Michigan, and Mike Van Dolder of Owen Sound, Ontario.
In the ATV division, it was an all Quebec affair in both the 450 cc and Open classes with Pierre-Yves Deneault winning ahead of Marc-Antoine Auger and Cedric Guillemette in the 450, and Kaven Sylvain in the Open Class, followed by Deneault and Auger.
Tim Tremblay still on roll
The first of three snocross Pro Open finales of the weekend saw Tim Tremblay maintain his stronghold on the Open class in Valcourt with another resounding win, his third in a row since last season. The Québec rider, who is competing in the American ISOC, is really on a roll since winning the snocross World Championship in Eagle River, Wisconsin last January.
Last Friday at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, he won the Pro Open race to close to within 12 points the gap to ISOC series leader Ross Martin. Friday in Valcourt, it was an all ISOC affair, as the first four at the line where all from the American series with Darrin Mees of Long Island, New York taking second place ahead of Robbie Malinoski of Lino Lake, Minnesota and Justin Broberg of Waukesha, Wisconsin.
The Grand Prix of Valcourt continues Saturday with 80 races on tap including six Eastern Pro Tour ice oval finales and two final rounds of the SCM Snocross Championship. Motocross and ATV riders will make their first run in the morning, with the finale scheduled for the end of day.
From Max d’Orsonnens
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