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| In
the final hours of the race, the track
was full of deep sand whoops and ruts |
Sunday’s weather was perfect, and the
track soaked up the previous night’s rain
well. No standing water anywhere on the track,
and absolutely no dust. The #2 Honda team consisting
of Rodier, Fortin, and Deneault got a massive
holeshot, but Team refuel took over the lead.
Tom started for our team, but only did one lap
before the chain broke.Another tow to the pits
for a fresh chain put us back again, but we
just concentrated on turning fast laps and having
a great time. With perfect weather and a great
running quad, we were enjoying just hammering
through the moguls with reckless abandon.
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|
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#91 Jasmin Plante's Yamaha Team won the
overall with a seven lap lead and took
home $5,600 for 1st place |
The #91 Yamaha ran strong the duration of the
race, and finished up with a seven lap lead
over the #9 Yamaha YFZ of Team Meunier. Plante’s
team circulated the track 166 times en route
to the overall victory and the largest share
of the $20,000 purse. Third through fifth place
all turned the same number of laps, but the
#2 Moto Centre Honda edged out the others to
get the final podium spot.
| |
| #17
Women's Class winners on a Kawasaki KFX450
took home a cool $1,200 |
Three women’s teams battled it out, with
the #17 Team taking the win. The amateur class
was won by the Willbrod Racing Team on a Honda
450R. One rider did more laps than anyone in the
race, and that was the sole Ironman entry of Demon
Racing on the #101 Yamaha Raptor 700. Anyone who
could hang on for 128 laps of that demanding course
is THE MAN. We ended up finishing the race in
19th position in the Pro Class.
After the race, a raging celebration began
in the pits, with music, food, drinks, burnouts,
and general mayhem leading up to the awards
presentation. The experience of racing the 12
Hours of La Tuque is one of my favorite race
memories of all time. With a scenic location,
friendly people, perfect organization, and a
challenging track, it is one event that I will
try to do each year.
