Round 1 of the 2023-2024 AMSOIL Championship Snocross series kicked off December 15 & 16 at Mount Zion Ski Hill on campus of Gogebic Community College in unseasonably warm Ironwood, Michigan, where students in the Ski Area Management Program played a crucial role in transforming the hill into a Snocross track.

Despite rain and fog rolling in over the weekend, reducing visibility and muddying up the technical track, KLIM’s Snocross race team title contenders took the top two steps on the final Pro podium, with Sweden’s Emil Harr finishing second and Kody Kamm third for Team Judnick Motorsports Polaris.

“Round 1 was rough and a lot of dirt,” Harr said Monday. “I’m surprised how good the track held up though. You can never do anything about the weather so we just have to deal with it.”

In Saturday’s Pro class, Harr started third in Round 1 Heat 1 and finished second. In Round 2 Heat 1, Harr led from the start –- his best lap time on lap seven of the eight-lap race. In the Final race, Harr started fourth and passed into second by the fifth lap of the 19-lap race. 

“I felt that I had a higher pace than those guys ahead so I stayed close and was waiting for them to make a mistake and then I went for the pass,” he said. “I tried to catch Elias (Ishoel) but he was able to go through the lappers faster than me so then I slowed down a little and just tried to stay on the sled.” 

In Round 1 Heat 1, Kamm started eighth after getting pushed off in the first turn and finished fourth. In Round 2 Heat 2, Kamm finished second and said he was happy with that. In the Final, Kamm started second and drop to fifth before battling back to finish third, which he said was a surprise.

"I got a great start in second and dropped to fourth on the second lap and then had a big crash putting me a ways back," Kamm said. "I got up and fought with everything I had. Crossed the finish in third and was surprised because I had no idea where I was!"

Representing Scheuring Speed Sports, Anson Scheele came out first in the Pro Lite class, finishing in the top spot in both heats and fourth in the final 15-lap race after starting fifth. 

“I am happy with how Round 1 went,” Scheele said Monday. “I felt very comfortable on the Ski-Doo for my first race on one."

“My final was hectic to say the least,” Scheele said, adding that training in the gym is what helps him the most for these kinds of races. “It was super gnarly between how rough it got in my Final and the roost being sticky and muddy. I had no idea what place I was in. I was just pushing and trying everything I could to see and pass guys. I knew that the track was gonna be crazy and guys were gonna fall off and get tired, so I just planned on being consistent and putting together good laps.”

As a newbie with Scheuring Speed Sports, Scheele added, “We had tons of fun in the trailer and everyone works so well together. I’m so grateful to be racing with Steve (Scheuring), and I think we are going to have an awesome season this year!” 

For KC Motorsports Polaris' Evan Christian, the snow at the first round was "very weird."

"Super heavy yet very slippery and almost icy, track deteriorated very fast so it was hard to find fast lines out there."

After a 13th place start in the Final, Christian climbed to eighth out of 15 on lap 13 of the 15-lap race.

“It’s super hard to prepare for a race like this. Snow is always different but it’s more of survival and telling yourself not to give up. I just tried my best to stick my head down and keep pushing through the snow,” Christian added. “It got very one-lined throughout the race so it was tough to make passes but had to take advantage of people's mistakes. Was a fun race trying to push through and make some moves.”

Also riding for KC Motorsports Polaris, Sweden’s Oskar Norum said it was very fun to be back racing again even though the track conditions weren't the best. 

“The hardest thing with those conditions is the vision with all the roost and mud,” Norum said Monday. “I tried to prepare with the right gear to stay dry and keep the vision as free as possible.” 

Norum finished fifth in the first heat, fourth in the second and 10th in the Final after an 11th place start - his best time on Lap 4 of his 18-lap race.

“I tried to find some good lines and pass. It was tough with the vision on a dark track and lots of roost,” he added. 

Read bios of KLIM’s 2023-2024 Snocross race team, here.

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Up next: 

Snow: 

AMSOIL Championship Snocross - Round 2, Canterbury Park, Shakopee, Minnesota, January 12-13

Rocky Mountain States Hillclimb Association - Round 1, Salt Pass Border Dash, Geneva, Idaho, January 26-27

Moto:

AMA National Grand Prix Championship - Round 1, Delano, California, January 12-14 

AMA National Hare & Hound Championship - Round 1, Lucerne Valley, January 20-21

AMA US Hard Enduro - Round 1, Johnson Valley, California, January 20-21

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Have a race report we missed? Email us at racers@klim.com! 

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