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Farmington, New York (Feb. 15, 2009)—There was a fire brewing Sunday afternoon as the Pro Open final field came to the line for the showcase race of the Arctic Cat Eastern Nationals at the Finger Lakes Gaming and Racetrack facility. But there was no smoke, just a burning desire for redemption by TJ Gulla (Polaris) from a self-inflicted mistake the evening prior in the Pro Super Stock final that cost him the win.

Coming to the line as the third best qualifier of the day, behind teammates Levi LaVallee (Polaris) and top qualifier Brett Bender (Polaris), TJ squared up for the green near the inside adjacent to his National Guard teammates for the 18-lap final. Penned as the favorite by many in attendance, his opportunity to cover was postponed briefly as a red flag on the opening lap due to a violent get-off by Yamaha pro rider Steve Taylor, forced ISOC officials to restart the final grid. Taylor was shaken but managed to walk off the track yet was unable to continue.

Despite the added nerves of anticipation, Gulla remained focused and drilled the holeshot, leading a swarm of Open sleds down the front stretch. It was a position he would not relinquish, pulling out to a comfortable 5-second lead over the second place sled of Ryan Simons (Arctic Cat). Following them was Levi LaVallee in third and Brett Turcotte (Arctic Cat) in the fourth slot.

Turning sub 28-second lap times, Gulla was clearly the fastest sled on the track, and pulled to a comfortable lead over his pursuers. That put the focus on the battle for the remaining podium positions. With lap traffic coming into play, LaVallee on more than one occasion displayed ski-tips to Simons but was unable to overtake the Alberta talent, as Simons made his Arctic Cat buggy as wide as possible, keeping Levi at bay.

The order remained unchanged as they crossed the finish line for the final time, with a noticeably excited Gulla, as he fist pumped the air in front of what could be considered his hometown fans. "I had something to prove today," said Gulla after the race. "Last night was my fault. ... I wanted to win today and win by a lot."

Simons was equally happy with his results, specifically holding off the multiple attempts of LaVallee to make a pass. "I lost my brakes at the end of the race," said Simons. "I had to do everything I could to block off Levi and keep him behind me."

Cory Davis Sweeps the Semi-Pro Ranks with a Pair of Convincing Wins
With the final of Semi-Pro Open postponed from Saturday evening, Sunday marked a day of non-stop racing for many Semi-Pro riders and Cory Davis (Arctic Cat) made the best of it, with a pair of dominating wins.

His first victory may have been the most impressive as he charged virtually from last to first in a single lap. Starting from the back row of the 16-sled field, Davis combined a race savvy start and a turn one tangle to catapult his Arctic Cat to the front of the field. "I was hoping if I started on the inside (of the back row) the leaders would push wide and they did," said Davis from atop the podium. "That put me in position to take advantage of the first turn crash and allowed me to get to the front."

Aside from the first lap spectacle of Davis, Tim Tremblay (Ski-doo) perhaps demonstrated even more moxie as he battled back from an early race "get-off" that shuffled him to tenth, yet charged back through the pack to finish second.

In Semi-Pro Super Stock, it was Tremblay who pulled the holeshot, with Davis in tow. But the speed of Davis proved too much for the Ski-doo racer from Quebec, as Davis shot past Tremblay on just the third lap of the 14-lap final. Behind them it was Derek Ellis (Polaris) from Clayton, Idaho completing the podium.

Local Talent Michelle Lemieux Wins Pro Am Women Super Stock
The hottest female rider in the regional Rock Maple Racing circuit, Michelle Lemieux (Ski-doo), proved her talents Sunday afternoon with a win in Pro Am Women Super Stock. But it didn't' come without a challenge, as LaDore, Quebec racer Jennifer Pare (Polaris) pressured Lemieux for several laps but failed to yield to a cautionary yellow and was disqualified on the white flag lap.

Shaun Crapo Captures Pro-Super Stock Win
Lapped Traffic Plays a Role in Arctic Cat Eastern National Pro Final as Leader Gulla Tangles and Crapo, Kaufman and LaVallee Escape to the Podium

Farmington, New York (Feb. 14, 2009)—It was anybody's race in the AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series Pro-Super Stock final Saturday afternoon at the Finger Lakes Gaming and Racetrack facility. With the domination factor known as Tucker Hibbert out of the picture, a talented field of the world's best snocross riders was hungry to prove their mettle on the national stage, especially top qualifier and local favorite TJ Gulla (Polaris).

Under fading sun and a track worn from a day's worth of qualifying, Gulla set the pace early, grabbing the holeshot at the onset of the 18-lap Pro-Super Stock final. Close in tow was fellow Polaris pilots Shaun Crapo and New York native Brett Bender, fresh off his first pro podium from a week ago. On their heals was Driggs, Idaho pilot Garth Kaufman (Arctic Cat) and Brett Turcotte (Arctic Cat) from north of the border.

Setting a blistering pace, Gulla edged out to a comfortable margin early and began to encounter lap traffic in the 15-sled field by lap six. Warm temperatures and rain earlier in the week, forced track officials to condense the track, creating a tighter playing surface and the necessity to exercise patience and heads-up passing strategies.

While Gulla and Crapo proceeded to edge away from the rest of the pack, a battle for third played out behind them as Bender, Kaufman and LaVallee rode nose to tail in search of a clean pass. Past the halfway point it appeared Bender might hold on for a second straight podium, but suddenly patience paid off for Kaufman as he hammered the massive back straight triple to overtake Bender. Four laps later, LaVallee mirrored the pass and shuffled Bender back to fifth with only four laps to go.

"I was trying to race clean," said Levi LaVallee, "he's (Bender) a teammate so I wanted to make a good pass. I was waiting for him to make a mistake but he was running strong. By the time I got around him the leaders had gotten away from me."

With less than three laps to go, it appeared Gulla was a shoe-in for his first pro win of the season but suddenly his lead vanished as he got tangled up with the lapped sled of Matt Judnick (Polaris). That opened the door for Crapo, Kaufman and LaVallee to the podium and spelled disappointment for Gulla.

"I feel bad for TJ," said Crapo as he stood atop the podium during post race ceremonies. "He deserves to be here. But our team has been working so hard for this, and this weekend we finally were in a position to take advantage of mistake and it paid off."

The second place finish for Kaufman was equally as sweet, as it marked his third consecutive pro podium in as many races this season. "I couldn't be happier with where we are at this point in the season," said Kaufman. "Our team is really starting to come together and I love racing in front of the New York fans; they are always one of the best crowds of the season."

Local New York Riders Claim Two in Amateur Class Finals
In other final action it was Jennifer Pare (Polaris) of LaDore, Quebec beating our Vermont native Steffanie Lemieux (Arctic Cat) in the Sport Womens Super Stock class. James Johnstad (Polaris) of Beltrami, Minnesota earned the win in both Junior 16-17 and Junior 14-15 action; Hamlin, New York rider Hunter Nelson (Ski-doo) beat out a field of local talent to win the Junior Novice 10-14 class; Jacob Slade (Ski-doo) of Elma, New York won the Transition 8-12 final; and Brandon O'Neill (Arctic Cat) captured the top spot in 120 Champ competition.

Complete results here.