Martin Sweeps Powersports Snowmobile Tour Canterbury Race
1/15/2006
SHAKOPEE, Minn. -- Ross Martin won both the Pro Stock and Pro Open finals during Sunday's PowerSports Snowmobile Tour Air Force Canterbury National Snocross race at Canterbury Park.
Martin led every lap of both races in the No. 837 Judnick Motorsports/Polaris, padding his lead in the Pro Open points and placing him back in contention in 13th in the Pro Stock standings.
T.J. Gulla (No. 44 TEAM Industries/Polaris) passed Mike Schultz on lap 15 of the 20-lap Pro Open final and challenged R. Martin late, before finishing a close second. Schultz (No. 5 Avalanche Racing/Polaris) held on for third, earning his first podium and giving Polaris the podium sweep.
"This was a really demanding weekend," said R. Martin. "I was getting tired at the end; I think everyone was. Then T.J. came up, and he always runs hard, so I knew he'd be strong. My team owner gave me a hand gesture that I had a big lead. I let off a little bit, but as I kept glancing back, I knew it was no time to take it easy.
"I missed the first race in Duluth due to a separated shoulder, so the Pro Stock win really helped me in points," added R. Martin. "The open sleds make it a lot more grueling," said Gulla, the defending Pro Stock Champion. "It was definitely a tough race, but that worked well for me. The track was rough and tight, and you had to really had to pick and choose where you wanted to pass people, but I had a lot of good lines that suited my style."
"This is unbelievable," said Schultz, who transferred into the final by winning the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ). "It was tough running such a long race, especially after racing in the 12-lap LCQ. We've all been working so hard. We had some bad luck, but this really makes it all worthwhile."
R. Martin led Steven Martin (No. 18 Dodge/Ski-Doo) and Dennis Eckstrom (No. 25 AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants/Polaris) in the Pro Stock final. Kurtis Crapo (No. 9 Woody's/Arctic Cat), who finished 15th, holds the lead in title chase, and is tied in points with Mathieu Morin (No. 27 Dodge/Ski-Doo).
"The first couple of races were really difficult for us," said S. Martin. "We've struggled with the set-up and the shorter tracks really don't suit my style. I pulled a holeshot early and that put me in a good position."
"We had to start at the back in the Stock Final and we struggled all weekend with the set-up," said Eckstrom. "We came out clean at the start, picked off a few guys and then I just ran my own race. We'll go back and regroup so we can be ready for next weekend."
In Sunday's Semi-Pro action, Katejun Connishish (No. 101 Blair Morgan Racing/Ski-Doo) won the Open final and Zach Pattyn (No. 99 Stud Boy/Ski-Doo) won the Stock race.
Other winners Sunday were: Junior 8-10 (300cc), Bryce Parker (No. 777 Hawkeye Yamaha/Ski-Doo); and 120 Champ 6-12, Travis Kern (No. 441 Hegman Kern Excavating/Polaris).
The Air Force Canterbury National Snocross race will be telecast on ESPN2 on Feb. 2 at 3 p.m. EST. The next race for the PowerSports Snowmobile Tour, the Polaris Park X National, is scheduled for next Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 21-22 at Park X of Quadna in Hill City, Minn.