2008 champion Sirjane retires, Pro title wide open for Rock Maple Racing
DERRY, N.H. (Nov. 7, 2008) - With the 2008-09
snocross season
opener now just one
month away, teams across the northeast are gearing up for what could
easily be one
of the most competitive schedules in recent years.
Officials from Rock Maple Racing (RMR) are busy
preparing to kick
off their 17th
season of competition on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 6-7, at the beautiful
Whaleback
Mountain ski area in Enfield, Hampshire.
C. W. Sirjane, last year's Pro champion from
Whitehall, N.Y.,
announced his
retirement from racing last spring. With that news, the door swings wide
open for a
new face atop the point standings. Leading the charge toward that 2008
title are
former champions Jason and Matt Boron. Both will return aboard the
newly-refined
Ski-doo 600RS for Dana White at D&Z Racing.
Thanks to RMR's advancement policy, the Pro
division is loaded
with talent as we
hit the snow in December. Former Semi-Pro stars Jason Stone, Chris Chico
and Derek
Graham will now battle ski-to-ski against the Borons and Danny Poirier.
Stone will
ride Ski-doo for the mighty Ingles Racing organization out of Phoenix,
N.Y., while
Chico and Graham will pilot Polaris sleds in their quest for supremacy.
Anyone concerned about these moves
hurting the quality of
competition in Semi-Pro
can put those fears to rest. Trevor Bouchard (D&Z Racing) and Brennan
Berardo are
among the favorites in a full field of talented contenders. Other strong
riders of
note include Jake Melville and Shaun St. Onge. Lucas Brunelle and Corin
Todd move
up from the Sport division this year, adding even more excitement to this
division. And just as Sirjane will be missed in the Pro classes, former
Semi-Pro
Dale Petrus will be missed here as he has also decided to retire from the
sport of
snocross.
Intense battles will not be limited to the Pro
and Semi-Pro
divisions this season.
Jake Dasilva and Joey Stock will lead a full field of up-and-comers in the
Sport
division, while former Junior standout Lincoln Lemieux also joins the mix.
Lemieux
turned a lot of heads last season as he became the first-ever Junior rider to
qualify for the prestigious Semi-Pro Shootout.
From a manufacturer's standpoint, the 2008-09
RMR snocross season
should be pretty
competitive, as well. Manufacturer support for snocross teams continues to be
solid. With the absence of Harrison Motorsports, D&Z Racing becomes the
flagship
team for Ski-doo, while Chad Miller and David Duchnik (West series) will
fly the
colors for Arctic Cat. St. Johnsville, New York-based Team Cycle Worx will
lead the
Polaris effort, anchored by Pro division veteran Poirier. Yamaha is also
well-represented in Rock Maple pit area, as the Herrmann family (Brent and
Matt)
proudly fly the bright blue four-stroke machines with their distinct,
rumbling
sound.
Across the pit area, from Pro to Semi-Pro,
Women and Juniors,
every division has
its favorites. Yet every division is also full of family-oriented teams just
looking to enjoy quality time with loved ones and share their passion for
snowmobiles and racing. It's an extended family like no other, bundling up
against
winter's cold to enjoy the sport of snocross.
