Despite summer’s heat being in full fury, snowmobile snocross teams and drivers are turning their attention to next winter. And, with that, several teams have announced new signings for the coming winter.
One of the biggest pieces of news so far a new race team from former sponsor West Coast Customs Racing. Beyond that, it seems a lot of the news has been about highly successful Scandinavia racers coming over to this side of the Atlantic to compete this winter with various teams, though there is news in many different classes. We expect a lot more news coming up, but let’s get you caught up on what’s been released so far.
Poirier Leads New West Coast Customs Team
UPDATED: We’ve been corrected on our news about the West Coast Customs Racing Team.
A new West Coast Customs Racing snocross team is a partnership between the California-based West Coast Customs business and the Wisconsin-based Lakeland Powersports dealership, which previously had its own independent team. Gary Querel, formerly of Boss Racing, is not a part of the Ski-Doo team, according to Steve Dik of West Coast Customs.
That West Coast Customs Racing team has announced Theo Poirier as its lead driver. The Quebec-based racer will return to Pro Lite, a class in which he raced last year for Krajicek Racing after a couple of years with Woodie’s Racing.
Also part of the West Coast Customs team are Makenna Kleiman in Pro Women, Adam Johnson in Pro Am 30, Brian Peterson in Sport and Brandon Nelson in Sport Lite.
Green Mountain Racing Adds Pihlaja, Other Scandinavians
The Vermont-based Green Mountain Racing team announced plans a year ago to mix in some new Scandinavian drivers, racing on Ski-Doos. This year, the team-owning Tatro family is doubling down on that effort, signing one big-name Pro racer whose name will be familiar to many, and then adding three other Scandinavians.
The Pro is Aki Pihlaja. The now 35-year-old veteran from Finland still flashes a lot of speed and determination whenever he shows up in North America, and has won several finals on the Amsoil Championship Snocross Series over the years. Last year, his primary focus was in Europe, where he won many titles, including Finnish points championship.
He’s got a young protégé joining him in Topi Posti. This fellow Finlander earned the Stadiomcross Pro Open Finnish championship in 2021 and Norwegian Pro Open title in 2022, yet he’s just 20 years. Old. He’ll compete in Pro Lite over here for Green Mountain.
Filling out the team will be two Norwegian racers competing in the Sport class. They are Emil Mikalsen, 19, and Jan Even Romsdal, 18. Romsdal raced in North America last year for Green Mountain and won the Junior 16-17 points title while also finishing third in Sport Lite points.
Woodies Racing Adds 2 Swedes
The Arctic Cat-based Woodies Racing team has a long history of bringing over Scandinavian talent to compete on the world stage that is the Amsoil Championship Snocross Series, and that trend continues in 2022-23 with two new Swedes.
Oskar Englund has signed on to be the team’s new rider in Pro Lite. The 23 year old won the Swedish Championship Stock class in 2020 and the Swedish Championship Stadium Cross Pro class in 2021, according to the folks at Woodies. He’ll start in Pro Lite in his first year racing in North America.
Joining him in the Woodies trailer will be Nemo Fahlander, who will compete in the Sport class. The Woodies press release lists him as “a seasoned Arctic Cat rider that is one of Sweden’s up-and-comers.”
The Woodies team, of course, wouldn’t be complete without the plucky Taven Woodie flashing her Arctic Cat around the track in Pro Women, a class in which she finished third in points last year.
Frattalone’s New Addition
And speaking of the Pro Women’s class, the Frattalone Racing team announced that it is adding the person who finished just ahead of Woodie in season points to its Polaris-based team.
Inanna Hauger finished on the podium in 14 out of 16 finals in the Pro Women class last year, by our count, including 3 wins, 8 seconds and 3 thirds. The Michigan native was the subject of a great video posted by ISOC last year – it is embedded at the bottom of this post.
Zandstra Motorsports Signs Mandryk
Kenny Mandryk will be switching team and brand’s for the 2022-23 season, as he gives his efforts to compete in the Pro Lite class a restart. The Ontario native signed last year to jump up from the Sport to the Pro Lite class with Hentges Racing, but a knee injury derailed those efforts.
His fresh start is coming at Zandstra Motorsports aboard Team Arctic Cat green machines.
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