Gulla, Crapo win in New York

With Tucker Hibbert out of the picture and focusing on motocross, it was time for somebody else to shine on the AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series (ACSS) stop in Farmington, NY. TJ Gulla and Shaun Crapo would do just that.

In the Pro Super Stock final on Feb. 14, Gulla grabbed the holeshot and set the pace early, while fellow Plaris pilots Crapo and Brett Bender were on his heels. Mid-way through the race Gulla built a comfortable margin and looked to be on his way to victory.

With less than three laps to go, it appeared Gulla was a shoe-in for his first pro win of the season but his lead vanished quickly as he got tangled up with the lapped sled of Matt Judnick (Polaris). That opened the door for Crapo, Garth Kaufman (Arctic Cat) and Levi LaVallee (Polaris) to the podium and spelled disappointment for Gulla.

Shaun Crapo finished on top in Pro Super Stock.

“I feel bad for TJ,” says Crapo as he stood atop the podium during post race ceremonies. “He deserves to be here. But our team has been working so hard for this, and this weekend we finally were in a position to take advantage of mistake and it paid off.”

The second place finish for Kaufman was equally as sweet, as it marked his third consecutive pro podium in as many races this season.

“I couldn’t be happier with where we are at this point in the season,” says Kaufman. “Our team is really starting to come together and I love racing in front of the New York fans; they are always one of the best crowds of the season.”

TJ Gulla looked like the man to beat all weekend.

The following day in the Pro Open final, Gulla would find redemption. Once again Gulla took the holeshot and lead a swarm of Open sleds down the front stretch. It was a position he would not relinquish.

Gulla built a comfortable lead over the rest of the field, so the attention was turned to the battle for second. Ryan Simons (Arctic Cat) did his best to hold off LaVallee. The order remained unchanged as they crossed the finish line for the final time, with a noticeably excited Gulla, as he fist pumped the air in front of the New York fans.

“I had something to prove today,” says. “Last night was my fault… I wanted to win today and win by a lot.”

Simons was equally happy with his results, specifically holding off the multiple attempts of LaVallee to make a pass.

“I lost my brakes at the end of the race,” says Simons. “I had to do everything I could to block off Levi and keep him behind me.”

Cory Davis Sweeps the Semi-Pro Ranks

Cory Davis celebrates on the podium.

Sunday marked a day of non-stop racing for many Semi-Pro riders and Cory Davis (Arctic Cat) made the best of it, with a pair of dominating wins.

His first victory may have been the most impressive as he charged virtually from last to first in a single lap. Starting from the back row of the 16-sled field, Davis combined a race savvy start and a turn one tangle to catapult his Arctic Cat to the front of the field.

“I was hoping if I started on the inside (of the back row) the leaders would push wide and they did,” says Davis. “That put me in position to take advantage of the first turn crash and allowed me to get to the front.”

Aside from the first lap spectacle of Davis, Tim Tremblay (Ski-Doo) perhaps demonstrated even more moxie as he battled back from an early race ‘get-off’ that shuffled him to tenth, yet charged back through the pack to finish second.

In Semi-Pro Super Stock, it was Tremblay who pulled the holeshot, with Davis in tow. But the speed of Davis proved too much for the Ski-Doo racer, as Davis shot past Tremblay on just the third lap of the 14-lap final. Behind them it was Derek Ellis (Polaris) completing the podium.