2022-2023 AMSOIL Championship Snocross Season Gears Up

Scheuring Speed Sports driver Hunter Patenaude enters this season with his eyes on the title. We preview his path.

_by Lindsay Tousignant|December 12, 2022

Hey race fans, last March we took a trip up to the Klim Compound to catch up with Scheuring Speed Sports between AMSOIL Championship Snocross races.

At that point, Hunter Patenaude found himself just 37 points out of first place. The next weekend he went on to secure his first Pro win at ERX and sealed his second place in the season overall.

With those results in his pocket, Patenaude enters the new season with his eyes on the title. Let’s breakdown his path to clinching it.

Early start

Santa’s coming early this year. In sled form that is.

AMSOIL Championship Snocross kicks off next weekend in Fargo, N.D. Notoriously one of the coldest weekends on the circuit, the Fargo opener will also play host to the elusive AMSOIL Dominator. But more on that below.

As we head into the new year, the series returns to the Daytona of Snocross, the Pirtek Snocross National in Shakopee, Minn.

The first month of the year closes out with a fan-favorite, the U.S. Air Force Snocross National in the “wild west” of Deadwood, S.D. Then the series heads east. We spend Valentine’s Day weekend at the U.S. Air Force National in Salamanca, N.Y.

March kicks off in Sioux Falls, S.D. for the Sioux Falls Snocross National. Then the circuit rolls to ERX Motorpark for the AMSOIL Snocross National in Elk River, Minn.

The season concludes with two ski-slope events, the Cannonsburg Snocross National in Grand Rapids, Mich. and Theisen’s National in Dubuque, Iowa.

Dominator goes back to OG status

The AMSOIL Dominator first entered the scene as a head-to-head, bracket-style race on opening weekend for members of the Pro class.

However, in 2021 the AMSOIL Dominator switched to a cup-style format and was expanded to include Sport, Pro Lite and Pro classes. The 10-minute-plus-two-minute format lined up Pro Lite and Sport riders on the front row with Pros in the back. Opening the door for pure carnage, this format was favored by fans, but racers yearned for the old style. After discussion in the off-season, the Dominator will return to its head-to-head format and kick off the season in Fargo.

Setting the stage is a track that gained a lot of attention last season, a design by former snocross champion (and member of Team AMSOIL) Robbie Malinoski.

In 2022, Elias Ishoel captured his fourth straight Pro championship. Coming into this season tied with Ross Martin for career wins at 34, the “Viking Rocket” will look to take that record as he runs for his fifth title.

Though the true Dominator, Ishoel was contested by Pro sophomore, Scheuring Speed Sports Hunter Patenaude. Patenaude is hungry to capture a championship after his first career Pro win last season.

Hot on their tails will be a slew of returning riders including Petter Narsa, Aki Philaja, Francis Pelletier, Patenaude’s Scheruing Speed Sports teammate Logan Christian and others, making this season one of the most competitive in years.

Be sure to catch all of the season’s action by subscribing to FloSports. Tape-delayed programming of all 16 rounds will be re-aired on CBS Sports network.

Racing kicks off Friday, Dec. 16 with the AMSOIL Dominator in Fargo. Follow our social channels for more information and behind-the-scenes action.

We’ll see you at the races!

Watch Now: Experts Debate Controversial Snocross Rule Change

Lindsay Premo|Nov 17, 2017 9:54 AM

Race fans, be prepared for a little less “braap” this AMSOIL Championship Snocross race season.

My father taught me a lot about sports. Which collegiate hockey team was the best (it’s the UMD Bulldogs…sorry, Minnesota Golden Gophers), the numbering system for the positions in baseball (6-4-3 double play anyone?), how downs and yardage work in professional football (and that we will always love the Minnesota Vikings), among others.

One of the most important lessons he taught me came during a lackluster season for one of our favorite teams: “This is a rebuilding year. Things will come back around.”

That appears to be the case this season for AMSOIL Championship Snocross.

No more engine mods

As part of an effort to level the playing field in the Pro Class, International Snomobile Racing, Inc. (ISR) has implemented a new rule for the upcoming season that requires all race sleds to essentially be stock. That means teams can no longer modify the engine, pipes or chassis.

They can, however, modify the shocks, skis, handlebars and aftermarket silencers. The sled may also be reinforced and strengthened with added material.

We’ve seen this before in motorsports. In motocross, all competitors, both amateur and pro, compete with limited-build bikes within a few horsepower of each other. More recently, the TORC Series implemented new restrictions to its Pro 2wd class to increase the field of competitors.

That’s the same idea here. With two of the teams in the Pro Open class bowing out at the end of last season, the field was shrinking. This new rule change is designed to encourage more Pro Lite racers to move up to the Pro Open class to fill those gaps.

Yay or nay?

As with any change in sports, this move has its advocates and detractors. Proponents argue that this will open the door for more riders to move up and hopefully lessen the expense of snowmobile racing, in turn fueling its future. The sled manufacturers will also be encouraged to build better race sleds, which benefits riders in all classes.

Opponents argue that this will make the racing less interesting for fans, with the loudest (and may I mention my favorite) class being the little 120s. They also argue that it will stifle innovation in the sled industry.

Two big industry players at opposite ends of this issue include Steve Scheuring of Scheuring Speed Sports and Tom Rager Jr., Race Manager at Polaris.

We sat down with a few key players in this world to hear what they have to say. Hear their thoughts in the video above.

What are your thoughts? As with any change, it will take a year or so to see how everything shakes out. This could eventually be a turnaround for the world of snocross racing. Or maybe it won’t be.

The only way to find out is to drop the flag on the season and start racing. The AMSOIL Championship Snocross season kicks off Thanksgiving Weekend at Spirit Mt. in Duluth, Minn.

I hope to see you there!

Tag: snocross