CSRA: Team Royal Bourque Polaris Sweeps Season Championships!

Royal Distributing-Bourque Polaris Race Report – Season Wrap up

After having dominated the CSRA for the entire season, the Royal team of Dave Joanis and Lee Butler went into the final weekend ready to get down to business, yet the mood surrounding the team was light. Everyone was excited to be at the Craighurst resort and try and collect some hardware yet again.

The National series points going into the weekend heavily favoured Butler, who had amassed a solid lead that would require only starts in each moto and final to be assured the win in both Pro Stock and Pro Open classes.   Dave Joanis held onto third in the points in Pro Stock behind defending champ Mike Vandolder, and in Pro Open Joanis was in 3rd behind top Ski Doo rider Royal’s own Joey Sagan. 

After the heats had shaken out in Saturdays action, Butler had all but clinched the titles with wins and podiums in each of his heats.  Joanis rode well beyond his 17 years to put himself in position to finish second behind his teammate in both title hunts. 

   In the Pro Stock final it was all 17 year old Joanis, who led flag to flag to clinch the #2 plate for Polaris.  Butler turned a 4th place start into a solid second place behind his teammate as the Bourque Polaris’s sat one-two on the box in the race and in the final National Points. 

   The Pro Open final was much anticipated by the record crowd on hand to bask in the bright sunshine.  With Lee Butler having clinched the title with just a green flag, everyone looked to the storylines of second thru fifth place in the points.  Joanis and Joey Sagan sat tied with 418 points, followed by former X games champ Mike Island with 417, and defending champion Vandolder close behind at 415.  The storyline thickened as the ISOC based factory Yamaha’s of Iain Hayden and Steve Taylor lined up for the long climb up the Horseshoe Valley hill. 

All year long in the ISOC circuit, the 4 stroke Yamaha’s got strong starts and pulled hard up the ski hills.   After the first corner all the players were at the front, as Taylor followed Hayden up the hill.  Close behind were the Polaris’s of Joanis and Butler, followed by Sagan’s Skidoo and the Skidoo’s of Island and Vandolder.  Butler used smart lines to catch and pass Joanis, and then turned on the power to pass the Yamaha of Taylor.   The gap to Hayden was too much to overcome as the space between Hayden and Butler would remain the same, with both riders opening up a lead on the field.  Joanis would pass Taylor before the end of the final to secure the #2 plate with a third place finish behind his teammate Butler in second.

Season Wrap up

In the four championships the team contended for, they were a perfect 1-2 in all with Butler winning the National #1 plate in Pro Stock and Pro Open, and in the Regional CSRA championship.  Joanis finished second in all four championships in his rookie season as a Pro. The entire team deserves the credit for all the long hours in preparation and testing, and the countless hours spent by Lee and Dave in the gym training and riding moto after moto of practice and training.   Royal Distributing and Bourque Polaris would like to thank Lee Butler and Dave Joanis for an amazing season on and off the track as awesome representatives of both the team and sponsors. 

Rick Igercich, and Zeek Klassen for all the hours in the shop, trailer and trackside, preparing and rechecking every part and piece on the machines.  Gerry Bourque for keeping everything flowing smoothly and making sure the team had everything they needed to compete week to week.  Special thanks to Wayne Legge, for all the untold hours assembling engines, testing and retesting clutching and engine specs to ensure the sleds worked flawlessly on track, and motivating the athletes trackside race to race.

A quick rundown of what the team has accomplished this season:

Round 1  Studboy Pro Snowcross Sault Ste Marie
Pro Stock 
Lee Butler 1st
Dave Joanis 7th
Pro Open Mod
Lee Butler  1st
Dave Joanis 7th
Round 2 Tim Horton’s Georgian Cup - Owen Sound
Pro Stock
Lee Butler 1st
Dave Joanis 2nd
Pro Open Mod
Dave Joanis 1st
Lee Butler 2nd
Round 3 Amsoil Kawartha Cup 1 - Lindsay
Pro Stock
Dave Joanis 1st
Lee Butler 4th
Pro Open
Lee Butler 4th
Dave Joanis 9th
Round 4 Royal Distributing Pro Cup – Innisfil
Pro Stock
Lee Butler 1st
Dave Joanis 3rd
Pro Open
Lee Butler 1st
Dave Joanis 2nd
Round 5 Amsoil Kawartha Cup 2 – Peterborough
Pro Stock
Lee Butler 1st
Dave Joanis 2nd
Pro Open Mod
Lee Butler 1st
Dave Joanis 2nd
Round 6 Northern Tel Mobility Snowcross – Kirkland Lake
Pro Stock
Lee Butler 1st
Dave Joanis 6th
Pro Open Mod
Lee Butler 1st
Dave Joanis 10th
Round 7 North Bay Pro Snowcross – North Bay
Pro Stock
Lee Butler 1st
Dave Joanis 2nd
Pro Open Mod
Dave Joanis 1st
Lee Butler 2nd
Round 8 Ryde FX Pro Snowcross – Kitchener
Event Cancelled – Weather conditions
Round 9 Dayco National Snowcross Championships
Pro Stock
Dave Joanis 1st
Lee Butler 2nd
Pro Open Mod
Lee Butler 2nd
Dave Joanis 3rd

Royal Distributing Bourque Polaris’s placed on the podium 25 of 32 times they entered a final; with 14 of a possible 16 wins - and 8 times (50% of the finals)  the team crossed the line in first and second together!

Action Photos courtesy of Gary at Supernova Photo

A Very Special Thanks to our Sponsors: Polaris Racing, Walker Evans Shocks, Stud Boy, FXR Clothing, Kimpex, Ipone Oils, HMK, Oakley, OSM Magazine, Rox, Dayco, Fly, Camoplast, TekVest, Renton Coil Springs, C&A Skis, Jaws Perfomance and Digatron.

From Mark Fries / Royal Distributing