Courtesy of WPSAracing.com

HILL CITY, Minn. (Feb. 11, 2006) — Ross Martin was simply unstoppable Saturday as he swept both Pro class races at Park X of Quadna during the WPSA PowerSports Snowmobile Tour Eastern National. In the process, the rider of the No. 837 Judnick Motorsports-DuPont/Polaris took the lead in Pro Stock points and widened his hold on the chase for the Pro Open title.

Martin’s victories were virtual carbon copies of each other. In both races, he took the holeshot and ran away from the field. The sweep was the second for Martin this year, who also won both the Pro Open and Pro Stock races at Canterbury Park earlier this season. The Pro Open victory was Martin’s second this season, and marked his third podium in Pro Open competition. It was also Martin’s second Pro Stock win and his third Stock class podium.

“This feels great; any time you win two nationals on a weekend, it’s just incredible,” said Martin of the sweep. “I got the holeshot in the beginning (of the Pro Open race) and then I just paced myself. It was a long race, so I wanted to make sure I had something in the end. I just kept looking back every lap to make sure I still had a good lead. This is just unbelievable.

“Having the holeshot let me avoid a bunch of the trouble,” said Martin of the Pro Stock event, which was marked by several multi-sled incidents, including one on the first lap. “From there, I just tried to keep a consistent line. I did have one bobble, late in the race coming across the finish line, and that put my heart in my throat. The track was a little icy and the holes were really getting deep at the end, but I found a good line and that was the key.”

French Canadian rider Dave Allard (No. 167 Blair Morgan Racing Team/Ski-Doo) finished second in both races, held onto third in Pro Open points and moved up one slot to third in the Pro Stock standings. The finishes also marked his second podium this season in both the Pro Stock and Pro Open classes, bringing his 2005-2006 podium total to four.

“This is great for me, but also for Blair Morgan Racing,” said Allard. “The team did such a great job on my sled for this weekend. I’m looking forward to heading back home to race in Valcourt (Quebec) next weekend. It’ll be great to run in front of friends, family and the local fans.

“These podiums are really good for my heart,” added Allard. “The track was rough, but that suits my style. In Quebec, we bang, bang, bang, bang, bang—that’s how we ride there.”

Blair Morgan, fresh off of winning his fifth Winter X Games gold medal two weeks ago in Aspen/Snowmass, Colo., drove from the back row in the Pro Open final to finish third, marking his second consecutive Pro Open podium. Morgan (No. 7c Blair Morgan Racing Team/Ski-Doo) transferred into both finals through the last chance qualifiers (LCQ). He finished ninth in the Pro Stock final.

“We really struggled all weekend,” said the Prince Albert, Saskatchewan native, who only recently recovered from a badly broken thumb to win the Pro Open final in Round 4, also held at Park X. “We started at the back in both finals, so we were happy with the podium in the Pro Open race. The event was difficult. Visibility was down, and there were a lot of hard-square ice chunks out there. We were just happy to survive. The Open sled is working really well this year. Since we are effectively out the championship hunt, I’m just out to win races now. Maybe I can play spoiler at these last five races.”

Steven Martin finished third in the Pro Stock final, marking his second Pro Stock podium this season. S. Martin (No. 18 Warnert Racing-Dodge Trucks/Ski-Doo) now sits fifth in both Pro Open and Pro Stock points.

“Man, it was like carnage out there,” said S. Martin, who ran as high as third in the Pro Open final before falling back to finish 11th. “My sled is all beat up. It’s making funny noises, I broke the headlight; I was just happy to keep it going. But I kept it on two skis and brought it home. The sleds are really working well and we’re getting back into it. This really helps boost my confidence.”

Other winners on Saturday were:

• Semi-Pro Open: Katejun Coonishish (No. 101 Blair Morgan Racing Team/Ski-Doo)
• Sport Open: Justin Broberg (No. 168 Water-Well Solutions/Ski-Doo)
• Sport Stock: Robert Graeber (No. 184 Boss Racing/Polaris)

A comprehensive results and points package is available for download in PDF format by clicking here (Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or higher required). Results in HTML format are available at www.powersportstour.com.

About the PowerSports Snowmobile Tour
The PowerSports Snowmobile Tour is North America’s leading snowmobile racing tour and features the greatest show on snow. The Tour is North America’s premiere form of Snocross racing, with its high-flying aerial displays, jumps, jolts and high-speed runs on short tracks throughout the United States and Canada. The Tour is sanctioned by the World PowerSports Association, North America’s largest and most respected organizer and promoter of snowmobile racing on both the regional and national level.

For the latest information, visit www.WPSAracing.com