Aurora, Minn. (February 22, 2021) – Hunter Patenaude guided his AMSOIL/U.S. Air Force/Ford Ski-Doo to the second Pro podium of his rookie season at a new tour stop in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Patenaude launched to a great start in front of a packed grandstand and then maintained a pace that kept him on the leader’s heals for the entire race.
On Friday, Patenaude was in contention for another podium, again running in second place, when a hard landing into the valley between two large jumps caused his handlebars to break, forcing him out of the race.
Saturday’s final started out awesome. It almost went really bad right right off the start when I landed into the face of the third jump and it sent me sideways. It’s really nice to start up front, especially in this class considering how close in speed everyone is. I struggled to find my rhythm the first few laps and Elias was able to pull away a little bit but in the middle of the race I felt like I was hitting my marks really well.
It feels really good to be able to get on the podium again considering how the last few rounds have gone. There has just been a lot of crazy things happening that are completely out of my control and the teams control too.
Hunter Patenaude
Lincoln Lemieux raced from a mid-pack start on Friday and made his way into the top three early on before getting caught up in lapped traffic and finishing sixth. On Saturday, Lemieux made his way from a back row start into the 11th position. Lincoln is now fourth in the championship just eight points out of third.
The AMSOIL Championship Snocross series has done an outstanding job of adapting to COVID-19 restriction and forced cancellations, with Sioux Falls being a shining example. The team will have an open weekend coming up before making a return visit to ERX Motor Park in Elk River, Minnesota on March 5-6.
