In Cannonsburg, Mich. on March 25 and 26, the final round of the U.S. Snocross Championship was held. The championship was very close, and at the beginning of this last weekend, only the champion of the Sport class was known. In all other classes, everything could still be decided at the last minute. The Quebecers were able to resist until the end, sometimes in a dramatic way as you will read. But Jordan Lebel won the Pro-Lite title and Francis Pelletier finished the Pro championship in third place. Two great results for the members of the Warnert Racing team.
Let’s take a look back at the race timeline, on this track laid out at Cannonsburg Ski Resort that offered all the usual ingredients needed for a good weekend of racing with multiple elevation changes, tight trajectories in the turns and the series’ signature big air.
In the Pro series, Francis Pelletier had to keep his third place in the championship. Friday did not look good, with a 12th place in the final out of 15 participants. A hard conclusion for the morale! Meanwhile the other leaders, Elias Ishoel in the lead, scored big points. This gave him the title of Pro 2022 champion. For Francis Pelletier, the objective was to remain in the top three of the championship. It was a very strong mental charge. The Warnert Racing driver had to regain his confidence despite this setback. And on Saturday, Francis Pelletier showed that he was one of the drivers to be reckoned with in the future. On the starting grid, he started like a rocket and seized the line that allowed him to make the holeshot without being bothered by his opponents. It was not the first, but the fifth time of the season that he took the holeshot! He took the lead of the race and won the last race of the championship. There was no better way to end the season and he retained third place in the championship, a nice recognition. Pelletier could be a little disappointed as he was battling for second place in the championship. Friday’s poor finish weighed in the balance and Hunter Patenaude took the coveted second place. Francis Pelletier concluded the season with these words:
“I think my morale was a little bit down today, after yesterday, and it means everything to be on top again,” Pelletier said. “Just to prove to everyone that I’m still fast.”
Elias Ishoel is the Pro Champion, followed by Hunter Patenaude and Francis Pelletier of Saint-Félicien.
In Pro-Lite, Jordan Lebel came in with a 74 point lead in the championship, but 90 points would be handed out. It was important not to celebrate too soon. Anything can happen in a race. And on Friday, what every driver dreads happened.
Marcus Ogemar took the best start, followed like his shadow by Evan Christian. Jordan Lebel was not far behind, followed by Nick Lorenz. The Chicoutimi driver passed Evan Christian and took second place on the second lap. Unfortunately, on the next lap, he took a jump and hit the ground hard. He continued on bravely and finished 14th in the Friday feature. Jordan had slowed down because he had hurt his head.
Cautiously, the 17 year old driver forfeited the sixteenth and final race of the championship, but fortunately, he had accumulated enough points to maintain his lead and claim the Pro-Lite title. He deserved it, winning the first six races of the year, then four more for a total of ten wins out of sixteen rounds. And he earned the Dominator title, in a race with Pro riders.
Théo Poirier, from Sayabec (qc) finished 15th on Friday and 4th on Saturday, to take the 8th place of the championship.
It should be noted that the two Quebecers Pelletier and J. Lebel are part of the Warnert Racing team. This company based in Saint Cloud, Minnesota regularly trusts Quebecers, with success, since the multiple champion Tim Tremblay was also part of this team.
On the Pro-Women side, Naëli Lebel had a great season. She placed 7th and 5th respectively in the two rounds of the weekend. At fourteen years old, she is 6th in the Pro-Women championship! We are all hoping for Megan Brodeur’s successor, but Naëli’s entourage does not want her to burn out.
His little brother Dylan Lebel is not to be outdone. He was the only Lebel to win a race this weekend, in the Junior 10-13 class, and he took fourth place in the championship. He nearly repeated the feat in the Transition 9-13 series. On Saturday, he was leading the race and got passed on the last lap, still making the podium for second place.
The Isoc Snocross Championship has brought good results to the Lebel family and this is just the beginning.
Come with me in Marty Mc Fly’s De Lorean car and let’s go back to the future in 2026. Jordan Lebel will be 21 years old and will be in the Pro category. Naëli will be 18 years old and will start her fourth year in the Pro-Women. Dylan will be 17 years old and will follow in his brother’s footsteps in Pro-Lite. In 2026, the Chicoutimi trio would have the ability to take over three classes of the American championship!
To be continued…
