Written By: Bruce Gaspardi Jr
Pictures by: Petri Kurkinen
Season Two of Snowcross Super League made its way north to Oulu, Finland for the final two rounds of competition this past weekend. With over 150 racers it was set to be a full slate of action-packed racing.
The schedule had changed since Boden in February. Now the Lites, Ladies and Pro classes would run in the morning and the amateurs would take to the track in afternoon. Each class would have a five-minute practice immediately followed by seven minutes of timed qualifying to set the heats for round one.
Saturday morning kicked off with two groups of Lites. Two Swedish riders would top the timing charts with Anton Lindström and Joel Nordholm with Finnish racer Joona Karjalainen coming in third. With the 24 racers now divided into three heats of eight the field was set.
Round 1 Group A would saw Joni Komulainen lead the whole race but he did not take the Super Lane which led to a 20 second penalty. That meant that top qualifier, Anton Lindström who had the fastest lap of the race took the victory followed by fellow Swede’s Pontus Lundström and Olle Sahlström. Group B saw Joel Nordholm take the win Cranehill Racing’s Myrskys Rissanen second and EvoHall Racing Team’s Linus Eriksson finished third. Group C saw Alfred Gunnarsson on his Polaris take his first career Lites win. He was followed by Oliver Jaakola and Felix Andersson.
Round two later in the morning started off with Linus Åberg winning the Group A. EvoHall Racing Team’s Linus Eriksson improved on his earlier finish a taking second and Anton Lindström in third. Group B had Olle Sahlström better his earlier finish as well coming away with the win in round two. Norwegian Jan Even Romsdal would finish second, and Joel Nordholm third. Pontus Lundström would win Group C on his Lynx. Chasing him were a pair of fast Finnish racers in Riku Lauhaluoma and Myrsky Rissanaen second and third.
Nine racers would direct qualify to the final based on their combined finishes from rounds 1 and 2. Then they take three from the LCq with the winner taking the final spot on the 10 racer front row. In the Lites LCQ it would be three Finns transferring to the final. Young gun Riku Lauhaluoma would win and take his place on the front row. Sami Huttunen would take second place and Joni Komulainen would recover from his 20 second penalty in round one to punch his ticket to the final.
With the Lites field set for the final it would be Crane Hill Racing’s Myrsky Rissanaen with the holeshot. Romdal would make his way past Rissanen quickly and set the pace. The ten lap final would be exciting as the top 4 were separated by less than 3 seconds. Romsdal would do everything right and take the win. Rissanen would follow him home second and Åberg would come in third. Lundström would finish fourth and Nordholm rounded out the top 5.
The Ladies were up next and all eyes were on Kjell1n’s Hilda Öhman after she swept the opening round in Boden. Öhman would set the fastest lap in qualifying over a half second faster than second place Thea Arnesson. Davina Backteman would set the third quickest time with Wilma Jonsson and Elina Palojärvi rounding out the top five.
Round 1 was broken into two groups and in group A it was Hilda Öhman with the holeshot and she would lead flag to flag winning by just over eight seconds. Finland’s Elina Palojärvi would come home second getting back on the sled only one week ago after an injury in Boden sidelined her. Backteman would finish third, Emma Laamanen fourth and Venla Kauvosaari fifth. Group B would see Thea Arnesson with the holeshot Saga Forsell in tow. It would stay that way for over half the race until Wilma Jonsson caught up to and passed Forsell for second place. Arnesson would hold onto the win with Jonsson second and setting the fastest lap of the race. Forsell would hold onto third, with Team Southside Evohall Polaris’ Ida Rosell fourth and Victoria Laine fifth.
Round two Group A saw Öhman with her second holeshot of the day. Jonsson would get out in second and keep Öhman to within two seconds the whole race and also set the fastest lap. They would go onto finish first and second. Backteman would finish third, Kauvosaari fourth and Ida Rosell fifth. Group B had Palojärvi with the holeshot with Arnesson and Forsell second and third. The top three would finish that way with Laamanen and and Susa Kallio rounding out the top five. EvoHall Racing Team’s Tilde Karelius would take the LCQ win and transfer to the front row of the final. Victoria Laine and Susa Kallio would transfer to make up the backrow.
The final saw Öhman continue her dominance grabbing the holeshot with Palojärvi, Jonsson and Karelius behind her. Öhman opened a slight gap while Jonsson and Palojärvi battled for the second place with Jonsson winning that battle by lap 4. The Southside EvoHall entry of Rosell made her way up from ninth at the start into the fourth position by mid race. Öhman would go onto take the final win, locking up her Super League points championship. Jonsson would finish second and Palojärvi would round out the podium. Backteman would make a last lap pass on Rosell to finish fourth, Rosell settling with fifth.
Pro qualifying took to the track and it was YPV’s Gustav Sahlsten with the quickest lap that was over a second faster than the rest of the field. Kjell1n’s Albin Lundqvist would take the second quickest time and Arctic Cat Cup winner Miika Lammi would be third. John Malmström and Martin Johansson would round out the top five.
