Sport is a human story. It is necessary to put a face on the athlete who risks his or her life and fights to reach the Grail, the liberating checkered flag. The flag that he (or she) will have the right to present to the spectators during his (her) lap of honor.
There have been faces in the past, starting with Yvon Duhamel, who was one of the few drivers to live his entire life in motorsports and who gave his name to the Valcourt Ski-Doo Grand-Prix circuit. There was Gaston Ferland, winner of two world series and many others. Gilles Villeneuve still has his snowmobiles on display at the Berthierville museum. And what about his brother Jacques Villeneuve. He won three times the world championship title at Eagle River (1980, 1982, 1986), and three times the Grand Prix of Valcourt (1986, 2005, 2006). He used to bring in journalists who appreciated his explanations with his voice as fast as his Ski-Doo, not to mention his spectacular exits.
All these characters are retired and the GPSV needed new faces to personify the snowmobile discipline, both in oval and snocross.
“Woman is the future of Man” wrote the poet Aragon in 1963. The prophecy has come true and two young women are carrying the banner of the competition in 2020.
The Ginos and the macho types may cringe, but Sabrina Blanchet and Megan Brodeur are the only ones to have been invited on TV shows like Denis Levesque or Dave Morissette on TVA sports. And the three people employed by the association are women, headed by Véronique Lizotte. Behind her is a solid board of directors and 230 volunteers to keep the machine running, which welcomes 30,000 visitors over three days. The important thing is that the Grand-Prix continues to move forward, after 38 editions, with a mix of experienced people and new blood to reinvent it.
Steven Marquis is also part of the new generation of oval races. His team had bought some of Mononc Jacques’ snowmobiles, and then invested again in mechanics. He started to approach the top 5 in the Pro-Champ, and he was the only Quebecer to compete in the new Formula-III class, reserved for modern 4-stroke snowmobiles, modified by the manufacturers. This class is the future, because it is more economical and the recent injection engines are more ecological.
Unfortunately, Steven’s season was brought to a screeching halt when a track broke and he was thrown from the machine in mid-race. Hit by his machine, he was taken to the hospital where he was diagnosed with a 3 vertebrae collapse, concussion and leg injuries. If he returns to the circuit next year, Steven will be a spokesperson for the sport in the future.
Let’s go back to the oval where the smell of burnt oil was characteristic of the 2-stroke with carburetors. A vestige of the past that is on the way out, but a source of memories for the old-timers. Sabrina Blanchet brought the crowd to its feet with an outstanding performance. In the Saturday race, in the Pro-Champ, the premier category on the oval, she managed to pass Matt Goede, to take second place behind last year’s winner, Gunnar Sterne. This was the first time a woman had reached this position. Her grandfather Gaston Ferland, who gave her her first snowmobile at the age of 3, could be proud of her. As well as Claude Samson, the owner of the Samson Racing team, who has been following her for many years.
On Sunday, she forfeited the race due to a mechanical failure. She was in a position to win the flagship race! At 24 years old, she still has many years to achieve this feat. She also won the Semi-Pro Champ competition, beating Danick Lambert and Andrew Darraugh.
The Pro-Champ final saw the victory of Matt Goede, an American driver who had been involved in a serious accident in 2017. He earned his first podium in this class ahead of last year’s winner, Gunnar Sterne. Nick Van Strydonk took the third step on the podium. The 30-year-old driver announced his retirement after a 26-year career, two world championship titles, and a win in Valcourt.
As for Nicolas Poudrier, he won everything in the Semi Pro and Pro Formula 500 classes.
On the Snocross side, the beautiful Megan Brodeur dominated the Pro-Lady class ahead of Kim Tremblay. The race was not part of the American ISOC championship which she has won twice. Barring technical problems, no one could beat the Coaticook native. She is also undefeated on American soil. At 19 years old, she is studying at a distance in addition to her activity as an official Ski-Doo pilot, which allows her to devote time to her physical preparation. She can count on the support of her father Patrick Brodeur who was in the groomer in Valcourt, and her mother Manon Boutin who takes care of the stewardship and communication.
Megan Brodeur also races in the SCMX Quebec championship when she can. She then entered the Pro-Lite category, to get used to riding rough, against the guys who don’t do her any favors!
The Snocross Pro2 final was won by Norwegian Elias Ishoel, an official Ski-Doo driver. After winning the Swedish championship in 2014, he was scouted by Ski-Doo and has since competed in the Amsoil American championship where he has already been crowned in the Pro-Lite class in 2016. The second is Francis Pelletier, a 23-year-old from Quebec who is involved with the prestigious Walnert team. He is fighting for the ISOC title in Pro-Lite. A driver to watch!
In the Pro-Lite 2, Chicoutimi driver Jordan Lebel had a good lead over his long time opponent, Emeric Legendre-Perron, and Jérémy Beaulieu.
This year, a mini-track was created to encourage the next generation of runners aged 4 to 10. How proud these youngsters are to be able to race in this mythical place! It is certain that new vocations were declared, like that of Kingston Gadoury, a 7 year old driver who likes to ride in front!
In the big heated tent, the musical proposal was very varied with a tribute to AC-DC or Bob Bissonette. Sara Dufour and her hit “Chez nous c’est Ski-Doo” fired up the traditional crowd while the Beach Club’s resident DJs rejuvenated the audience behind their decks.
PitBull Events tourists from Luxembourg discovered the Grand-Prix. They said they appreciated the freedom to approach the riders and the machines. They were also impressed by the size of the oval track and the snocross circuit, as well as by all the racing snowmobiles, which are rare or non-existent in Europe.
The importance of the Valcourt Ski-Doo Grand Prix is not always realized and it takes an outside eye to point it out.
All results can be found on the Mylaps website, https://speedhive.mylaps.com/
Photos: Claude Prud’homme, Studio-017
