While the SCMX Snocross races are grounded in Quebec for the time being, the Amsoil Snocross American National Championship is filling up with competitors and events with eight dates on the calendar ending March 26-28 in Sioux Falls. Snocross: Quebecers take off in the US
Five Quebec drivers made the trip: Megan Brodeur, Francis Pelletier, Emeric Legendre Perron, Théo Poirier and Jordan Lebel. This is a special season with restricted border crossings. So they stay on the other side of the lines for the duration of the championship.
All of our drivers have done well in one way or another. After five events out of eight, Megan Brodeur continues to dominate the Pro Women’s class and Francis Pelletier is 3rd in the Pro class, the highest class for men. Jordan Lebel surprised everyone with his determination and quick return to the bike after a nasty crash.
Here is more detailed information on the Quebecers present:
Megan Brodeur # 31 Ski-Doo Anderson Racing / Pro Women :
The pilot from Coaticook is a three-time champion of the American series. This year, she can count on the presence of her father Patrick Brodeur, but mom Manon and her sisters Océanne and Laurianne must follow her exploits from Quebec. For the fourth year, Megan Brodeur is leading the championship! Except for one time (not at the chalet), she has only accumulated first or second place finishes. The official Ski-Doo BRP driver will have to watch out for her closest competitor, Malene Andersen, who is only 6 points behind in the provisional standings. There are three events left and nothing is certain. Megan Brodeur has shown her consistency over the years. The 21 year old said after the Sioux Falls race, “It was a pretty tough weekend on my end. I made some mistakes in my finals. I came out of it healthy, but a little bit beat up haha! I’m putting it behind me! There are 3 race weekends left, we must not give up!
Francis Pelletier, # 220 Ski-Doo Warnert Racing / Pro :
The Saint-Félicien driver is on the same team where Tim Tremblay used to race. Currently in fourth place in the pros, he is improving with two podium finishes in Sioux Falls, second and third. He has three races left to move back into the top three. It’s within his reach.
In Dubuque, in January, he was involved in a spectacular accident that fortunately ended without consequences for him. His belt broke in mid-air and he ejected from his machine, like Tom Cruise in Top Gun. He could have been hit by another snowmobile, but he was able to get off the trail immediately, while a competitor landed hard in his Ski-Doo. Several other snowmobiles piled up in the same area. Fortunately no one was injured. With 364 points, Francis Pelletier is in third place provisionally in the championship. But only 5 points separate him from second place Kody Kamm. Anything is possible, but it will be harder to win the championship with 66 points separating him from Elias Ishoel.
Emeric Legendre Perron #144 Ski-Doo Thene Motorsports /Sport :
At 16 years old, the Sainte-Julie driver already has eight years of competition under his belt, including two years in the Isoc Snocross in the United States. Last year, he finished second in the Sport-Lite class and this year he has moved up a notch with the Sport class. Emeric has a lot to live up to, he is the brother of Maxime Pépin, an athlete who has made his mark on the SCMX and motocross scene. They have a nice private field to train in Sainte-Julie. At the first race in Elk River, he showed his ambitions by taking a first place in qualifying. A position he could not keep during the race the next day, but he was back in the Top 5. The beginning of the season was plagued with various problems, but the points came back anyway, with a third and second place at Fargo in early February. In Sioux Falls, he finally got his first win of the season, much to the pride of his supportive Thene team. This puts him in fourth place in the provisional Sport class standings. With 322 points obtained, he is 17 points behind the third and only 21 points behind the leader! All hopes are allowed because there are still three races where a lot can happen.
Théo Poirier # 728 Arctic-Cat Woodie Racing / Pro-Lite :
The 19 year old native of Sayabec, Gaspé, began his second year of racing in the Isoc National series with the Woodies Racing team. He impressed team boss Paul Woodie with his maturity, his consistency in winning SCMX races (16 wins in one season) and his ease in the bumps. In 2021, he started with a podium finish in third place in the first final. A good start for him who had “only” two podiums last year in this same Pro-Lite class. In Dubuque, he proved his potential by winning his first race of the season. In Deadwood, he was behind in the first race of the weekend, but he pulled himself together and showed his determination. He finished second in both the second heat and the final on Friday night.
It was with confidence that he headed to Fargo. On Friday, he won his first heat and took fifth place in the second heat, which gave him a great spot in the final, which he finished in tenth place. On Saturday, he started second in the first round but injured his forearm during a gunfight with the first place finisher. Although he qualified for the final, he preferred to skip the race in order to heal himself and come back stronger for the other events.
In Sioux Falls, he placed fourteenth in the final. After this race, he is in sixth place with 269 points. He is five points behind the fifth place finisher and 39 points behind the third place finisher.
Jordan Lebel # 511 Ski-Doo Boss Racing / Pro-Lite :
Jordan Lebel is a miraculous, but also a young 16 year old driver who has shown great athleticism by recovering from a crash with 4 fractured vertebrae. On January 8th, he was hit from behind by a competitor during a snocross race and was transferred by ambulance to the hospital. In addition to the 4 fractures, he suffered a laceration to his spleen and kidney! The season seemed to be over for the Chicoutimi rider, but that was without counting on his determination. One month later, he was back in the race and won the final, despite his lack of training.
Jordan Lebel is having a special season. He was used to the family presence with his dad Janathan Lebel, his mom Karine Thibodeau and his sister Naëli and brother Dylan. But this year, his family can’t be there all season. With the Covid, it was not possible to go back and forth. Fortunately, they were there when the accident happened, so they were able to support Jordan. Since then, he lives with his race team, a bubble of 5 people. Despite his young age, Jordan is no rookie in the Snocross series. He won the Sport class last year. And the year before, he also set a record by winning 3 championships (Sport Lite, Junior 16-17 and Junior 14-15).
This year he moved up a step to race in the Pro-Lite class, the level just before the top category, the Pros. He proved he had the level and just won at the Sioux Falls race at the end of February. With two missed races, he can no longer win the championship. His goal is to come back next year in this Lite class to win the championship and open the door to the Pros. His team Boss Racing is also racing Elias Ishoel who is leading the Pro class. Remember Jordan Lebel’s name, he still has time to match the results of one of his illustrious predecessors, Tim Tremblay, a family friend.
There are still three races left in Elk River, March 5-6, Eagle River, March 19-20 and Sioux Falls March 26-28.
Our Quebec drivers still have the possibility to shine and we will follow their results in the future. Here in Quebec, the SCMX series is waiting for the green light from Public Health. Even if the season is compromised, we must hope that the numerous drivers of the series will have the chance to get out the snowmobiles to compete in these races that are an integral part of the winters in the Belle Province.
Photos : Scoob Photographies, Papperazzi imaging, Woodies Racing, Facebook, DR.