Pro round 1 Group A would see top qualifier Sahlsten with the holeshot with Lammi and Martin Johansson in tow. Norwegian Robert Lunden would get off the line fifth but make his way up to third rather quickly. Sahlsten would go on to take the win with Lammi in second. Axel Johansson would takeover third from Lunden when he took the Superlane. Martin Johansson would finish fifth. Group B saw Albin Lundqvist would the holeshot being chased by the lone Austrian racer Elias Bacher on his Ski Doo and Finnish racer Aleksi Juntunen. Bacher would keep Lundqvist in his sights, taking over the lead for a couple laps when Lundqvist took the Super Lane. Lundqvist would manage to retake the lea on the final lap when Bacher would then take the Super Lane. He would go on to win, Bacher would finish a season best second, and John Malmström would come from eighth and finish third. Juntunen and Juho Virmakoski would round out the top five.
Pro Round 2 Group A would see Sahlsten would yet another great start grabbing the holeshot. Malmström and Miika Lammi would be in tow. Sahlsten would lead till lap five when he and Malmström took the Superlane leaving the lead to Lammi. They both would manage to pass him back the following lap when Lammi took the Superlane. Sahlsten would take the win, Malmström and Lammi would finish second and third within 3 seconds of the lead. Martin Johansson and Lunden would complete the top five. In Group B it was Axel Johansson with the holeshot. Another great start for the Austrian Bacher in second and Mille Andersson third. Axel Johansson would never relinquish the lead but Bacher would stay with him the entire race finishing less than a second behind him. Juntunen would battle through the midpack to finish third. Mille Andersson and Albin Lundqvist would complete the top five.
In the Pro LCQ Robert Lunden would take the holeshot and lead all six laps finishing 3 seconds clear of Juho Virmakoski and Linus Dahlberg in second and third respectively. Virmakoski would then be one of two racers penalized for jumping on a medical flag. That opened the door for Gustaf Lindgren to move up to third place and on to the backrow of the final with Dahlberg.
The field was now set for the Pro final. Sahlsten would grab the holeshot with Lunden coming all the way from the outside to slot into second and Bacher in third. Gustav would begin to stretch it out in the front. The battle behind him was fierce with Juntunen making his way back Bacher for third. Juntunen then would catch and pass Lunden for second. Mikka Lammi after a start deep in the field would make his way into the top five. Sahlsten would close out the race with the fastest lap, the final win and lock up the championship. Juntunen would represent Finland on the podium finishing in the second position and Robert Lunden after coming through the LCQ would finish third for Norway. Lammi would carve his way through the field on the way to a fourth and Lundqvist would finish fifth.
Sunday morning rolled around and the Lites were ready for their first round of racing. Pontus Lundström would get the Group A holeshot with Joel Nordholm behind him. Lundström would hand the lead over to Nordholm for one lap when he took the superlane but take it back the following lap after Nordholm would take it. Lundström would take the heat win, Nordholm in second and Jusso Ylipahkala would finish a surprise third. Group B would see Anton Lindström take the holeshot with Riku Lauhaluoma and Leevi Saukkonen behind him. Lindström would go to take the win with Lauhaluoma finishing second on his Loukko Lynx. Jan Even Romsdal would make his way through the field to finish third. Group C lined up and it was Joni Komulainen with the holeshot with Linus Åberg and Linus Eriksson behind him. Åberg would take the lead from Komulainen and go on to take the win. Komulainen would settle for second and Eriksson third.
Round Two Group A prepared to race and it would see Romsdal with the holeshot and Lundström right there in second with Pentti Angelva third. Romsdal and Lundström would go onto finish first and second. Behind them there would be lots of battling with Joni Komulainen coming out with the third-place finish. Group B saw Anton Lindström with the holeshot Joel Nordholm in tow. Nordholm would make his move late in the race and steal away the win. Lindström would bring home second and Linus Eriksson would be third. Group C would see a Sami Huttunen with the holeshot and there would be no denying him. He would lead all the way to the checkered flag. Olle Sahlström would finish second and Loukko’s Riku Lauhaluoma would finish third.
After getting on the podium in Saturday’s final, Myrsky Rissanaen would have to win the LCQ to make his way into the Lites final. Olle Sahlström and Jusso Ylipahkala would take second and third to fill the back row.
Myrsky Rissanaen would take the holeshot from the outside and lead the field around on his Crane Hill Racing machine. Lap two would bring an end to that as he had a big off on the back stretch. That would hand the lead over to Lundström. Disaster would also stroke Saturday’s winner Romsdal as would crash on the front stretch while running sixth trying to make his way through the field. Riku Lauhaluoma would make his way into the second position. Linus Åberg started to make his way through the field after an eighth-place start. Lundström would go on to take the final win with Lauhaluoma in second and Åberg third. Joel Nordholm would wind up finishing fourth and Sami Huttunen would finish fifth but be penalized for gaining an advantage off the track which moved Olle Sahlström into fifth.
