Go ahead and look at the calendar: Believe it or not, the start of the snocross season is just five weeks away! It’s time to look at who will be racing in the Pro class this year. There have been a couple more retirements, but at the same time there is some exciting young talent that is stepping up from the Pro Lite class to take on the best in the world. There have also been some team and brand changes of note.
Let’s dig in, thanks to the following press release from the ISOC race circuit that takes us team-by-team through the field. Read through it, then get prepared to join Snow Goer’s Fantasy Snowmobile Racing Challenge game, which will return again this season.
2019-2020 AMSOIL Championship Snocross Team Guide
ALBERTVILLE, MINNESOTA – A major movement is underway in the higher ranks of snocross, as several big names in the pro classes either retired, relocated or simply swapped brands this summer.
Amsoil Championship Snocross Powered by Ram welcomed new champions in both the Pro and Pro Lite classes from last season. With the retirement of Tucker Hibbert prior to the season, the thought was one of the many veteran racers on the national circuit would step-in to fill the void. Instead, a bevy of young guns pushed their way to the top, setting up a silly season for the ages.
Jimmy John’s Boss Racing
Elias Ishoel was fast and consistent and gave Ski-Doo its first professional snocross championship in several years. He will return to the Boss Racing trailer and is again joined by second year pro Aki Pihlaja, who finished sixth overall.
Scheuring Speed Sports
Team Amsoil/Scheuring Speed Sports picked up its first Pro Lite title last year, thanks to a tremendous second half by Hunter Patenaude. The Ski-Doo team plans to be strong in the Pro class again this year with Lincoln Lemiuex, who was Ishoel’s equal for much of the season until an injury sidelined him for the last few races.
Warnert Racing
Warnert Racing is set to feature a three-rider team again, but without the retired Tim Tremblay. The Ski-Doo team made major waves this off-season with the addition of former Arctic Cat driver Daniel Benham who finished fifth overall. Benham joins fourth place finisher Adam Renheim under the Makita trailer this year, as well as Pro Lite rider Francis Pelletier.
Hentges Racing
Hentges Racings’ Kody Kamm is a former Pro champion and will lead the Polaris charge this season. For the past several years, Kamm and Peter Narsa were considered the best one-two punch in all of Snocross. Unfortunately, fans won’t be able to see Narsa race in the United States anymore after the Winter X-Games gold medalist retired. His replacement will be Oskar Norum, who won the 2019 Swedish Championship.
Judnick Motorsports
Judnick Motorsports has been looking for a breakout rider since Ross Martin retired. The Polaris team might have found one after being able to lure two-time Pro Lite winner Trent Wittwer away from Arctic Cat, with the promise of running a full season in the Pro class. The team also has high hopes for Nick Lorenz in Pro Lite.
LaVallee Racing
Kyle Pallin is back as the lead-dog coming out of the LaVallee Racing trailer. The Polaris rider is a perennial fan favorite and has three up-and-comers looking to learn from his experience and success. Ryley Bester moves over from Arctic Cat and joins Adam Peterson and Evan Daudt in the stacked Pro Lite class.
Cottew Motorsports
The Cottew Motorsports brigade will be highlighted by Cole Cottew joining the already stout Pro field for the 2019-2020 series. The team also recently signed Travis Kern, who had previously raced under the Arctic Cat factory trailer. Kern is a multi time Pro Lite race winner, and will continue racing in the penultimate class this year.
Christian Bros. Racing
Logan Christian is back on his trusted #43 Arctic Cat this season. After working beside Tucker Hibbert over the past several seasons, Christian is positioned to lead the Arctic Cat program back to dominance.
Zandstra Motorsports
Also moving to the premier class is none-other-than Jacob Yurk. Yurk will join Zandstra Motorsports aboard Arctic Cat snowmobiles for 2020. After finishing runner up in the 2018 Pro Lite championship, Yurk is poised for a solid Professional debut in Duluth.
Stud Boy Racing
The Stud Boy Racing Trailer, ran by Ron Pattyn, will include his two sons racing at the helm this winter. Nick Pattyn will once again be racing in the Pro class and brother Zach will be a championship threat in the Pro AM Plus 30 class.
Anderson Racing
Camryn and Korbyn Anderson will once again be the stars of the Anderson Racing Program. The two Ski-Doo riders have not yet confirmed in which class they will participating this season, as they have both competed in the Pro and Pro Lite divisions. Both riders finished in the top 20 of the Pro Lite class last season.
Diesel Freak
Zak Mason is back again this season aboard his Polaris, but this year in the Pro class. After several seasons in the Pro Lite class, Zak has decided to make the move to the Pro class and head back to his roots with Diesel Freak and Stud Boy sponsoring the Michigan native.
Woodies Racing
Theo Poirer of Quebec will join Woodies Racing for this upcoming season. The 17 year old is entering his fourth season of racing snowmobiles and his first in the United States. Poirer won the SCMX Pro Lite Championship last season.
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