[POST RACE RECAP]
Oakwood, ON (January 25, 2022) – In what feels like an eternity, Karkoulas Sisters Racing (KSR) was able to pack their gear and set the truck North with the final destination of Runway Park, Sault Saint Marie, Ontario, set in the GPS. With a few brand new 2022 Ski-Doo 600RS’ featuring a fresh new look thanks to 139 Designs, the team set off for the Can-Am International Canadian Snowcross Racing Association (CSRA) season opener on January 22-23rd with nothing but optimism.
The team found themselves rolling into the race site Friday morning in time to hit the track for an afternoon of practice. Four practice motos had the two oldest riders, Brooklyn (age 17) and Dakota (age 15) reacquainting themselves to maneuvering through whoops and doubles while younger sister Zoe (age 12) eagerly watched and waited for her turn to practice Saturday morning, which turned out to be a day that the team will not soon forget.
Zoe #502
Saturday was a national event day and also one of the worst weather days in the history of CSRA racing. Blowing snow made visibility extremely challenging, but despite this added obstacle, the team managed to pull off a great day of racing with no major incidents. Zoe #502 was the first to take to the track dominating the Transition Girls class going 1:1 all weekend long. Transition 2 saw her a little throttle shy off the start with a larger more aggressive group of riders in the class finishing the day with a solid 5th place finish after going 5:5 in her combined motos. Final results were not posted for Sunday’s regional competition for Transition 2 but Zoe remained consistent mid pack. When asked about her weekend, Zoe said, “My weekend went good! I really enjoyed the track, especially the jumping section at the front. I hope to get better starts next race and come back strong!”
Dakota #501
Dakota #501 was the next rider ready to start her 2022 season in the Junior 14-17 class. Her first race was on Saturday in the Junior 14-17 class. She had a rough start but rode as hard as she could and was able to make a lot of passes, moving from 8th to 4th place. Dakota’s second Junior moto saw significant improvement where she was able to get the holeshot and finished in 2nd place. Overall, in Junior 14-17 she finished with a 2nd place for Saturday.
Dakota also raced her first ever Pro/am Women’s race on Saturday during the afternoon main events program. Racers had to restart the race three times due to multiple sled pile ups, but all three times the race was restarted, Dakota was able to get the holeshot which proved a major advantage.
With all the blowing snow and poor visibility, Dakota didn’t have the added challenge of roost from riders ahead and so she was able to lead the race from start to finish. In her second Pro/Am Women race, there were no crashes and again, Dakota was able to lead the race from start to finish.
Sunday focused on Regional classes racing and unfortunately in her first Junior moto Dakota got in a tangle up with other
racers. However, she was able to make up time and go from 9th place to 5th place. In her last Junior race, Dakota had a clean run and placed 2nd which allowed her to get another 2nd place overall finish for the day. In reflecting on the weekend, Dakota said, “I am very happy with my performance and my results, even if all the races didn’t go how I would have liked. I am even more excited for our next race in two weeks!”
Brooklyn #500
The team’s most seasoned rider, Brooklyn #500, hit the track for the “pro show” Saturday afternoon as part of the National series in the Pro/Am Women class. In addition to the added pressure of being the returning championship title holder, the 2022 season brings the first year the two eldest sisters add the dynamic of being competitors to their relationship. After keeping their Dad, Troy, busy bouncing back and forth at the line anxiously awaiting the green light, Brooklyn had a solid start finishing 2nd overall in the class for the day.
When asked about her experience, Brooklyn replied, “It felt great to get back out racing this weekend! After a very modified past season due to Covid-19, I am very excited to have an almost completely normal season this year with spectators and all.” Brooklyn mentioned that she didn’t have as much practice leading up to the event as she would have liked, so it was a bonus to have an entire practice day on Friday. The track was great and included a downhill, so it was a lot of fun to race on. On race day Brooklyn had a great first moto after two restarts, finishing in second place. The extreme weather definitely played a part in moto two, but she still managed to get away with a second place over all for the day.
The weekend’s experience didn’t just stick to the track. On Friday afternoon, Troy Karkoulas (team manager and dad), had the opportunity alongside his eldest daughter Brooklyn, to do a radio interview describing the Sport of Snowcross and the team’s experiences. In addition to this opportunity, the entire team had the pleasure of being filmed by a local news channel (northernontario.ctvnews.ca) sharing their excitement for being back at the sport!
KSR has made some amazing relationships with many great sponsors over the years that we would like to thank for their continued support for this 2022 season: Bailey Motorsports, Motul, Ski-Doo, Fly Racing, Backwoods Promotions, Scott Sports Canada, C&A Pro Skis, Rox Speed FX, Dayco, Off-Road Vixens, Stud Boy Traction Products, Atlas Brace, 139 Designs, Clean Media, Tekvest, St. Onge Recreation, Laps for Muscular Dystrophy.
RESULTS: To see full results for the CSRA Series, visit: http://live.tracksideresults.com/csra/
FOLLOW US: @KSRsnowcross (Facebook, Twitter & Instagram)
NEXT RACE: Kawartha Cup – February 5-6th – Lindsay, ON
