LaVallee leaps back into the game as Malinoski takes points leads during WPSA Powersports Snowmobile Tour Ultimate Lanbeau Leap

3/4/2006

Green Bay, Wis. - Levi LaVallee made a monster comeback and Robbie Malinoski grabbed the lead in both Pro class championships during Saturday's WPSA PowerSports Snowmobile Tour Ultimate Lambeau Leap Snocross Race at Lambeau Field. LaVallee dominated the Pro Open race, recording his first class victory this season, while Malinoski's Pro Stock victory and runner-up effort in Pro Open gave him the lead in both Pro Open and Pro Stock points with just two races left this season.

LaVallee (No. 108 TEAM Industries/Polaris) grabbed the holeshot at the start of the Pro Open final, and then held off a determined Dave Allard (No. 167 Blair Morgan Racing Team/Ski-Doo) during the middle stages of the event to notch the victory. Malinoski benefited from Allard's misfortune late in the race to take second, ahead of Steven Taylor (No. 2 Blair Morgan Racing Team/Ski-Doo).

LaVallee, who literally ran away with the Winter X Games 10 Snocross final before an unfortunate off dropped him to second in the final tally, pointed to the eerie similarity of that race to Saturday's run.

"Getting out front right away and pounding through that many laps without making any mistakes is the hardest thing," said LaVallee. "I had a little bit of a nightmare at the X Games, but I said to myself: 'Just ride the way you know how, and you'll be fine.' That worked out for me. Midway through the race, we started getting into lapped traffic, and Dave was doing great. I was ready to turn it up if he made a charge, but I have to admit him going down was fortunate for me; it gave me a little breathing room.

"It was just great, racing here at Lambeau Field," said LaVallee. "I missed last year's race due to an injury, so it was exciting to be here for the first time. The fans were going nuts and I just eat that stuff up."

Malinoski also benefited from a rare mechanical failure on Martin's sled early in the race to grab the Pro Open points lead. Martin, who finished 14th, now sits just nine points back in second.

"It was unfortunate for Ross to have some problems in the final, but that happens," said Malinoski. "That's racing, but I'm sure he'll come back next weekend twice as hard and everyone will have their hands full. This will motivate him and that also helps motivate me. So, it should be quite interesting."

Taylor said his team's hard work paid off here.

"It's been way too long," said Taylor. "We've been struggling a little bit. We had trouble with starts all season and I think we've been trying just a little bit too hard. The team is working so hard and it feels good to get on the podium for them."

Malinoski took the lead from Shaun Crapo (No. 3 Speedwerx/Arctic Cat) at the halfway point of the Pro Stock event and he set sail from there, beating Crapo and Martin. Malinoski now sits five points ahead of Martin in the Pro Stock standings.

Consistency has been the key for Malinoski this season, and he hopes continued consistent finishes will net him a sweep of the Pro titles this season.

"I had a good line, and was able to close the gap on Shaun," said Malinoski. "I pulled off the pass and we ended up with a win, so I'm pretty pumped. It was super tough to compete this weekend; you always had someone inside, trying to push you out and you really had to be on your toes.

"We've been getting better every weekend, and we've been trying harder," added Malinoski. "When you see the light at the end of the tunnel, it makes you try just a little bit harder."

Crapo, who remains third in the Pro Stock standings, was pleased with his third podium this season, which includes two victories.

"I feel good and I'm happy with second," said Crapo. "I'm third in the points, so consistency is important in these last few races. We'll just try to land on the podium in these last two events, and we'll take it from there."

Martin, though he lost the lead in points, was pleased to place on the podium in front of his hometown crowd. Martin is from Pleasant Prairie, Wis.

"We're happy with the podium," said Martin. "We could have tried risking it a little more and hung it out on the edge, but you never know, doing that might make you lose it all."

Other winners were:

• Semi-Pro Open: Mathew Piche (No. 518 Christian Brothers Racing/Arctic Cat)
• Semi-Pro Stock: Katejun Coonishish (No. 101 Blair Morgan Racing Team/Ski-Doo)
• Pro Women: Angela Vacchino (No. 55 Christian Brothers Racing/Arctic Cat)
• Pro Veteran: Earl Reimer (No. 100 Blair Morgan Racing Team/Ski-Doo)
• Sport Open: Mike Bell (No. 388 Avalanche Racing/Polaris)
• Sport Stock: Robert Graeber (No. 184 Boss Racing/Polaris)
• Junior 16-17: Nathan Moritz (No. 301 Woody's/Arctic Cat)
• Junior 14-15: Kyle Pallin (No. 324 AMSOIL/Arctic Cat)
• Junior 10-13: Logan Christian (No. 443 Christian Brothers Racing/Arctic Cat)
• 300cc: Kaleb Dallmann (No. 444 AMSOIL/Ski-Doo)
• 120: Tristen Ellis (No. 168 Woody's/Arctic Cat)

Comprehensive results are available in PDF format (Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or higher required) and HTML-formatted results and points are available at www.powersportstour.com.

The Ultimate Lambeau Leap will be telecast on ESPN2 on March 21 at 4 p.m. EST. The next race for the WPSA PowerSports Snowmobile Tour, The West Yellowstone Snow Blast is scheduled for next Friday, Saturday and Sunday, March 10-12 in West Yellowstone, Mont.

About the PowerSports Snowmobile Tour

The PowerSports Snowmobile Tour is North America's leading snowmobile racing tour and features the greatest show on snow. The Tour is North America's premiere form of Snocross racing, with its high-flying aerial displays, jumps, jolts and high-speed runs on short tracks throughout the United States and Canada. The Tour is sanctioned by the World PowerSports Association, North America's largest and most respected organizer and promoter of snowmobile racing on both the regional and national level.