Ross Martin (Judnick Motorsports) and Jake Scott (Team LaVallee) combined to give Polaris racers three of a possible four Pro Open and Pro Lite victories at the Deadwood, SD round of AMSOIL Championship Snocross.

The Polaris racers had heavy hearts and dedicated the weekend to Caleb Moore, the Polaris snowmobile freestyle star who died Jan. 31 as the result of injuries sustained while competing at the recent X Games.

Pro Open: Martin Tops the Podium

Ross Martin (center) and Kody Kamm (left) finished 1-2 in Saturday’s Pro Open final.

Ross Martin finished second in the Friday night Pro Open final, then told his team he was determined to break his string of reaching the podium without winning. “I told the guys on my team, ‘Dudes, I’m ending this thing,’” he said.

In Saturday’s final, Martin got off to a slow start but charged through the pack, surged into the lead and ran away with the victory, after which he paid tribute to Moore, a fellow X Games competitor.

“I want to dedicate this win to Caleb Moore,” says Martin. “We miss you but I know you’ve got your eyes on us and are keeping us safe.”

Polaris racers who earned top-10 finishes on Friday were Kyle Pallin (Team LaVallee) in sixth and Johan Lidman (Carlson Motorsports) in 10th. Martin and Kody Kamm (Hentges Racing) finished 1-2 on Saturday and were followed by Justin Broberg (Hentges Racing) in 10th, Lidman in 11th, Colby Crapo (Leighton Motorsports) in 13th and Kyle Pallin (Team LaVallee) in 14th.

Martin left Deadwood second in Pro Open points, while Kamm was sixth and Broberg was 10th. Other Polaris racers in the top 20 in points were: Pallin, 11th; Crapo, 13th; Lidman, 14th; Levi LaVallee (Team LaVallee), who was injured at the recent X Games and did not race at Deadwood, in 15th; and Bobby LePage in 20th.

Polaris snowmobile racers were out in force at the 50th running of the Eagle River World Championship Snowmobile Derby as they won all four major snocross features, packed the field for the World Championship on the Derby ice oval, and won the Factory 600 title on the oval.

Polaris racer Ross Martin (Judnick Motorsports) dominated the Derby’s snocross competition and won the Pro Open snocross features on Friday night and Sunday. Fellow Polaris racer Johan Lidman (Carlson Motorsports) finished third on Sunday.

In Pro-Lite snocross racing, Polaris racers Andrew Lieders (Lieders Racing/Leighton Motorsports), Jake Scott (Team LaVallee), and Zak Mason (Z.M.R.) finished 1-2-3, respectively, on Friday night. On Sunday, Scott won the Pro-Lite feature and Lieders finished second.

Team MotorFist athlete Ross Martin was pretty much untouchable on final weekend of racing for the 2011-2012 International Series of Champions (ISOC) national snocross tour. Trailing in the year-end championship points chase, Martin knew he had to win every time he hit the track… and win he did.

The odds of Martin adding another national snocross champion title to his resume were slim after a series of missteps in the weeks leading up to the Geneva finale that included an on-track tangle, a black flag penalty, and a freak mechanical. Yet Martin rode with a level of speed and determination that made him virtually unstoppable, leaving competitors feeling helpless, and team owner and manager Scott Judnick nearly speechless.

“I’ve never seen him (Ross) ride like that,” says Judnick. “Every time he hits the track he’s gone!”

With cold winds whipping across the North Dakota prairie, the first of two rounds of the Fargo National race at Buffalo River Race Park was unleashed from the starting grid Friday evening. Coming to the line as the number one qualifier, MotorFist athlete and past national snocross champion Ross Martin, was determined to follow-up his back-to-back heat wins with a top podium finish in the final and in the process regain the year-endchampionship lead.

A looping track that featured three 180-degree turnback corners, proved to make passing difficult and front row selection a game of chance rather than calculation. At the start, Martin emerged from the first turn in fourth, and from there he set his sights on charging to the front and passing early race leader Cody Thomsen as quickly as possible. However, the torrent pace of Martin proved to be his undoing, as he aggressively bumped Thomsen in a corner while attempting a pass. The contact was met with a furled flag pointed in Martin’s direction and subsequently the loss of five positions as Ross pulled over and served the discretionary penalty.

“Ross was in race mode,” says Judnick/MotorFist race team owner and manager Scott Judnick. “With limited passing, he (Ross) wanted to get to the front as quickly as possible. He forced the issue a little bit and had to pay the penalty.”

Polaris snocross racer Ross Martin (Judnick Motorsports) won the Pro Open final on Saturday, Feb. 25, in ISOC racing at Farmington, NY. In Pro Lite racing at the weekend’s ISOC Eastern Nationals, Polaris racer Kody Kamm (Hentges Racing) won both weekend finals to maintain his season-long points lead.

Jennifer Page (Leighton Motorsports) won the weekend’s Pro-Am Women’s final, Edward Bandel (Team Southside Polaris) won the Sport 1 race, and Trevor Leighton (Leighton Motorsports) won in Sport 2.

Pro Open: Strong Rebound for Martin

Martin arrived in New York as the Pro Open points leader, but he had an off night on Friday and finished 15th in the weekend’s first final, which cost him the points lead. On Saturday, he won both of his qualifiers, then ran smoothly in the final before making a pass for the lead on lap 13 and running away with the victory.