The Ladies then took to the track for their final day of racing. Round 1 Group A saw Champion Hilda Öhman take the holeshot with Saga Forsell and Davina Backteman behind her. The track was fast in the morning which kept most of the field close. Backteman would make the pass on Forsell for second. Emma Laamanen would make her way from fifth position past both Elina Palojärvi and Forsell to move into the third position. Öhman would take the win, Backteman would be second and Laamanen third. Group B had Wilma Jonsson grabbing the holeshot with Victoria Laine and Southside EvoHall Polaris’ Ida Rosell behind her. Rosell and Thea Arnesson would make their way past Laine. Jonsson would stretch her lead out while Rosell and Arnesson battled each other for second. Jonsson would go on to take that win. Behind her Arnesson would finish second and Rosell in third.
In Round 2 Group A we would see Öhman and Arnesson battle it out for the lead the whole race. By the end of it Öhman would take the win by 1.6 seconds over Arnesson and Emma Laamanen would finish third. Group B had Wilma Jonsson with the holeshot on Elina Palojärvi close behind. Jonsson’s pace would be too much for the rest of the field as she cruised onto victory. Palojärvi and Davina Backteman would round out the top three.
The LCQ would see EvoHall Southside Polaris racer Kelly Collier with the holeshot. Venla Kauvosaari would quickly take the lead and eventual victory locking her into the front row for the final. Evohall riders Tilde Karelius and Collier would also transfer and make up the backrow.
In the final Hilda Öhman would grab the holeshot with Southside Evohall Polaris entry Ida Rosell second and LCQ winner Kauvosaari in third. Thea Arnesson would make quick work of Palojärvi and Kauvosaari moving herself into the third position by lap three. Öhman free of the fray behind her would begin to open up a gap on the rest of the field. Rosell and Arnesson would battle over second place with Arnesson eventually making the move stick. Backteman would also pass Rosell moving into third place just pass the halfway point. Öhman would go to take the win, with Arnesson coming home second. Jonsson would make a late race pass on Backteman, coming from deep in the field to finish third. Backteman and Palojärvi would round out the top five.
Then it was time for the Pro class, Gustav Sahlsten having already locked up the championship would be trying to secure the Team Challenge victory for YPV. Group A of round 1 saw a great battle between Sahlsten and Aleksi Juntunen who was riding high after his surprise podium Saturday. Sahlsten would take the win, with Juntunen just a couple seconds behind him. Albin Lundqvist would come home in third. Group B had Robert Lunden with the holeshot with Miika Lammi and Juho Virmakoski in close pursuit. The gap between Lunden and Lammi would be tight the entire race. The two of the would exchange the lead multiple times. Lunde n would go onto win, Lammi in second and Virmakoski would hold off challenges from Martin Johansson for third.
In Round 2 group A Gustav Sahlsten would continue his dominance. But it was another great run for Finnish Mikka Lammi. His best lap was only two-tenths of a second off of Sahlsten. Sahlsten would go on to take the win, Lammi would bring home second, with John Malmström in third. Group B would see another Lunden holeshot with EvoHall’s Linus Dahlberg and Axel Johansson close behind. Lunden would be the first of the leaders to take the superlane handing the lead over to Dahlberg. Johansson would take the Superlane next but keep ahead of Lunden and close enough to the leader Dahlberg. Dahlberg saved his superlane till the last lap and Johansson was able to slip by and take the win. Dahlberg would be second and Lunden third.
Jonas Laakkonen would take the LCQ holeshot and lead until he took the superlane on lap three. At that point Elias Bacher would take over and hold it until the last lap when Aleksi Rehu would take the lead and win the race. Bacher would settle for second and Laakkonen third.
The stage was set for the final race of the season. It would be Aleksi Juntunen leading the field around for the first lap with Sahlsten and Axel Johansson behind him. Sahlsten would waste no time taking the lead and beginning to gap the field. Albin Lundqvist would make his way into third passing Johansson around the halfway point. He wasn’t done there though, with two laps to go he would take second place from Juntunen. Sahlsten would go on to win and complete his sweep. Lundqvist would finish second and Juntunen with another podium finishing third. Johansson would hold on for fourth and Martin Johansson fifth.
Super League would like to thank all of its partners, crew members, racers, families and the fans for a great Season Two. Follow the links below to watch all the great racing from the weekend.
Lastly, keep on the lookout for the Amateur recap later this week and season three details coming soon!
Live Stream Round 2 Link: https://youtu.be/YsGEFELuwWk
Live Stream Round 3 Link: https://youtu.be/FG–kmH_HX0
Super League partners: Ouneva Group, EVO HALL, BODEN, MSP, Eurowagon.fi, livesports.fi, Vikmax, Loukko.com, Komulainen Motorsport, Oulozone, Oulu, Sweep, Blingfactory, Pöntinen, and Ramirent.
