Rounds 5 and 6: #220 Pelletier Doubles Down and #221 Benham is Dealt a Bad Hand
The series makes its third stop in the historic town of Deadwood, SD. The “Wild West” was definitely in the air as every pass seemed to be a gamble and every bump a rodeo ride!
Rounds 5 and 6 started with the usual race against the clock in the practices. The rookie Pro “Frank” quickly adapted to the unique Deadwood venue’s small arena track. Both riders went into their qualifiers with confidence as they topped the practice time charts. The 221 Ski-Doo rips a textbook perfect hole-shot to a checkers win handily with a 2.8 second lead at the end in the opening heat. In the next heat, the 220-machine lined up not to be outdone, mirrored his teammate’s perfect start. It was not to be; a first corner pile-up behind 220 caused a red flag restart. When light once again turned green, the 220-machine did not quite have the same advantage cresting the first corner. In the first turn, Pelletier sandwiched, tipping him off forcing him to make a run from the back into 5th place at the end. Round 2, heat 1 saw both riders lining up for the second round of qualifying. Benham once again hole-shots and charges ahead of the pack on the start. Pelletier’s magnetic personality attracts chaos in the first turn. But Benham is denied what seemed a shoo-in for back-to-back heat race wins. One small mistake sees the 221-steed buck off his rider in the lead. Benham, quick to remount, finds himself only to make the same mistake twice. 220 and 221 relegate to the rear of the qualifying pack finishing in 7th and 8th.
There was a somber mood heading into the final.; Pelletier’s poor luck had earned him a back-row start. Benham though qualifying 5th, his left knee felt a little worse after getting off in the second round of qualifying. After the light turned green and the laps began to wind down, Benham showed his grit holding on to 7th despite increasing pain. Pelletier, mired in the back of the field, could not make any forward movement. A disappointed Pelletier quoted post-race, “the holes were deeper than the casinos’ pockets!”
Saturday was a new day with a new set of challenges. The mobile medical crew had Benham sit out Round 6 after examining Benham’s knee, while Pelletier dusted himself off, determined to prove his speed from the day before.
Image Courtesy of Gary Walton RideX356.com
A new track layout presented very few opportunities for passing, proving that the start would be as crucial as ever. The 220-machine lined up for round 1 in the second heat, squeezed out, in the beginning, it seemed like another “follow the leader” heat race unfolding. Frank made an aggressive pass on a fellow Ski-Doo racer to pick up the precious 4th place qualifying points on the final lap. Regrouping for round 2 of qualifying, Steve Houle of Speedwerx used some Makita magic to do some custom grinding on the clutch flyweights. Steve’s experience proved invaluable as Pelletier rocketed his machine out front of the pack leading his qualifier wire to wire finishing with a 1.7-second advantage. With another heat race win in the rookie’s pocket, he headed to the last round with something to prove. The final did not disappoint; the arena, no stranger to bull riding, seemed to buck various racers off as the laps clicked off. Pelletier rode consistently, creatively, and concisely the entire final. Making several passes and holding off as many challenges, Frank found his way to the podium with two laps to go. The third-place finish is the first Pro podium for the rookie of his career.
Snocross – Deadwood, SD - Results
Friday
7th - Daniel Benham (Pro Class)
11th - Francis Pelletier (Pro Class)
Saturday
3rd - Francis Pelletier (Pro Class)
DNS - Daniel Benham (Pro Class)