Team AMSOIL Oh So Close in Shortened Snocross Season

Just as the AMSOIL Championship Snocross Pro Lite battle was getting interesting, COVID-19 forced cancellation of the season. Here's how...

March 23, 2020

Two events, four points.

That’s all that separated Pro Lite points leader Francis Pelletier from Scheuring Speed Sports’ Hunter Patenaude heading into the second-to-last AMSOIL Championship Snocross event of the season.

15 weeks earlier

Reigning Pro Lite champ Patenaude proved he was in it to win it by opening the season with a win in the opening round in Fargo, N.D. He went 1-2-1 on the weekend, which included a makeup round from the shortened Duluth National earlier in the season. He then swept all three rounds in the next event.

He rolled into Deadwood, S.D., riding high only to be humbled by Deadwood’s tight course and lap traffic.

We all remember this infamous flip…

Mid-season setback

A minor setback in the Dubuque, Iowa, rounds preceded Patenaude’s “home” race in New York where the battle for first place continued between Patenaude and Pelletier.

After a nearly flawless second-place finish Friday night, the battle between the two led to a mid-race tangle, allowing nearly the entire field to pass them.

Down the stretch

This set up a dramatic showdown in the final two events of the AMSOIL Championship Snocross Season.

But, just as both lined up for practice on Friday during the Michigan event, race officials canceled the event due to COVID-19. They also had to cancel the final event of the season in Lake Geneva, Wis.

That left Pelletier as Pro Lite champion following a shortened season. And it left Patenaude just shy of back-to-back titles and already feeling hungry for next season.

Will patience be his virtue? Guess we will have to tune in November 2020 to see!

In the Pro standings, Lincoln Lemieux finished third on the year.

And, for your feel-good moment of the day (because we all need one these days), check out this feature from Sledhead 24-7 on Freeland Racing. Part of #TeamAMSOIL for the past two seasons, these boys represent the future of the sport and know how to have fun while they’re at it. #JustSendIt!